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June 3, 2012

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George Maloof and Kerry Simon pitch Camp Vegas at Dodgers game

Image

Jon SooHoo

George Maloof and Kerry Simon at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates game at Dodger Stadium on April 29, 2010.

Friday, April 30, 2010 | 3:28 p.m.

George Maloof and Kerry Simon at Dodgers Game

Kerry Simon and George Maloof at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates game at Dodger Stadium on April 29, 2010. Launch slideshow »

George Maloof and Kerry Simon

May is set to be an extraordinary month of entertainment as summer heats up here, and Camp Vegas is officially open for business. Palms mogul George Maloof and his Iron Chef winner Kerry Simon continued the Camp Vegas launch-day activities last night at Dodgers Stadium for the opening pitch of the L.A. Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates game.

Our thanks to photographer Jon SooHoo for these great photographs and to the Palms for posting a video of the pitches -- baseball and Camp Vegas! -- in L.A. on YouTube. The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was changed to Welcome to Fabulous Camp Vegas yesterday by Mayor Oscar Goodman, Peepshow star Holly Madison and “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton, among others.

The month of May brings us everything from Kenny Chesney at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on May 14 and 15 to Barenaked Ladies at Mandalay Bay on May 29 and the opening of even more topless, adults-only pool parties. At Steve Wynn’s new Encore Beach Club featuring DJ Kaskade and Surrender nightclub, there’ll be dancing under the shower poles and floating lily pads in the three-pool complex and a first for the Strip with two-story beach bungalows. Nightclub impresario Sean Christie, who runs Blush at the Wynn, said the nightclub will have air conditioning that can cool down the outside temperature of 110 degrees by 35 degrees!

I don’t care about the hopelessly incorrect Portfolio.com rankings because Las Vegas is truly the No. 1 city in the world for entertainment -- parties, dining and shopping -- and May alone also includes the giant UFC Fan Expo, the incredible Vegas Uncork’d food festival with more than 50 of the world’s best chefs, and diverse stars including Conan O’Brien, Paramore, Styx, Cheech & Chong, Jerry Seinfeld and NKOTB stopping in town. And don’t forget Donald Trump’s Miss USA Pageant, too!

Show me any of that in Albany, N.Y. How ridiculous!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.