Vegas News Roundup for November 30, 2007

A collection of news that may be of interest to those of you living and playing in Las Vegas:

• The Las Vegas Great Santa Run kicks off Saturday, December 1, at 8am with a speech by Honorary Head Santa, Mayor Oscar Goodman. The 5-k and 1-mile events will begin promptly at 10am at the intersection of Fremont Street and S. Las Vegas Blvd. Scheduled to appear throughout the event are Honorary Team Captains Siegfried & Roy, illusionist Hans Klok and musicians Zowie Bowie, among others. The event, to benefit the charity organization Opportunity Village, hopes to set a world record with running Santas. For more information and a race route map, visit www.opportunityvillage.org.

• The Las Vegas Marathon takes place the next day, on Sunday, December 2. It will reportedly have over 100 running Elvises, in hopes of setting a new world record. Entertainment will be provided for participants at each mile marker, which will include everything from cover bands to the Blue Man Group. Frankie Moreno and a Cirque du Soleil All Star Jam will welcome runners across the finish line. The race itself can be run in full or in half, and both the start and finish lines are located at Mandalay Bay. For more information on the event, visit www.lvmarathon.com.

• Town Square, a new $750 million shopping and lifestyle center on S. Las Vegas Blvd at the intersection of I-15 and I-215, opened on November 14th. Among the 150 stores is a 50,000-sq-ft Whole Foods Market, Borders Books, H&M, a dozen restaurants, an 18-screen all-digital movie theater and more. Not everything is open, but the majority of the center will be in full swing before the end of the holiday shopping season this year.

• Extra seats have been released for next week’s three Spice Girls shows at Mandalay Bay. Tickets, limited to 8 per person, are priced at $75, $95 and $125 (plus taxes and service charges) for the shows on December 8, 9 and 11, and are available at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations, including online.

• City officials have allocated $800,000 more to the $1.2 million budget for the planned mob museum currently being built at an historic downtown post office. Exhibits will cover the city’s mob influence from the days of Prohibition and bootlegging on, covering southern Nevada’s colorful Mafia past, without glorifying it. Both the FBI and “Casino” author Nicholas Pileggi have agreed to be consultants on the project, though no date has been given for the museum’s opening.

• With the current media blitz surrounding the Osmonds and their recent reunion, as well as Marie’s “Dancing With the Stars” appearances, it’s been announced this week that Osmond siblings Donny and Marie will be teaming up for a concert tour next summer. The MGM Grand has announced the singing duo has been booked into the resort’s Hollywood Theater for a full week next summer, starting on July 17. No word on when tickets will go on sale, but as soon as we find out, we’ll let you know.