Vegas News Bits for September 27, 2007

Just a few quick Vegas notes of interest for you today:

• Ticketmaster says they will be auctioning off “premium” seats to the final shows of Celine Dion at Caesars Palace. The auctions will begin online November 5th and the proceeds will not be going to charity, just to Ticketmaster. They reason in the press release that it’s better to do it this way than to subject fans to the ruthless scruples of scalpers who might get their hands on these tickets. Sure…just say you realize you can get more money than face value for these seats and be done with it, Ticketmaster.

• Fresno, California, is to become the new home for the Lightning Bolt roller coaster from the defunct MGM Grand Adventures theme park. The 2,400-foot long steel roller coaster will be one of three coasters at the under construction The Forest at Granite Amusement Park, which is slated for a 2008 opening.

• Team Vegas has won the 2007 Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand. The trio, Anthony Alba, Eddie Perales, and Gaston Martinez, scored a victory with the “Amplextremo,” a two part “kitchen-style” cocktail that included complex ingredients such as potato puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, dolce de leche, 42 BELOW Vodka (the event’s sponsor) and a garnish of strawberries frozen with liquid nitrogen. Way to go guys!

• Tix4Tonight says they plan to open their fifth city location in November at the ticket booth located behind the giant Coke bottle at the Showcase Mall in front of the MGM Grand. Not only will they offer same-day reduced tickets to shows, they will also offer regular priced tickets to many other shows, making them a one-stop shop for shows around town.

• Las Vegas CityLife editor Matthew O’Brien will be appearing at Mandalay Bay’s Reading Room store on October 11th. O’Brien has authored the new book, “Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas,” and will be signing copies starting at 7:30pm.