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this to a friend November 15, 2001
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The stars were expected to be out Thursday for this
year's only new resort opening in Las Vegas.
An invitation-only gala was scheduled to kick off the Palms
hotel-casino's debut at 7 p.m. followed by a public opening at 11 p.m.
with a fireworks and light show.
Among the Hollywood and sports celebrities expected to attend the VIP
party were Samuel L. Jackson, Charles Barkley, Joe Pesci, Tom Arnold,
Penny Marshall and Dennis Rodman.
Socialite Paris Hilton was expected to wear a Cornell Collins-designed
corset inlaid with $1 million worth of gambling chips.
And Italian painter Filippo Ioco was expected to exhibit his artwork -
body painting - on 12 nearly nude models stationed throughout the casino.
The 455-room, $265 million resort is located west of the Las Vegas
Strip across from the Rio hotel-casino.
George Maloof Jr., developer and president of the Palms, said he hopes
to attract Hollywood's who's who, other tourists and Las Vegas residents
with an array of restaurants, nightclubs and local casino amenities,
including a 14-theater movie complex.
"I wanted to get back to the spirit of Las Vegas," he said. "I wanted
to create the ultimate party hotel in the world. If you can't have fun
here, you can't have fun."
One of the places Maloof is betting guests will have fun is on top of
the 42-story tower in the Ghostbar, a lounge overlooking the Las Vegas
Strip. Those who dare can step outside on the balcony, stand on a pane of
glass and stare down at the pool deck 450 feet below.
Maloof and his family, owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, own 88
percent of the Palms, Station Casinos owns 6 percent and a company
controlled by the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper,
owns 6 percent.
The resort also is making a play for basketball stars - 24 of the rooms
have been designated "NBA rooms," with longer-than-normal beds and
higher-than-normal showers.
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On the Net:
The Palms hotel-casino: http://www.thepalmslasvegas.com/
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