It's that kind of day:

From the Review-Journal:

As her husband Danny lay unmoving on the floor near her, Julie Gans stopped talking to the 911 operator and patiently explained the situation.

“OK, move away ... I’m trying to see if I can hear Daddy breathing,” she said.

At least one of Danny and Julie Gans’ three children, 19-year-old Andrew, and the family dog was in the room as Julie Gans followed the instructions of the 911 operator, a tape of the emergency call reveals.

It was Andrew, according to the recording, who helped Julie Gans lift the popular Las Vegas entertainer off the bed and onto the master bedroom floor so she could perform the CPR that the operator would talk her through.

On the tape, Julie Gans can be heard counting aloud the chest compressions she was performing on her husband. At one point, while nearly breathless from the CPR, she calmly told someone, “Move the dog back.”

The 3:44 a.m. 911 call released today by Henderson police gives the public its first real sense of what happened in the early morning hours of May 1, the day the 52-year-old Gans died from what the coroner later ruled was acute hydromorphone toxicity because of chronic pain syndrome.

The death, involving a powerful painkiller commonly known as Dilaudid, was ruled accidental by Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy.

In a Henderson police report also released today, Detective Chad Mitchell wrote that during an interview with Julie Gans, she told him that, at the request of police, “she had gathered and placed all of her husband’s medications on a table located directly outside of the master bedroom doorway so that they could be examined.”

Mitchell also wrote that Henderson Crime Scene Analyst Jennie Ayers “conducted a count down of all” of Gans’ medications and “noted nothing remarkable.”

“The exact number of pills she located and counted will be reflected in her crime scene report,” Mitchell wrote.

Citing privacy issues, Henderson police refused today to release Ayers’ report. Ayers declined a request for an interview today. Attempts to reach Julie Gans were unsuccessful.

A Henderson physician who says he treated Gans for pain told the Review-Journal earlier this month that the first and last time he wrote Gans a prescription for Dilaudid was about five years ago.

Dr. Michael Fishell told the Review Journal it is conceivable that Gans could have started “really suffering” from pain in a chronic bad shoulder and found the leftover medication from the old prescription “in the back of the medicine cabinet” and taken some of it.

Mitchell’s report reiterates what largely has already been reported. Gans had come home at about 3 p.m. on April 30 after playing golf. After he had a shower, his wife told him that dinner would be ready about 4:30 p.m.

But he fell into a deep, snoring sleep. Julie Gans sent Andrew to wake him for dinner. “Andrew told his mother that his father was asleep and it was decided not to wake him,” the report states.

When Julie Gans joined her husband in the bedroom at about 10 p.m., her husband was still snoring.

At 3:40 a.m, Julie Gans told Mitchell, she suddenly awoke when she no longer heard the snoring. When she realized he was not responsive and could not tell if he was breathing, she dialed 911.

“I can’t seem to wake him up,” she told the 911 operator.

After Julie Gans’ call for help, Henderson police arrived at Gans home in the exclusive Roma Hills gated community off of Horizon Ridge Parkway.

Neither police nor paramedics were able to get Gans breathing again.

Mitchell, who declined to be interviewed today, said that when Coroner Michael Murphy and coroner’s investigator Dan Daniels arrived, they noted that Gans’ face was “swollen and red.”

“Investigator Daniels found nothing during his examination that suggested foul play was involved in Daniels’ death,” Mitchell wrote.

Rumors have been flying for months about the fate of the beloved Reading Room bookstore in Mandalay Bay.

We have it on good authority that it is slated to become a Yogurt Shop.

Yeah, you read that right.  A Yogurt Shop.

Luckily, there is plenty of culture in other parts of Las Vegas.

Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died today as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.

Rumors have abound for months here that Jackson was planning a comeback by anchoring a major hotel showroom on the Strip.  Various names and hotels have been bandied about including Steve Wynn and both the Wynn and Encore.

Those rumors came to halt this afternoon with news that Jackson had died of cardiac arrest at UCLA Medical Center in West Los Angeles.

In Las Vegas, Michael Jackson's wax replica is stationed at the front plaza at Madame Tussauds at the Venetian for fans who want to come by and pay their respects to the singer. Fans can leave cards, signs and can also sign a condolence book that will be sent to the Jackson family.

From the Review-Journal:

The Michael Jackson made of wax stood there, silently, as throngs of passers-by stopped to take a picture next to him.

Most smiled as family members snapped photos from a few feet away. Some cried. One grabbed his crotch in an exaggerated imitation of one of the King of Pop’s signature dance moves.

But the wax version of the deceased pop icon just stood there, wobbling occasionally when someone touched it. Its eyes, cast downward, seemed just a little bit sad.

After the real Michael Jackson’s death Thursday afternoon, officials at Madame Tussauds at The Venetian scrambled to get their wax figure out in front of the museum.

Attraction Manager Rosita Chapman said they wanted to share the figure — which has been with the museum since its inception 10 years ago — with everybody. They set up flowers, an “in loving tribute” sign and a guest book for people to sign.

It was nice, said 39-year-old Michelle Vermuele of Tucson, Ariz., who wrote in the book, “Rhythm like no other!!”

“I couldn’t believe the news,” she said after posing next to the figure. “I thought it was some sort of publicity stunt.

“It just seems very surreal.”

Carolyn Boyle, a 47-year-old from Scotland, hadn’t heard the news until she passed by the exhibit. An employee of Madame Tussauds broke the news to her and she broke down in tears.

After fighting to contain herself while her husband snapped a photo of her next to the figure, she said “It’s such a shame.”

The wax Jackson will be on display for the next few days, Chapman said, and people are invited to leave signs and other mementos next to it.

The influence of the pop star was immense. After 38-year-old Harald Woelke stood grimly by, the tourist from Germany explained how he owned every one of Jackson’s albums and how he became choked up when he heard the news.

“When you see ‘Germany’s Next Superstar’ — it’s like your ‘American Idol’ —there are at least 20 to 30 people doing Michael Jackson things, dancing and singing,” he said.

He signed the guest book, “4-ever dancing in our hearts!”

“I think everybody has a story about how much they loved him,” said Nicole Francis, who was visiting from New York City. “My co-worker had the Jackson 5 posters on her walls. For me I had the “Beat It” jacket.

“I don’t think I really believe it yet,” she said.

In a related story from our pal, Mike Weatherford:

Michael Jackson’s death caused Las Vegas impressionists and comedians to quickly alter their acts, turning satiric sendup into sincere tribute.

“We’ll turn it into a tribute, because I do a good impression of him,” Mirage headliner Terry Fator said before Thursday’s show. “We obviously won’t be able to do it tonight, but in the next couple of weeks we’re going to turn it into a tribute to one of the greatest entertainers of all time.”

In the short term, Fator said he would cut a segment where he dresses up as Jackson and asks a cowboy puppet named Walter for country music lessons. The cowboy is more than a little wary of the superstar.

“I don’t think we were too hard on him. It was really very upbeat. We poked a little fun at him but obviously we can’t do that anymore,” Fator said of the bit.

“I am and always have been a Michael Jackson fan. That’s why I am able to sing like him, and also why I never got mean about it or took low blows,” Fator added.

“I am just heartbroken. I really wanted to meet him one day. I’ve been a big fan since I was a little kid.”

Golden Nugget headliner Gordie Brown did meet Jackson, tracking him down as a young fan and presenting the pop star with a portrait he drew when the “Victory” tour stopped in Montreal in September 1984.

“I think I’ll just speak about it more than do anything close to an impression,” Brown said Thursday afternoon. Through Wednesday, his Jackson impression was a “Billie Jean” song parody with jokes about the singer having body parts fall off after too much plastic surgery.

“Tonight it’s gotta go. I’ll speak from the heart,” Brown said. “In the future I’ll change it in a way that’s respectful. ... It’s a shame this iconic entertainer passed so frickin’ suddenly. It’s unbelievable.”

Brown said Jackson was “my first impression beyond Elvis” back in the ’80s, when he was a political cartoonist just thinking about becoming an entertainer.

Brown checked into a suite he couldn’t afford at the hotel where Jackson was staying in 1984, and talked security into letting him present the singer the portrait he had drawn. “They said, 'It looks pretty good, because if it didn’t we’d have shooed you away by now.’”

Jackson signed a copy of the artwork that hangs in Brown’s home. “That taught me about the secret in life: If you want something, go after it. That’s how the universe is going to give it to you.”

“American Superstars,” which features Frederick Henry in a serious tribute to Jackson, happened to have Thursday as its regular night off at the Stratosphere. “We’re still scheduled to go forward (today)” producer Mark Callas said. “We’re looking for guide light on how to do it respectfully.”

Carrot Top’s publicist, Steve Flynn, said the comedian’s crew immediately started editing the show-closing rock sequence, which features Jackson’s music, upon hearing he died. Carrot Top removed all jokes that made fun of Jackson, but kept in a moment where he strikes a Jackson pose in front of an industrial fan, repositioning it as a tribute. He also planned to make an impromptu toast to Jackson in Thursday’s show

In Los Angeles:

Fans in Hollywood are said to be upset that they can't get to Jackson's star in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater on the famed "Walk of Fame" because of the premiere for the new comedy, "Bruno".

Only in America.

Okay, it's time for our annual listing of the various 4th of July Firework Displays and Celebrations. Check back often as this list will get added to throughout the month. Unlike other sites that just re-posted information from last year without taking the time to verify, I called the various hotels and venues to make sure that the information posted here is, indeed, correct.

Thursday, July 2nd:

Annual Night of Fire at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway features fireworks, SMRA Supermodifieds on Thursday, July 2

Includes Fireworks

The Bullring, Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s NASCAR-sanctioned 3/8-mile asphalt oval, will kick off the Independence Day holiday weekend on Thursday, July 2, with its annual Night of Fire. The night of family fun features fireworks and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series stock car racing, a jet car and SMRA Supermodifieds.

Spectator gates will open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. Fireworks are tentatively scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
Stock car racing classes include: SMRA Supermodifieds (50 laps), MetroPCS Super Late Models (76 laps), Chargers, Outlaw Enduro Bombers (76 laps), twin Legends Cars features, Bandoleros.

Spectator admission:
Adults: $15.
Senior citizens and military personnel with ID: $12.
Children (6-12): $5.
Family 4-Pak (2 adults and 2 children): $38.
Stockyard (VIP tailgate area in Turns 3 and 4): $149 (includes 4 admission tickets). Stockyard passes are available for purchase by visiting or calling the LVMS Ticket Services Office.

The Bullring's concession stand offers a family-friendly dollar menu, including $1 hot dogs, $1 soda and $1 beer. For more information, please call the LVMS ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.

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North Las Vegas 10th Annual Independence Day Jubilee

Friday, July 3rd (only):

The multi-platinum selling group All-American Rejects will perform at Mandalay Bay Beach Friday, July 3. The concert is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets priced at $40, including taxes and service charges, are now on sale and available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

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July 2nd and 3rd:

Las Vegas 51's Baseball Game

and Fireworks

When: July 2nd and 3rd,after the game
Where:Cashman Field
Admission: $14
More info: 702-326-7200

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Friday, July 3rd - 5th:

Beer Bash on the Bridge

July 3 – 5, 2009

New York, New York

Who: 20 Brewers with 40 Beers

Featuring DJ Chris Landry daily – Live entertainment nightly

Dates: July 3 – July 5, 2009

Price: $40 per person in advance / $45 at event

$95 3-day Pass (tax not included in prices)

Includes unlimited beer and entertainment

$10 per person – Bridge access only

Cash Bars will be available

Limited Menu for purchase will be available

*Must be 21 or older

See the Box Office for tickets and information

Time: Friday, July 3: Bridge open from 3 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Sat. & Sun., July 4 & 5: Bridge open from noon – 11 p.m.

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TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO 1969 AS FREMONT STREET

EXPERIENCE

PRESENTS “SUMMER OF ’69: VEGAS OR BUST”

July 3rd - 5th

Faux Fireworks Display on the FSE Canopy

“American Pie 4^th of July” commemorates Independence Day weekend from Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 and highlights Fremont Street Experience’s Viva Vision show, “Don McLean’s American Pie.”

Headline concerts will feature Janis Joplin’s Original Band Big Brother & The Holding Company on Friday, July 3 and The Grass Roots on Saturday, July 4.

The evening of the 4^th of July will also showcase a brilliant virtual fireworks show on the Viva Vision canopy.

Saturday, July 4th (only):

60th Annual Boulder City Damboree

Evening Fireworks

When: July 4
Where: Boulder City
Schedule: Pancake Breakfast - Bicentennial Park - 7am
Parade - Nevada Way - 9am
Damboree Ceremonies and Midway Booths - Broadbent Park- 11am
Fireworks Festivities - Veteran's Memorial Park - 6pm
Visit the Boulder Dam Damboree online

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Summerlin July 4th Parade

The annual Summerlin Patriotic Parade returns July 4, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The parade begins at the corner of Hillpointe Road and Hills Center Drive in The Trails Village of Summerlin.

Participants travel south toward the Village Center Circle roundabout before heading west on Trailwood Drive.

It usually attracts more than 25,000 people. The event is free.

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Downtown Henderson Fourth of July fireworks & celebration

When: 6-9 p.m. July 4

Where: Henderson Events Plaza and surrounding area

Admission: Free

More Info: 702-267-2171

Attendees will enjoy three stages of live music by the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, country music entertainer Randy Anderson and more.

Additionally, families will have the opportunity to indulge in a variety of food and beverage options while the children are entertained by an assortment of fun activities including a rock wall, dunk tank, bounce house and more. The

Independence Day celebration will culminate with a spectacular fireworks display from atop City Hall.

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Las Vegas Springs Preserve and the Las Vegas Philharmonic Team Up for

"Star Spangled Spectacular!"

Laser Light Show, too

(note: NEW LOCATION!!!)

This year, Las Vegas’ favorite and most patriotic pops concert has a new home: the Springs Preserve! Join us on Saturday, July 4 for "Star Spangled Spectacular" as we celebrate the birth of our nation with a fun and rousing line-up of patriotic music performed by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, under the direction of Conductor David Itkin.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m. in our beautiful outdoor amphitheater. Tickets are limited and available for purchase online and at the Preserve box office. There are three ticket levels offered:

VIP Package – $82.50 per person
Includes pre-concert VIP reception in the ORIGEN Rotunda with complimentary gourmet hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine service, and an exclusive tabled seating area in the amphitheater.

Amphitheater Seating – $27.50 per person
Includes assigned concert seating within the Springs Preserve amphitheater and access to on-grounds food and beverage concession stations.

Grounds Pass – $17.50 per person
Includes non-seated access to the concert venue amid standing cocktail tables, as well as the balcony at the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck, and access to food and beverage concession stations.

Springs Preserve annual passholders receive a discount of $7.50 off VIP or reserved amphitheater seating. Children 12 and under receive $7.50 off amphitheater seating or grounds pass (cannot be combined with passholder discount). VIP and Amphitheater seat assignments will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 6 p.m. on July 4. Please bring your printed ticket with you.

For info on purchasing tickets: https://websales.omniticket.com/lvs/

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Lake Las Vegas Entertainment and Fireworks

BBQ and Entertainment

The Band will be "JV All-Stars"

Fireworks Display: 10:00 pm

The Event is Free

For more information: 702-564-1600

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4th of July BBQ & Fireworks Show

Rio Hotel

When: 7-10 p.m. July 4
Where: Sapphire Pool, Rio
Tickets: $50 for admission, BBQ and one drink or $30 for admission only

More info: 702.448.6789 for cabana/daybed reservations

The Girls of Sapphire and DJ Madam Malixa will host a BBQ and fireworks

at the Sapphire Pool at the Rio on July 4th.

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Rock the Block with El Cortez

When: 7 p.m. July 4
Where: Fremont East Entertainment District, downtown Las Vegas
More information: 702-385-5200
The El Cortez hotel-casino brings the Fourth of July festivities downtown with Rock the Block, a concert featuring alternative rock sensations Otherwise and Hupastank.

The outdoor concert is $15 and begins at 7 p.m. in the Fremont East Entertainment District.

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MYSTIC ROOTS BAND RETURN TO

MANDALAY BAY BEACH SATURDAY, JULY 4th

Evening Highlighted by Fireworks Extravaganza

Mystic Roots Band (MRB), known for its original style of reggae, hip-hop and dance music with overtones of rock, funk and ska, will perform live on the Mandalay Bay Beach stage Saturday, July 4. The fireworks show is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. followed by the concert at 9:15 p.m.

Tickets priced at $20, not including applicable service charges, are now on sale and available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

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Caesars Palace is having by-Invitation Only Private Party

on the rooftop which will include fireworks.

So, if you know someone at Harrah's (corporate owner of CP) or someone in management at Caesars or a connected slot host, you have to call and get on the invitation list.

Fireworks are set for 9:00 pm

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STATION CASINOS ANNOUNCES

NINE-PROPERTY FIREWORKS SHOW

ON 4^TH OF JULY

Plans are in the works for nine fireworks showsto go off simultaneously on the 4th of July from nine different Station Casinos’ properties throughout the valley including Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Boulder Station, neighboring properties Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho will be a shared location, Fiesta Henderson, Aliante Station, Santa Fe Station and Sunset Station.

The fireworks show this evening and the nine-property fireworks show on the 4th of July have been produced the Grucci Family, one of the premiere fireworks companies in the world.

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The Las Vegas Hilton Hotel will have a Fireworks Display just after dark.

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Please note that the County's Red, White & Boom has been cancelled and is being replaced by Red, White & Splash --smaller community events at the following county pools:

Laughlin, Nevada announces:

When: July4, the festivities begin just after dusk
Where: Laughlin
How Much: FREE to the public along the Laughlin River walk
More Info: 800-227-5245 or 702-298-2214
Enjoyone of the mostspectaular fireworks display in the West choreographed to fabulous patriotic music simulcast on various local radio stations.

We've got copies!

Discover the real history of Las Vegas!

This is the book I wrote on the history of Las Vegas with lots of postcards, some rare and one of kind.  Makes for great reading this summer!!

If you are flying to Vegas this summer or need a book to read while poolside, this is it.  The story of Las Vegas told through postcard images.  Images that are part of our collective memory, images that you may never have seen before, a look at Las Vegas beyond the neon and the glitter.

In short, the real history of Las Vegas as you've never experienced.

The book covers the history of Las Vegas from 1905 to 1965 and besides lots of interesting history about the Strip and the various original hotels, there's lots of history on the Roadside Architecture, the Motels, the Post-War era,and most of all, the Community.

Discover the real history of your favorite vacation spot or the place you call home!

It's a fun-filled book packed with info and lots of images of the Las Vegas you love and miss.

I've got copies of the book for sale and I'll autograph them as well!

http://www.classiclasvegas.com/coolstuff/coolstuff.htm

So, head on over and order your copy today!

A portion of the sales goes toward maintaining this blog and our historical preservation work so it's for a worthy cause!