GRAY MATTERS

According to an October 24 Associated Press article, "State lawmaker promises fight to protect market against Las Vegas," it's about to get ugly:

"HIGH POINT, N.C. - North Carolina will do as much as it can to protect the International Home Furnishings Market from a competing market in Las Vegas, a state senator has promised ...

"'We all improve when we have competition,' North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan said Sunday. 'The fact that Las Vegas is out there has sort of wakened us up, and we're going to do what we need to do to protect this market and make it grow and prosper. ...'

"'We don't want to lose this,' she said. 'The impact ... on the state is huge—from the standpoint of the tax dollars coming in, sales taxes they're spending in other places, and, obviously, the jobs. ...'

"About 70,000 people come to High Point—located in the heart of the top furniture producing region in the U.S.—or the market every April and October ...

"Mayor Becky Smothers said the Las Vegas market's emergence has forced change.

"'Vegas is just the magnifying glass to help us see our warts better,' she said.'"

Bring it on!

15,000: Number of women in the U.S. employed as Hooters Girls:

400: Number of Hooters restaurants

2/3: Share of the San Remo that Hooters purchased

250: New Hooters Girls and "team members" to be employed on the site

$65 million: Amount to be spent remodeling the site to open the first Hooters Hotel Casino

Feb. 2: Date of Grand Opening

First, there was some kind of baby-is-being-born theme to the launch of the RTC's new double-decker buses. At least that's our recollection. We recall being sent a baby bottle or a bib or some other baby paraphernalia as a press announcement. But on the day that fleet of buses was to be launched, there was a bombing on the double-decker bus in London, and, well, something didn't seem right bout focusing on the happy launch of Vegas double-deckers.

Now there's a take two on the launch of two-level buses by the RTC, The Deuce: "a premium Double Decker transportation service that will make its debut on the famous Las Vegas Strip."

(The press announcement came with chocolate RTC coins—but ours were all crumbly and stale. Ah, well. Who knows how long they had to wait to send them out.)

In any event, the Deuce bus will have a 17-mile route along the Strip and into Downtown, making 73 stops. Upper deck carries 53 people; lower deck carries 44.

And, there are two—deuce—spots for wheelchairs.

And here's the last thing to do a double take at: The cost of one bus is $583,963.50.

"To celebrate his mother's 70th birthday, Criss Angel ... wanted to gift Mom with something more personal than, say, a Calphalon skillet from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

"So he set himself on fire.

"He set himself on fire on a street in Las Vegas. Still, people noticed."

Lovers of alternative rock—you know, the kind that doesn't involve screaming, grunting, sex with porn stars or hiding your identity behind clown masks—might be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief now, since one Las Vegas radio station quietly underwent a format change this weekend.

107.9-FM, known popularly as V-108, switched formats from adult contemporary R&B to modern rock at 4 p.m. Sunday. Riviera Broadcast group, who also owns and operates Phoenix modern rock station KEDJ, owns the new station, called Area 108.

The station's promo bumpers, aside from giving a brief post-punk history of alternative rock, unexpectedly name check The Edge, Las Vegas' original alt.rock station that disappeared in the late '90s when it flipped to a Spanish format. This comes as less of a surprise after reading an article on radio industry website FMQB.com that points out the same "alternative specialist" that consulted The Edge is consulting Area 108.

So far, the station is doing the standard ploy of playing all music with no DJs or commercials to interrupt. And the musical selection is definitely filling a hole in Vegas commercial radio, playing Death Cab for Cutie and Gorillaz right up against Soundgarden and Seether. It remains to be seen if obnoxious DJs talking over the music and endless commercial blocks will render the station unlistenable.

With the news that the 8th Annual Let's Play Hockey International Expo, touted as the world's largest hockey and inline expo, will be held at the Paris hotel-casino in January—whoopee— the Weekly decided to take a look at some of the more interesting meetings coming to Convention City over the next few months. We even made a game of it. Match the real-life convention with its made-up purpose. (Real purposes are further below.)

1. Falmouth Institute

2. Big R Show

3. Pressure Sensitive Tape Council

4. Paperworld USA

5. Just Between Friends

6. Lubrication Engineers

7. Adultcon/Soft Entertainment

• • •

A. Manufactures of condoms

B. Touts a nation without trees

C. Rove and "Libby" are members

D. Promotes the use of epithets

E. Competes with the Big S Show

F. New Disney Channel option

G. For users of Scotch Tape

Reality: The Falmouth Institute handles issues related to Native American tribes. The Big R Show is for the automotive rebuilding industry. The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council is comprised of North American tape manufacturers. Just Between Friends Franchise Systems is a business that sells children's clothes, furniture, toys and more. Lubrication Engineers produces industrial and automotive lubricants. Paperworld USA encourages the export of U.S.-made products. Adultcon/Soft Entertainment is the porn industry's convention.

"Donation drive off to slow start ... District nets less than $30k in rebate checks"