Jefferson Starship will kick-off the summer season on Sunday, May 24, Memorial Day weekend, with a free concert in the Dennis Courtyard at Bally’s. The free concert is open to all ages and begins at 5pm. Jefferson Starship is a collaboration of musicians descended from the rich musical heritage of its forefathers, Jefferson Airplane and the original incarnation of Jefferson Starship. The current group features songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner, David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin and Cathy Richardson. Since reforming, Jefferson Starship has performed almost 500 concerts in 16 countries. There will be no charge for this outdoor show in the Dennis Courtyard at Bally’s Atlantic City. It is an all-ages show with doors opening at 4pm and the show beginning at 5pm. For more information on Jefferson Starship, go here.

Bally’s Atlantic City held their Talent Show for the United Way tonight. Ballys GM Joe Domenico (left) and Ron Baumann, Assistant GM (right) present the check the check to the winner, Michelle Coombs who took top honors for her presentation of “At last” by Etta James.

Second place went to Cynthia Mason who sang, “Caught Up In The Rapture” by Anita Baker.

There was a tie for third place. Anthony Jacobs (left) and Paul Vasfailo (right). Anthony sang Neil Diamond’s “Desiree” and Paul sang the Beatles’ song, “I’m Down”.
(Photos by Lew Steiner)

According to a report from Reuters wire service, on Wednesday, April 29, New Jersey regulators approved plans to auction the Tropicana Casino Resort in Atlantic City through a bankruptcy court. The auction is likely to take place in June.
The commission in December 2007 appointed a conservator to oversee the Tropicana after voting not to renew the casino’s license amid complaints about hotel operations and compliance with gambling regulations.
The Trop’s state-appointed conservator, retired New Jersey Supreme Court Judge Gary Stein, came close last year to selling the property to real estate developer Cordish Company for $700 million, but that deal fell apart with the weakening economy.
“This bankruptcy filing is not the result of financial distress, but it is one that will allow the conservator to sell the casino hotel complex free of all liens and encumbrances,” says Linda Kassekert, chairwoman of the N.J. Casino Control Commission, in a release.
A group including billionaire investor Carl Icahn has emerged as the leader to buy the Tropicana with an offer of $200 million. Go here for the complete Reuters article.

Harrah’s Resort hosted Media Day for the 25th annual Ron Jaworski Celebrity Golf Challenge on Tuesday, April 28, in its Harbour Club banquet room. Jaworski, the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback (1977-’86) and current ESPN football analyst, spoke with the media about the event, which will take place for the 25th year Saturday through Monday, May 16-18, at the Atlantic City Country Club ACCC in Northfield.
The Challenge benefits the Jaws Youth Fund, which partners with the Camden County United Way to help over 70 non-profit organizations provide services to less-privileged children ages 7-18. In the past 10 years alone, the Celebrity Challenge has raised over $2.5 million toward this cause.
“It’s amazing that we’ve been doing this for 25 years,” says Jaworski (pictured above). “It’s a tribute to the people who support this event and the kids in our community, and that’s what it’s really all about. A lot of good things have been said about this event, but I think the most important thing we can talk about is how we help the kids in this community. That really is the bottom line.”

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Rants and raves about burning topics that have caught my attention midweek, be it greedy corporate shenanigans, frustration or joy in regards to the Philly sports teams, a movie or DVD that has fired up my imagination, an intriguing personality, or my on-going battle to lose weight in our fast food world. — Lori Hoffman, Associate Editor, AC Weekly

Jeffrey Jacob Abrams, better known as J.J. Abrams, really is the new Gene Roddenberry. With the summer movie season launching this week with Wolverine, the rest of the sci-fi loving world is excited about a slate of films that should provide plenty of escapism in these trouble times (my movie story in this week’s AC Weekly highlights the ten movies I’m anticipating the most).

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Last nights tribute to the music of the Rat Pack really showcased the singing skills of the final five Idols. Surprisingly, the top vocalist on this evening of excellent vocals was Allison. She kept her earthy edge, yet found all the tender nuances while performing one of my all time favorite songs, “Someone to Watch Over Me.” After Randy, Kara and Paula gave her the serious props she deserved, Simon appeared to deliberately sabotage her efforts by saying he thought she was in trouble. He asked her if she thought she could win, then suggested she didn’t have the confidence to make it through. WTF! Perhaps Simon was working the reverse psychology bit: by trashing the teen, perhaps he was hoping to get more people to vote for her. I hope that was the purpose of his unkind words.
The other shocker of the night was that Adam has his first weak vocal of the competition. I thought he would kill on Rat Pack night, but his take on “Feeling Good” buried the song in way-over-the-top theatrics. Randy called him on it, sort-of. Not that he’ll wind up in the bottom three or anything, but he left an opening for the other gents.
Matt’s rendition of “My Funny Valentine” was solid but paled in comparison to Melinda Doolittle’s take on the song in season six. Danny began on the safe and bland side with his interpretation of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” but he grabbed the emotions of the song and brought it home nicely. Kris seemed to lack fire and conviction on his okay rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight.”
America has chosen correctly; these are the five best singers and I wouldn’t like to see any of them go home tonight, but that’s the game. My gut tells me that Matt is the one who gets voted out.
My rankings
1) Allison Iraheta
2) Danny Gokey
3) Kris Allen
4) Matt Giraud
5) Adam Lambert

This just in from the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority:

Atlantic City will be the destination of choice for visitors this summer as this year-round resort offers special seasonal promotions that make getaways easily affordable. From deeply discounted prices to extra amenities, casino packages, shows and more, there are plenty of reasons to visit this season.

Following are details on the packages available for your summer vacation in Atlantic City. For more information, call the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority at 1-888-AC-VISIT (228-4748) or go to www.atlanticcitynj.com.

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On a hot summer night in late April, the baseballs were flying and so was the Hawaiian. In one of the most spectacular displays of offensive prowess — and an equally unappetizing display of bad pitching — the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals put on a display of rocket science, lifting off at The Bank to the tune of seven home runs. And, even though five were by the Nationals, the two Phillies’ blasts were the difference as Ryan Howard hit a grand slam in the fifth to tie the game 6-6. Then, the new favorite son of the Fightins’, Raul Ibanez, polished off another “hard to believe Harry” comeback with a slam that completed a six-run eighth, turning an 11-7 loss into a 13-11 victory.
Other highlights of a night when the Phillies trailed four times: Jimmy Rollins got untracked with three hits, Flying Hawaiian Shane Victorino played spectacular defense as well as getting a couple of hits, and Ryan Madsen was able to shut down the Nats in the ninth for the save.

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Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr made an appearance and partied with friends Saturday at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Szohr dazzled mur.mur’s red carpet, showing up in a little black dress from La Perla at The Shoppes at The Water Club, according to The Borgata. Szohr was flying solo while her boyfriend and co-star Ed Westwick was visiting his native England. She also was seen splurging on Michael Schulson’s signature Spicy Tuna Cracker and robatayaki at Izakaya.

This just in from Atlantic County health officials in response to 40 confirmed cases of Swine Flu in 5 states. including New York, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and California:

The Atlantic County Division of Public Health is advising residents to take precautions after the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 40 confirmed human cases of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus have been found in 5 states, including California, Kansas, New York, Ohio and Texas. Only one of the patients identified was reported to have been hospitalized and there are no reported deaths in the U.S. at this time.

The federal government issued a public health emergency on April 26 following the increasing number of confirmed cases of swine flu in Mexico that have resulted in more than 100 deaths and thousands of illnesses in that country. Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type A influenza virus. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, public health officials have determined that this strain of swine flu virus spreads from human to human.

Locally, Atlantic County health officials are working with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and health care providers to increase surveillance of influenza-like illnesses found throughout the county. Currently, there are no reported cases of swine flu in New Jersey.

The symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

“The best thing you can do to prevent exposure to illness and protect yourself and your family is to take regular flu precautions and practice proper hygiene,” stated Atlantic County Health Officer Patricia Diamond.

Health officials recommend taking the following precautions:

• Covering coughs and sneezes with tissues and disposing of them properly

• Frequently washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water

• Staying home if you are sick

• Seeing your physician if illness continues

Residents should also continue to monitor updates from health officials. For more information about swine flu and current recommendations, visit the Atlantic County Web site at www.aclink.org/publichealth or call the Division of Public Health at 645-5935.