Harrah’s Las Vegas comedy-magician Mac King has a thing for the Kentucky Derby. Each year, he hosts a party leading up to the race, and a who’s-who of Las Vegas magicians and other entertainers show up in droves. Except for the ones wearing pants. They show up in pants. And in honor of the Kentucky Derby, some also show up in hats. Or in the case of Mac King, pants and a hat. Thankfully.

We do not fully understand Mac King's Kentucky Derby obsession, but this blog doesn't judge.

Also in attendance were Penn Jillette, the taller half of Penn & Teller at Rio Las Vegas, who was recently booted prematurely from “The Celebrity Apprentice,” and fellow comedy-magician The Amazing Johnathan, who seemed a lot less freaky in person than he does in his show at The Harmon Theatre at Planet Hollywood.

Relax, Teller, this was not a job interview. Probably.

Next up, our pal, Paul Vigil. He does a mind-blowing free show inside King Ink at the Mirage on Wednesday nights. And did we mention how free it is? Find out more.

Whenever we shake hands with Paul Vigil, we count our fingers afterward. Just saying.

The photographically-less-cooperative Lance Burton (below) was also on-hand for the festivities. Among his many talents, we learned Lance Burton is an amazing pool player.

Yeah, we probably won't be invited back. The things this blog does for you.

The party guests weren’t all magicians, of course.

Some of this blog's favorite guests were mint juleps, official hooch of the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby, by the way, is billed as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” As opposed to sex with this blog, billed simply as “the most exciting two minutes.” Oh, how we crack ourselves up. And speaking of cracking up…

Also in the house (literally, since the party was in Mac King’s house) was Vinnie Favorito, longtime headliner at Flamingo Las Vegas. Learn more about his hilarious, off-the-cuff show.

Don't make Vinnie Favorito angry. His tongue doubles as a fencing sword.

Popular Las Vegas singer Clint Holmes also came to play. Holmes used to headline at Harrah’s Las Vegas, and you can visit his official site to see his current performance schedule.

Clint Holmes fact: He's the son of a jazz musician and an opera singer.

Naturally, there were also colorful hats galore.

Our personal favorite. If you're into that kind of thing.

The winner of the Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2012: I’ll Have Another. Yes, that was the horse: I’ll Have Another.

Which, coincidentally, we heard coming out of our mouth a lot as the mint juleps were being passed around. Hey, we wanted to get into the spirit of the event. The things this blog does for you.

A Vegas institution, Pete “Big Elvis” Vallee, who has performed for thousands of people at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon (formerly the Barbary Coast) for a decade has stunned his fans by announcing he’ll be moving to Harrah’s Las Vegas on May 3, 2012.

The final “Big Elvis” show at Bill’s will be May 1, 2012.

Big news. Bigger talent.

The Elvis tribute artist made the surprise announcement on his Facebook page, stating, “A chapter comes to a conclusion at Bill’s Hotel and Casino. Were moving to Harrah’s…if you’re coming out to see me, the show will be at the piano bar. Thank you, Bill’s, for 10 great years! Thanks to the fans and friends. Hope to see you at Harrah’s.”

Vallee’s show in the piano bar at Harrah’s will take place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The new show will be, as it’s always been, free. Mark your calendar, and check out this must-see free show in its new location at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

We’ve always said comedy-magician Mac King’s show at Harrah’s Las Vegas is one of the best shows in Vegas, if not the best.

The 2012 About.com Reader’s Choice Awards have confirmed our assertion by naming it “Best Show in Las Vegas.”

Mac King trivia: In college, he had a double major in Anthropology and Magic. Seriously.

The Mac King Comedy Magic Show, one of the best values in town at just $32.95, beat out shows costing hundreds of dollars more per ticket, and even prevailed over much-buzzed-about shows like “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace (which has also won its share of awards, too, by the way).

Mac King’s formula is simple: Specifically, keep it simple. The affable stage veteran puts on a charming, family-friendly, funny show that’s a crowd-pleaser, each and every time.

No wonder it's always standing-room-only at Mac King's shows.

Congratulations to Mac King for nabbing this highly-coveted award. Oh, all right, we have no idea whether it’s coveted by anyone or not, but we still think it was worth a mention in this Las Vegas blog.

Catch Mac King at Harrah’s (you can even meet him in the lobby after his show), and find all the About.com Readers Choice Award winners, including Chateau Nightclub & Gardens at Paris Vegas for “Best Nightclub in Las Vegas,” on the official site.

Toby Keith has made his mark in Las Vegas with his Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah’s. It always feels like there’s a party going on in the joint, and we suspect that’s just the way Toby Keith intended it.

Why do we suspect that? Because, well, because of the video for Keith’s song, “Red Solo Cup,” a catchy homage to those big, red, plastic cups you see at so many parties.

It's good to be the Keith.

We would post the song here, except that since hearing it, we can’t get it out of our head, even after we tried forcing it out with the assistance of several strong cocktails. No luck.

So, we’ll spare you the video for the song. Because we’re thoughtful like that. Oh, no, wait. We must be thinking of another Las Vegas blog.

Did you spot all the Vegas celebs? Making cameos are comedian Carrot Top, magician Lance Burton, puppeteer Jeff Dunham (back at Caesars Palace on June 22), Ted Nugent (at Planet Hollywood on May 5) and this blog’s close, personal friend Sammy Hagar.

Not humming the song yet? That’s cool. Watch it 20 or 30 more times like we did. And remember, you’ll always be the fruit to this blog’s loom. (Thanks, Toby.)

How many comedians does it take to screw in a light bulb? We have no idea! We are a Las Vegas blog, not a mechanical engineer.

We do know how many comedians it takes to win a comedy contest at The Improv, however: Just one. The famed comedy club recently launched a talent search which will culminate at Harrah’s Las Vegas on April 1, 2012 at 9:00 p.m.

The Improv has hosted an online voting competition for the last several months, and six comics will take part in the finals, three are judges’ picks and three won the popular vote: Don Barnhart, Rob Little, Keith Lyle, Karen Morgan, Leslie Ann Thompson and Comic TLC (Tari Lynn Briggs).

Comedy trivia: Approximately one third of all comedians in this competition are bald.

A slew of up-and-coming comedians posted videos of their entry material on the official contest site so fans could pick their favorites. See them here.

The winner of the competition will receive $25,000 worth (that’s a fortune in comedian dollars!) of bookings at The Improv at Harrah’s Las Vegas and Harvey’s Lake Tahoe.

Tickets for the Main Event are $27.50 general and $49.45 for so-close-you-can-taste-the-funny VIP seats.

Everything's better in neon.

Find out more about The Improv, and get tickets to the “Up Yours!” final at Harrah’s Las Vegas, or visit the official site for “Up Yours!”

Oh, and the answer’s two: It takes one comedian to screw in the light bulb and the other to act like the other comedian’s jokes aren’t funny. Just keeping it real.

You never know who you’ll bump into when you’re in Las Vegas.

As we strolled the Strip the other night, we spotted a TV crew tailing two Metro officers we can only assume were in the process of taping an episode of truTV’s “Vegas Strip.”

That TV crew should probably be cited for tailgating.

The officers and their crew were all business as they patrolled outside Imperial Palace, heading toward Harrah’s Las Vegas.

“Vegas Strip” is described as an “action-packed drama that puts you up close and personal with the tough-as-nails police officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, giving you a never-before-seen look at the wildest street in the world.” Which is a little different from the episodes we’ve watched, because we’d describe those as “lecturey.”

Find out more about “Vegas Strip” on the official site of truTV, a network whose cap key is clearly on the fritz.

As a Las Vegas blog, we have a vested interest in keeping track of both our wines and our spirits.

We were a tad dismayed, then, when we learned the Carnaval Wine & Spirits shop, between Harrah’s and Imperial Palace, has closed as part of the ongoing Linq development project. Read more about The Linq.

Want to make a Las Vegas blog despondent? Close a Wine & Spirits shop.

Thankfully, our concerns were quickly allayed, and trust us, there are few things more satisfying than having ones concerns allayed in Las Vegas. We’re just saying.

A handy sign on the former Carnaval Wine & Spirits shop alerted us to a new source of said libations, Flamingo Wine & Spirits, a short stroll away.

Las Vegas, is there anything you can't do?

The new, full-service liquor store, on the Strip-facing side of the Flamingo, will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. each day.

In other Linq project updates, there’s a gaping hole behind the aforementioned Flamingo Las Vegas. Exciting, and it’s much larger (and deeper) than it appears.

We're digging this Linq project. See what we did there?

And during our stroll to Carnaval Court at Harrah’s, we caught a glimpse of this gaping hole in the side of Imperial Palace.

Remember, in Las Vegas, gaping holes are often indicative of Vegas newness!

Don't try to hide the newness, you tease!

We’re giddy with anticipation to see what the masterminds behind The Linq have in store. Rest assured, there are more light-on-actual-information updates still to come!

Harrah’s Las Vegas headliner Mac King is even nicer than people say.

Vegas reporter Dayna Roselli caught up with Mac King for a profile where he talks about his show, as well as his children’s literacy efforts.

Watch the news segment here.

Somebody needs to replace their water filter.

This blog has actually witnessed Mac King being a nice guy in person, as he emceed a one-million-books-donated celebration event for Las Vegas nonprofit, Spread the Word Nevada. Learn more.

Mac King's show is on fire at Harrah's. As is Mac King.

King’s comedy-magic show happens at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Harrah’s. Get details.

While we enjoy a juicy Vegas scandal, we’ll just have to make due with Mac King being a nice guy for the moment. Hey, nobody’s perfect.

This blog is all about supporting public radio, but we’re even more all about saving some bucks on Vegas stuff! In the case of this particular discovery, we get to do both.

Nevada Public Radio is hosting an online auction, through Feb. 18, 2012, and there are a ton of Vegas offerings up for grabs, many of which are likely to go for much less than their face value.

Bucks, meet saved.

The Las Vegas hotels in the Caesars Entertainment family even have their own section on the auction site, with offerings like Celine Dion and Rod Stewart tickets (both appearing at Caesars Palace), as well as tickets to “Absinthe” (also at Caesars) and Mac King at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

There are also a slew of show tickets being auctioned for the V Theater inside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, including deals on “Stripper 101″ classes at the V Theater, and we’re not just saying that so we can post a photo of “Sin City Sindy,” the 31-foot-tall pole dancer who resides adjacent to the V Theater at Stripper Bar. Probably.

This blog does not necessarily condone giant strippers.

There are hundreds of items up for bid, and you might just snag a sweet Vegas deal if you’re cunning or adroit or wily or another word we sagaciously copied and pasted from an online thesaurus.

Check out the online auction to benefit Nevada Public Radio.

Is Las Vegas in the mood for love? You bet! (See what we did there?)

As if one needed further proof of the Valentine’s Day spirit in Vegas, check out this awesome door handle to the registration desk for Diamond tier Total Rewards members inside Harrah’s Las Vegas.

We did not do this in Photoshop.

If half of what we just wrote was like a foreign language, you might want to brush up on your Total Rewards knowledge! Total Rewards is the casino loyalty program of Caesars Entertainment. Within the program, members attain different tier statuses, including Diamond. Each tier gets a different set of member perks and benefits. One of the sweeter perks is having access to a streamlined check-in via a special Diamond Registration area. Learn more about Total Rewards.

The heart-shaped handle reminded us of this Valentine’s Day-themed shape we found on the ground in the Caesars Palace self-park garage.

Love, actually, is all around. And, actually, we love that movie.

Here’s an exhaustive guide to dining in Las Vegas for Valentine’s Day, an article this blog would have researched and written if not for the ease of providing just a link instead. (Hint: More time for gambling and drinking! We are a Las Vegas blog, after all.)

Love is definitely in the air in Las Vegas around Valentine’s Day. And even if you can’t find love, Sin City can always offer up some reasonable, completely legal facsimiles.

There are few things this Las Vegas blog enjoys more than a frosty beverage, but we simply can’t condone some of the questionable names given to said drinks up and down the Strip.

Here are five cocktail names we hope our mother never sees.

1. Up All Night

We’d be even more offended by this cocktail name were it not for the fact it’s absolutely delicious.

We'd know what they're getting at, even without the visual, thanks.

The All Night Long is served up at Numb Bar at Caesars Palace.

2. Happy Ending

Another great cocktail, but it’s hard to fully enjoy it while one is blushing.

Oh, yes, they did.

The Happy Ending is sold at the Fresh Grill and Bar in The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. It even has a special collectible glass so you can tell all your friends back home about the Happy Ending you had in Vegas. Now, do you see why this cocktail name is so problematic? Where does it end? So to speak.

If you're not satisfied with your purchase...well, we'll just leave it at that.

The Happy Ending is $22, and refills are $17. Then again, who can put a price on happiness?

3. Call Girlz

Inappropriate. Despite that, we have to say this cocktail, the most popular at Evening Call at Rio Las Vegas, is one of our favorites on the Strip.

Just because it's good doesn't make it right.

4. Naked Colada

If Las Vegas frowns on anything, it’s nudity, so this cocktail name is beyond the pale.

If people were intended to have coladas that are naked, they would have been born that way. Or something.

The Naked Colada is also available at Numb at Caesars, or at the establishment’s sister location at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

5. All Night Long

Starting to see a pattern here? This double entendre-lover-friendly drink comes courtesy of Slush Bar, the brand new offering at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Casino.

We didn’t try that particular drink, but we did try another offensively-named drink, the Vegas Vice (below).

This blog is discussing a new "Vegas Vice" TV show with the Travel Channel.

Vice? Vice is defined as “an immoral or evil habit or practice.” In Las Vegas? Never!

The new Slush Bar at Bill’s keeps the good times flowing with borderline-appropriate beverages like “Bananas Foster,” “Picnic Punch,” “Southern Sinner” and “Scent of a Woman.”

A new spot to get slushed in Vegas. Yes, we made that up.

The cocktails at Slush Bar come in a variety of sizes: 16 ounces for $9, 24 ounces for $12 and 32 ounces for $16. Extra shots are $2. Not that this blog condones those either, of course.

While we were at Slush Bar, we met Luciano, a flair bartender with some impressive skilz. Yes, with a “z.”

That woman on the TV was totally into Luciano's skilz.

Luciano’s skilz are currently being featured below through the miracle of the YouTubes.

Luciano also let us take a photo of his name tag, which was actually a little video screen showcasing tons of Bill’s offerings as well as shows and restaurants at other hotels in Las Vegas. First time we’ve seen that.

What will those evil geniuses in marketing think of next?

Here are more pics from Slush Bar, which we’re sure you’ll visit the next time you’re in the neighborhood, despite this blog’s warnings about all the cocktail names. We hear you’re strong-willed like that.

KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers restaurant, at Harrah’s Las Vegas, has launched a new “Burger and Shake of the Month” program, to which this blog has but a two-word response: “Yes, please.”

The program’s inaugural “burger” isn’t even really a burger at all, we don’t think. It’s a tandoori chicken “burger.” Unless we’re misunderstanding the definition of “burger,” in which case you can just take those quotation marks right off of there. Bottom line: It’s tasty!

"Tandoori" is an Urdu word meaning, "pertaining to the tandoor." Seriously.

February’s offering is made with tandoori-marinated chicken, julienne cucumber, roasted tomatoes, mango chutney and fresh mint, and all the flavorful goodness is served on an onion roll.

Of course, no KGB burger would be complete without the restaurant’s perfect-every-time fries. This blog had to taste every single fry to verify that claim, and yes, they’re indeed perfect, every time.

The sacrifices this blog makes for you.

When we saw the shake that comes with the burger, we had a momentary freak-out, mainly because there appeared to be a jalapeno on the shake. These are not typically worlds we want to see colliding. We got over it.

You'll just have trust us on this one.

The more-sweet-than-spicy mango chili shake is a hand-dipped milkshake made with fresh mango ice cream and spiced with sweet jalapeno syrup. Don’t worry, it’ll win you over, too.

Each new burger is created by “Rock-n-Roll Chef” Kerry Simon. Our particular burger was prepared with loving care by the awesome Chef Tournant Regie Nebab, who we’re 43% sure would feel uncomfortable about us posting his photo. So, out of respect for Chef Nebab, here’s his photo!

Just embrace the fame, Chef.

The “Burger and Shake of the Month” will run you 18 bucks, or $2 off the items separately. Consider that valet attendant tip paid.

If "three-fer" were a word, this would be that.

Find out more about KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers at Harrah’s.

Popular comedian and actor Jay Mohr returns to The Improv comedy club at Harrah’s Vegas, Feb. 10-12, 2012.

Mohr’s been in the business of facilitating the comedic trinity of chortles, cackles and guffaws for nearly two decades, and the versatile performer was named one of the 100 greatest stand-up comics of all time by Comedy Central.

Jay Mohr: Master of comedy and the sideways glance.

He’s also starred in 25 films, including “Jerry Maguire,” as well as making appearances on more than 50 TV shows.

Here’s a little blast from the cinematic past, as Mohr gets his sports agent smarm on.

Jay Mohr is also a best-selling author. Of books. Look it up on the Interwebs. We’d do it, but this blog is very busy being an alleged Las Vegas expert.

Catch this singular comedic talent live at The Improv at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Tickets are $45 and $55 (VIP seating). Find out more on the official The Improv site.

December 7 is “National Cotton Candy Day,” and while this blog is not a huge fan of “Made-Up National Holidays,” we are big fans of cotton candy, so here are three places to get some in Las Vegas, today or any other day.

Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace

Serendipity 3, at Caesars Palace, is all about fun food. But the popular restaurant also has a bar that’s home to the first martini we’ve ever had a crush on, the Cotton Candy Martini. Yep, cotton candy is all grown up. Read more.

You have our attention.

Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood

This blog would like to kiss whichever genius decided it was a good idea to serve cotton candy at Planet Hollywood’s Spice Market Buffet. On the mouth. With gusto. Find out more about one of Sin City’s best buffets. Objectively speaking.

One guess: How do you make a great buffet completely unforgettable?

KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers at Harrah’s

Chef Kerry Simon appears to have a thing for sweets. His Cap’n Crunch Milkshakes, for example, always stimulate lively conversation. The chef’s KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers at Harrah’s Las Vegas also serves up cotton candy, of course.

Sharing is highly overrated.

Chef Simon even did a cotton candy demo on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.” Watch it.

Happy National Cotton Candy Day, which we’re thinking could use a motto: “Cotton candy: It’s like sugar, only Vegasier.”

Comedy-magician Mac King is one of the nicest, funniest guys you’ll ever meet.

Long story.

His family-friendly show at Harrah’s Las Vegas packs them in, and with tickets priced at just $32 and change, it’s one of the best show values on the Strip. “The Mac King Comedy Magic Show” is also included in the popular All-Stage Pass (48 hours of unlimited shows).

Make sure to stick around after his show and meet Mac King in person. He loves his fans.

Harry Potter and Mac King both do magic. Coincidence?

Happy birthday to one of our favorite people in Las Vegas!