The new Aladdin resort opened in August 2000. It experienced financial problems and was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003, to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood. After a renovation, the resort began operating in 2007 under the name Planet Hollywood.
I worked at the Houdini Magic Shop at Aladdin in 2004.
The Stardust Resort and Casino was located on sixty acres along the Las Vegas Strip. Wayne Newton was the resort's resident headliner from 2000 to 2005.
The Stardust was the largest hotel in the world when it opened, with 1,065 rooms. At the time of its closure, Stardust was among the smallest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, with 1,552 rooms. The Stardust closed on November 1, 2006.
Back in 2002, I had created a style of magic I called "Line Magic." Initially, I performed close-up magic for people who were standing in line for free tickets to NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
When I got to Las Vegas, I altered the magic to perform to people who were waiting in line for the buffet or shows. Line magic was most popular at the Stardust Casino where I did it for most of 2004. Stardust closed in 2006 and the casino imploded in 2007.
