Hot Vegas

The Flamingo's making a splash by becoming Las Vegas' first hotel and casino to throw a pool party since the city reopened -- but things look eerily different.

Like several other casinos on the Strip, the Flamingo opened its doors Thursday after a 78-day closure for the coronavirus pandemic. The pool was open too -- but check out the pics ... it's far from the packed scene you'd expect this time of year. Word's still getting out, clearly, that Sin City's open for biz.

Lifeguards and hotel personnel were wearing masks and gloves -- and frequently sanitized surfaces. Obsessively keeping things clean is probably a comfort for those itching to get back to normal.

Interestingly, the staff wore face coverings, but very few guests. Nor were they socially distancing as they lined up to get spots around the pool.

The Bellagio, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Harrah's and Caesars Palace are some of the other casinos that also opened its doors ... albeit with restrictive measures.

For example, gamblers are kept at a distance to help combat the virus, plexiglass was installed between gamblers and dealers and temperatures are taken before guests enter casinos.

We know Pauly D is a hot draw in the DJ booth, but we didn't know he was THIS hot -- as in, someone throwing down six-figures to watch him in action!!!

The 'Jersey Shore' stud is super pumped up about raising $200,500 for the All In Challenge -- raising money for food charities -- and he came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to explain why it could be a great deal for the winner.

Pauly's gonna teach the high bidder how to mix it up on the 1s and 2s, plus take them and a few friends for a night on the town. Even he admits, he didn't know what he could offer for the All In Challenge, at first -- considering Meek Mill donated a freakin' Rolls-Royce!!!

But, the highly in-demand DJ told us the winner's not just getting a party experience for that $200k. Yes, there will be bottle service, custom jerseys and wild parties, but more importantly ... the DJ lessons he's giving could mean a new high-paying career for the winner.

Speaking of the Sin City party scene -- Pauly says he's got his ear to the streets in Vegas, hoping for a shred of good news about the future reopening. He also admits it's really hard to keep social distance in his biz.

While the pandemic's hitting lots of people where it hurts -- Pauly says he's already canceled 30 shows -- celebs are making a difference with the All In Challenge.

The brainchild of 76ers partner Michael Rubin has raised $32 million and counting. A chunk of that is thanks to David Blaine. The famed magician's fan experience -- flying to your home for a private show -- went for $220,000, but it was a 3-way tie. Blaine decided to go to all 3 winners' homes, so that's $660k for charity!!!

As for Pauly ... yes, the tuition at Pauly D U. is expensive, but it's for a great cause.

Tourists won't have much to do on the Las Vegas Strip even if the Mayor gets her way ... things are not looking good this year as far as Sin City nightlife is concerned.

Here's the deal ... while Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman may want her city to open back up for business ASAP, several people connected with Vegas nightlife tell us they are not on the same page.

The clubs we're talking to are all telling us the same thing ... they're being cautious in putting plans together, pool parties are unlikely to return this summer and things aren't expected to be back to full force until 2021.

Our Vegas nightlife sources tell us ... club owners will be following the lead of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and not the Mayor, who doesn't even have jurisdiction over the Strip. The Governor will ultimately decide when establishments can reopen and the clubs will fall in line with the hotels.

As you know ... Mayor Goodman raised eyebrows this week by suggesting workers in her city could serve as virtual lab rats to see if shelter-in-place orders are worth it, but she would not commit to standing on the casino floor herself.

Until there is a steady downward trend in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths, our sources say things are in a holding pattern in terms of reopening Vegas, and it's all a waiting game.

One source tells us they're targeting June for the earliest date to reopen some clubs, but it will only be smaller venues with a capacity well under 1,000 people. Frankly, that sounds like a dream more than reality.

We're told the chances for late-summer pool parties are slim, and things won't be back to normal until summer 2021, even if attendance this summer is cut back significantly and other safety measures are put in place, like temperature checks and workers wearing gloves and masks.

It's not just nightlife and day parties at pools, Chippendales tells us they have no official plan to reopen the male revue and bring back live performances.

As for headliners on The Strip, don't hold your breath. Several big-time music honchos tell us they will not make any deals for their clients in the foreseeable future.

Chippendales says they are waiting on word from The Rio hotel to see what will happen moving forward, and they will follow the hotel's lead.

For now, the closest you're going to get to Vegas is online gambling and virtual lap dances.

Life ain't all that beautiful in 2020 ... another music festival is getting scrapped due to concerns over the novel coronavirus.

Life is Beautiful, a three-day outdoor festival in downtown Las Vegas celebrating music, art, food and comedy, has just been canceled due to COVID-19.

The festival was scheduled to take place on multiple stages in Sin City Sept. 18-20, but event organizers say they're taking a one-year hiatus and intend to return in 2021.

Life is Beautiful is still gonna try and make an impact on Vegas even though no bands are coming and no murals will be painted ... festival organizers say they're putting resources towards the local community instead of the event.

Seems festival honchos saw the writing on the wall ... Life is Beautiful says there was just no way the festival could happen as planned due to the health and economic impacts being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Las Vegas is looking into ways to lift coronavirus restrictions and safely reopen the world famous strip -- but it's gonna change your Vegas experience forever.

Our sources in Vegas tell TMZ ... when the casinos reopen, they will absolutely have different layouts and practices, and the biggest issues on the table are cleanliness and spacing.

We're told casinos will have to make sure gamblers don't get too close to one another, and that means spacing out people at table games like blackjack.

The strip sees about 115,000 revelers on an average day, so the risk for spreading the virus remains high while there's no vaccine. As a result, we're told officials' top priority is preventing a COVID-19 flare up.

Our sources say monumental sanitation efforts are being discussed for casinos -- machines will need to be cleaned more than ever before, and they'll need a system to sanitize playing chips, cards and dice -- the 3 surfaces gamblers touch the most.

We're told casino operators are working directly with government officials to hammer out a plan to lift restrictions and reopen the city -- but there are a lot of hurdles. For instance, our sources say they haven't even begun to tackle nightclubs.

As you know ... Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak closed all the state's casinos in mid-March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and the order's now in place until at least April 30. Sisolak said this week the state isn't even close to lifting restrictions, so don't book those flights just yet.

The Nevada Gaming Board tells TMZ ... safety is a top priority, as well as protecting employees and visitors, and ideas on how to do so safely are being exchanged.

Criss Angel's eyes are not deceiving him ... the Vegas strip has almost literally emptied out in wake of the coronavirus but he says when the time is right, it'll be ready for a comeback.

Criss joined "TMZ Live" Friday from his office and says it's been eerie to see Sin City -- the Entertainment Capital of the World -- come to a screeching halt as the COVID-19 pandemic triggers cities across the country shutdown.

But, he did more than just explain how the city's coping without the millions of tourists ... he showed us just how insanely empty the strip is at this moment. You can see him walking down one of the strip's main arteries as he made his way to Planet Hollywood.

The streets are quite literally empty ... safe for a hop-on/hop-off bus that appeared to be completely empty. Criss, wearing an air mask, walks down the middle of the road. The sidewalks are totally empty too.

Check out the video ... Criss says during the worst of times -- like the Depression or during wars -- entertainment has always been everyone's escape. This pandemic, however, has created an unprecedented moment because it's literally shut down the entertainment business.

Deontay Wilder will have to wait a little longer to get a 3rd crack at Tyson Fury -- their rematch has been postponed to October in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.

The two were set to run it back on July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas ... with Wilder looking for revenge after taking that "L" during their Feb. 22 fight.

But Top Rank chairman Bob Arum (who reps Fury) says the plans for a 3rd fight in July are off -- explaining, "We don't even know if the MGM will even be open by then."

"You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date," Arum told ESPN ... "We couldn't convince them or ourselves," Arum said while noting other potential issues.

"Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It's absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can't even get there."

"So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It's part of what's happening in the world ... So possibly the fight will be in early October."

Arum told ESPN he's been working with Wilder's co-manager Al Haymon who agrees with the decision to postpone.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Vegas is still serving customers during the 30-day "stay home" order -- but strictly from its kitchen.

Yes, the only people coming to the stage at the strip joint will be the chefs, according to its honchos ... who tell us the kitchen will be open for those in need of food assistance in the Las Vegas valley.

Nevada governor Steve Sisolak announced a statewide closure earlier this week of all non-essential businesses, urging residents to stay inside to avoid contracting the virus. Businesses that serve food and provide delivery, drive-thru, pick-up or curbside service can stay open.

We're told the Hustler Club's looking out for seniors, too -- they'll deliver the free food to people who are at least 60 years old, while curbside pickup is available for everyone else.

The free meal service is being offered daily from noon to 6 PM while supplies last.