LAS VEGAS — World-renowned chef, Gordon Ramsay, will be opening his first Las Vegas restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Steakhouse, in the Paris Las Vegas Resort in Spring 2012. The restaurant, which will be replacing Les Artistes Steakhouse, will add to Ramsay’s string of restaurants around the globe.

Ramsay, who has hosted television, shows such as “Hells Kitchen,” “Masterchef,” and “Kitchen Nightmares,” did not take a typical path towards being a top chef. An injury held him back from a promising soccer career and he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management, but his devotion and natural talent in cooking helped him train alongside the world’s best chefs. Now, Ramsay has published a number of books which have become best sellers around the world, such as his autobiography “Roasting in Hells’ Kitchen.”

The new restaurant will hold about 274 seats along with a bar area, chef’s table, and a private dining room that is separate from the main room. The steakhouse also provides a fresh, vibrant dining environment that will play around with Paris and London themes and will evoke “The City of Lights” to celebrate Chef Ramsay and the city where he lives. “The space is really bold and innovative, and we’ve put together a great team and created a contemporary, quality menu. I can’t wait to open and start welcoming our guests!” Ramsay says.

The menu will range from conventional steakhouse meals to Ramsay’s famous Fish and Chips and Shepherd’s Pie. It will also include delectable seafood, mouth-watering beef, French-inspired side dishes and succulent desserts.

IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon had died after a horrific and fiery 15-car crash during Sunday’s Las Vegas Indy 300.

Wheldon, 33, was fatally injured when his car went airborne after hitting another car during Lap 12. He caught a part of a fence just outside the turn. He was taken by helicopter to University Medical Center, where he died.

“IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries,” said IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today.”

The race was canceled, and drivers performed a slow five-lap tribute to Wheldon after the news broke.

Wheldon is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, including this year’s race. He was racing for a $5 million prize in today’s race, which he would have split with a random fan.

Drivers Pippa Mann and J.R. Hildebrand were transported to a hospital for dizziness, and Will Power because of back pain.

The race is the final one of the IndyCar season. There were 34 cars entered in the race.

Drivers were reaching high speeds of 225 mph during practice.

Wheldon was expected to replace Danica Patrick next season in the Go-Daddy Andretti Autosport car. Patrick is moving to NASCAR.

ESPN’s reporting originally included a video of the crash. The video was taken down immediately after it was reported that Wheldon had died.

LAS VEGAS — That will be $585 please.

That was the bill for Cy Waits, Paris Hilton’s ex, who copped a plea to a driving under the influence charge on Wednesday.

Waits was stopped on the Las Vegas Strip last August when a police officer saw a “vapor trail” or marijuana smoke coming from his Cadillac Escalade, the Associated Press reported. Hilton was a passenger at the time.

The 25-year-old former Vegas club manager pleaded no contest to misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs.

Hilton is currently on probation after pleading guilty in September to cocaine possession and obstruction.

Samantha Ronson spins the Blue And Cream Midsummer Night Party at the Georgica Restaurant & Lounge on July 15 in East Hampton, New York. (WireImage)

Lindsay Lohan’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha Ronson, was arrested Monday morning near Baker, Calif. for driving under the influence, according to US Weekly.

The 33-year-old DJ was driving her black Porsche Targa nearly 90 miles per hour when she was pulled over. She failed a field sobriety test, police said.

Ronson told police she drank early that morning at a party in Las Vegas. She was released from jail a few hours later.

Wasn’t his whole life a gamble?

Gangster James J. “Whitey” Bulger allegedly told federal authorities after his arrest that he regularly visited Las Vegas during his time on the lam.

And he “won more than he lost,” he said.

In court documents filed Monday, federal prosecutors said Bulger liked to play the slots during his visits.

Bulger also told officials that he crossed the Mexican border at San Diego and regularly purchased prescription drugs in Tijuana. Former Bulger right-hand man Kevin Weeks has said in the past that Bulger used to boast about how easy it was to get prescription medicine in Mexico.

The FBI also said Monday that Bulger admitted to returning to Boston multiple times in disguise while “armed tot he teeth” in order to “take care of some unfinished business.”

Bulger did not elaborate.

TMZ reports that Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has been charged with domestic violence and disorderly conduct for allegedly striking his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs in the chest with his finger in Vegas on March 24.

According to the source, court documents, which were filed last week in Clark County, Nevada, describes that Neil committed a crime by, “forcing his way into the Shimmer lounge [at the Las Vegas Hilton] while a performance was occurring” …. and poked three people with his right index finger … each time stating the words, “f**k you.”

Neil’s ex Alicia Jacobs who told cops she was “forcefully poked in her right shoulder blade.”

The other two poke victims are local journalist John Katsilometes and Patricia McCrone who is Wayne Newton’s sister-in-law.

Both charges filed against Neil are misdemeanors.

But Neil claims he was the real victim by saying Jacobs scratched him up during the encounter and made him bleed.

It’s Vegas, baby. The contestants are bussed to Sin City in hopes of continuing their Idol journey. The rules: they must learn and perform a song from The Beatles in less than 24 hours. The talent is at an all time high, perhaps the best the judges have seen in the past ten years (though, do they not say this every season?) With an hour of the episode focusing on Vegas, we invest even more of our emotions into these contestants. The intensity of Hollywood week was just the beginning; the frustration, the stress, the sweat and the tears, it is all making a triumphant return in Las Vegas. This episode becomes an emotional roller coaster for both the contestants and the viewers: new stars will rise while old ones will fade while a few favorites will remain consistent. By the end of this jam-packed two-hour episode, the final twenty-four will begin to surface at last.

We get a sneak peak of the bus ride to Vegas; it is all smiles…for now. The contestants are eager and thrilled to take one step closer to living their dreams. We learn that the previous night, contestants broke up into duos and trios for The Beatles performance. Considering how hectic group day was last week, I am surprised to see how easily the remaining sixty-one contestants form their groups. I think they are showing signs of maturity. Even the wildly crazy, Ashley Sullivan, avoids the break down and finds a girl to team up with. Ryan reminds us all that 1/3 of the contestants will be sent home after The Beatles performance. Uh oh, time to get cracking.

Contestants go off into separate rooms and work with vocal coaches for hours. (Is it just me or did I spot Katharine McPhee’s mother as one of the vocal coaches? Keeping the Idol family intact, I like it.) Immediately, I feel sorry for Thia Megia, a fifteen year old from Milwaukee, and Melinda, another young starlet from New Jersey. Boy, is there vocal coach a handful. No wonder why they continue to mess up; this vocal coach, as Ryan puts it, is the “vocal coach from Hell.” The two young girls definitely manage to showcase some thick skin. I have liked Thia from the beginning; her voice is mature and unique, a bit reminiscent of Adele.

We continue to get more glances into the group rehearsals. My favorite country gentleman, Scotty McCreery, as well as another favorite, Lauren Alaina, struggle with their Beatles Rendition. Their harmonies are all off. Lauren Alaina cries to the camera, claiming that this competition means everything to her. It probably means everything to every contestant, Lauren, but I still like you.

The vocal coach from Hell continues to yell at the young singers. Even the piano guy in the back feels the rush of awkwardness. This woman is not very encouraging, pinning the girls against each other and rambling about eating a Crowe. Yes, I don’t understand her either.

The producers decide to bring in big time mogul, Jimmy Iovine, to give feedback to the contestants. Apparently, his team of producers is some of the best in the business. That’s cool and all, but do we really care? There’s not much to say about this completely unnecessary part of the show. It just adds a bit more drama and reassures us that these Idol hopefuls need to either change their song or get their acts together. After the first few moments of this guy, I fast-forward to the actual purpose of the show: the performances.

Stefano Langone and James Durbin are up first. Their high-pitched voices compliment each other and the judges are pleased. It seems a bit cheesy, but all in all, these guys do the song justice.

Performing classmates, Pia Toscano and Karen Rodriguez, take the stage and do a wonderful rendition of the song, Can’t Buy Me Love. J-Lo loves it, saying, “You guys just get it. You know how to perform.” Their voices blend together so very nicely. These two girls definitely move up on the list. At this rate, they will not be looking back for a long time. I am officially pulling for them.

The next group consists of three people that are truly beginning to shine, now more then ever. Haley Reinhart, the cute 20 year old, Naima Adedapo, the funky bohemian styled girl, and powerhouse singer Jacob Lusk do a wonderfully soulful Beatles rendition. They receive a well-deserved A+ from all three judges, with Steven Tyler claiming, “Wow, that was stupendous, so well done.” Right on, Steven.

We get a quick glance at a few more performances in order to keep the show moving. I wish a few of them got a little more attention, especially one of my favorite girls this season, Lauren Turner. She continues to sing her booty off with each performance. The more I see her, the more I like her. She can do no wrong by me. Her partner is quite the hunk. Oh, and he can sing, too. He is also another early favorite of the judges, and I find myself liking him more and more as well. Though, I didn’t quite catch his name.

Tim Halperin and Julie Zorilla, two people who received much airtime during the audition process, continue to impress. These two are beginning to climb up the star ladder very quickly.

Bar Mitzvah singer, Jerome Bell, Lakeisha Lewis (who?), and Tatynisa Wilson, perform for the judges and receive mediocre reviews. Lakeisha Lewis is the stand out performer, but I have never seen her before, with Randy stating, “You got the whole Aretha thing going on.” J-Lo does not like her as much as Randy does, but Steven Tyler thinks the group nails it. Eh.

Kendra Chantelle and Paul McDonald are the next duo. Their performance of Blackbird gives J-Lo chills. Their voices are soft, soothing and incredibly sweet. I don’t know what it is about Paul, but I spotted him being a favorite of mine from the beginning. Don’t remember? Well, that may be because he got very little time on screen. His audition was quick, a snippet of him signing in a montage of others being put through to Hollywood. Despite that, something about him made me rewind and re-watch. Maybe it’s his style, maybe it’s his dazzling smile, or maybe it’s his breathy voice, I don’t know. But, he proves to be my favorite guy and my new crush. Kendra is a relatively new face, but she impresses as well. The judges fall in love with their light-hearted performance.

The show begins to pick up steam again, showcasing a string of clips from the group performances. The producers do not even bother to show us names, but, nonetheless, they all do great renditions. Next, the show decides to take quite the departure from its usual course. Instead of American Idol, maybe they should call it American Bride. Yes, they spend about ten minutes chronicling the wedding plans for crazy Ashley Sullivan. Spoiler alert: she gets hitched. Clearly, I fast-forward this within seconds, as I do not care that she gets married in the same chapel as Britney Spears.

The two young competitors, Thia and Melinda, who were subjected to the most evil vocal coach of all time, are up. The judges seem to like Thia more, especially the way she keeps her unique voice. They are not the biggest fans of the performance, though. The girls tell Ryan that they wish the performance went better. Me too, guys.

Ashley Sullivan is up with vocalist Sophia Shorai. I actually like Sophia, but it seems as if Ashley has only been kept around for good TV. Honestly, I have had enough of her wildly twisted facial expressions; sometimes it looks like her face was the mold of the original Scream mask.

Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and some other girl that I have never seen before hit the stage. The judges tell them that they sound relatively good, but they are not the biggest fans of the performance. They agree that they are all amazing singers, but the song did not fit them well at all. The judges promise to keep that in mind.

Casey Abrams and Chris Medina are a bit of a disappointment. We only get a small clip of their performance, but I think the judges expect more, especially from them. The judges, however, still feel a strong connection to these two. My guess, they’re safe for now.

We get an encore performance from Robbie Rosen, Aaron Sanders, and Jordan Dorsey (who has remained scandal free since his diva behavior in Hollywood week.) They are fun and entertaining. Randy and J-Lo give them a few critiques, but they let the boys know that they are impressed.

Performances are over, and brutal cuts must be made. Randy calls seven people to the front of the line. A few standouts: Thia Megia, Robbie Rosen, Jordan Dorsey, and Lauren Alaina. Randy tells the front seven that they are the first people through. Sigh of relief.

More and more contestants are sent home, including Ashley Sullivan (who is surprisingly not upset), White House intern Molly, and Carson Higgins.

Finally, some of the top 24 is about to be revealed. We do not get to see much of their solo performances; rather, the show cuts right to the judges telling the contestants their fate. A bit disappointed in that, I must say. But the show must go on.

Naima Adedapo is the first one to face the judges. After a lengthy look back at her journey thus far, plus an emotional speech from Naima, the judges finally stop yanking her chain and put her through.

Holly, an emotional young teen who has held onto the support of J-Lo, is unfortunately a no. They think she can come back and win the whole thing, but she needs time to grow. Agreed.

There are a string of more dreams being crushed and tearful goodbyes. Clint, the guy who kicked Jacee out of his group (I still have not forgiven him), takes the hot seat. He rambles about how sad everything is, but Randy puts him on the spot and asks about his decision to kick Jacee out. Clint gives some excuse, and the judges toy with him a bit. Jacee aside, Clint can really sing and he is put through.

Haley Reinhart sits down; she is impressively composed and quite mature for her age. She has a good head on her shoulders. The judges put he through as well and the 20 year old, composed and all, is extremely ecstatic.

Paul McDonald, my love interest of the season, is next. The laid-back singer has quite the captivating voice, and he continues to impress the judges. He even takes a risk and sings an original song for his solo. Where can I buy it? I love it. The judges do as well. He is through with flying colors. As Simon would say, ‘he is what this competition is all about.’

Finally, the last contestant of the night, Chris Medina, takes the stage. Where do I start? This is quite possible the most heart-breaking ‘no’ I have ever seen. Chris came to us with a gut-wrenching story about his fiancé, who unfortunately suffered a terrible accident, leaving her severely injured. Chris vowed to take care of her for the rest of his life. He is the epitome of good, and the judges felt a very strong connection to him. Through tears, J-Lo slowly breaks the news to Chris. You can see how he has affected the judges, and it is quite beautiful to hear how much they appreciate him as a person and as a musician. Chris was an early favorite, but unfortunately, the judges send him home. It is a sad moment, but Chris is thankful and gracious as always. He thanks the judges for meeting his fiancé, as he says that it was the best moment of her life. J-Lo breaks down afterwards, crying and crying. Pass the tissues, please. Through her tears she mutters, “I don’t want to do this anymore…” and the show leaves us with: To Be Continued…

Singer Bruno Mars, 25, arrested in a casino restroom last September, allegedly with 2.6 grams of cocaine in the left front pocket of his jeans. However, the prosecutor’s office confirmed Friday that Mars, whose real name is Peter Hernandez, could avoid prosecution for a drug arrest if he stays out of trouble for a year, gets drug counseling, does 200 hours of community service and pays a $2,000 fine.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, the deal provides for the “deferred adjudication”  of the felony drug charge so the district attorney will not pursue the charges for 12 months as long as the singer complies with terms of their deal.

Kim Kardashian is turning 30, but it didn’t go so great for her last night during her birthday bash at Tao Las Vegas because he cut herself with her silver spiked Louboutins on her way to the party.

According to E! Online, Kardashian said, “I accidentally spiked myself and cut my own foot. It was bleeding and I had to stop and clean it up!”

Besides the Kardashian sisters, who dropped dollar bills from their balcony, Trina and Kelly Rowland also joined the birthday girl last night.

She tweeted, “The festivities have started! One white russian coming up! Hmm who can I drunk dial tonight?”

Kim also commented about the naked pictures in W magazine.

“Being naked is always really vulnerable and scary,” she said. “I loved how the images turned out!”

LAS VEGAS — There are a few lures to the Palace Station Hotel & Casino, located just far enough from the Las Vegas Strip that you have to pay for a cab.

I mean, it’s dank, old, a little sketchy, and has more cigarettes going at once than a high-stakes bingo parlor. But the railroad-themed casino features $5 table games, including craps. That’s good. The cowboy bar has good service — bartender Chris was very friendly. Oh, and you can tell people you stayed at the same casino that O.J. Simpson got arrested at for that sports memorabilia robbery. It also hosts fun UFC parties. Vegas has a distinct lack of sports bars.

One thing in particular really made the Palace Station worth the trip: The Bonkerz Comedy Club. That’s where I met comedian Chris Edgerly.

Edgerly headlined a show one night, doing a routine of impersonations and funny observational bits. While his name might not be familiar yet, his work probably is. He was Nick Diamond on “Celebrity Deathmatch,” and he has voiced an unbelievable amount of video games including Alpha Protocol, G.I. Joe, Godfather II, Ninja Blade, Lord of the Rings Conquest, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Kingdom Hearts II, Final Fantasy XII, SWAT 4, Yakuza (with Eliza Dushku) and several dozen more.

He currently provides the voice talent for Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series “Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.”

Here are some questions and answers with Edgerly:

BLAST: How did you get your start in comedy? Why comedy?

Chris Edgerly: I was in college, October of ’90. A buddy told me about a group of comedians who did stand-up once a month at this local pizza place in the basement downstairs. I met with them that night, and the next night I was onstage in front of a packed house. It was exhilarating. I had been doing some acting as a drama minor at the university (UGA) but nothing could quite match the thrill of doing your own material in front of an audience.

BLAST: You’ve done a lot of voice acting “" what do you like about that side of entertainment?

CE: Two things about voice acting rule: One, you don’t have to worry about how you look or how old you are. It is egalitarian “" if you can do the job (and have a good agent that believes in you), you’ll get work. Two, it’s constantly changing, so you never get bored. I audition five days a week, and the scripts are incredibly varied, from video games with aliens and zombies, to commercials involving friendly announcer-type voices, to voice-matching a-list actors for movies to animation involving just about any kind of character you could imagine. This week I’m doing ADR (automated dialogue replacement) work to provide the English voice for a character in a Japanese anime series. It’s a constant challenge to my imagination to see what I can do with a script.

Blast: Comedy or acting, which would you rather be doing?

CE: Impossible to choose. On the one hand, it’s more fulfilling to perform in front of a live audience, especially when you write the material and have ultimate creative control over how it’s delivered. On the other hand, getting to read someone else’s words and interpret them can be a treat, not to mention some of the famous people I’ve gotten to work with over the past few years. And it pays a hell of a lot better, and I can sleep in my own bed and don’t have to be on the road half the year.

Blast: How often do you come out to Vegas to perform? Any plans for an East Coast (Boston?) jaunt?

CE: Haven’t done Vegas often. I don’t like to leave L.A. if i can help it since work never stops in the voice-over world. It would have to take a very special occasion to come to the East Coast, but if things click with the Men’s Club Comedy Tour (the current project I’ve been doing with my three buddies), anything could happen.

Blast: How would you classify your comedic style? I’m sorry to ask this cliche, but who are your influences?

CE: I don’t know how I would classify my style. Above all, I try to be entertaining without insulting the intelligence of the audience. I have a few voices, some wry observations, some longer, more monologist type bits sprinkled in there as well. I like to gently subvert the audience’s expectations of where a bit will go. Above all, it is about giving the audience a good time that stays with them afterward. I’ve been inspired by so many comedians in my life: Cosby and Pryor and Carlin and Rich Little as a kid, Jim Carrey (his physical comedy more than anything), Dennis Miller’s incredible way with words, Bill Maher’s ease with commentary, even Johnny Carson’s way with an audience “" the way he could take them anywhere he wanted to go, even when a joke didn’t work. How he could take them by the hand and lead them back whenever he chose. Contemporary comics “" Patton Oswalt (a great wordsmith and imagist), Dave Attell (gets you to love lechery), Todd Barry (nobody does wry like him) and Chris Rock (back in ’96, his HBO special “Bring the Pain” was the best I’d ever seen from a stand-up and still is, in my opinion.)

Blast: What does a comedian do when he’s not on stage? Are you always “on” or do you have people/friends that you can just be off/yourself around?

CE: When I’m not onstage I get up at the crack of 10 a.m., go to my agency and record my auditions, come home and surf the web for fun and ideas, get lunch, exercise, work on the act or anything creative I have on the docket for a little while, etc., spend time with my girlfriend, catch my favorite shows on TV, you name it.

Unexciting and yet highly pleasurable, because my life is my own. My schedule my own. It took years to get to that point but I’m enjoying the hell out of it. That’s probably why you wouldn’t suspect I was a comic if you met me away from a club. I’m not “on” very often . When I’m around my actor and comedian friends, sure. We’re all “on” in one way or another because we understand how we all think and the jokes come fast and furious. But otherwise I’ve been described by my “civilian” friends as laid back, philosophical and “" gasp “" mature. The opposite of the insecure kid that started years ago, thinking he had to make everyone laugh to prove to himself that he could do it as a career. You know, pretty textbook stuff.

SAN DIEGO — Fred Travalena, a Las Vegas showman and impressionist, died after a long battle with cancer in Encino, Calif. Monday morning.

A master artist, Travalena became known throughout his field as “The Man of a Thousand Faces.” He entered Las Vegas in 1971 and has sported impressions of people from Frank Sinatra to Jack Nicholson for more than three decades.

This is yet another entertainment personality to have passed away this week. Incidentally, he made brief appearances on The Tonight Show with host Johnny Carson in the early 80s. Mr. Travalena was 66.

While the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was being created before his very eyes, NASCAR Sprint Cup and Vegas native Kyle Busch was cutting his racing teeth at the half-mile short track right next door.

The younger brother of 2004 Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch‚ won two track championships at the “Bullring” in Legends cars before he moved up to late models in 2001. He had continued success in that class, winning 10 times that season.

But despite his talent, he never did win the facility’s biggest event.

“We had a chance to win the “Fall Classic,” it’s our big race out here,” Kyle recollected after today’s Shelby 427 at LVMS’ 1.5-mile superspeedway. “It’s called the Open Comp. I think it was 2001…It was the last race of the year and we knew were moving on and going [to the American Speed Association] next year.

“I think I‚ qualified on the pole, led the most laps. It’s 140 laps long, I led 130 laps and got wrecked with‚ 10 to go. I wasn’t able to win that one. I remember it quite vividly.”

Chances are he’ll remember Sunday vividly as well, but for much happier reasons.

Despite being forced to give up his pole position after changing an engine during Friday’s practice session, Busch went on a methodical march through the field. He capped it off by taking the lead with 17 laps remaining and held on through two late cautions to win the Shelby 427 at LVMS.

Busch made the race-winning pass by way of nudging Clint Bowyer up the race track in Turn 2 and going past him on the inside. As he cleared Bowyer, his spotter Jeff Dickerson muttered, “Say goodnight, Gracie,” over the radio.

Two late cautions in the final 15 laps would not stop‚ Busch from saying “Good night” to the field; he simply sped away from the field on both restarts.

Now he’s got a better prize from Vegas than that “regular old late model win” he said was the biggest win he’d had at his home track before Sunday.

“This is pretty awesome,” he said. “It’s very special. You never know how special they can be until you can get it done…The last 25-30 laps, I was just as nervous as could be.

“I don’t know if it’s set in yet‚ or not, but it feels pretty damn good right now.”

It was a wild race that saw a race-record 14 caution period mar the proceedings.

Multiple drivers in the top-10 of the points standings, such as Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards, suffered engine failures. Edwards’ instance was more painful as the power plant in his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing car blew up as he was running fourth with two laps to go.

Several other contenders also found themselves caught in wrecks. But through it all, Busch made the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing machine fly.

Despite starting at the back, he found himself in the top ten by the race’s halfway point. From there, it was all about staying in striking distance up to the time he passed Bowyer for the lead, and ultimately, the victory.

“Bowyer slipped up off the bottom just a little bit, so I‚ had my [left-side tires] right on the white line there and got a good drive through the center of the corner because it gripped good,” said Busch.

“I got right up to him. He started coming back down a little bit. I like, ‘Oh, don’t do that,’ and then he got loose and I got by him…We‚ were able‚ to just have a little bit better grip than he did and pass him.”

It served as a perfect ending to what Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington called “a crazy weekend” for the entire No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

“Sometimes, you just have to scratch and claw and kick and spit and fight for a win, and that’s what this race team did along with Kyle today,” he said. “I think they took advantage of an opportunity when it came.”

As a result of that, it was Kyle who took the checkered flag, did his burnouts, and made his customary post-win bow to the delight of a happy hometown crowd and members of his family, who waited for him in Victory Lane.

That contingent included proud mother Gaye and brother Kurt (who finished 23rd). After embracing Kyle, he reminded him of how they watched Las Vegas Motor Speedway created before their very eyes when they were younger.

“He said, ‘We watched this place be built and you were the first one to conquer it,’” Kyle recalled.

Now, he’s got a memory that will last him a lifetime.

Vegas, baby.

The city of sin evokes imagery of pure entertainment, pleasure and extravagant indulgence, but for some, Las Vegas is a playground to practice a very serious business, one that is not so much illegal as it is frowned upon. No, the crew from Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 aren’t on the loose knocking over casino vaults. Beware the MIT math geniuses, counting cards and living double lives in “21.”

The movie opens on an aerial shot of the sprawling Boston metropolis, neatly sliced by the glittering Charles River. The feel of a city that is truly a college town is portrayed by cyclers clad in MIT sweatshirts careening down Mass. Ave. and Memorial Drive and the dark, wooden motif of the pubs decorating the city on every corner.

The thriller-style drama stradles two very different cities: historic Boston and the glitzy, surreal Las Vegas strip. Meet Ben Campbell, played by “Across the Universe” breakout star Jim Sturgess. Sturgess nails the socially awkward yet brilliant persona of all that is an MIT senior with a 4.0 GPA who has recently been accepted at Harvard Medical School.

For his 21st birthday, notice the recurring theme of the 21 goal in blackjack, Ben’s mother and two closest friends (one an eyeglass-wearing, joke-cracking, overweight sidekick, the other a shy pal) share beers and a cake with the Fibonacci sequence on it. Only a lover of math would appreciate such a gesture. Or someone obsessed with “The Da Vinci Code” phenomena.

Focused, bright, and painfully shy, Ben comes from a working class background and is diligent toward achieving the Robinson Scholarship, a full ride to an otherwise unaffordable education at Harvard Med. The worries of money and the pressure he puts on himself don’t weaken his mind or spirit. He answers thoughtfully and intelligently in his classes, where other students admire him and professors take notice.

Ben is approached by Jimmy Fisher, played by Jacob Pitts. Pitts is probably best known for his spot-on timing and unforgettable one-liners in “Eurotrip.” In an empty classroom on the MIT campus late one night, Ben learns about a “club” of students led by Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) who practice counting cards in blackjack. They put their efforts into practice during weekend trips to Vegas. The students play big with Rosa’s money, and win even bigger using a system of “watchers” to spot hot tables and signal the “high-rollers” to come in and clean up.

Ben’s moral fiber shines through, as he first refuses to be a part of the team, then falters for a moment as he considers what would happen if he was not granted the scholarship to Harvard. He just plain wouldn’t be able to afford to attend the prestigious graduate school, and so he makes a deal with the devil, and his teammates. He repeatedly says that he will only participate until the Harvard Med goal of $300,000 is reached. Little did he realize he would be sucked up into a lifestyle of acting, drinking, shopping and just plain galavanting.

Kevin Spacey aptly plays the mysterious and somewhat dangerous Professor Mickey Rosa, a former high-roller card counter turned MIT math educator. His character spreads the allure of leading a double-life, being “whoever you want to be” in Las Vegas. And so the adventure begins.

“Words become numbers and numbers are words. Magazine, 17, Sweet, 16,” and so on. The codes and signals and keeping the count itself are interesting. Nightly practices, jokes and a little romance follow.

Ben and his buds back home were drooling over the elusive and spritely and annoyingly adorable Jill Taylor, (Kate Bosworth) who plays the role of watcher on the team. Now Ben gets to not only meet the “hot rocket scientist,” but he starts to persue her as well.

With logic only MIT students who are on a card-counting “team” could have, the two refrain from any kind of personal relationship at first, concluding that they are business partners. But Las Vegas trips aside, they find that they have much in common and develop a friendship that gives way to more else despite scheming and blackmail in the background of their dangerous game.

In the casinos, the team catches the eye of a dying breed of old-school, thug-style casino security expert named Cole Williams (Laurence Fishbourne). Here the suspense begins — will they get caught? What will happen? Williams’ frustration by losing business to newer computer-based security systems is intertwined with his own unwillingness to retire and to find closure in his life and career.

Based on the book “Bringing Down the House,” by Benjamin Mezrich, this two-hour feature is a mixture of creative cinematography, suspense and a turn of events that’ll have the most cynical audience member gasp out loud.

The premise is statistics, variable change, something described in the movie as “simple math.” Whether you are into gambling, Las Vegas or MIT math geniuses or not, this move is entertaining through and through with added, thought-provoking, movie elements.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Pink and her husband of two years, motocross racer Carey Hart, are throwing in the towel, People.com reported Tuesday.

“This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another. While the marriage is over, their friendship has never been stronger,” Michele Schweitzer, the pop singer’s publicist, told the magazine.

Pink, whose real name is Alecia Moore, married Hart in Costa Rica on January 7, 2006.

The 28-year-old singer proposed to Hart while he was mid-race in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. the previous June, according to the Associated Press. The couple had met at the 2001 X Games.

In recent months, Moore and Hart, 32, each denied their marriage was on the rocks. Saturday, TMZ reported seeing Hart with another woman at the Tabu Ultra Lounge at MGM in Las Vegas.

Diverging career paths may have caused the split, according to TMZ, which also reported that Hart will open a nightclub called Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Caf© in Vegas.

Meanwhile, one-time Grammy winner Pink is back in the studio, solo.

Sections of the Monte Carlo hotel and casino in Las Vegas caught fire around 11 a.m. Friday, forcing guests and employees to flee the fire and falling flaming debris.

Firefighters could be seen battling the blaze from the roof of the hotel, with flames coming from the southern section on the top floors.

Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV reported the fire was nearly knocked down within two hours with the west wing contained and the south wing fire nearly contained.

When all was said and done, 17 people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, and none of the 120 firefighters involved in putting out the blaze were injured.

Welders were working in the general vicinity of where the blaze broke out, but so far fire officials are not commenting on a possible cause.

The 3,000 room hotel staffed by more than 3,000 employees was built in 1996 for $344 million and is owned by MGM Mirage.

There was no mention of the fire on the website for the AAA Four Diamond-rated hotel and casino.

A 1980 fire at the old MGM Grand (now Ballys) killed 84 and injured 700. It was the deadliest fire in Las Vegas history. Since then strict fire code regulations have been enforced in one of the top tourist destinations in the country.