Kanye West closes first 'Call of Duty' convention (AP)

By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Sep 4, 1:03 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Kanye West closed down the inaugural "Call of Duty XP" convention, a two-day event celebrating the popular Activision Blizzard Inc. shoot-'em-up video game franchise, with an explosive concert inside a hangar on the old airfield where Howard Hughes built the Spruce Goose. West's performance included such hits as "Gold Digger" and "Love Lock Down."

West, who was joined several times throughout the show by 20 scantily clad female dancers, kicked off the Saturday spectacle by ascending more than five stories above the crowd on a platform inside the cavernous space. Earlier, the hangar stage served as the final battleground for a "Call of Duty" tournament that awarded $1 million in prize money.

The four-man group Optic Gaming from the United States toppled 31 other teams from across the globe to win the event's single-elimination "Modern Warfare 3" tournament. William "BigTymer" Johnson, Blake "Vengeance2T" Campbell, Joseph "Merc SD" DeLuca and Matthew "NaDeSHoT" Haag bested the United Kingdom team Til Infinity to take home the $400,000 grand prize.

"This is definitely the most that we've ever won," said Johnson, 20, of Marked Tree, Ark.

"Call of Duty" devotees lined up at the extravaganza for a chance to play the multiplayer mode of "Modern Warfare 3," spar on paintball fields modeled after "Modern Warfare 2" levels, glide over the event on a zipline, zoom around an obstacle course in a Jeep and grab grub from an eatery resembling the game's fictitious Burger Town fast food chain.

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AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

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Online:

http://www.callofduty.com/xp.

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Lollapalooza closes with muddy, rainy dance party (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Mouse ears in the mud. It seemed a fitting end to the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza, the three-day music festival that started under warm, sunny skies but ended on Sunday night in a rainy dance party.

The Canadian progressive dance music artist deadmau5 -- pronounced like "dead mouse" -- was one of two headliners, along with the Foo Fighters, to close out of the event.

Tens of thousands of fans grooved in puddles to deadmau5's pulsating rhythms, many of them wearing their signature mouse ears on their heads, a seemingly fitting tribute to this year's festival that was heavy on dance music.

A record 270,000 people were estimated to have attended the sold-out Lollapalooza, founded in 1991 by Perry Farrell, frontman of the alternative rock group Jane's Addiction.

British rockers Coldplay and Muse were featured on the festival's first day on Friday while the second day was marked by U.S. hip-hop acts Eminem and Atmosphere and neo-soul artists Cee Lo Green and Mayer Hawthorne, as well as the Country.

Two bands that rose to stardom in the early 1980s each played rousing sets over the weekend, with new wave group The Cars steely performing hits "Good Times Roll" and "Just What I Needed."

Big Audio Dynamite, led by former Clash singer Mick Jones which reunited earlier this year, delivered their mix of arena rock, funk and world music in what seemed a perfect soundtrack for a summer night in Chicago's Grant Park.

EIGHT STAGES, 140 MUSIC ACTS

Over the three-day festival, revelers took in some 140 different musicians on eight different stages, with the two main sets located on separate ends -- more than a mile apart -- of the sprawling park.

"It was the perfect venue. It's a really cool setup," said A.J. Sunder, who traveled to Chicago from Minnesota with his girlfriend and who, at 20 years-old, was born the same year as the first Lollapalooza.

The dance music tent, Perry's Stage, was one of the more popular destinations and on the first night of the concert. Los Angeles dubstep artist Skillrex inspired such an outpouring of people that the stage had to be temporarily shutdown.

Saturday, part of the tent's paneled roofing was removed to allow for better air flow after it became so hot and humid that some concertgoers struggled to catch their breath.

Torrential rain led to an early end of Sunday's show for some, with the crowd noticeably thinner after the downpour.

Sunder, who sought shelter under a nearby parking garage, said it was worthwhile even with the storm.

"I got my money's worth," he said, adding that his personal favorite performance was by the New York electronic act Ratatat.

(Reporting and writing by Michael Hirtzer; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Longoria's Vegas nightclub closes amid money woes (AP)

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas nightclub owned by "Desperate Housewives" co-star Eva Longoria is temporary closing its doors amid financial troubles.

Longoria's Beso club within the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip closed Monday to save money.

Beso LLC bankruptcy attorney Lenard Schwartzer said Wednesday that the restaurant attached to the club will remain open because it is profitable.

He says the nightclub could eventually be renovated and reopened.

Beso LLC filed in January for bankruptcy to remain operating while reorganizing nearly $5.7 million in debt. The federal Chapter 11 filing claimed the nightspot was losing more than $76,000 per month.

Longoria owns nearly one-third of the business but is also listed as an unsecured creditor.

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Source: Fishburne closes `CSI' case, exits series (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Laurence Fishburne is closing the file on his "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" career.

The actor won't be back on the CBS crime drama this fall, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because CBS had yet to announce Fishburne's departure.

Fishburne joined the "CSI" cast as Dr. Raymond Langston midway through the 2008-09 season. He stepped in to replace departing star William Petersen.

The person says CBS and the show's producers are taking Fishburne's departure in stride, aware that his movie career made a long TV tenure unlikely.

"CSI" returns for its 12th season this fall and continues to rank among the 20 top-rated shows.

Fishburne's credits include "The Matrix" films, and he's in the upcoming "Contagion" with Matt Damon.

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Everything must go as Rat Pack-era casino closes (AP)

LAS VEGAS – Now that the Sahara hotel-casino is closed in Las Vegas after 59 years, everything must go.

The owners of the Rat Pack-era casino are planning a liquidation sale of all items inside the property exactly one month after closing the casino's doors.

Things for sale include the casino's poker room sign, bedroom furnishings and chandeliers in several shapes and sizes.

The sale set to begin June 16 is being organized by Ohio-based National Content Liquidators, a firm that ran previous liquidation sales for other casinos.

Company spokeswoman Meredith Lunsford said she expects the sale to attract nostalgic fans and commercial buyers interested in things like escalators and restaurant equipment.

"You've got people from all over wanting to take home a piece of history," Lunsford said.

Owner SBE Entertainment has not yet detailed its plans for the property on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sahara is remembered for attracting big celebrities in its heyday, where nightly lounge acts set standards for other casinos that opened later. Don Rickles and Louis Prima were regulars, while Sonny and Cher and Judy Garland also took the stage.

More recently, the Sahara became known for its cheap blackjack and a NASCAR themed area that included a cafe and small roller coaster.

This month, the casino is selling its stage lights and ceiling decor.

National Content Liquidators set up a website for the sale with pictures, saying the Sahara would stay open until all its items are sold. The firm is charging $10 per person admission during the sale's first four days.

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Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ce/storytext/us_sahara_sale_vegas/41729998/SIG=1105qdirg/*http://twitter.com/oskargarcia.

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