There is more in Las Vegas than just football - Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

LAS VEGAS -- Cougar fans are no strangers to Las Vegas and thisbowl city, which has been affectionately named LaVell EdwardsStadium South after busting all attendance records for the Las VegasBowl last year.

By some estimates, more than 80 percent of the sellout crowd forSaturday's matchup at in Sam Boyd Stadium between BYU and UCLA, willbe rooting for the Mountain West Conference champion.

Las Vegas is central to Southern California, Utah and Arizona,where the biggest population of BYU faithful in the country reside.

Aside from sightseeing at Hoover Dam, hitting the buffet lines,choosing a show or hitting the golf links, BYU fans have foundplenty to do in this entertainment capital of the world -- withoutdigesting casino life.

Tonight, both UCLA and BYU teams and coaches will gather at theESPN Zone, part of the New York, New York Hotel on the famed LasVegas Strip. There, both teams will be entertained, dined, andintroduced. The entertainment includes a lot of video game play --on the house for players.

The kickoff luncheon (ticket purchase required) is open to thepublic and features both teams and coaches in the Las VegasConvention Center from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday. A cheer clinic isplanned for the public at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 4 to6 p.m.

While Larry the Cable Guy just finished a weekend performance atThe Orleans, Johnny Mathis Holiday Show is scheduled Friday andSaturday at the Las Vegas Hilton. A Holiday Festival Freemont StreetExperience is planned through Saturday with a special Las Vegas BowlPep Rally and Buffet Bowl on Thursday night on Freemont Street. TheLas Vegas Classic Basketball Tournament is going on in The OrleansSaturday.

For shoppers finishing their Christmas lists, there are more than130 outlet stores in the Las Vegas Outlet Center, located at 7400 S.Las Vegas Blvd.

The Rio buffet is generally a favorite of BYU athletes andfeatures a wide variety of ethnic food. If you are a sports gamejunkee, the best sports TV centers to watch NBA, NCAA Basketball andother events are at Caesars Palace, the MGM Grande, Mirage, Palmsand Wynn.

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition is going on at the TropicanaResort and Casino. There are other interesting and educationalexhibits located at the Atomic Testing Museum, offering more than370,000 declassified documents and photos with five different movievenues and interactive computers and artifacts. The Liberace Museum,Lied Discovery Children's Museum and Nevada State Museum are alsopossible stops.

'Bodies, The Exhibition' is an innovative display of humanbodies, preserved in a revolutionary technique using liquid siliconerubber. Located at the Tropicana Resort and Casino, one display thatshows the lungs of a chain smoker has a bin nearby for discardingpackages of smokes, and it's always nearly full.

The FastKart Speedway is an 1,100-foot outdoor track that allows5-, 10-, 15- and 20-minute sessions so people can race up to eightfriends on go carts (121 East Sunset, Las Vegas).

You've got your Haunted Vegas Tour, the Vegas Mob Tour and theManhattan Express at the New York, New York.

If Elvis is your thing, USA Today says of Trent Carlina, theDream King, at the Sahara, 'You will not believe your eyes andears.'

Magic? Try Hans Klock, who might have Pamela Anderson on stage,at Planet Hollywood, BYU's team headquarters. There's also theAmazing Jonathan at the Sahara, David Copperfield at the MGM Grand,Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo and Mc King Comedy Magic Show atHarrah's.

Education?

Try The Da Vinci Experience at the Henderson Events Plaza in theWater Street District, a collection and copies of his experimentsand paintings, taken from his notebooks.

Shows include 'Mamma Mia,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'TheProducers, 'The Soprano's Last Supper' and 'Love,' a celebration ofBeatles music in the Cirque du Soleil show at the Mirage.

Bowl goers will miss a concert by Van Halen Dec. 28 and 30 at theMGM Grand Hotel.

TAKE NOTE: There is plenty of parking on the grounds of Sam BoydStadium, so please do not park along the side of either TropicanaAvenue or Russell Road.

* Vehicles will be towed at owner's expense.

* Sam Boyd Stadium parking lots will open at 11 a.m.

* General parking will cost $5 per vehicle.

* Parking attendants and signs will direct you to the correctparking areas.

* The Sam Boyd Stadium box office and will-call window will openat noon.

* No bottles, cans, coolers, food and beverages, weapons, pepperspray, signs, or other paraphernalia may be brought into thestadium.

* Tailgate Extravaganza on the Star Nursery Field opens at 12:00p.m.

* Shuttle Services: Shuttles will be provided back to a locationon the Strip. Shuttles will be located inside gate No. 1. A fee of$10 will be charged.

* CAT Bus Route 201A will provide continuous 'loop' service fromnoon to 10:30 p.m.

Las Vegas sees stars in NBA weekend. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)

Byline: Joe Juliano

LAS VEGAS _ Entering the sunny and spacious 10th-floor office of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, one finds a crown resting to the left side of his desk and a throne where he sits to do his work and, on this day, conduct an interview.

'It's a great time to be king,' he jokes.

Goodman, a Philadelphia native who made his name as a colorful defense lawyer representing reputed mob figures all over the United States, likes to call himself 'the happiest mayor in the universe.' His happiness quotient, however, has jumped to the nth degree this week as NBA's All-Star Weekend approaches.

For the first time in the midseason exhibition's 56 stagings, the All-Star Game and its associated events will be hosted by a city that does not have an NBA franchise. The game will be played Sunday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, capping a whirlwind weekend of activities that include the NBA Jam Session and numerous player appearances.

If the weekend goes perfectly _ and the energetic Goodman sees no reason it won't _ the next step is to see whether NBA commissioner David Stern will modify his stance and approve the awarding of a new or existing franchise to Las Vegas, the largest city of the only state where it's legal to bet on a sports event.

'I've developed a very good relationship with David Stern over the years,' Goodman said last month. 'I'm hopeful that at the conclusion of the All-Star Game, that he'll have been softened up to the point where he would consider not objecting to Las Vegas because of our gambling, and perhaps be more mellow as far as the potential of having an NBA team.

'We're a natural for basketball. We supported the UNLV teams when they were good. It was the hottest ticket in town. We didn't rely on the tourist element there. To have an NBA team here would just be absolutely a perfect fit. It's an NBA-type town in the sense that the NBA represents to me glitz and glamour, and of course that's what Las Vegas is.'

Stern, while he acknowledges that Las Vegas is a 'terrific destination' and that the league's dealings with the city preparing for the All-Star Game have been 'cordial and professional,' said he had not changed his opinion of Las Vegas as a potential franchise.

'We have been quite consistent with this,' Stern said Friday in a telephone interview. 'Our issue is with basketball betting. We are of the opinion that our fans are not point-spread-focused, and we're concerned that it would change the view of the fans if there was widespread gambling.'

Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. The city and the surrounding valley have a population of about 1.9 million. Goodman, 67, running for a third term as mayor this year, said a new person moves into the community every six minutes, a new home is finished every 20 minutes, and 17 schools are built every year.

Add the sense of community to the bright lights of the famous Strip, which is the primary reason that 40 million tourists visit the city every year, and Las Vegas would have all the ingredients to be a world-class city. Not so, says its mayor, who would like to add a franchise from the NBA, or any of the other three major professional sports leagues.

'In order to be the world-class city, you have to have a professional team, particularly in a place like Las Vegas,' he said. 'Most of the folks who have come here haven't lived here for more than five years. They come without being able to identify with anything. The quickest way you're able to get a community spirit and sense of belonging is to have a team with which people can identify.'

Nevertheless, commissioners are leery of placing a team in Las Vegas because of the presence of sports books. For Stern to grant Las Vegas the All-Star Game, Goodman had to ask the casinos that they not take bets. When the casinos agreed, the game was awarded to Vegas.

Stern has said if Las Vegas takes NBA basketball off the books, the city would be a worthy candidate for a franchise. But Goodman, a graduate of Central High, Haverford College, and Penn Law School, calls the fears of Stern and the other commissioners 'old-fashioned.'

'Forty-eight out of the 50 states have legalized gambling,' he said. 'We are the only state that has sports betting, and that's the only thing that distinguishes us, really, from the other states as far as betting is concerned. Gambling is now accepted in the American fabric of life. I don't think it has the negative connotation it may have had.'

Goodman said he would not ask casinos to refrain from accepting bets on basketball as a condition of getting an NBA franchise, saying it would be 'hypocritical.' He added that professional and college sports organizations should be thankful that Las Vegas and the state of Nevada have a system in place to monitor sudden movement in the betting line.

'If there's something unusual, the first thing a casino will do is call the FBI,' he said. 'After they bring the Nevada Gaming Control Board in, they call the FBI, they put a wiretap up, and they get the culprit who's trying to tamper with the game. No other state has that.'

But Stern said the controls in place have no bearing on his opinion of sports betting.

'It's still betting on basketball,' he said. 'It never related to safeguards or not.'

Goodman and Stern had opportunities to talk in October when four NBA teams, including the 76ers, conducted training camp in Europe. Goodman, chair of the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, a sponsor of NBA Europe Live, showed up in Barcelona, Spain, for the Sixers' exhibition game with a showgirl _ complete with extravagant headdress _ on each arm.

'I think he gets a kick out of me,' Goodman said of Stern. 'I have a lot of respect for him and his intellect. I think he likes to see me with my showgirls. He likes the fact that I do have a good time.'

Said Stern: 'We get along quite well, two ex-lawyers. He has a very good sense of humor, and I enjoy his company. It was a very pleasant experience in Europe.'

Regarding the interest of other sports in coming to Las Vegas, Goodman said the city has had a couple of nibbles from Major League Baseball. Groups inquired into having the Montreal Expos or the Florida Marlins move here in recent years, and Goodman once attended the winter baseball meetings to push his case, but nothing came out of the talks.

Goodman said the experience taught him about the nature of negotiations.

'I won't allow us to be used as a pawn,' he said. 'I was a baby mayor. I was so anxious to have a team that I think we were taken advantage of. I learned my lesson, and now they have to come to me.'

Even with Roger Goodell replacing Paul Tagliabue as commissioner, the attitude of the NFL toward Las Vegas hasn't changed. In his first Super Bowl address, Goodell said he wanted to keep 'a very strong line' between the NFL and gambling, declaring it's not 'in the best interest of the NFL to have any association with sports betting.'

Goodman said Goodell and the NFL are 'missing the boat' and added, 'I'm not going to shed any tears over it. I have little warmth in my heart for the NFL.'

The mayor has been in contact with the San Diego Chargers, who are seeking a new stadium and currently exploring options in San Diego and its suburbs.

For now, it's the NBA that will be in town this week, and Goodman, who used to play basketball in Cobbs Creek Park when he lived in West Philadelphia, is pulling out all the stops to put on a good show.

His wife, Carolyn, will host some events for the league's owners and their wives and show them the entire city and what it has to offer.

'That's going to make a difference,' Goodman said. 'I'm banking on my wife, really, to help me carry the day to get the NBA here.'

His feelings on gambling aside, Stern said that considering a franchise for the city was separate from hosting a successful All-Star Weekend.

'It is not a test run for a franchise,' he said. 'That's not part of the process. We do an analysis concerning demographics, the community, the Fortune 500 companies, the sale of suites and tickets after we get an application from a city.

'It's a great city. A combination of the entertainment capital of the world with the basketball capital of the world we feel will be unbelievable fun for our guests. But we're trying to keep it separate. First things first _ let's get through the week, and whatever happens after that, happens.'

That's fine with Goodman, whose city will be hosting visitors left over from Valentine's Day weddings, as well as the Chinese New Year celebration and a men's apparel show in addition to the All-Star Game.

'There's just going to be a lot of energy in town,' he said. 'It will be a great weekend.'

___

(c) 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Las Vegas May Take Super Bowl Ad Issue to Court. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Chris Jones, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 15--Las Vegas' ability to advertise on National Football League broadcasts could soon be headed to court, while the NFL on Tuesday accused local tourism officials of drumming up a controversy to attract attention to their new marketing campaign.

If only most playoff games could be this entertaining.

Despite the NFL's refusal, local convention authority officials aren't backing away from their desire to someday air television advertisements touting Las Vegas during football broadcasts including the Super Bowl.

Last month, the NFL denied a request from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its contracted advertising agency, Las Vegas-based R & R Partners, to buy time slots during the Jan. 26 Super Bowl. The league rejected the authority's bid because of its long-standing policy to distance itself from gaming-related ads, NFL sources said.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and other convention authority board members now want to challenge the NFL's perceived anti-Las Vegas stance in court. At two separate points during Tuesday's meeting, a visibly angry Goodman asked the convention authority's legal staff to look into filing a lawsuit against the NFL.

A longtime defense attorney, Goodman believes a judge or jury might decide the league has interfered with the authority's rights to free commercial speech, as well as R & R's contractual obligations that require the company to promote Las Vegas on a national stage.

'This is commercial speech we're talking about, and they're interfering with it, and I don't like it,' Goodman said in reference to the NFL. 'I really want somebody to seriously research this because I think we'd win this case.'

Poking fun at recent controversies involving questionable calls in NFL playoff games, Goodman also said the league needs to 'get its referees to make a call correctly' before it worries about potential damage associated with airing ads promoting Las Vegas.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy had no comment on the potential lawsuit Tuesday. However, McCarthy suggested the ads were pitched to the NFL in hopes that the league's anticipated rejection would generate free publicity for the city.

'Someone came up with a strategic plan which has worked quite well,' McCarthy said. 'They made a calculated risk to come up with a spot or series of spots knowing that the NFL would turn it down, and then turned around and publicized their efforts (to gain) more exposure for the city of Las Vegas than if the spot had actually run in the game.

'The Wall Street Journal ran it front page today ... and USA Today and the New York Times will be writing about it, so we're sure they're pleased out your way.'

Goodman's calls to investigate a court case against the NFL were supported by fellow board members Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, a Clark County commissioner, and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson.

An attorney, Gibson said this 'probably won't be the last time we're rebuffed,' but he questioned the NFL's anti-gaming policy. He said betting lines that originate in Las Vegas are commonly discussed in workplaces throughout the United States and have likely increased the league's overall popularity.

Following Tuesday's board meeting, Luke Puschnig, who serves as legal counsel for the convention authority, said it's still too soon to comment on potential legal avenues the organization might pursue against the NFL.

'(Goodman) is my boss and since he's suggested this, I'll look into it,' Puschnig said, adding it's almost impossible to expect a court action would alter the NFL's position in time to air the Las Vegas ads during this year's Super Bowl.

'But who knows? This may be something that creates a change a year or five years down the road,' Puschnig said.

McCarthy repeatedly defended the league's anti-gaming stance Tuesday.

'The ads don't mention gambling, but Las Vegas is synonymous to the public with sports betting and casino gambling; it's the only place where sports betting is legal,' McCarthy said. 'That's the basis for rejecting that type of ad, which we've done for decades.'

An Aug. 8 letter from Dennis Lewin, an NFL senior vice president of broadcasting and network television, to John Wildhack, senior vice president of programming for ESPN, a sister network of ABC, said ads for Las Vegas fall under the league's 'stringent restrictions on gambling-related advertising in NFL programming,' which exist because of the NFL's 'concern that an association between the NFL and gambling -- even in an advertising context -- could have a uniquely negative effect on the public's perception of our sport.'

Despite the NFL's efforts to sidestep gaming, R & R head Billy Vassiliadis said he believes more football fans will watch the Super Bowl in Las Vegas sports books than will view the contest in host city San Diego.

'And the way I feel about the NFL these days, I hope that happens,' Vassiliadis said.

To see more of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lvrj.com.

PLAYERS UNION VOW: NO HARD CAP, EVER SOLIDARITY IS THEME AFTER MEETING IN LAS VEGAS.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Michael Jordan came down from his luxury suite in this city's newest billion-dollar hotel, mingled with the union's masses and gave no hint as to whether he'll be playing basketball when the lockout ends.

On this day, Jordan's message was the same as that heard from 240 players, that the union is unified and will never accept a hard salary cap.

``My mind is still open. I haven't made my decision, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be a part of the union,'' Jordan said yesterday after the largest gathering in the history of the National Basketball Players Union.

``I owe an obligation to the young players and the players who came before me,'' Jordan said. ``This work stoppage is not our fault. We're willing to work, but David Stern shouldn't be able to force us to play under a deal that's unfavorable to us.''

Jordan was joined at the meeting by most of the league's high-profile players, including Shaquille O'Neal, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.

After meeting for almost five hours, union director Billy Hunter announced that the players had voted unanimously to never accept a hard salary cap. He also said the entire player population - almost 400 players - would come to New York next week to request a formal bargaining session while the league's Board of Governors was in town.

``We'd be willing to do it with as many players as they'd like to bring,'' deputy commissioner Russ Granik said in response. ``We'll meet with anybody.''

The NBA has already canceled the first two weeks of the season, and the rest of the November schedule is expected to be scrapped next week.

The sides haven't met since Oct. 13, and the owners and players remain far apart on the issues of a ``hard'' vs. ``soft'' salary cap and elimination of the so-called Larry Bird exception that allows teams to exceed the cap to retain their own free agents.

Pippen is one of the players who has waited years for his Bird rights to take effect, and he would stand to lose the most if the exception were weakened or phased out.

``I know my opportunity has come to get market value, but I came here because I want to see the future of the game enhanced,'' Pippen said. ``I think their offer upsets a lot of us, especially the free agents.''

The players-only meeting was not open to the media, but many of those who attended said it was marked by player after player standing to make his case for unity and a hard-line stance.

``I thought Karl Malone was the best speaker. He gave a very impassioned plea, a great plea for us to stick together,'' Charles Barkley said. ``We do want to play. We feel bad for the fans and the players, but that's it. We don't feel bad for the owners.''

David Robinson even admitted that he was initially unwilling to sacrifice paychecks for a union that has been historically disorganized, but this particular show of force convinced him that the players are together.

The players also heard from baseball union executive director Donald Fehr and NFL union head Gene Upshaw.

Fehr, seen walking arm-in-arm with Hunter, counseled the players to stick together. Upshaw told them decertification of the union was the wisest course of action.

When the meeting adjourned, the tough talk from Jordan was typical of what all the players were saying.

WEBB HITS THE JACKPOT IN LAS VEGAS : KLEIN TIES FOR SECOND.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

The scene on the 18th green at the Desert Inn Golf Club on Sunday is likely to be replayed many times in the coming years.

First, Emilee Klein congratulated Karrie Webb for her victory in the LPGA Tour Championship. Webb, in turn, grabbed her playing partner and kissed her on the cheek.

Then, Klein shook hands with Webb's caddie, Evan Minster, who grabbed her and kissed her cheek. After that, Minster hugged Kenny Harms, Klein's caddie and boyfriend.

Not just the two youngest players in the 30-player, season-ending tournament field but the two youngest players on the LPGA Tour, Klein and Webb were tied for the lead at 9-under par after three rounds here and were paired in Sunday's final twosome.

With an eagle on the par-5 15th hole, Webb put the tournament away, finishing with a 7-under 65 for a total of 16-under 272. The Australian's $150,000 first-place check - her fourth first-place finish of 1996 - made her the first LPGA player to ever win $1 million in a year. Nice work for a 21-year-old rookie.

She finished her season in flawless style. Twice - at 3 and 4 and at 10 and 11 - she birdied successive holes. She also birdied 13 before the fateful eagle on 15.

We all know what this feels like: ``Every time I looked up at my shot it was going straight at the pin. The strong parts of my game today was everything,'' Webb said.

Klein did not have such fortune. The 1992 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks was shy with her putter on the front nine Sunday - bogeying the seventh and ninth - and closed with a 69. Her total of 12-under 276 tied her for second place with Kelly Robbins (65) and Nancy Lopez (66).

``It was a good ending to a good year,'' said Klein, who is sometimes listed as being from Studio City and sometimes from Graeagle, Calif. - sometimes both places in the same tournament, as she was here - but is actually a new homeowner in Orlando, Fla. ``I would have liked to have won, but Karrie is playing incredible golf.''

Klein, who joined the tour in 1995, experienced a season of emergence this year, winning her first two tournaments - in successive weeks. She finished ninth on the money list with earnings of $463,793.

Klein was also able to quickly realize this weekend was not the last time she will be battling Webb with a tournament on the line. It happened earlier this year, with Klein winning that time for her first LPGA title at the Ping Welch's Championship in August.

``It will probably be going back and forth for a long time,'' Klein said. ``I think you'll be hearing a lot from both of us. I think we'll both probably be on top for many years to come, so we'll be paired together a lot, I'm sure.''

While the talk on the LPGA Tour has been about making it easier to qualify for the Hall of Fame - a likelihood in the next year - the talk around the Desert Inn this week was about how Klein and Webb could probably qualify under the current requirement of having to win 30 tournaments.

``The young players, playing like they are, could reach the Hall of Fame with the criteria as it is now,'' said Lopez, whose 47 tournament titles has her in the 14-member Hall.

Michelle McGann, a two-time winner but fast becoming a senior citizen at 26, is excited by the prospects of future Klein-Webb battles.

``They've got youth on their side,'' she said. ``It's great any time there's a duel like that. It's like Lopez and (Beth) Daniel in their prime. It's going to be great for the tour.''

Both Klein and Webb can be seen the first weekend of December in the JC Penney Classic, which pairs players from the men's and women's tours, and the Dec. 13-15 Diners Club Matches at PGA West in La Quinta.

If you miss those, don't worry. They'll be around for a while.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Rookie Karrie Webb reacts to sinking an eagle putt on the 15th hole in the final round.

Associated Press

NEXT UP IN LAS VEGAS; FROM DANDY SPORT SHIRTS TO TEFLON WORKWEAR, EXHIBITORS HAVE PLENTY OF NEWS TO REPORT.(Brief Article) - Daily News Record

Any decent label knows that the best way to entice balky consumers to open their wallets is to give them something genuinely new. So it's no surprise that a number of brands have put on their thinking caps and come up with some fresh ideas for this season's MAGIC.

Whether its a technology story, like Jeep's Teflon-coated workwear, or a hip-hop label with a global perspective, like Madsoul, there's something out there to give your sales floor some zip. No more excuses, it's time to take some risks -- here are five picks to get you started.

Black & Orange by Ben Sherman

The sport shirt market needs more than a little pepping up, and Ben Sherman is up to the task. The Brit brand is introducing its premium Black & Orange shirt and denim label at the show and for those retailers looking for something fresh on the sales floor, this is it.

The better-priced shirt line reprises the bold colors and prints of the '60s with intricate detailing and high-staple-count cottons sourced in Europe. Some of the attention-grabbing items are a ruffled-front shirt in an archived cotton from the Hammerle mills in Austria; a shimmery black-on-black houndstooth; and a dandified flower print shirt with contrast-striped collar and cuffs.

Throughout, the line creates interest with its meticulous attention to details like contrasting gussets, chevron yokes, triple-button collars, bias-cut fabrics and hidden plackets. The shirts, which are priced to retail between $129 and $250, will also be packaged in shiny black boxes with orange interiors.

'We see it hanging with labels like Hugo Boss, Zegna or even D&G, depending on the store,' said Vince Gonzales, vice-president of sales for the new line. 'Our customers have been asking for us to produce a better-priced product, and this is opening a new tier of distribution for us.'

Black & Orange also has a denim component,including two jeans cuts in rinsed, vintage and destroyed finishes.

National Geographic

Who better to come up with an apparel line that protects would-be explorers from snake and insect bites, ghastly storms and nasty humidity than National Geographic?

The National Geographic Society recently licensed D.E. International, a manufacturer of outdoor-related apparel based in Torento, Italy, to launch an outdoor-oriented apparel collection for men and women.

The collection has four major categories: Desert, Sailing, Mountain and Tropical. It also includes a Vintage category. Prices range from $50 for a shirt to $1,500 for an adventure sailing jacket.

What makes this collection different is that it's field-tested by National Geographic's explorers, writers, filmmakers and photographers..

'Every day,' said John Dumbacher, senior vice-president of licensing for National Geographic, 'we have over 250 explorers and photographers in the field developing story lines..'

IMC Brand Management has exclusive rights to sell the line in the U.S. and Northern Europe.

Madsoul Clothing Co.

Madsoul emerged when founder Marc D'Amelio set out to fuse his love of graffiti with his experience in the apparel industry. Now the year-old T-shirt, tops and hat company will be exhibiting at MAGIC along with the New York City Breakers collection, named after the legendary '80s breakdancing troop.

Fabrications include polyester fleece, nylon and wool. Its wholesale prices range between $10 and $90. Madsoul is looking to attract 13- to 24-year-olds in tune with all elements of hip-hop culture. Current retailers include shops such as Yellow Rat Bastard (New York City), Reggae Wear (Miami) and Ozone (Boston).

According to D'Amelio, he created Madsoul because he wanted a company where artists would be paid for their talent.

'Through the Internet, I was able to establish agreements with [graffiti] artists all around the world,' he said. 'In just a few months Madsoul was born.'

Jeep Workwear

Jeep, which has already been selling Teflon-treated denim, is taking toughness to the next level with a workwear line.

The label, which is produced by Old Toledo Brands under license from DaimlerChrysler, is getting its hands dirty with a line of outerwear and bottoms designed to stand up to hard use. The line includes a canvas duck coat with a snap-on hood, a canvas zip-front jacket, a waxed-cotton barn coat, a duck vest, carpenter and cargo pants, and jeans and jeans-jackets.

All the denim items, along with the carpenter and cargo pants, are impregnated with a Teflon coating from DuPont that makes the workwear water- and stain-resistant. The line also features sturdy, riveted construction and heavy-duty zippers.Tops are available with either blanket linings or six-ounce quilted fill.

'Workwear is a perfect fit for Jeep's reputation for ruggedness,' said Marc Kaufman, president of Old Toledo Brands. 'And we think it's going to appeal to a younger customer than some of the other workwear brands.'

A.P.C.O.

Launched two years ago, A.P.C.O. is looking to capture its share of the mass market.

'We are offering active-inspired looks for bottoms buyers that won't compete with activewear,' states Gene Uy, vice-president of design and merchandising, American Public Co., A.P.C.O.'s parent.

Known as a private-label manufacturer, the eight-year-old American Public Co. decided to launch A.P.C.O. to compete against brands such as OTB, Plugg and Wear First, said Paul Seltzer, president of sales and marketing.

The fall line will be broken into five groups -- varsity, outdoors, utility/workwear, snowboard and skate. Fabrications will include cotton/nylon blends, cotton denim, twill, canvas and corduroy.

PROJECT LAS VEGAS.(Sports)(latest fashion label) - Daily News Record

Byline: David Lipke

KASIL

'The Denim Garden' is Kasil's branding tagline, and the L.A.-based jeans company is reaping a bounty of new detailing, washes and fabrics for spring. 'We always have a wide variety of styles, but we don't do anything too crazy. We always want to keep that great, classic jeans look,' explains David Lim, who founded the company in 2003 and launched the men's line this past spring.

One area that the company does embellish with flair is the back pocket, with the season's new design elements including metal studs, corduroy trim and plaid insets. Another innovation is a jean made from a hemp-blend fabric ($190 retail), whose brown threads peek through as the denim wears in. Lim is also excited about a marbleized wash that creates a 'blue fire' effect.

For jeans aficionados seeking denim alternatives, Kasil has a new lineup of pigment-dyed cotton twill options, in boot-cut and relaxed straight-leg fits, in colors like olive, khaki and tobacco ($175 to $190). 'It feels like a denim jean, but it has a really soft hand,' says Lim. (The label's name -- pronounced like 'castle' -- is a riff on Lim's Korean name, which means 'Castle in the Forest.')

CANTERBURY OF NEW ZEALAND

Ralph Lauren latched onto the sporty Ivy League appeal of rugby for his latest fashion label, and now one of the sport's pioneers is set to do the same. Canterbury of New Zealand -- which was founded in 1904, originated the rugby shirt and currently outfits a host of national rugby teams around the world, as well as college teams at Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth -- is set to debut a new off-field line of premium sportswear.

The line of color-infused, logo rugby shirts ($98 to $150), polos ($68 to $108), and T-shirts is launching this fall at Nordstrom, the U.K.'s Harvey Nichols, and Spain's El Corte Inglese, among other stores. The line features signature elements from the company's on-field designs, such as rubber buttons and rip-resistant construction.

'Everything's garment washed, with a slim fashion fit and vintage sport look,' says Colin Gillooly, a Ben Sherman veteran who is now overseeing Canterbury's sales and marketing for North America.

The company's casual sportswear initiative is being undertaken by its new owners, an investment group that includes Hap Klopp, who was the founder of The North Face (now owned by VF Corp.) and is currently chairman of Blue Marlin. 'Canterbury has heritage, leadership in a niche sport and the cachet of New Zealand -- a fantastic platform on which to build the brand globally,' says Klopp.

C&C CALIFORNIA

As its name suggests, C&C California is all about laid-back, comfortable styles infused with a casual West Coast vibe. The spring line boasts plenty of printed and solid T-shirts, in a luscious array of colors like pale blue ('snow bunny' as the company calls it), faded black, guacamole green and orange 'sizzle' ($52 to $58 retail). Solid polos are available in a palette of 10 additional colors.

'It's the fabrics and colors that make this line special,' explains Jennifer Lazarus, owner of L.A.-based Showroom 903, which sells the Liz Claiborne-owned line. 'The fabric is this really soft jersey that C&C designs themselves, and the T's are available in either a skinny rocker fit or a looser skater fit.'

Also in the lineup are heavyweight fleece sweatshirts, in zippered and pullover styles ($136). 'They have a vintage, old-time look, very beefy and athletic,' says Lazarus.

OP CLASSIC

While the OP Classic moniker was marketed by former licensee Ray's Apparel for a line of sportswear, the current team working on this sub-label of the OP surf brand -- now owned by Warnaco -- considers it an entirely new concept, debuting next spring. 'This is really a relaunch,' says Sun Choe, vice-president of merchandising and design for the label. 'This is a full-on premium line with very exclusive distribution, much slimmer fits and true retro-classic styles.'

The customer is clearly a guy into '70s fashions with an affinity for kitsch, and is not afraid to show a little leg. Among the spring offerings are corduroy shorts -- including some with a four-inch inseam -- glossy nylon windbreakers with rainbow chest stripes, canvas boardshorts and terry-cloth polo shirts. If the collection had to be summed up in one word, 'cute' might immediately spring to mind.

Prices had not been finalized at presstime, but Choe said graphic-print T-shirts would run $60 to $80 retail, polos around $90 and windbreakers somewhere north of $100. 'It's for the Williamsburg hipster with money,' she explains, adding that part of the line may be sold into actual vintage stores to reach the young, trend-setting consumer who shops there.

THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES

After gaining a measure of visibility with their much-photographed 'Please Don't Feed the Models' T-shirts, the duo behind this New York-based label -- model booker Richard Wheeler and photographer Gavin Bond -- is expanding into tailored jackets, elaborately embroidered outerwear and military-inspired shirt-jackets.

'The tailored pieces are vivid blazers in pink or baby blue or plaid, in baby corduroy and wool blends,' says Wheeler, who has sold his fledgling line into big-name retailers like Bloomingdale's, Kitson and H. Lorenzo. 'They're specialty items that will be fairly limited in distribution.'

The new parkas ($330) feature Indian-inspired embroidery in sparkling red, green and silver tones, including images of deities like Ganesh. However, T-shirts remain the core of the collection, with snappy slogans and logos like 'American Excess' and 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Aimless.'

STITCH'S

After hitting the fashion jackpot with its Da-Nang military surplus-inspired label, Albert Dahan has made denim and leather the focus of his newest venture, Stitch's. Launched at retail this past spring, the jeans feature signature bold stitching executed on shoe-making equipment, with denim aged in antique redwood barrels in an historic Evansville, Wyo., facility. The time-consuming process means a wallet-shrinking price tag of $285 for the average jean in the collection.

For spring, Stitch's is introducing non-indigo denim in earth-toned colors like white, khaki and brown, offering new options to jeans collectors swimming in a sea of blue. 'We need to do something more than just boring five-pocket jeans,' reasons Dahan.

Complementing the denim lineup are leather shoulder bags, all hand-stitched using 'rejected' leather scraps ($330 retail). 'We actually find beauty in these non-prime skins because they give the bags a worn-in, organic look,' says Dahan.