I had some particularly scathing things to say this morning about Perini vs. MGM Mirage. But a filling deserted my mouth and so I am reduced to a whimpering victim until I am repaired at 1:30.

So, here are scattered thoughts produced and delivered in pain: One interesting thing to look at is who owes what to who. For example, the overwhelming majority of the money seems owed to the subcontractors. If Perini over billed about $500 million as MGM Mirage claims and of that about $100 million is owed to Perini as the builder claims, then the subcontractors are owed about 80% of the alleged over billing. Under that assumption, how can MGM Mirage’s meeting with the subcontractors be anything but a public relations stunt equal to Perini’s meeting with the governor?

The other issue is that MGM Mirage is a local company with a great number of interests whereas Perini is a company whose reputation in Nevada has not recovered from their safety record in this state. They may be right on any given point, but it is impossible to trust the building company. Even their document dump was not covered by the local papers. I consider that inexcusable. But the documents began in medias res and stop at a convenient time for Perini– while leaving out a lot of specifics. Still, it would have been nice for the local papers to ask MGM Mirage one or two questions about what was in those documents. For example, are broken parts and warranties currently being serviced by unpaid subcontractors at CityCenter?

So little bad news escapes CityCenter that even being unable to use the AT&T network for iPhones was left to bloggers to report.

Las Vegas Sun’s full coverage: “CityCenter: The Definitive Guide” illustrates part of the problem. There is a tremendous desire by local media to offer booster coverage to CityCenter. The project has been considered crucial to Vegas. So, even as the bad news continues with an undeniable drumbeat, The Sun, the newspaper that won a Pulitzer for its coverage of construction deaths when the project was a Perini site, has been far less focused on the problems CityCenter has had since becoming MGM Mirage’s responsibility. One glaring example: the “definitive” coverage is illustrated by a public relations “photo” (more like a mock-up or heavy use of Photoshop) supplied by MGM Mirage to the newspaper of CityCenter. There is nothing editorial looking about the photo. It is a heroic portrait that lacks much visual similarity to the completed project.

The giveaway is that the newspaper lists the empty stump in front as “Harmon Hotel: Hotel Tower with a salon and restaurants.” Of course, any tourist would be a fool to trust the local paper’s definitive guide. That building has never opened, has no hotel rooms, no spa and no restaurants. All of that information is wrong.  The disappointing reality of CityCenter is described in a variety of Sun stories buried under the gigantic inaccurate graphic. Interestingly, the construction industry trade publications seem to tilt strongly in Perini’s direction by emphasizing MGM Mirage’s financial position as a factor in the dispute.

From the companies involved, to the media, it is hard to have any sense of what is going on at what was supposed to be the engine driving Las Vegas in 2010. (Photo: Lanie Crossman)