The problem with opening something new on deadline is that there are factors out of your control.

This is especially true when you are trying to open something new inside something newer.

For example, if you are Jay-Z planning a grand opening for your club in a resort that isn't open.

 

Yesterday I was supposed to get a sneak peak at Jay-Z's 40/40 club at the Venetian's Palazzo. But the proper safety and occupancy permits had yet to be issued to the resort, delaying its ability to host events.

In fact, whether 40/40 can have its grand opening at all as planned on Sunday is clearly going to go down to the wire.

 

Two days ago the Palazzo sent out a letter to the media noting that the casino's grand opening is now set for the middle of January and that its soft opening (when the resort actually opens, without fanfare, to get the kinks out for a few days) has been delayed to an unspecified date.

Oddest of all, the Venetian announced that no photographers are allowed to shoot pictures at Palazzo until the grand opening.

In fact, if the Sunday night opening of 40/40 does take place, press have been instructed to "refrain from taking any videos or photos outside the designated red carpet area."

 

So, instead of a tour, I had a short one-on-one interview with Jay-Z yesterday afternoon in a conference room at the Venetian. It was a good consolation prize, though I was given only five minutes.

Major celebrities really have it easy when it comes to charming reporters.

All it took for Jay-Z this time was for one of the best-selling music artists, known for a business acumen as sharp as his lyrics, to walk across the room in a T-shirt offering an unpretentious handshake along with "Hi, I'm Jay."

I was totally impressed. You can see, even in a short conversation, why Jay-Z is so comfortable in so many environments: boardrooms, mean streets, studios and posh resorts. The man carries himself with such ease and confidence, appears thoughtful in answering questions and connects without any sense of being on autopilot or giving previously contrived answers.

 

Jay-Z told me he actually had wanted to open 40/40 weeks ago. He compromised on the New Year's weekend date. "Our first date was the 20th (of December)." On the other hand, he does not seem terribly concerned about the construction problems or possible delays. "Things go like they go in a natural progression. It is for the best."

 

Jay-Z told me that now is supposed to be an introspective period in life for him. He just stepped down as label head at Def Jam, and he was hoping to figure out over the coming days what his plan is for the next five years.

"This is supposed to be my vacation, but I am here instead." Still, he did not seem unhappy in the least to be in Las Vegas. "I've never spent New Year's in Vegas, and I am a fan of Vegas. So, it should work."

 

Even a five-minute interview can provide some interesting side drama.

Waiting is a large part of my job. For example, a dozen reporters were lined up for these one-on-one interviews with Jay-Z yesterday. I usually bring a book. This time, I had a translation of Ovid's "Metamorphoses" that I was interested in reading because, instead of reproducing the original Latin's dactylic hexameter, the translator put the poem in iambic pentameter. 

 

Jay-Z immediately noticed the book, and we had a brief discussion about scansion -- talk about surreal experiences -- after which I immediately gifted the book to him.

I know Jay-Z can afford his own library, but the idea of the music and business mogul pondering his next moves through the prism of Ovid's stories of love and change seemed so perfect.