‘Medium' claims spirit of Hughes is guiding Steve Wynn. Uh, yeah

Most people can agree that Howard Hughes was an unusual man, especially late in his life when he became a germaphobic recluse and drug addict. But here's something weirder.

Something called Contactmusic.com has posted an item claiming that:

"Hotel entrepreneur Steve Wynn is destined to succeed at whatever he does — because he has been guided by the spirit of billionaire Howard Hughes for years, according to top Hollywood medium Kenny Kingston."

Kingston claims that Hughes was one of his secret clients before the billionaire's death. Supposedly, Hughes has come back from the dead and is supporting Wynn's new Las Vegas resort, Encore, which opened last month.

According to the Contactmusic.com article, "Kingston tells WENN, ‘Many people question whether it's a wise move to make, given the economy and a downturn in Las Vegas business, but Steve Wynn shouldn't worry — he's been guided by Howard Hughes for years.'"

Kingston supposedly has been tracing the mystery of Hughes, who died in 1976, for three decades. "I contacted the spirit of Hughes' mother, Alene, in 1978 and 1979 to see whether she'd seen Howard on the other side. She said no, which is very unusual, since a family member such as a mother would certainly have seen her son when he passed away. Then, in 1979, I was contacted by Hughes himself in the flesh and I gave him a psychic reading. Hughes told me he was secretly moving about between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Bahamas."

Kingston contends that Hughes actually died in the 1980s, and that one of his closest friends in the afterlife is Steve Wynn's mother. "Wynn's mother and Howard Hughes are working hard to guide Steve with his projects," Kingston says. "Hughes admires his courage and business sense. These strong allies on the other side will make sure that Steve Wynn won't fail."

Okay, there are so many problems with these claims that's it's not worth exploring each one of them. But let's focus on the underlying claim that Wynn is in good hands because he has Hughes guiding him from the spirit world or whatever. This presumes that Wynn needs Hughes' help. Clearly, he does not.

Wynn is arguably the greatest Las Vegas hotel-casino operator in history, right up there with Benny Binion, Kirk Kerkorian and a few others. Wynn transformed the Golden Nugget into a luxury resort in downtown Las Vegas. He built the Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Wynn and Encore — five of the finest resorts on the Strip. He knows what he's doing.

Hughes, meanwhile, wasn't much of a hotel-casino operator. He bought a bunch of casinos in the 1960s and played an important role in Las Vegas history as a result. But there's little evidence that he was a savvy hotel-casino operator. In fact, anecdotally, many people who were there say he was kind of bad at it.

If Wynn needs advice from beyond the grave, he ought to talk to Binion or William Bennett or Moe Dalitz or somebody like that. Hughes wouldn't be much help.