NEW YORK (Fortune) -- So the third quarter is in the books, and it was a good 'un! The Dow, Naz and S&P all up over 4%. Woo doggie! Take that to the bank. Now as Axl Rose used to ask: "Where do we go?" (Sweet Child O' Mine.)

HARRAH'S: So it seems like the biggest casino company in the U.S of A. is looking to get LBOed! Jackpot baby! Could be one of the biggest deals ever, as in $12 billion of equity and $10 billion of debt. HET (Charts) runs about 40 casinos including Caesars, Bally's, Rio and Showboat. Stock hasn't been that bad a performer really. It matched the market over the past couple years. So, not clear why they want out of the public markets. Who's buying the company? Texas Pacific maybe. Stock is up a few points this morning.

J. CREW: Stock has been off the hook! It's up 27% since going public in June. But the stock (Charts) fell on Friday with the news that Emily Scott and her husband Thomas Scott left the board. Emily founded J. Crew with her daddy, Arthur Cinander, back in 1983 - when Dr. Street Life was but a lad. Wall Street not happy that the folks with the Crew DNA coursing through their veins have said "peace out." In other words, founders cashing out. I would let this one lie. Easy money has been made here.

PIER ONE: CEO Marvin Girouard says he is stepping down. Not a moment too soon if you ask me. He's been The Man since 1999 and during his tenure, PIR (Charts) went way up and then way down. (From $25 to $7 over the past three years.) They had Kirstie Alley as a pitch person. Then one of the "Queer Eye" guys. They also tried a catalog. Most important though, the company's strategy of importing and selling trendy home furnishings had been copied by the likes of Target (Charts), Wal-Mart (Charts) and others, especially Bombay Company. Still, I think, this one might perk up, now that the big guy is on the way out.

LOOSE CHANGE: So I went to a school of rock show at CBGB's over the weekend. It was fantastic! It was a tribute to the Who. Kids played like two dozen songs...different kids...different groups....from like 7 years old (singing back-up on "Can't Explain") to 17-year-old guitar whizzes. My neighbor's kid Daniel Risdon was awesome. And so was the girl who sang "Behind Blue Eyes." Would make a fantastic reality TV show!!!... Sorry FlanaganG and BrianO about your Crimson Tide. Dang Gators.

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E-mail Andy Serwer at serwer@fortunemail.com and see him on CNN's "In the Money" and "American Morning."

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