Shareholders of casino operator MGM Mirage have voted to change the company’s name to MGM Resorts International in a move to emphasize the brand’s scope.

Attorneys for CityCenter and Perini Building Co. are trading new charges in the massive lawsuit over alleged unpaid construction invoices and construction defects.

MGM Mirage executives are optimistic that CityCenter, an $8.5 billion resort complex that has increased hotel room volume at a time of depressed demand, will soon turn a profit.

Casino operator MGM Mirage is inviting subcontractors on the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex to work toward settling millions of dollars in claims stemming from a dispute with the project’s primary contractor.

On the eve of a meeting between Gov. Jim Gibbons and Perini Building Co. and its CityCenter subcontractors, another group has entered the fray over construction payments.

MGM Mirage indicated in court papers today that there’s now some hope that CityCenter subcontractors may be getting paid at least some of the money they are owed.

Last summer, MGM Mirage sent offers to Las Vegas residents who had previously gambled at the Bellagio, offering them a free stay at the resort. Business was down, so the hope was that these local guests, much like tourists, would spend money on other attractions during their stay.

MGM Mirage today said it lost $96.7 million in the first quarter — a number in line with an April 14 announcement that the gaming company would post a loss on lower revenue.

The dispute at CityCenter escalated this week when general contractor Perini launched a public relations campaign targeting MGM Mirage.

MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren got a $13.75 million pay package in 2009, his first full year as the casino operator’s top executive, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing the company made late Tuesday.