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Luxe Life Blog • Archive for May 2010
Chelsea Handler unleashed: From PG-rated talker to R-rated standup
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Chelsea Handler is not for the faint of heart or the politically correct crowd. The Chelsea Lately host on E! Entertainment, comedienne and bestselling author took to The Colosseum stage in Caesars Palace on Saturday night as part of her Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Tour after an introduction by sidekick “Mexican midget” Chuy Bravo and unleashed a 75-minute monologue that was heavy on F-bombs, skewering and sex. Handler, who could be Elizabeth Banks’ (surprisingly ... Read more...
Photos: Partying with Cher, Chelsea, Rashad, Gilles, Snoop and Shaggy
The stars continue to shine on The Strip as the third day of the Memorial Day weekend rolls on in high gear, and our contributing photographers and spywitnesses were everywhere it counted. CHER AND CHELSEA HANDLER It was a changing of the guard at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, and Cher stayed a little later and Chelsea Handler arrived a little earlier for this photograph. Cher had just ended her show, and Chelsea waited for her new audience to be ... Read more...
Celine Dion’s sixth pregnancy try is successful: Twins are on the way
Superstar Canadian singer Celine Dion is counting “a double blessing” this afternoon, as her manager husband Rene Angelil has confirmed that Celine’s sixth attempt at in-vitro fertilization has proved successful — they’re expecting twins! Rene, 68, is headed to Las Vegas this week for the preliminary planning meetings of Celine’s new three-year concert contract schedule starting in March at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace. Celine, 42, is reportedly 14 weeks along, and with a November due date, there shouldn’t be ... Read more...
Photos: Paris Hilton, Ne-Yo party at Encore Beach Club, Surrender
Steve Wynn’s Encore Beach Club and Surrender nightclub opened to the public this Memorial Day weekend, and Hollywood and sports celebrities made it a three-day holiday-weekend opening to remember. Our thanks to contributing photographer Erik Kabik for his shots for our Vegas DeLuxe gallery. Here is our spywitness’s report: The Memorial Day weekend grand opening of Encore Beach Club and Surrender nightclub continued to heat up with several celebrities checking out The Strip’s newest hotspot. Grammy-winning R&B sensation Ne-Yo arrived ... Read more...
Photos: Parties continue with Eva & Tony, UFC 114, WSOP, Barry Manilow
It started as a boys’ night out for San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker when he brought his teammates to The Strip. First stop was the monster UFC 114 Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. “Sugar” Rashad Evans fight last night at MGM Grand. Then it was on to Beso and Eve in Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter, where his wife, Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker threw his 28th birthday bash. Thanks to photographer Denise Truscello, who captured the excitement inside the ... Read more...
Photos: Memorial Day with Encore Beach Club, Surrender, Paris, Ne-Yo
Memorial Day weekend kicked off with coincidental birthday celebrations for two-time Dancing With the Stars champions Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas at Tao Beach in The Venetian. Cheryl turned 26 this month but had to delay her birthday party because the hit show’s Season 10 was still in progress. She was thrilled to see that her birthday cake had been modeled after the trophy from the top-rated ABC show. Cheryl was joined by friends in a cabana, including fellow dance ... Read more...
Rivalry between Jackson and Evans highlights UFC weekend
UFC head honcho Dana White says with complete conviction that “this is the fight, this is the showdown, this is the ultimate battle and grudge match.” He’s talking about tonight’s MGM Grand Garden Arena war between the two former UFC light-heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Nothing ever before has matched the bitter and brutal rivalry of the two hard-hitting fighters, and it’s been a year or more in the making because of Rampage’s injuries and his ... Read more...
Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas: Parties, concerts and events galore
It’s a double birthday celebration for two two-time Dancing With the Stars champions, and totally by coincidence. Season 10 charmer Cheryl Burke, who may or may not be in a sensational bling-beautified romance with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, celebrates at Tao Beach in The Venetian this afternoon. If Chad turns up, then we know the romance is on! Then tonight, Season 10 short-timer Mark Ballas celebrates his birthday at Tao, and it’s highly likely that best pal and ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Dick Clark to be honored at Daytime Emmys in Las Vegas
Four top Las Vegas headliners will take part in the Daytime Emmy Awards to honor American Bandstand and its host Dick Clark as part of its telecast on CBS next month. Cher, Barry Manilow, Garth Brooks and Marie Osmond will join Ann-Margret, Frankie Avalon, The Spinners, Jay Leno and Simon Cowell to salute the 80-year-old TV icon during the June 27 ceremony here in Las Vegas. A longtime industry friend, Dick is known as “America’s oldest teenager.” He turned the ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Bobby Flay on reality TV; Bradley Ogden’s award
Hot off the grill! It’s a top-secret TV project, but I’ve discovered that Caesars Palace celebrity chef Bobby Flay is one of several kitchen kings appearing on a new reality TV show titled America’s Next Great Restaurant filming this weekend in L.A. The chefs taste the food of nine restaurant concepts to find the winning formula. *Congratulations to Caesars Palace star chef Bradley Ogden, whose outlet was honored as Best American Restaurant in Las Vegas by Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge ... Read more...
Steve Wynn’s $68 million Encore Beach Club and Surrender open today
Hotel tycoon Steve Wynn puts the finishing and crowning touch to his Wynn and Encore property today with the 72-hour, nonstop grand openings of Encore Beach Club and Surrender nightclub. It’s a $68 million bet on the lavish, luxurious and over-the-top-decadent addition to The Strip. Festivities kick off tonight with DJ Steve Aoki, Surrender’s musical director, and continue tomorrow with a performance by hometown hero and Grammy Award-winning superstar Ne-Yo. Then Sunday marks the afternoon debut of DJ Kaskade at ... Read more...
Chuck Liddell is first MMA fighter to be honored at Madame Tussauds
UFC legend Chuck Liddell will be immortalized in wax this morning by Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at the UFC Fan Expo at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The 40-year-old athlete becomes the first MMA star to be inducted into the famed collection located at the front of The Venetian. Thousands of fans will watch as the 6-foot fighter with the most feared right hand in the sport is inducted into the museum. After the Fan Expo ends tomorrow, Chuck’s wax double ... Read more...
Wayne Brady admits to nerves in return to standup at Venetian
Improv comedy king Wayne Brady returns to The Venetian Showroom tonight after a six-month hiatus. He nearly lost his voice trying to host tapings of Let’s Make a Deal by day at the Tropicana and by night doing 90 minutes of unscripted, unrehearsed and unplanned Making It Up standup at The Venetian. “It’s good to be returning to my second home,” Wayne told me. I chatted with him yesterday as he commuted between his L.A. home and Las Vegas. After ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Memorial Day weekend parties begin early at Palms
The Second Annual Love Festival that kicks off today as an early start to Memorial Day weekend at the Palms makes George Maloof’s resort casino a one-stop global music destination. It’s one of the largest and longest electronica festivals since it was staged elsewhere beginning in 1992. The extensive artist collaboration with attendees from all over the world is expected to break all records of the 18-year festival. It begins tonight in Ghostbar and continues all day and night tomorrow ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Chef Brian Howard elevates Nu Sanctuary
Hot off the grill! Making a marriage between great dining and exotic nightlife without one overpowering the other has succeeded with the new ultra-lounge restaurant Nu Sanctuary Lounge, which has its grand opening tonight at Town Square. Now everybody is going to want to follow suit, and a trend is born! NSL also introduces an extraordinary executive chef who is likely to become not only the overnight buzz here in Las Vegas culinary circles, but also heralded as one of ... Read more...
41st Annual World Series of Poker kicks off tomorrow at The Rio
Poker players from around the world in record numbers arrive today for tomorrow’s start of the 41st Annual World Series of Poker. WSOP champion and poker legend Doyle Brunson will play in the first of 57 gold bracelet events late afternoon tomorrow in the $50,000 Shuffle Up and Deal Players Championship. It’s the most expensive buy-in to ever open the WSOP and will feature an eight-game HORSE format over four days. Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Mike Matusow, Chris ... Read more...
Susan Feniger packs her knives, Rick Moonen stays on Top Chef Masters
Viewers of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters were outraged last night after Mandalay Bay celebrity chef Susan Feniger was voted off the show, leaving four men in the final competition, including her fellow Mandalay Bay chef Rick Moonen. Blog comments literally littered the landscape when Susan was ousted, saying the judges overlooked her unique menu in order to score with comedy sarcasm. Rick, from RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, was voted safe to stay on for next week’s kitchen battles. He ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: The Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky’s dream date at Aria
For the newest The Bachelorette star Ali Fedotowsky, it was the ultimate dream date at Aria in MGM’s CityCenter, but we won’t know the result until Monday when Episode 2 of Season 6 of The Bachelorette airs on ABC. It starts with 17 bachelors sizzling on a Malibu Beach, and one — Jesse, a Missouri general contractor — gets to take her to Las Vegas via private jet. The episode features a pool party at the new Liquid Beach Club, ... Read more...
Excalibur and Tournament of Kings mark 20th anniversary
It’s a 20-year success story that’s still going strong. In a day and age of Cirque du Soleil acrobats and gymnasts grabbing headlines, it’s nice to know that the original dinner theater Strip spectacular is very much alive and well. It, too, comes with stunning stunts and remains a true Las Vegas classic perfect for the entire family. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Tournament of Kings, which is simultaneously celebrating its 20th anniversary with employees of the Excalibur. ... Read more...
Sex and the City 2 screens tonight at Viva Elvis Theater
It’s difficult to believe that it was back in 2004 when HBO aired its final 94th episode and sixth season of Sex and the City flouting the sexual escapades and adventures of journalist Carrie Bradshaw. The 2008 film, which hit a $415 million box office jackpot, kept the four Manhattanites alive and well. To celebrate the sequel and the reunion of the four fun females, Las Vegas throws a series of shopping events, fashion shows, cocktail parties and private screenings ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Mandalay Bay chefs duke it out tonight on Bravo
Hot off the grill! Two tough challenges face the Top Chef Masters cheftestants this evening, as Mandalay Bay celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Rick Moonen remain with three other finalists. In the elimination segment you could call “It’s All Greek to Me,” the kitchen contestants are ordered by the judges to create a dish inspired by a Greek god and fit for Mount Olympus. Susan has to cook for Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Rick for Hades, god of the ... Read more...
DWTS photos: It’s coast-to-coast appearances for new champions
It’s a continuing whirlwind few hours for ABC’s Dancing With the Stars new champions Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and her Las Vegas pro dance partner Derek Hough. No sooner had they posed for their official victory photo with the prized mirror disco-ball trophy in Hollywood than they were raced to Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC studio for their first TV appearance as victors. Then it was an overnight private jet to New York along with their fellow finalists Olympic figure skating ... Read more...
And the champion of Season 10 of Dancing With the Stars is …
Season 10 of ABC’s giant ratings hit Dancing With the Stars ended tonight, and it was a cliffhanger right to the end, even though the head-to-head showdown was exactly as predicted. Eleven celebrity couples began 10 weeks ago, and just one remained standing to claim the prized mirror disco-ball trophy. SPOILER ALERT: Please don’t read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this our one and ... Read more...
Wayne Newton’s two new movies, and he’s a villain once again
Superstar entertainer Wayne Newton has shot two movies in the short time since he ended his run at the Tropicana. Mr. Las Vegas was on a coast-to-coast commute filming one in Los Angeles and the other in Maine back to back. Wayne laughed when he said he’d once again been cast as a villain. (Remember him as Professor Joe Butcher in the James Bond flick Licence to Kill in 1989 with Timothy Dalton?) He filmed 40 West in rainy locations ... Read more...
2010 Miss Universe Pageant is at Mandalay Bay on Aug. 23
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Hotel mogul Donald Trump, NBC and Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart announced today in a press release that the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant will air live on NBC and Telemundo from Mandalay Bay on Aug. 23. “Las Vegas is so fabulous, we had to come back again for the Miss Universe Pageant,” Shugart said. “The world will be watching as women from all around the globe descend on Mandalay Bay to compete for ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Porn stars at Girls of Summer Party on June 4 at Palms
The adult movie world’s top actresses will pose for a provocative party next month at the Palms. It all starts June 4 with the weekly Ditch Fridays and continues that night at Rain. The first girls set for the weekend of fun in the sun are Kayden Kross, Riley Steele, Raven Alexis, Joanna Angel, Misty Stone, Kagney Linn Karter, Courtney Cummz, Sara Sloane, Kirsten Price, Belladonna, Jenna Haze, Tori Black, Savanna Samson and Bobbi Starr. Several were at the Palms ... Read more...
Photos: The Mob Museum aims to be major tourist attraction
It’s been the subject of much debate and controversy, but there’s no denying the fact that The Mob Museum will certainly be a talking point for locals and visitors in the years to come. The Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement plans to be a major and successful Las Vegas attraction with hundreds of thousands of annual tourists. Here’s our first look at the renderings for The Mob Museum, and this morning our Merry Mayor of Mirth ... Read more...
Photos: Grand opening of brain institute that ‘will produce miracles’
The future of Las Vegas as an incredible medical Mecca for the world has been changed with the dynamic Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health that officially opened with two days of gala celebrations downtown at Symphony Park. Keep Memory Alive founder Larry Ruvo, who worked tirelessly over 14 years to see his dream come true, said: “This house will produce miracles.” One thousand memory-filled helium balloons were launched Day 1 to celebrate the clinic welcoming its doctors ... Read more...
DWTS photos: Two Las Vegas pro dancers are tied for 1st
Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek was on thin ice last night after he slipped and fell to the bottom spot on the first night of the Season 10 finals of Dancing With the Stars. The disappointing performance with partner Anna Trebunskaya won them only 52 points. That propelled dark-horse candidates ESPN host Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy past them and put them in a tie at 55 points apiece with frontrunners Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough. ... Read more...
Photos: Stars turn out for Cosmo bikini bash, aerial photo shoot
Handsome Extra personality and actor Mario Lopez and The Hills star Lo Bosworth hosted Cosmopolitan’s Third Annual Bikini Bash last night at Planet Hollywood, and Mario for the first time proudly showed off the baby bump of girlfriend Courtney Mazzo. Peepshow star Holly Madison joined Mario and Lo on the red carpet for the bash that took place to celebrate the aerial photo shoot of bikini-clad beauties spelling out C-O-S-M-O on Planet Hollywood’s pool deck for the August edition of ... Read more...
Season 10 finale of ABC’s DWTS: Shakeup with the scores
It’s called the redemption dance and gives the final three celebrity couples the opportunity to make up points for dances that challenged them during the earlier weeks of Season 10. Frontrunners — and tied neck-and-neck — Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Las Vegas’ Derek Hough were assigned the rumba by the judges, while Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya faced the Viennese waltz. Trailing but still contenders, ESPN anchor Erin Andrews and our Le Reve choreographer ... Read more...
Photos: Wilmer Valderrama hosts at Tao Beach; Apolo Anton Ohno turns 28
That ’70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama hosted the Carrera Escape at Tao Beach in The Venetian, and he was joined by celebrities including Olympic speedskating champion Apolo Anton Ohno, Lost’s Rebecca Mader, Jasmine Dustin from Iron Man II and actress Amber Lancaster. They all donned Carrera sunglasses while taking in the sounds of DJ Toma, who also sported Carrera eyewear. Apolo, Dancing With the Stars’ Season 4 winner with our Julianne Hough, was simultaneously celebrating his 28th birthday, which began ... Read more...
Photos: Cher’s crystal canine garners top bid at Best in Show
Superstar entertainer Cher added all the sparkle and proved to be a financial windfall for our 7th Annual Animal Foundation Best in Show yesterday at The Orleans Arena. Mirage headliner Terry Fator and Peepshow star Holly Madison hosted the parade of puppies ,with both stars leading the pleading for adoptions. The doggies may well have stolen the hearts of the 4,000 in attendance with 60 animals up for adoption, but it was Cher’s incredible 11,520 Swarovski crystal-decorated plaster cast dog ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Mario Lopez, Lo Bosworth host 3rd annual bikini bash
It’s an overly ambitious photo shoot as Extra host Mario Lopez and The Hills star Lo Bosworth oversee hundreds of bikini-clad and fearless females at Planet Hollywood’s pool today. Mario will emcee the effort as the ladies laze about to spell the word C-O-S-M-O for a photograph as a photographer in a helicopter above snaps the image to be featured in Cosmopolitan’s August issue. The stunt kicks off the 2010 Nivea Goodbye, Cellulite, Hello, Bikini challenge. Midi Mafia joins DJ ... Read more...
Photos: The high-limit Ivey Room opens in honor of Phil Ivey at Aria
As can only happen in poker, when Phil Ivey opened The Ivey Room, his one-table high-limit poker room, at Aria in MGM’s CityCenter on Saturday, all the pros were KO’d, and the final table of nine consisted of regular players in the debut $1 million tournament. The $250,000 first-place winner of the Ivey League invitational was Larry Litton, who then had a shot of winning an additional $250,000 in a heads-up match against Phil. Larry proved unsuccessful, with Phil earning ... Read more...
Photos: Mike Huckabee Fox News TV specials filmed at The Venetian
The first of two Huckabee TV specials hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for Fox News aired over the weekend and won rave reviews. Even I received a slew of emails from throughout the U.S. and over in England and Macau from people who saw the two Saturday and Sunday night broadcasts. Guests on the first-hour special included The Venetian/Palazzo head honcho Sheldon Adelson, Gov. Jim Gibbons, the cast of Jersey Boys from the Palazzo, Monte Carlo comedy impressionist ... Read more...
Two L.V. pro dancers duke it out on DWTS finals tonight
There’s one last chance to shine for Las Vegas professional dancers Derek Hough and Maksim Chmerkovskiy when they face off tonight for a Top Two spot on the finals of Dancing With the Stars tomorrow. Derek is teamed with Pussycat Dolls pop star Nicole Scherzinger, and Le Reve choreographer Maks is partnered with ESPN anchor Erin Andrews. Those two duos compete against Olympic gold medal figure skating hero Evan Lysacek and pro Anna Trebunskaya. The two final nights wrap up ... Read more...
Will Las Vegas play host to ABC’s new three-year deal with Miss America?
Miss America Pageant officials arrive in Las Vegas this morning celebrating today’s news of a new three-year broadcast-rights deal with ABC and to hopefully wrap up preliminary negotiations to remain here as the host city. The first pageant under the new network contract will be held Jan. 15 and mark its 90th anniversary. Miss America Chairman Sam Haskell hopes that as many of the 60 winners who are still alive will be featured. “We are so happy and excited about ... Read more...
Photos: Holly Madison starts weekend with candy necklaces, then bowling
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Peepshow blonde bombshell Holly Madison started her jam-packed weekend by debuting her signature candy necklaces and scooping ice cream for guests at Sugar Factory in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops on Friday afternoon. Photographer Denise Truscello and contributing photographers Scott Harrison and Erik Kabik were at Sugar Factory for the unveiling of the sweet confections, as were cameras for Holly’s new E! Entertainment reality TV series Holly’s World. Holly, who wore an Alice + ... Read more...
Exclusive: Criss Angel says Make-A-Wish Award beats all others
It was one of the most emotional nights in Mindfreak magician Criss Angel’s life. When Make- A-Wish Foundation officials presented him with an award for being the most supportive celebrity with the organization’s dying children, the tears streamed down his face. “I am a very emotional person,” Criss told me in an exclusive interview after the award presentation at Bali Hai Gold Club as cameras rolled on us for an upcoming Biography special on A&E. The program will air as ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: DWTS finalists are guests on Larry King tonight
The final three Dancing With the Stars couples will join Larry King on his primetime CNN talk show tonight. Las Vegas professional dancers Derek Hough and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and their respective partners Nicole Scherzinger and Erin Andrews will be joined by Evan Lysacek and his partner Anna Trebunskaya. Show hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke will appear with judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba to handicap the dancers in the homestretch! It’s all pre-hype for the big countdown to ... Read more...
Exclusive photos: Backstage with the stars at Mike Huckabee’s TV specials
Two episodes of Fox News’ weekend primetime series Huckabee hosted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee were filmed yesterday at The Venetian, and we have exclusive photos right here at Vegas DeLuxe. It was an all-star turnout for the former GOP presidential candidate that included Rita Rudner, Wayne Newton, Terry Fator, Frank Caliendo and the casts of Jersey Boys at the Palazzo and Phantom — Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian. The Venetian/Palazzo Chairman Sheldon Adelson talked with Mike onstage, ... Read more...
Helping hands: Lou Ruvo, Best in Show, guitar auction, St. Baldrick’s
A 14-year dream came true this morning with the official opening of the Frank Gehry-designed Life Activity Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health downtown. The opening of the architectural masterpiece marks the center’s completion, and 1,000 biodegradable balloons were released to honor the cherished memories of patients, caregivers and supporters. Keep Memory Alive Chairman and founder Larry Ruvo, who led the 14-year campaign, Mayor Oscar Goodman, Sen. John Ensign and Cleveland Clinic President Dr. Toby ... Read more...
Photos and videos: Get Him to the Greek red carpet premiere
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor British comedian Russell Brand and Superbad star Jonah Hill were on hand at Planet Hollywood last night for the red carpet premiere of their comedy Get Him to the Greek from director, writer and producer Nicholas Stoller. Imperial Palace headliners Human Nature, Peepshow at Planet Hollywood star Holly Madison, MGM Grand headliners Jabbawockeez, Caesars Palace headliner Matt Goss and Greek co-star Tom Felton, best-known as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, also were ... Read more...
Jabbawockeez’s run at MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theater ends May 26
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor The San Diego dance troupe Jabbawockeez won Season 1 of MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, and that title has taken them from appearances on America’s Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars to performances with Shaquille O’Neal and throughout Las Vegas and now to a three-week run at the Hollywood Theater in MGM Grand. The high-energy, 85-minute show by the seven-man, white-face-mask-wearing group — Benjamin Chung, Jeffrey Nguyen, Philippe Tayag, ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Hometown hero Ne-Yo says, ‘Be a gentleman’
Our hometown hero and Boys & Girls Clubs alumnus Ne-Yo unveiled a Boys & Girls Clubs billboard this morning featuring his childhood picture and the inspirational message “Be a gentleman” near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. The Grammy Award-winning singer joins some 25 prominent alumni in a campaign to increase public awareness about the issues facing today’s youths and to send a call-to-action urging Americans to help youths “Be Great.” As part of today’s events, Boys & Girls ... Read more...
Susan Feniger and Rick Moonen advance on Top Chef Masters
Chef Susan Feniger of Border Grill in Mandalay Bay won both challenges on last night’s Top Chef Masters on Bravo, and the win was doubly sweet. Susan has now brought her charity winnings to $32,500 for the National Scleroderma Foundation, and more than 100 fans gave her a standing ovation at her restaurant’s patio viewing party last night. Susan’s college roommate died from the disease, and she’s supported the foundation ever since. In the Quickfire Challenge based on animal legs, ... Read more...
All-star Strip lineup turns out for Mike Huckabee’s Fox News shows
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who might well make another presidential run in 2012, hosts two Fox News TV specials being taped today at The Venetian Showroom, and an all-star Strip lineup is turning out for them. As of last night, confirmed guests include Harrah’s headliner Rita Rudner; Wayne Newton, who has returned from filming in Maine; The Mirage headliner Terry Fator; Monte Carlo impressionist Frank Caliendo; the casts of Phantom — Las Vegas Spectacular and Jersey Boys; Nevada Gov. ... Read more...
Happy Birthday to Cher from Vegas DeLuxe
She’s not even thinking about slowing down! All of us at Vegas DeLuxe wish superstar entertainer Cher a very Happy 64th Birthday today. Her shows at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace continue to rock on with rave reviews and sold-out nights, and their success has prompted her to agree to yet another final tour. This fall, her movie Burlesque with Christina Aguilera and Las Vegas’ own Julianne Hough will be released, and Cher has already said she’ll be back in ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Mike Huckabee, Coco Lee, Barry Manilow and more
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who now hosts his own Fox News show, was pulled onstage last night during ventriloquist entertainer Terry Fator’s show at The Mirage. Mike was brought onstage and dressed as Cher complete with a wig and mask that is controlled by Terry. In the skit, Terry sang “I Got You Babe” while dressed as Sonny Bono, and Mike proved to be a great sport. Mike is here to film Fox News shows at The Venetian, and ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Toni Braxton’s CD inspired by L.V. hospital stay
Singer Toni Braxton, who headlined at the Flamingo until heart problems ended her two-year run, was inspired while in the hospital here for cardiac treatment to create her newest album. She says she named it Pulse to honor a “vivacious elderly woman” who was with her in rehab. Toni, now also recovering from a divorce, was hospitalized here in early 2008 with heart complications, which brought about inadequate blood flow through her cardiac vessels. The Las Vegas resident was put ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Top Chef Masters, American Fish, Johnny Smalls
Hot off the grill! Mandalay Bay chefs Susan Feniger and Rick Moonen face a horde of hungry football fans instead of the refined diners in their restaurants here on tonight’s Top Chef Masters on Bravo. Six chefs remain for the challenges, the first of which require undignified kitchen creations rather than grand culinary expertise. Can a talented top chef appeal to the tailgate crowd who will be the judges? If Susan and Rick succeed, they’ll then try to get a ... Read more...
Videos: 2010 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood on YouTube
We wrap up nearly two weeks of coverage of the 2010 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood — which included our live blog Sunday from the show, an exclusive interview with newly crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih of Michigan onstage minutes after her coronation and more than 20 photo galleries — with videos by loyal Vegas DeLuxe reader Richard Corey that he posted on YouTube. Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the ... Read more...
Photos: Chad Ochocinco is the 100th celebrity to exit DWTS
All of the previously eliminated Dancing With the Stars celebrities from Season 10 are back rehearsing today for next week’s blockbuster three-hour finale. When Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and hunk Chad Ochocinco was sent packing last night, he became the 100th contestant to exit the competition. It’s all come down to three finalists next week and with two Las Vegas professional dancers in the lineup. Derek Hough will be with his partner Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Le Reve ... Read more...
Smokey Robinson and Human Nature reveal music and TV plans
Last Tuesday was a big day for Motown legend Smokey Robinson and his Down Under discoveries Human Nature in Las Vegas: Mayor Oscar Goodman declared it Human Nature Day as the foursome celebrated the first anniversary of Smokey Robinson Presents Australia’s Human Nature at Imperial Palace. Plus, Human Nature’s contract at I.P. was extended two years, and Imperial Theater was renamed Human Nature Theater. Not a bad day at all for Smokey and Human Nature’s Phil Burton, Toby Allen and ... Read more...
Which 3 couples made it to Dancing With the Stars’ finals next week?
Tonight on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars was all about spinning out the suspense — until three finalists were finally announced by hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke. SPOILER ALERT: Please don’t read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this our one and only friendly warning! But come back after the show to see if you agree with our observations. The producers of the top-rated ... Read more...
Steve Wynn says he’s single for the first time after yearlong romance
Hotel mogul Steve Wynn has directly addressed Strip gossip for the first time that his yearlong romance with British socialite Andrea Hissom had ended. Gossip guru Norm Clarke led all with the rumors of the bust-up and gets total credit for that exclusive. But nobody, as far as I’ve seen anywhere, has gotten the definitive word on the subject from Steve himself. Finally he spoke and told me: “Yes, it’s true. I’m solo. I’m a bachelor for the first time ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: The Lion King celebrates its first anniversary
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Disney’s The Lion King in celebrating its first anniversary at Mandalay Bay over the weekend. Mandalay Bay chef Vincent Pilon presented the actors, actresses, singers and dancers with a cake, and they posed for photographs backstage. The one-of-a-kind theatrical experience and critically acclaimed production continues to reign as the world’s No. 1 musical while earning record-breaking numbers at Mandalay Bay Theater. Cast members Thom Sesma, Kissy Simmons, Derrick Williams and Buyi Zama were ... Read more...
Videos: 2010 Playboy Playmate of the Year party on YouTube
Our Editor Don Chareunsy covered the 2010 Playboy Playmate of the Year party in my absence at Rain in the Palms on Saturday night, and our interview with the gorgeous winner, April 2009 Playmate Hope Dworaczyk, at Simon in Palms Place was posted on Vegas DeLuxe today. If you can’t get enough of Hope — and who can? — loyal Vegas DeLuxe reader Richard Corey posted his videos of the PMOY party on YouTube. Robin Leach has been a journalist ... Read more...
Photos: Exclusive interview with 2010 Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk
The new Playboy Playmate of the Year is such a stunner that when she smiles, she single-handedly might be causing global warming and the melting of the ice caps. Texas bombshell Hope Dworaczyk is so gorgeous, you simply will never accept the fact that she looked like Olive Oyl growing up and didn’t have her first real boyfriend until five years ago. Today, the 25-year-old is so seductive and curvy at 34C-23-35 that it’s difficult to believe that she might ... Read more...
Criss Angel is recognized with two prestigious awards
For the third time in less than two weeks, Mindfreak magician Criss Angel is being honored with prestigious awards, adding to his already impressive collection. Tomorrow night, Criss will be recognized again by the Make-A-Wish Foundation for his incredible work with and gifts to children — quietly unheralded behind the scenes. This past weekend, he was honored with Innovention’s Innovator of the Decade Award after a performance of his Cirque du Soleil show Believe at the Luxor. Innovention founder Paul ... Read more...
Photos: Maria Menounos’ Madcap morph into Dolly Parton
If it happens in Las Vegas, it’s likely to wind up on national television and be posted on VegasDeLuxe.com! Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos wrapped a series of Maria’s Madcap Adventures, which are airing this week on the syndicated entertainment news show. A regular visitor to Sin City, Maria wanted to appear as Dolly Parton in Legends at Harrah’s complete with the wig, the bust line and the kitten heels. Our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was backstage to capture these ... Read more...
Photos: Dancing With the Stars semifinals produces tight Top 3
Despite baring his torso and flashing amazing tattoos, NFL hunk Chad Ochocinco, whose shirt was ripped off during his second dance in last night’s Dancing With the Stars semifinals, and pro partner Cheryl Burke sank farther down in the judges’ scoring. Now it’s simply a case of either TV viewers saving them by shaking up the other three couples, or they pack their bags and go home tonight. We posted a report of the eight dances and scores last night, ... Read more...
Photos: Miss Michigan Rima Fakih’s road to Miss USA included sacrifices
The new Miss USA was so determined to make it to last night’s 2010 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood that she sold her laptop to finance the Las Vegas trip. Further proof of her ambition came when she revealed during the NBC telecast that she’d sold her car to enter the Miss Michigan Pageant. Rima Fakih, 24, who was born in Lebanon, raised in New York and attended a Catholic school before moving to Dearborn, edged out Miss Oklahoma ... Read more...
DWTS semifinals results in high scores; does lineup change?
There were high scores on the semifinals of tonight’s Dancing With the Stars, but was it enough to shake up the leaderboard and change the standings? Eight dances and scores for the four remaining contestants shape the way for next week’s finals after tomorrow’s results. Just like last night’s 2010 Miss USA Pageant and the judges’ final question, this is do-or-die time. In Round 1, the two frontrunners duked it out, but drama ensued at the bottom with the other ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Kerry Simon has three new restaurants on the way
Celebrity culinary king Kerry Simon won his Iron Chef reputation for making the best burger on the planet, and now he’s finally capitalizing on it. Kerry, who has his restaurant Simon in partnership with George Maloof at Palms Place, is spreading his wings. Don’t panic: Those jam-packed pajama brunches every Sunday and the fine food all day long and every night are completely safe. But I’ve learned exclusively that KGB Burger Bar will open on the Strip at Harrah’s in ... Read more...
Phil Ruffin plans more changes at T.I.; Sirens shake-up in store?
Billionaire Las Vegas hotel maverick Phil Ruffin is considering further acquisitions on the Strip. In fact, he admits that he’s even made some offers! In a private chat before the 2010 Miss USA Pageant, where he was a judge last night, he told me that he’s working on some expensive and interesting changes for his inherited Sirens show. Phil told me: “Treasure Island is turning out well. It’s what we wanted, and I’m happy with it. My only complaint is ... Read more...
Miss Universe heads here for first time; Miss USA to move to other hotels?
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants, admits that Las Vegas is turning into his beauty pageant central and said he’s committed to at least three more years here in Las Vegas. The Miss Universe Pageant will be here this August for the first time, and he’s in discussions for where Miss USA will take place through 2013. Donald told me yesterday: “The girls competing are really beautiful, and the show ... Read more...
Is engagement in the near future for 2009 Miss USA Kristen Dalton?
The quiet 7-month-long romance between 2009 Miss USA Kristen Dalton and The Bachelorette Season 6 star Reid Rosenthal is headed toward an engagement ring, and when he arrived at last night’s 2010 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood, he even had a blue Tiffany box to present to her. I had to ask Reid to open it to see if we had the second beauty pageant scoop of the year. At the Miss America Pageant back in January, I was ... Read more...
Photos: Angelica Bridges, Fantasy cast model swimwear at Eve
Is it a new fashion trend? Admittedly, the weather here in the desert is heating up. Seems ultra-short minis are no longer de rigueur nightclub wear. Now it’s flashing more flesh with swimsuits, and gorgeous Fantasy headliner Angelica Bridges attracted an all-star turnout when she and her dancers hosted the Laguna Beach Jeans Co.’s swimwear fashion show at Eva Longoria Parker’s nightclub Eve in Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter on Saturday night. Angelica, of Baywatch and Playboy fame, and the cast ... Read more...
Will there be two Las Vegas dancers in the final three on DWTS?
Two sets of dances await the Final Four couples on tonight’s Dancing With the Stars. After 11 dances, including one swing marathon and one team dance, the semifinals are here after eight weeks of the top-rated ABC show. Tonight, frontrunners Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and our former Las Vegas hometown hero Derek Hough dance a cha cha and an Argentine tango, with Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya nipping right at their high heels with a ... Read more...
Live blog: And the new 2010 Miss USA is …
Mr. Vegas DeLuxe Robin Leach tweets from the 2010 Miss USA Pageant in the Theater for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood: Feisty interview with Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers hoping backstage will be chaos and mayhem. “We’re here for the beauty. Let’s call it what it is.” Donald Trump says Steve Wynn is at today’s Miss USA Pageant. Donald says three more years for pageant on NBC from Las Vegas but talking with other hotels. Just 35 minutes to ... Read more...
Only hours remain to crowning of 2010 Miss USA Pageant winner
“It’s the most competitive pageant we’ve ever had — it will be our best ever.” That’s how Miss USA President Paula Shugart described today’s NBC telecast from Planet Hollywood when I talked with her in an exclusive one-on-one interview yesterday. She told me: “When owner Donald Trump saw the run-through with me this morning, he simply said, ‘Excellent — this is the greatest.” The rehearsals have been wonderful, and the show will be amazing.” I asked Paula how Miss Nebraska ... Read more...
Photos: Hugh Hefner fetes Playboy PMOY Hope Dworaczyk at the Palms
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Playboy founder and legend Hugh Hefner last night officially unveiled the 2010 Playboy Playmate of the Year, stunning 25-year-old Texan Hope Dworaczyk (also the April 2009 Playmate of the Month), in a celebration at Rain in the Palms that also included music and dance performances, red carpet arrivals, videos and previous PMOYs. Playboy Radio’s Kevin Klein of The Playboy Morning Show, of which Mr. Vegas DeLuxe Robin Leach is a regular guest, served as ... Read more...
Unrehearsed Kenny Chesney still at the top of his game at The Joint
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Country superstar Kenny Chesney told the audience last night at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel that his band and he hadn’t rehearsed and performed together since last September as part of their break this year from arena touring, but neither Chesney nor his fans missed a beat in an energetic two-hour and 30-song performance that include a small catwalk, giving fans on the floor an up-close-and-personal, hand-shaking and high-fiving experience. From the ... Read more...
Photos: Steve Wynn watches Toots & the Maytals at HRH Beach Club
Reggae legends Toots & the Maytals took over the Hard Rock Hotel Beach Club last night to continue the fourth season of the concerts under the stars, and hotel mogul Steve Wynn, in a private cabana, was among the poolside revelers. Our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was onsite for the concert sponsored by Ambhar tequila. Erik captured Frederick “Toots” Hibbert backstage before the performance and during the show. Toots, the inventor of the word reggae, was voted by Rolling Stone ... Read more...
Photos: ‘I’ll be a little sad it’s over for me,’ Miss USA Kristen Dalton says
Tomorrow night — in less than 36 hours — Kristen Dalton’s reign as Miss USA comes to an end, and she’ll crown her successor at the 2010 Miss USA Pageant telecast live on NBC from Planet Hollywood. “I will feel a little sad,” Kristen told me in one of her last exclusive interviews as captured by contributing photographer Tom Donoghue. “I understand that I’m done; it’s over for me. I think I will be a little bit scared and feel ... Read more...
Photos: Mother Nature blooms into summer at Bellagio Gardens
Summer officially arrives in Las Vegas with the opening of a fresh floral exhibit at the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens on Monday. Thousands of brightly colored lilies, sunflowers, azaleas and hydrangeas have been planted in the past few days. Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was invited to go behind-the-scenes at 6 a.m. yesterday for this advance look at everything including seven fantastic, oversized bronze ants that have found a home there. They debuted in mid-March and appear not to ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Las Vegas stars and casts have gone to the dogs
There’s been an extraordinary outpouring of support from Strip stars and casts for May 23’s dog adoption at The Orleans Arena. Entertainer and The Mirage headliner Terry Fator will host a parade of the most loveable strays our city has ever seen, as The Animal Foundation presents its 7th Annual Best in Show. Even organizer Dale Wynn told me that each one of 60 dogs from Lied Animal Shelter walking for the title is ready for adoption. Best in Show ... Read more...
It’s Playboy Playmate of the Year vs. 2010 Miss USA Pageant
As Vince Neil sings with Motley Crue: “Girls, Girls, Girls!” And it’s a weekend that could only happen in Las Vegas. Call it the battle of the beauties, as one provocative new Playboy Playmate of the Year takes on 51 contestants in the 59th Annual Miss USA Pageant. Brunette Texas knockout Hope Dworaczyk, 25, arrives in Sin City tomorrow with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, and she’s already shed all her modesty — and clothes — for her pictorial and first-time ... Read more...
Photos: Human Nature receives a frosty reception at Minus 5 Lounge
Brrrrrrr! Winter has never been this cold Down Under! Our four Australian friends who make up Human Nature didn’t want to celebrate their first anniversary at Imperial Palace or their two-year contract renewal in the newly named Human Nature Theater with a Foster’s. Instead, they wanted something extra special to shout, “Cheers, mate.” So brothers Michael and Andrew Tierney, Phil Burton and Toby Allen turned to the friendly folks at Minus 5 Lounge in Mandalay Place. The mixologists came up ... Read more...
The Lion King celebrates first anniversary at Mandalay Bay
During the first 12-month run of Disney’s The Lion King at Mandalay Bay, more than 500,000 people have seen the extraordinary and spectacular award-winning musical, and the cast celebrates its first anniversary tomorrow. Within nine weeks of its arrival onstage, The Lion King broke a box-office record previously held by Mamma Mia — and then surpassed it not once but four more times. The Lion King has become the world’s top musical and has been seen by more than 50 ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Music legends Dionne Warwick, Connie Francis at Hilton
Music superstars Connie Francis and Dionne Warwick will perform together onstage for the first time at the Las Vegas Hilton for three nights starting May 21. They are two of the world’s most recognizable voices and successful female recording artists of all time, who have between them a remarkable 175 Top 10 global hit singles and have sold more than 500 million albums worldwide. Little wonder that they are hailed as “The Grand Divas of the Stage!” Las Vegas producer ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Frank Sinatra’s family to launch wines at Wynn
Hot off the grill! Cheers! It will be a real salute to Frank Sinatra’s legacy next month when the superstar singer’s family celebrates the launch of Come Fly With Me, the award-winning 2007 Sinatra Family Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. Named for Frank’s first No. 1 album, the limited-edition wine is the collaboration of Danielle Price, executive wine director of Wynn Resorts, and Sinatra’s three children Tina Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra Jr. and granddaughter Amanda Erlinger. The 2007 Sinatra Family ... Read more...
Photos: PokerStars.net’s The Big Game features $200,000 bets
A new poker TV show has just wrapped a 30-episode shoot here in Las Vegas, and poker pros have bet their own $100,000 to play amateurs betting the same amount with somebody else’s money. The unique format is presented by PokerStars.net, and The Big Game is hosted by Amanda Leatherman. Many of our own big names of the Las Vegas poker scene participated, including Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Lark, Phil Hellmuth, Barry Greenstein and Vanessa Russo. Our contributing photographer ... Read more...
Photos: Amazing aerial shots of our Las Vegas Strip by Tom Donoghue
Most people see The Strip’s amazing architecture by walking on the sidewalk. Other visitors see it in helicopter fly-bys from either side of the Las Vegas Strip. But our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue hung from a Maverick Helicopter sightseeing flight above the skyscrapers, hotel and resort buildings — and MGM’s CityCenter — for this amazing photo gallery of our skyline. The side passenger door of the chopper was removed so that Tom had unobstructed views from some daring flight angles! ... Read more...
Photos: Hef reveals 2010 PMOY, says Crystal Harris is Playmate for life
Model Hope Dworaczyk will be officially introduced as Playboy’s 2010 Playmate of the Year at the Palms on Saturday night. The stunning brunette will be featured in an eight-page nude pictorial in the June issue of Playboy that goes on sale tomorrow. VDLX is delighted to be the first local media outlet with the news that Playboy gave us the go-ahead to release this morning. The 25-year-old beauty from Port Lavaca, Texas, who was Miss April 2009 received approval for ... Read more...
Photos: Hopefuls shine at Miss USA presentation; risque video debuts
The racy, risque and now controversial photos of the 2010 Miss USA contestants in their lacy lingerie and come-hither, bedroom, stocking-and-garter-belt looks will be shown during Sunday’s live broadcast. Last night, the video of the pinup photo shoot was a feature of the glamour girls’ first presentation show as all 51 contestants paraded in sensational swimsuits — all bikinis, of course — and their sometimes slashed-to-the-thigh evening gowns. Reigning Miss USA Kristen Dalton, who will pass on her crown in ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Celine Dion named America’s favorite singer in poll
Superstar Celine Dion has been named America’s favorite singer in a new Harris Poll, followed by U2 in second place, Elvis Presley and The Beatles tied for third, Tim McGraw fifth, Lady Gaga sixth place, George Strait and Rascal Flatts seventh and eighth and Alan Jackson and Frank Sinatra tied for ninth to round out the Top 10. Celine starts her new three-year residency at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace next March 15. The AEG Live show, directed by longtime ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA hopefuls rehearse for tonight’s preliminary judging
For the first time tonight, the Miss USA Pageant princesses showcase their dance steps, model ball gowns and swimsuits in their 8 p.m. presentation show at the Theater for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood. Official pageant photographer Gregg Harborough captured the girls in their rehearsals for the show. Reigning Miss USA Kristen Dalton, who passes on the crown Sunday, will be joined by Morning Zoo DJ Chet Buchanan of 98.5 FM to host the show. The Donny & Marie ... Read more...
Photos: Fourth Vegas Uncork’d is best year yet; plans for fifth year get set
At every turn, the four-day epicurean extravaganza Fourth Annual Vegas Uncork’d was a record-breaking success, so much so that the world’s greatest chefs have already marked their schedules for May 5-8 for next year’s fifth anniversary of the fabulous food festival. This year with 76 participating chefs, there were more of them than ever before. There were 30 key events jammed into the round-the-clock festival — also more than ever before. Additionally, the six resort partners — Bellagio, Caesars Palace, ... Read more...
Photos: Smokey Robinson, Human Nature have many reasons to celebrate
It was a night of celebrating with songs and champagne! Congratulations to the four Down Under song-and-dance stars who make up Human Nature and to Motown legend Smokey Robinson, who presents their Salute to the Motown Sound at Imperial Palace at center Strip. The four Australians Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney celebrated their first anniversary last night with the good news that their run here has been extended for two more years and that Imperial ... Read more...
Mandalay Bay chefs serve Simpsons, surf and turf on Top Chef Masters
Animal leftovers and unwanted body parts are referred to as “offal” — tongues, ears and private parts best left to the imagination. Call them “awful” even though they are labeled offal. It’s the food nobody wants or to think about using and eating. Yet all contain protein, and tonight on the next round of Top Chef Masters, our Mandalay Bay heroes Susan Feniger of Border Grill and Rick Moonen of RM Seafood create a “scary surf and turf” dinner from ... Read more...
Photos: Las Vegas represented in DWTS semis; Niecy Nash exits
With the departure of Reno 911 star Niecy Nash on last night’s Dancing With the Stars, it means that only four celebrity couples remain for next week’s semifinals. Las Vegas is well represented with two of the professional dancers: Former Las Vegas resident Derek Hough is safely atop the leaderboard with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, and our Le Reve choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy with ESPN reporter Erin Andrews are coming on strong to wrestle with Olympic golden boy Evan Lysacek ... Read more...
The Final Four are in place on Dancing With the Stars
It was textbook television — and exactly as predicted. SPOILER ALERT: Please do not read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this my one and only friendly warning! But come back after the show to see if you agree with my observations. It’s a very short results story tonight for many reasons, not the least of which is that the three expected couples remained in ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: More secrets revealed about Hilton’s fall spectacular
Two tantalizing mini-videos have been posted online to promote the Las Vegas Hilton’s mysterious new fall spectacular Triumph. I broke the news of its arrival and also that the production will be the first to use time travel as a theme of the show. Now I’ve learned a little more: the storyline will center on two sons who fight for a mystical sword, but one turns out to be a fallen son. I’m also reliably told that the producers began ... Read more...
Star-studded red carpet premiere for Jabbawockeez at MGM Grand
Jabbawockeez’s show MUS.IC premiered at MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theater with a star-studded turnout and, more importantly, rave reviews. Singer Sean Paul and The Venetian headliner and TV star Wayne Brady led the contingent that also included Jerome Williams of the New York Knicks and DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys. From the dance community, rapper and judge Lil Mama represented MTV’s Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew, and choreographer and judge Mary Murphy represented Fox’s So You Think You Can ... Read more...
Vegas DeLuxe remembers the legendary Lena Horne
Legendary jazz singer and actress Lena Horne, who performed here on The Strip at the Sands in June 1955, died late Sunday night in New York. Lena was the nicest of ladies — a gentle, always polite and gracious soul. I ran into her often back in my New York days at events and had the privilege of interviewing her at her home for my old show Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Our friends at Las Vegas News Bureau ... Read more...
Photos: Double dances shuffle the Dancing With the Stars deck
Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger clearly established herself last night as the frontrunner on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. With Las Vegas partner Derek Hough, she scored 59 points out of a possible 60 for two dances — as we reported last night shortly after the East Coast telecast. Tonight is the elimination that will reveal who goes into the semifinals next Monday. My bet is that viewers will vote off Reno 911 comedienne Niecy Nash, with Louis Van Amstel, ... Read more...
Nikki Beach to open with white party in Spring 2011 at Tropicana
Long before there were outdoor dayclubs and night pool parties in Las Vegas, there was Nikki Beach. It had the jet set commuting between St. Tropez, Marbella and Miami Beach for a nonstop merry-go-round of fun in the sun and delights after dark. Nikki Beach started the entire trend and described as “The Sexiest Place on Earth” by Britain’s stodgy, highbrow London Observer, it has grown to 12 locations in 10 countries around the world. Today, it’s being announced that ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA hopefuls’ fun ends; countdown to Sunday begins
For the next five days, the 2010 Miss USA Pageant contestants really knuckle down to a round-the-clock schedule of dance workouts, rehearsals and judges’ interviews in the countdown to Sunday’s live NBC telecast. Last night was their last social outing to wrap up the location shoots around town. They met up with poker players during their visit to the Golden Nugget and Fremont Street Experience, where official pageant photographers Patrick Prather and Darren Decker captured these shots. The first preliminary ... Read more...
HRH draws Supercross, Hollywood stars to Wasted Space, Vanity
It was a superstar weekend of Supercross partying at the Hard Rock Hotel. Red Bull’s No. 1 big wave surfer Ian Walsh celebrated his birthday with friends, including MotoGP star John Hopkins, at Vanity and Carey Hart’s Wasted Space before the Supercross finals. Porn star Jenna Haze lounged poolside before hitting the clubs, and Luke “Dingo” Trembath of Fuel’s reality TV show Danny and the Dingo was at Vanity and then hosted a Supercross After Party at Wasted Space. Stuntman ... Read more...
Human Nature’s headline run extended for two years at Imperial Palace
Our Merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman is set to name today Human Nature Day as Harrah’s Entertainment officials announce that the quartet from Down Under is getting a two-year extension at Imperial Palace. Additionally, Imperial Palace’s theater will be renamed Human Nature Theater. Motown legend Smokey Robinson will join the four members of Human Nature — Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney — tonight at Smokey Robinson Presents Australia’s Human Nature: The Ultimate Celebration of ... Read more...
Shocks, surprises on DWTS double night of dances, voting
The judges acknowledged some of the dances tonight with 10s on their paddles, and the voting upset the standings in an unexpected way. However, the night ended on a high note with one set of perfect-score 10s across the board. SPOILER ALERT: Please do not read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this my one and only friendly warning! But come back after the ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Marisa Miller heats up pool party at Wet Republic
She’s been named one of the sexiest women in the world and dubbed “the return of the great American supermodel.” Body beautiful Marisa Miller, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model and Victoria’s Secret angel, wowed the bikini-clad crowd at Wet Republic in MGM Grand on Saturday, and our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was on duty to capture this extraordinary set of photographs. Marisa stood tall on 5-inch heels in her tiny White Religion shorts and flowing mauve halter-top. She ... Read more...
Photos: Stan Lee three-day tribute includes star, Iron Man 2 success
It was a three-day tribute celebration at the Palms to comic book hero Stan Lee, but it was the morning after — on the fourth day — that he received the best news of all. His Iron Man 2 had opened over the weekend with a blockbuster haul of more than $128 million, making it the fifth-highest opening weekend of all time and topping Iron Man, which started with $98 million in 2008. The explosive start of the actioner starring ... Read more...
Photos: Audrina Patridge celebrates 25th birthday with Ryan Cabrera
The Hills star Audrina Patridge celebrated her 25th birthday with a weekend getaway to Las Vegas with her now ever-present rocker beau Ryan Cabrera. They were inseparable from the moment they landed until the moment they left town, and especially at Liquid Pool Lounge in Aria at MGM’s CityCenter on Saturday. The reality TV starlet donned a black romper over a fringed, metallic and barely there Tyler Rose bikini accessorized with a Chanel bag, Diesel shades and a pair of ... Read more...
Miss USA photos: Boudoir shots(!), Pajama Brunch at Simon, Barry Manilow
You’ve never seen Miss USA Pageant glamor girls looking quite like this. Normally, they’re photographed in swimsuits and evening gowns, but now they’ve gone to fishnet stockings, garter belts, bustiers and, in some cases, just panties with no bras! The skimpy outfits and seductive poses are likely to set off a firestorm as the pageant princesses start rehearsals today after wrapping up a week of photography and filming location sequences in advance of Sunday’s live telecast from Planet Hollywood on ... Read more...
Double dances and double votes could shake up DWTS tonight
Each of the five remaining celebrities will dance twice on tonight’s two-hour Dancing With the Stars, and each celebrity will receive double votes from the three judges, which could totally shake up the dancers at the top and bottom of the leaderboard. Is it Reno 911 star Niecy Nash, with Louis Van Amstel, or Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, with Cheryl Burke, who goes home tomorrow on the results show? Will it be Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, with ... Read more...
Photos: Remixed and remastered New Kids on the Block still rulz
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor It’s been more than two decades since the music of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joe McIntyre and Danny Wood, aka NKOTB as of 1993, formerly New Kids on the Block, then back to New Kids on the Block in 2008, was in my cassette player, but the music of the Bostonians remains as catchy as ever. NKOTB, the original boy band before Backstreet Boys, ’N Sync, 98 Degrees and Jonas Brothers, ... Read more...
Photos: DWTS frontrunner Nicole Scherzinger hosts at Pure
Despite earning high marks and beating out stiff competition on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, Nicole Scherzinger remains modest about her chances of winning the coveted mirror disco ball trophy. “I’m my own worst critic and my own competition, and I’m actually a big fan of the other dancers,” the Pussycat Dolls singer told Vegas DeLuxe on Saturday night on the red carpet outside Pure in Caesars Palace. Nicole is dancing this Season 10 with Las Vegas’ own Derek Hough, ... Read more...
Photos: First rehearsals begin for Miss USA Pageant amid events
It was another jam-packed day of round-the-clock activities for the now 50 Miss USA Pageant hopefuls, and it included the first strenuous rehearsals for next Sunday’s live NBC broadcast from Planet Hollywood on The Strip. Sadly yesterday, Miss Nebraska Belinda Wright returned home after learning the awful news of her father’s tragic death in a farming accident, but the scheduled events for the 50 other beauties continued. It began with the glamour girls hosting a party for the organization Best ... Read more...
Photos: Kris Jenner celebrates Mother’s Day at Beso and Eve
Happy Mother’s Day, Vegas DeLuxe readers! Keeping Up With the Kardashians supermom Kris Jenner received a break last night and early this morning to celebrate Mother’s Day at Eva Longoria Parker’s Beso steakhouse and Eve the Nightclub in Crystals at MGM CityCenter, and photographer Denise Truscello shot the party that put the focus solely on Kris and not her brood of Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Robert Jr., stepson Brody Jenner and husband Bruce Jenner. Rumors that plagued Beso and Eve ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA contestants at Fashion Show and Buca di Beppo
The 51 contestants in the 2010 Miss USA Pageant modeled fashions at Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip yesterday afternoon and then relaxed at an Italian family-style dinner at Buca di Beppo on east Flamingo last night, and part of their evening included learning how to make pasta from Buca di Beppo General Manager and Paisano Partner Ryan Smith. Activities continue today for the hopefuls as they work with the organization Best Buddies during the day and tonight ... Read more...
Photos: Vegas Uncork’d main event draws 2,300 to Garden of the Gods
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor More than 2,300 food fanatics enjoyed the mouth-watering cuisine and refreshing cocktails and wine at Bon Appetit’s Vegas Uncork’d Grand Tasting at the opulent Garden of the Gods pool complex in Caesars Palace last night. It was the largest gathering of top celebrity chefs — an estimated more than 75, including many of the top French culinary kings — plus 50 restaurants and more than 100 wines and spirits at the spacious outdoor oasis ... Read more...
Photos: Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland host bachelorette bash
Keeping Up With the Kardashians beauty Kim Kardashian and singer Kelly Rowland threw a bachelorette bash at Tao in The Venetian last night for TV personality La La Vazquez to celebrate her upcoming wedding to Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. The group took over the private dining room to fete their friend and dined on specialties from the Asian bistro including sea bass, Kim’s favorite that she personally requested. Our spywitness reported: “Throughout dinner, the girls gave toasts and advice ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Liberace birthday week begins Sunday
Celebrated entertainer Liberace will be honored with a weeklong birthday celebration that starts Sunday at The Liberace Foundation and Museum. Mr. Showmanship’s wax figure, on loan from Madame Tussauds at The Venetian, will be on display for photo opportunities. It’s a weeklong affair that begins Mother’s Day and ends on his birthday the following Sunday (May 16) with a cake-cutting and ceremony. Liberace, born May 16, 1919, would’ve been 91. Vegas DeLuxe will have daily posts next week with the ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA hopefuls’ busy weekend before rehearsals, interviews
Wherever the 51 beautiful Miss USA Pageant contestants go in Las Vegas, NBC cameras are trailing them every step of the way. Yesterday it was The Price Is Right live show at Bally’s and visits to Sugar Factory in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops and The Cupcakery in the Monte Carlo. (Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton also stopped by Sugar Factory, as we reported this morning.) The highlight, though, was a guided tour of the artwork and sculptures at MGM’s ... Read more...
Exclusive photos: Criss Angel’s Season 6 of Mindfreak begins
Mindfreak magician Criss Angel is juggling an incredible schedule as he continues simultaneously his new Season 6 of A&E one-hour TV specials and his twice-nightly Believe for Cirque du Soleil at Luxor. This weekend, Criss faces the ultimate task of re-creating a dangerous Houdini stunt. Criss will be shackled and dropped from the London Bridge at Lake Havasu in Arizona, as we reported yesterday. Criss flies back and forth today in final stunt preparations and helicopter flyover of the site, ... Read more...
Cher celebrates 2nd anniversary at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace
Superstar entertainer Cher will commemorate her 2nd anniversary of Caesars Palace shows at The Colosseum tomorrow in a quiet, almost reclusive manner. Her cast, crew and dancers will celebrate with an after-show party on the patio of Rao’s overlooking the gorgeous Garden of the Gods pool complex. But Cher has decided that she wants the spotlight on them and not her for the second-year accomplishments. However, to mark the two years of over-the-top costumes, choreography and chart hits, tickets go ... Read more...
Sean Paul officially kicks off Ditch Friday at the Palms today
For the fourth consecutive summer season, the successful Ditch Friday party at the Palms Pool & Bungalows resumes at noon today, and then at 3 p.m., rapper Sean Paul makes it all official with a live performance. Palms owner George Maloof and N9NE Group head honcho Michael Morton will be on hand for the hotbed of summer month truancy. Ditch Friday was created as a way to start the weekend early, but numerous folks have skipped work altogether to unwind ... Read more...
Photos: Holly Madison hosts Angel Porrino’s 21st birthday at Tao
Peepshow and Holly’s World star Holly Madison threw a 21st birthday bash last night for her Holly’s World co-star Angel Porrino at Tao in The Venetian, and new E! Entertainment TV series co-stars Laura Croft and Josh Strickland, who also stars alongside Holly in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood, attended the celebration. Our contributing photographers Scott Harrison and Al Powers were on red carpet duty for the party, which continued past midnight at the restaurant and nightclub hotspot. Angel’s birthday started ... Read more...
Eva Longoria Parker’s Beso and Eve at center of financial dispute
Rumors of an FBI raid at Eva Longoria Parker’s nightclub Eve in Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter swept Las Vegas late yesterday, along with other rumors that it was a DEA seizure. All turned out to be wildly untrue. It was midnight by the time Vegas DeLuxe got to the bottom of what really happened, and it turned out to be a financial dispute between Eva’s watchdog accountants and two operating partners of the restaurant Beso and Eve. Vegas DeLuxe has ... Read more...
Photos: Star chefs kick off 2010 Vegas Uncork’d at Mix
More than 50 top star chefs gathered yesterday afternoon to help Mayor Oscar Goodman kick off the 4th Annual Vegas Uncork’d epicurean extravaganza, with the official red carpet welcoming at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant Mix atop The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. After the champagne saber celebration, Caesars Palace played host to the first four Masters Dinners with Bobby Flay, Bradley Ogden, Guy Savoy and the Pellegrini family at Rao’s, and then it was the Sushi and Sake celebration at Subiya in ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA Kristen Dalton’s sweet afternoon at Sugar Factory
In one of her last duties as Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton, the former Miss North Carolina, unveiled a limited-edition Miss USA Couture Pop at Sugar Factory in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood yesterday afternoon. Our contributing photographer Scott Harrison was on duty for our sweet Vegas DeLuxe photo gallery, and VDLX reader Richard Corey posted his videos of Kristen on YouTube. Kristen wore mustard yellow pumps, white shorts and a pink I Heart Candy tank top. The ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Le Reve celebrates fifth anniversary
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Le Reve, which celebrates its fifth anniversary tonight at the Wynn. Both opened simultaneously in 2005 and have been enchanting guests and audiences ever since. You know me and my thirst for fun facts, so here are the behind-the-scenes numbers for Le Reve: More than 250 cast and crew work on Le Reve each day. Thirty-two performers and 57 technicians and production staff have been with the show since the beginning for more ... Read more...
Photos: Girls Night: The Musical debuts Saturday at MGM Grand
The hit off-Broadway production Girls Night: The Musical debuts Saturday at Studio 54 in MGM Grand for a limited engagement through May 22 and stars actresses Sonya Carter, Priscilla Fernandez, Debra Toscana, Deb Radloff and Kira Galindo. The U.K. smash is about five friends who gather for a night of karaoke and celebrate friendship, love, laughter and life. “Lady Marmalade,” “It’s Raining Men,” Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “I Will Survive” are among the female power anthems in ... Read more...
Photos: Stan Lee to be honored during Iron Man 2 premiere at Palms
Iron Man 2 is being hailed as the first big box-office blockbuster of summer — experts are predicting that it could break The Dark Knight’s opening-weekend record of $158.4 million, and Iron Man creator and comic book legend Stan Lee is being honored with three days of festivities at the Palms starting tonight. “He is an entertainment icon,” cinema owner Johnny Brenden said. “We will present him with his own Brenden Celebrity Star. He is the legend when it comes ... Read more...
Superstar chefs fired up for four days of 4th Annual Vegas Uncork’d
It’s the ultimate epicurean extravaganza! Four days of fabulous food, celebrated chefs and culinary kings and queens kick off the 4th Annual Vegas Uncork’d celebration today. It’s the largest star chef event of the year with more than 30 tastings, seminars, demonstrations and Masters Dinners. Our local star chefs are joined by top names including Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, Bobby Flay, Bradley Ogden and an amazing overseas contingent of Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse and the newest Parisian arrival ... Read more...
Photos: Miss USA contestants enjoy first day of fun in Las Vegas
The 51 glamour girls competing in the 2010 Miss USA Pageant enjoyed their first full day in the Las Vegas sun yesterday. They watched a cooking demonstration by chef Bradley Ogden poolside at the new Garden of the Gods complex in Caesars Palace, and he then treated them all to a lavish lunch. The girls posed for NBC cameras and official photographers with Caesar’s Centurions and in the cooling waters of a 90-degree day. Saved by the Bell star Dennis ... Read more...
Criss Angel to attempt death-defying stunt mastered by Houdini
Mindfreak magician Criss Angel faces the most dangerous stunt of his career this weekend. If he fails to escape from the chilly waters of the Colorado River at the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, he will drown! Criss will be chained, shackled, handcuffed, wrapped in rope and lowered into the river. “Once submerged, he has only two choices: Escape or drown,” said one of his producers of the A&E series now in its sixth season. “It’s probably the most ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Susan Feniger and Rick Moonen are back on Bravo tonight
Two of our Mandalay Bay star chefs return in the championship round tonight on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters with their second appearances. Rick Moonen of RM Seafood has an added reason to celebrate at his restaurant tonight because his hosting duties on PBS’ Chefs-A-Field: King of Alaska won him Best on Location TV Show at Sunday’s James Beard Media Awards in New York. On Monday night at the chef awards, his fellow MGM Mirage chefs Tom Colicchio of the Craft ... Read more...
Photos: Angelica Bridges throws dream birthday party for her daughter
By night gorgeous former Baywatch star Angelica Bridges is the va-va-va-voom headline singer in Fantasy at the Luxor. By day she’s a proud single mom, and when it came time to celebrate daughter Scarlett’s third birthday, Angelica decided to make a dream come true. She set up the birthday blast at Las Vegas Riding Academy ranch, and her other daughter Valentina was among the 50 guests at the celebration. Angelica turned it into a mini zoo with a spider monkey, ... Read more...
Cinco de Mayo is an all-day celebration on The Strip
Showbiz stars are adding a touch of mariachi and margarita merriment to this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations. It kicks off at 11 a.m. today when CHiPs actor Erik Estrada hosts a 12-hour fiesta at Tacos & Tequilas (T&T) in the Luxor that includes a spicy senoritas Miss Hot Tamale contest with a $5,000 cash prize. As chief judge, Erik will be joined by former Baywatch star and current Fantasy headliner Angelica Bridges and Extra’s new Las Vegas reporter Alicia ... Read more...
Photos: Injured Pamela Anderson waltzes off DWTS, heads to Palms
It was a case of adding insult to injury last night on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars when our former Planet Hollywood headliner Pamela Anderson, with partner Damian Whitewood, was eliminated from America’s most-watched show. But she’ll hardly have time to rest before she packs to travel here to Las Vegas. “I had the best time. I learned something new that I’ll take with me forever. Dancing With the Stars will add to everything I do in the future. I ... Read more...
It’s down to the Fabulous Five on Dancing With the Stars
Surprise, surprise! The eliminated celebrity wasn’t who we all thought would be sent home, and it was a double whammy for the one who was sent packing tonight. SPOILER ALERT: Please do not read any further if you want to watch the West Coast tape-delayed broadcast of Dancing With the Stars without anything revealed. Consider this my one and only friendly warning! But come back after the show to see if you agree with my observations. As expected, Nicole Scherzinger ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Ne-Yo to open Encore Beach Club and Surrender
Hotel tycoon Steve Wynn spares no expense when he throws a party, and he’s determined that the opening Memorial Day weekend blasts for his Encore Beach Club and its Surrender nightclub will be the biggest and the best. Sean Christie, who runs the new clubs for Steve, has booked superstar and hometown hero Ne-Yo as the debut performer. When the all-star musical lineup kicks off May 28, DJ Steve Aoki, who is the club’s music director, will take over the ... Read more...
2010 NHL Awards set for June 23 at The Pearl in the Palms
It’s one of the most exciting nights on the annual sports calendar, and although Las Vegas is in the middle of the hot desert, we’re the coolest place to be when the speed-skating stars of the NHL come to town next month. Celebrities from music, stage and screen will join the hockey stars to celebrate the 2010 NHL Awards on June 23 at The Pearl in the Palms. The awards will be broadcast live in HD on Versus in the ... Read more...
Mac King celebrates 10 years of comedy magic at Harrah’s
Comedy magician Mac King celebrates 10 years of performing The Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah’s this afternoon, and our Merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman has declared it “Mac King Day.” “Growing up in a family of magicians, magic has been my life,” Mac said. “I am truly honored to be celebrating 10 years with my show at Harrah’s Las Vegas. This is an exciting time for me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with the audience this ... Read more...
Photos: 51 Miss USA Pageant hopefuls welcomed at Planet Hollywood
Reigning Miss USA Kristen Dalton welcomes the 51 contestants of the 2010 Miss USA Pageant today to Planet Hollywood, and fans can meet all of them this afternoon outside the hotel on the Strip for the official 5 p.m. Las Vegas welcome. On hand will be Paula Shugart, Miss Universe president; Terry Jicinsky, Senior VP of Marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; and Marilyn Winn, president of Bally’s, Paris and Planet Hollywood. It’s the third consecutive year ... Read more...
Photos: Kristi Holden’s benefit concert Singing Outside the Lines
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor Soprano and Colorado native Kristi Holden, who portrays Christine Daae in Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian, performed a concert Sunday at Clark County Flamingo Library Theater to benefit the homeless shelter Family Promise of Las Vegas. Pianist Philip Fortenberry and special guests, many of them her Phantom cast mates, accompanied Holden during the two-hour afternoon performance. Phantom cast mate Bruce Ewing kicked off the afternoon by talking about Family Promise, ... Read more...
Photos: Evan Lysacek lands first 30; Julianne Hough to return to DWTS?
This morning’s big Dancing With the Stars news is not the perfect 30 score that Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek received with partner Anna Trebunskaya for their sexy Argentine tango last night. Nor is it the fact that Evan redeemed himself and catapulted from last week’s near dangerous elimination back up to the very top, albeit tied with strong favorite singer Nicole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough. Nor is the big news about the ever-building gossip that Cincinnati Bengals wide ... Read more...
One couple scores Season 10’s first perfect 30 on DWTS
It was an emotional night on Dancing With the Stars as judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli finally handed out a perfect score of 30! Two-time pro dancer champion Cheryl Burke celebrated her birthday, and her partner Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco bought her major bling. And Pussycat Dolls beauty Nicole Scherzinger explained the sad story behind the song Derek Hough and she danced to for her aunt in the audience. SPOILER ALERT: Please do not ... Read more...
Claude Le Tohic wins James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest
An impressive contingent of Las Vegas chefs were nominees going into tonight’s James Beard Awards in New York City, and one of them won for their local outlet. Congratulations to Claude Le Tohic of Joel Robuchon in MGM Grand, who was named Best Chef Southwest over our other Las Vegas culinary royalty Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay and Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam. Claude was the only Las Vegas chef recognized at the Lincoln Center ceremony. ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Miss USA contestants arrive at Planet Hollywood
All eyes were on the Strip today when the 51 Miss USA contestants arrived at Planet Hollywood, which they’ll call home for the next 12 days leading up to the live NBC telecast May 16 to select the new winner. Reigning Miss USA Kristen Dalton, who was a ring girl at the Floyd Mayweather Jr. -Shane Mosley fight Saturday, greeted them. The ladies will meet fans on the Strip outside Planet Hollywood tomorrow, followed by dividing up into three groups ... Read more...
Photos: The cult of Conan O’Brien takes over The Pearl in the Palms
By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor It’s rare for a non-rock star to receive a standing ovation before a performance (and, frankly, many rock stars don’t receive an O after a show), but such was the case last night at The Pearl in the Palms when comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien took the stage to thunderous applause for his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour stop. O’Brien, sporting a black suit, purple dress shirt, his trademark ... Read more...
Photos: Wet Republic w/Carmen Electra, HBO stars, B.o.B., bikini girls
The always-sexy Carmen Electra flashed her stunning, new black diamond engagement ring from rocker fiance Rob Patterson when she celebrated her birthday under the sun during the hot Wet Republic pool parties over the weekend. Carmen also revealed that she’s launching her own line of sex toys and ultra sexy lingerie! Carmen admits that she’s an avid collector of sex toys and especially loves handcuffs. Her line will be sold at Spencer’s and includes studded handcuffs that she’s tested on ... Read more...
Paris and Nicky Hilton party at Eve, XS, Tao and Lavo in jam-packed visit
Hollywood socialite sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton returned to Las Vegas for another three days of nonstop, around-the-clock party fun — their third visit in less than five weeks — and the siblings led an all-star invasion at our Strip restaurants and nightclubs. Their first stop upon arrival was with makeup princess Rain Andreani, and then they were off for dinner at Eva Longoria Parker’s Beso restaurant and Eve the Nightclub in Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter. Paris started off the ... Read more...
Photos: Hollywood and sports stars take over Tao and Tao Beach
Supermodel and Victoria’s Secret angel Selita Ebanks was a sexy star attraction during her three-day visit to The Venetian and the Palazzo, and she shone brightest of all when she celebrated the new summer season grand opening of Tao Beach. Joining her for fun in the sun were Hollywood and sports stars jumping to the sounds of DJ Vice. Oscar and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx was spotted wearing an Erick Morillo T-shirt in anticipation of the mega deejay’s return to ... Read more...
Photos: At dinner with A Bronx Tale star Chazz Palminteri
A private and intimate dinner with Oscar-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri is as entertaining and fascinating as his one-man tour-de-force performance in A Bronx Tale, if not more so. Conversation is riveting and ranges from his life growing up in the Bronx with the wise guys of the Mafia in the 1960s to watching one of the most violent fight scenes that anyone can now see on YouTube — with him as the ultimate tough guy. “In real life, I was ... Read more...
DWTS preview: Who’s dancing what, plus Viva Elvis cast to perform
As Season 10 of ABC’s juggernaut Dancing With the Stars waltzes onward, 18 acrobats and dancers from Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis in Aria at MGM’s CityCenter are set as this week’s guest stars on the results show. After last week’s loss of The Bachelor rose bearer Jake Pavelka, we are now down to the super six who in less than 48 hours will become the fabulous five. It’s a battle between four female stars and two male celebrities, and ... Read more...
Photos: Chazz Palminteri hosts Kentucky Derby party at Palazzo
Actor Chazz Palminteri hosted a Kentucky Derby viewing party at Lagasse’s Stadium in the Palazzo yesterday, and Jacob Andrzejczak of IS Photography and ImagesofVegas.com shot the festivities for our Vegas DeLuxe photo gallery. Chazz opened the event with a Q&A discussing his bets on the race and his return to The Venetian as star of A Bronx Tale. A clip of A Bronx Tale was then shown to all the guests depicting the scene Chazz was referencing, a real-life situation ... Read more...
Photos: P. Diddy’s after-fight party at Eve draws thousands
It’s already being called one of the biggest nights Las Vegas nightlife has ever seen, as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs last night threw one of the most popular after-fight parties on the Las Vegas Strip at Eva Longoria Parker’s glamorous new restaurant Beso and nightclub Eve. With Eve at capacity by 10 p.m., thousands of fans gathered outside the hotspot in Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter hoping for a chance to see the music and entrepreneurial mogul. I was right in ... Read more...
Photos: Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrates unanimous win at Studio 54
Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., still with The Big Zero in his fight record totally intact, hosted his official after-fight victory at Studio 54 in MGM Grand, the same casino hotel in which he emerged victorious just hours earlier. “Moneyman” Mayweather traded his boxing trunks for a sartorially splendid suit and snazzy shirt and tie suitably embroidered with his name! After the big 12-round win against “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Floyd joined sports fans and supporters and gave them an ... Read more...
Photos: Shane Mosley wasn’t the only one seeing stars in defeat
We’ll leave the coverage and the round-by-round breakdown of the Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. victory over “Sugar” Shane Mosley last night at MGM Grand Garden Arena to our boxing expert colleagues at the Las Vegas Sun, but what we can offer is a fabulous photo gallery of more than 50 images of The Big Fight from contributing photographer Tom Donoghue. Plus, Senior Editor John Katsilometes was in attendance and filed his column for The Kats Report on the Sun. The ... Read more...
Photos: The Improv at Harrah’s celebrates 15th anniversary
The Improv at Harrah’s celebrated its 15th anniversary yesterday with a comedy star-studded celebration full of laughs for a great audience. To commemorate and thank the employees of Harrah’s and Improv fans for an amazing 15 years, Improv founder Budd Friedman and a few funny guests including Vinnie Favorito, Rondell Sheridan and Charlie Fleischer hosted a free performance on the legendary Improv stage yesterday afternoon. Highlights from the show included a surprise anniversary cake from the comedians to Budd and ... Read more...
Photos: Selita Ebanks, cast of Community party at Lavo
The cast of the NBC comedy Community and Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks partied at Lavo in the Palazzo last night, and photographer Denise Truscello was onsite to capture them on the red carpet and inside the boutique nightclub. Selita, a stunning beauty from the Cayman Islands who is known for her work as one of the lingerie angels of Victoria’s Secret, was previously engaged to Nick Cannon, who is now married to Mariah Carey. Selita posed for a photo ... Read more...
Photos: Kendrick Lamar drinks Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan
Kendrick Lamar’s laid-back vibe had the crowd singing along throughout the warm evening. His setlist included “Money Trees,” “Swimming Pools ...
Photos: Old Vegas razzle-dazzle makes The Scintas top Downtown act
Even without their sister Chrissi, The Scintas scored big at Wednesday night’s grand opening of their residency show at The D Hotel in Downtown ...
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