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Luxe Life Blog • Archive for October 2012
‘Zarkana,’ Part 2: Audience doesn’t speak language, but understands it
Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series ahead of Thursday’s first night of preview performances of the new Cirque du Soleil acrobatic spectacular “Zarkana” in Aria at MGM’s CityCenter. Today, we meet two of the stars and on Thursday talk with the creative directors. Part 1, an overview of the extraordinary production, was posted Tuesday. Robin Leach flew to New York just before “Zarkana” packed up and began its trek here. When Cirque du Soleil introduced its ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles shockers: Sabrina Bryan exits ‘DWTS’; Guns N’ Roses
Even before they play the first note of their mini-residency tonight, Guns N’ Roses are in a controversy over an ad for their Hard Rock Hotel concerts at the Joint. Our Clark County commissioners are disturbed over what they say is “female violence” portrayed in posters. Named for their new album “Appetite for Democracy,” the ads feature a battered, disheveled woman with a torn dress exposing one breast and with her panties pulled down past her knees under the Welcome ... Read more...
Halloween in L.V.: GNR, Avicii, Nelly, McDermott, Bagatelle, McCarthy
If you thought Halloween celebrations were early over the weekend, be prepared for tonight. The weekend was only a taste of the insanity and star-studded fun set to explode this evening in the Entertainment Capital of the World. Count on it being a Fright Night with gorgeous actress Jenny McCarthy also celebrating her 40th birthday at Gallery in Planet Hollywood, rapper Nelly’s 38th birthday bash at the Bank in the Bellagio and “American Horror” heartthrob Dylan McDermott christening Bagatelle Beach ... Read more...
Photos: Blue Man Group shows no signs of turning gray at Monte Carlo
By John Katsilometes It was 13 years ago, almost to the day, that Blue Man Group was introduced to Las Vegas as a trio of muted performance artists wearing skullcaps, their heads and faces painted a gooey blue. The Luxor was the venue back then. The question was how this heretofore untested (at least on the Strip) performance-art troupe would fill a 1,200-seat theater. That’s not entirely accurate, actually. There was another question: What the hell is this? In one ... Read more...
WSOP photos: Greg Merson wins $8.5 million after 12 hours of play at Rio
It took 1 minute short of 12 hours of play — from dusk to dawn this morning — at the 2012 World Series of Poker at the Rio for 24-year-old Greg Merson to capture the gold bracelet and the $8.5 million first-place prize, and his pal Olympic record-holder Michael Phelps sent congratulations via Twitter. On Tuesday at 5:45 p.m., Greg, part-time Las Vegas resident Jesse Sylvia, 26, and 21-year-old Jake Balsiger of Tempe, Ariz., began play that didn’t end until ... Read more...
$300,000 is up for grabs in first World Food Championships on the Strip
“This is one fast and furious whirlwind. This is speed at the rate of 450 calories a minute!” That’s Food Network star Adam Richman’s perfect description for his first-ever World Food Championships that start Thursday and continue to Sunday’s Final Nine dinner table and the crowning of the world food champion. Adam’s debut $300,000 contest for comfort food chefs is such a grand undertaking with kitchen kin and food celebrities, it’s stretched out at Paris and Bally’s, with the closing ... Read more...
Photos: ‘Zarkana,’ Part 1 — overview of Cirque’s acrobatic spectacular
Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series ahead of Thursday’s first night of preview performances of the new Cirque du Soleil acrobatic spectacular “Zarkana” at Aria in MGM’s CityCenter. Today, an overview of the extraordinary production; Wednesday, we’ll meet two of the stars; and Thursday, we talk with the creative directors. Robin Leach flew to New York before the production packed up and began its trek west to Las Vegas. More than 1.2 million theatergoers have been ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Guy Laliberte’s $1 million Big One to return in 2014
Cirque du Soleil founder and billionaire Guy Laliberte will repeat his Big One for One Drop poker tournament in 2014 with the largest first-place prize in poker history. The buy-in is $1 million, and this year’s inaugural event raised $10 million for charity. Players, though, won’t have to wait two years to help make a difference to the global water crisis because next year the buy-in will be only $1,111. Guy said at the Final Nine table at the 2012 ... Read more...
Steve Wynn has plans for Encore Theater after Garth Brooks departs
Reliable inside word from Steve Wynn’s executive offices is that he’s not planning to sign another resident country star or entertainer after Garth Brooks ends his three-year run at Encore Theater on Nov. 17. The theater will remain dark for most of next year except for special concerts on some holiday weekends. But then in 2014, Steve will debut his own production that would start rehearsals next fall in the theater. He’s not revealing anything just yet but has plotted ... Read more...
GBDC photos: Lusty ladies, sexy costumes, powerful drinks are back
It’s the wildest revelry you’ve ever seen; the delicious daytime debauchery is so insane, you’ll think the party is continuing — without sleep — from the night before. Welcome to Season 2 of Ghostbar Dayclub at the Palms, where go-go girls in peek-a-boo bras and thigh-high silver sparkling boots ensure that the champagne is popping and the pinatas are pulverized. The weekly wild platinum party has returned for a second year, and a thousand revelers — many in playful costumes ... Read more...
Photos: Three Americans set to battle for WSOP’s $8.5 million top prize
Three young poker players — all in their 20s — sit down this evening and fight for the top $8.53 million 2012 World Series of Poker prize and the prestigious title at the Rio. Part-time Las Vegas resident Jesse Sylvia, 24, is in 2nd with 62 million chips. Jake Balsiger, 21, from Tempe, Ariz., would become the youngest Main Event champion in history if he can jump from 3rd with 46 million chips. The leader is Greg Merson, 24, from ... Read more...
Exclusive photos: Elton John’s glittering party, Caesars plans to 2016
All that glitters is gold, and for Sir Elton John, his 72 hours in Las Vegas toasting the 50th birthday of his partner David Furnish was truly a bejeweled and sparkling celebration. When I talked to the festive duo Sunday, Elton revealed that he’s seriously thinking of extending his Caesars Palace residency to 2016 or even 2017. “I’ve really had the greatest time in Las Vegas. It’s been the best. It’s so good to stay put in one place so ... Read more...
Photos: Engaged JWoww, Roger Mathews host Halloween at Chateau
By Don Chareunsy Newly engaged “Jersey Shore” starlet Jenni “JWoww” Farley celebrated Halloween with fiance Roger Mathews at Chateau Nightclub & Gardens in Paris Las Vegas on Saturday. The brunette vixen refreshingly went against type and dressed as a nerd wearing thick-framed glasses, suspenders, plaid pants and black Coach high-tops. Hunky and heavily tatted Mathews was a fellow nerd in a white button-up with black suspenders and a bow tie. (Hey, bow ties aren’t nerdy!) JWoww showed off her sparkly ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: GNR, De Niro, Disick, T-Pain and Mix Master Mike
Paradise Road in Las Vegas was temporarily renamed Paradise City Road today in honor of Guns N’ Roses’ run in the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel from Oct. 31 through Nov. 24. On hand for today’s event: GNR’s DJ Ashba, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Richard Fortus, Ron Thal, Chris Pitman and Frank Ferrer (Axl Rose skipped the event). Also, Mary Beth Scow, Clark County commissioner; Jody Lake, Hard Rock COO; Paul Davis, Hard Rock VP of entertainment; John Nelson, ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Team Chippendales fights to the finish on ‘Amazing Race’
It looked as if the end of the world had befallen James Davis and Jaymes Vaughan on Sunday night’s fifth “The Amazing Race” episode on CBS. Three bamboo poles went awry, and one half of Team Chippendales fell to the floor burying his head and apologizing to his partner for the huge error. They also contended with crushing heat and humidity, and the war zone poverty in Bangladesh really emotionally struck them. For a moment, it looked like this was ... Read more...
Final Table in 2012 WSOP is competing for $27 million at the Rio
There will be magic of a different kind today in Penn & Teller’s theater at the Rio. Eight Americans and one Hungarian will sit down at the 2012 World Series of Poker’s Final Table to conjure up a win and slide $8.5 million up their sleeves. The purse is a total of $27.258 million, and interest was added since the October Nine was set in early summer. The total prize pool for this Main Event is $62 million, and 666 ... Read more...
2012 PBR World Finals photos: Silvano Alves, Robson Palermo repeat wins
Old records were shattered and new records set for the history books in a 1-2 punch by the Boys of Brazil as they swept the 2012 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday. It was the appropriately named bull High Octane Hurricane that Silvano Alves conquered to cinch his overall champion title and the $1 million bonus payday for the highest combined points total for the year. He made history being the first ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Phelps, Shania, Kobe, Dr. J, Jordan, Efron, Chumlee
Olympic champion Michael Phelps partied at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore and even got behind the turntables with resident DJ Steve Aoki. Superstar Shania Twain attended Sir Elton John’s “The Million-Dollar Piano” in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Friday night. The Canadian songbird begins her headliner residency there Dec. 1. Actor Ed Helms of “The Office” and “The Hangover, Part III,” currently filming here, attended “The Beatles’ Love” by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage and posed with the ... Read more...
Photos: Stacy Keibler hosts Hyde Bellagio’s Halloween Masquerade
By Don Chareunsy Actress, model and former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, minus Academy Award-winning actor boyfriend George Clooney, hosted Dom Perignon’s Halloween Masquerade at Hyde Bellagio on Saturday night. Before heading to the hotspot behind the Bellagio Fountains, Keibler tweeted, “Who’s joining me @sbe_nightlife for my #masquerade party tonight?!?!” and a photograph of herself in a black mask. Keibler, an alumnus of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” arrived on the red carpet after 11:30 p.m. wearing a black chiffon dress, ... Read more...
Photos: Switchfoot rocks Vinyl for two nights at the Hard Rock Hotel
By Don Chareunsy San Diego band Switchfoot performed at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel on Friday and Saturday nights, and contributing photographer Erik Kabik was onsite Friday night for his photo gallery of the Christian-turned-mainstream rockers. Paper Route served as the opening act before Switchfoot’s hunky frontman Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (backing vocals, bass guitar), Jerome Fontamillas (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards), Drew Shirley (backing vocals, guitar) and Chad Butler (drums, percussion) took the stage to perform ... Read more...
Photos: Redfoo at Tao; Kid Rock at Lavo; and Bradley Cooper at Marquee
By Don Chareunsy Rocker Kid Rock hosted the official Maxim and Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Halloween Party at Lavo in the Palazzo on Saturday night. Donning a cowboy hat and a shirt — was it his Halloween costume? — he had a cup of Jim Beam Devil’s Cut on the red carpet and posed for photographs before taking over a VIP table on the stage in the boutique nightclub with a group of friends that included members of Boo-Yaa Tribe ... Read more...
Las Vegas loves its neon, but will it embrace Liberace again?
By John Katsilometes One of the signs at the Neon Museum sits unambiguously at the base of the old Aladdin magic lamp. You have to crane your neck to read its looping, blackened lettering — and to notice the faded orange design is actually a tiny piano. It’s a sign rescued from the Liberace Museum, and you stumble upon it almost accidentally. The Neon Museum’s opening was marked by a series of invitation-only events last week leading to its public ... Read more...
Photos: Elton John leads star parade at the Palazzo’s Act gala opening
Superstar Sir Elton John’s four-day birthday bash for his husband David Furnish continued Saturday night at the gala opening of the Act theater nightclub in the Palazzo — and continues for a fifth day with a celebration here this evening. David hit the Big 5-0 on Thursday, and Caesars Palace headliner Elton has spared no expense celebrating the milestone of his partner. First, a huge party at their Beverly Hills, Calif., home, then a second birthday bash at a downtown ... Read more...
2012 PBR World Finals photos: Brazil’s Marco Eguci wins Round 4
Two rounds remain today, and it looks more and more likely that Silvano Alves will become the first cowboy to win back-to-back world championships. It also is likely that Robson Palermo, who placed first Saturday night with 16,165 fans cheering him, will become the first three-time PBR Build Ford Tough World Finals winner in Las Vegas. But the hopes of fans and retiring bull rider Chris Shivers, who won Rounds 2 and 3, were dashed. He elected to challenge the ... Read more...
2012 PBR World Finals photos: Chris Shivers wins again pre-retirement
Two-time world champion Chris Shivers isn’t going into his retirement quietly. He’s fighting to go out with another win! For the second consecutive night, he thrilled a crowd of nearly 13,000 at the 2012 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center, winning Round 3 atop Shepherd Hills Sod Buster and with $50,000 earned in just the past 48 hours. Tonight, the hardly-retiring cowboy from Jonesville, La., is riding the rankest and meanest 2007 world champion ... Read more...
Celebrity preview: Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan, Garth, tattoos, porn stars
With Halloween next Wednesday, it’s to be expected that our nightclubs would use this weekend to give the day of the dead a jump-start; be sure to check out our Royal Robin Rundown posted this morning of all the dress-up and dress-down costume parties. The lusty ladies love to show off their lingerie in Las Vegas. Naughty nurses, sexy schoolteachers, lascivious librarians, curvy cops, mischievous maids and high-heeled hookers have their underwear peeking out from micro-minis and low-cut blouses. Bedroom ... Read more...
2012 PBR World Finals photos: Dana White lauds riders; Chris Shivers wins
It was shuffle up and deal at Round 2 of the 2012 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals on Thursday night, and a new hand was dealt the rough-and-tough bull riders. All eyes were on the two former champions, 2010’s Valdiron de Oliveira and 2011’s Silvano Alves, as they duked it out to stay in the lead. The only problem was that Luke Snyder moved into first place on the monster bull Riding Ragin’, thrilling 11,554 cheering fans at the ... Read more...
Halloween happenings with Pauly D, Stacy Keibler, Scott Disick, JWoww
One Halloween standout in Las Vegas is the life-size Chocolate Skeleton that took 70 hours to create and now haunts Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Bellagio around the corner from the Observatory and Botanical Gardens’ fabulous fall display. Here’s the Royal Robin Rundown of Halloween happenings this weekend in the Entertainment Capital of the World — it’s spook-tacular! FRIDAY, OCT. 26 MGM Resorts presents Bitten: Embrace the Night at all of its properties for the fright-filled weekend and lasting through ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Terry Fator’s new contract extends run at Mirage
It’s not official yet, but I can confirm that entertainer and “America’s Got Talent” champion Terry Fator’s five-year, $100 million contract at the Mirage that began in 2008 has been extended three more years to 2015. Expect news of his signature on the new mega contract within two weeks. It also will give him an extra night off weekly in order to pursue Hollywood opportunities with a new management team he now has in place. CHEF, TROP PART WAYS: Culinary ... Read more...
Carla Pellegrino, Trop end partnership as chef focuses on new projects
By John Katsilometes Carla Pellegrino says, “I wish there were two of me!” Hey, it’s difficult enough just keeping track of the original. A woman who sets all of her burners on “high,” Pellegrino has found herself too busy, and in too high of demand, to continue operating Bacio at Tropicana. One of the city’s top chefs and, in fact, a member of the cast of star chefs featured on the upcoming season of Bravo’s “Top Chefs 10 Seattle” announced ... Read more...
L.V. tonight: Frank Marino, ‘Evil Dead,’ Battle of the Bras, Nevada Fest
Here’s the 411 on what’s happening in the Entertainment Capital of the World tonight: Female impersonator and Imperial Palace headliner Frank Marino kicks off Halloween week in style with his inaugural Disco Divas Bingo at I.P. “Double the Blood” performances of “Evil Dead: the Musical” start tonight in the Splatter Zone of V Theater at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops. To raise funds for high school musicians in our community, 13 local bands, groups and soloists play House of Blues ... Read more...
2012 PBR World Finals photos: It’s neck-and-neck after Day 1
After Wednesday night’s Round 1 at the Thomas & Mack Center, it looks as if it will be a last-minute, down-to-the-wire nail-biter at the 2012 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough World Finals on Sunday — for the Top Two riders and the Top Two bulls. No wonder 2010 champion Renato Nunes jumped for joy with a backward somersault after winning 8 seconds of combat with the snorting and stomping Yellow Jacket Jr. Nearly 11,000 fans cheered on Renato as ... Read more...
Why are Las Vegas stars shunning the U.S. election spotlight?
By Andrea Domanick As the sass-spitting host of his drag revue “Divas” at Imperial Palace, Frank Marino doesn’t shy away from his opinions, eliciting laughs and gasps from audiences with his racy pop culture critiques and confessions. When it comes to this year’s presidential election, however, the Strip veteran is loathe to speak out. “My act is totally politically incorrect, but I’m never gonna sell a lifestyle or a political endorsement,” he says. “I’m an equal opportunity offender!” Jokes aside, ... Read more...
Behind-the-scenes skirmishes on TLC’s ‘Las Vegas High Rollers’
Filming on the new TLC reality TV series “Las Vegas High Rollers” is drawing to a close — and in its wake a trail of bitter fights, accusations, treachery and fears by the cast that it will be edited to show them and Las Vegas in a bad light. An exhaustive investigation after my first story Sept. 6 proves that rough-and-tumble incidents will become train-wreck television on TLC. Editing is already underway! One leading Las Vegas figure told me emphatically: ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Tim and Faith prepare for Strip arrival as Garth departs
Country’s king and queen Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will preview their Venetian headline residency at Nov. 1’s 46th Annual CMA Awards from Nashville on ABC. Faith will perform her new single “American Heart,” and Tim will perform tracks from his upcoming album. On the star-studded telecast to be hosted for the fifth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, Tim and Faith also join Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton for a tribute to Willie Nelson. They then head here ... Read more...
Pink’s Hot Dogs is opening location at Red Rock Resort
By Andrea Domanick Fans of Pink’s Hot Dogs have yet another reason to line up for the famous franks: A second Las Vegas location will open at Red Rock Resort this winter, according to an announcement today from Las Vegas-based hospitality company Block 16. The iconic Los Angeles-based hot dog stand opened its first Las Vegas outpost at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops in 2009. Pink’s Red Rock location will replace Turf Grill, filling a 2,000 square foot restaurant space ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence photos: Palladin dinner at Alize; Rao’s video
If culinary genius chef Jean-Louis Palladin was still alive, he would’ve been mighty proud of the spectacular 10 courses of gourmet wonders that 18 of Las Vegas’ top chefs served at the 11th annual dinner honoring him. It was a remarkable feast fit for kings and queens all masterminded by Jean-Louis’ friend chef Andre Rochat at his elegant restaurant Alize atop the Palms on Sunday. Jean-Louis was only 28 in France when he won two Michelin stars — the youngest ... Read more...
Composers Showcase, a hidden gem, aims to be less hidden
By John Katsilometes Since it was launched more than six years ago, the Composers Showcase has been one of the city’s hidden gems. In a gem state, as it were, which is fitting because co-founder Keith Thompson has written a wickedly satirical musical titled “Idaho,” which he has sampled at these Showcases. Thompson would like to keep that gem quality intact, but he struggles with that “hidden” characteristic. Launched in the summer of 2006 at the since-closed Suede restaurant off ... Read more...
The Act at the Palazzo: Sexy shocks, debauchery and decadence
It’s set to become one of the most unique, wild, wanton and wasted theatrical nightclubs to ever open in Las Vegas. “Uniquely decadent,” as British impresario Simon Hammerstein describes it. Tonight is the Act’s industry preview ahead of Saturday’s star-studded, red carpet gala opening at the Palazzo. Simon’s even encouraging guests to cross dress as he weds debauchery and decadence in unholy matrimony. As the final piece of monster shock art was bolted into place Tuesday night, Simon told me: ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Giuliana Rancic, Andy Cohen to host 2012 Miss Universe
Donald Trump and his Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart confirmed today that Bravo personality Andy Cohen and “E! News” star Giuliana Rancic will host the global, two-hour 2012 Miss Universe Pageant to 190 countries from Planet Hollywood on Dec. 19. Based on last year’s ratings, the Donald expects more than 1 billion viewers to watch. More than 80 contestants will arrive on the Strip on Dec. 2 for the 61st annual Miss Universe Pageant that broadcasts with a simulcast ... Read more...
Photos: Stetsons, spurs and bucking bulls take over Las Vegas
They are mean, nasty and fierce. They are tougher and angrier than any reality TV show. This is no walk to the Jersey Shore or a tangle with the Bounty Hunters. Unlike Storage Wars, this is a real and bruising battle. The raging and rank bucking bulls are back in Las Vegas with five days of nonstop chilling action starting Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center. CBS and NBC will broadcast the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough World ... Read more...
Photos: ‘Shades of Temptation’ features guilty pleasures, eroticism
Topless temptresses and bare-chested beefcake open up a world of guilty pleasures in the new show “Shades of Temptation” at New York-New York just steps away from the eroticism of Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity.” How sizzling and torrid can one Strip casino resort get? British theatrical producer David King really had to push the envelope with his sexy and new production to compete — and thanks to being inspired by the bestselling, racy S&M novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” he’s ... Read more...
Holly Madison talks family, career, casting as ‘Peepshow’ run ends
By John Katsilometes Holly Madison walked into her post-show party Sunday night, an event marking her final performance in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood, and caught up with one of the invited guests hanging out behind the celebratory cake. “Thanks for coming!” she called to this particularly burly gentleman, recognizable to anyone with an even passing interest in the game of baseball. “I wouldn’t have missed it,” answered Roger Clemens, who also was in town to play golf on Monday (fulfilling ... Read more...
Photos: Psy, his ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘K-Town’ cast close Rehab’s season
By Don Chareunsy Korean rapper Psy performed his inescapable hit “Gangnam Style” at the season-closing celebration for Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sunday. Dressed in black and white and with the help of two female backup dancers, Psy entertained daytime revelers with the global and online sensation “Gangnam Style” song and dance. The single, released July 15, has more than 500 million views on YouTube. On Sept. 20, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized “Gangnam Style” as ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Winter in Venice returns at the Venetian and Palazzo
Winter will be celebrated in an even larger way this second year at the Venetian and the Palazzo. The one-of-a kind Winter in Venice festivities will expand to 50 days of Italian-inspired holiday cheer and run this season from Nov. 18 through Jan. 6. The ice-skating rink above the Venetian’s outdoor Grand Canal is returning; new this year is a nightly parade of characters and lights, an exclusive six-week run of “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Las Vegas” concerts, a fantasy scene ... Read more...
Chippendales sew cotton, others hunt dead rats on ‘Amazing Race’
Our Chippendales contestants on CBS’ “The Amazing Race” are safe again to continue after Sunday night’s challenging Season 21 episode in which Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis went hunting for dead rats — not once, but three times in different locations. With gritted teeth and eyes wide shut, they overcame the revolting task and wound up in 6th place. It was closer to the bottom than they wanted, but they’re still in contention. On the show, the teams left Indonesia ... Read more...
Exclusive: Shania Twain secretly arrives in L.V., starts show rehearsals
Superstar singer Shania Twain has slipped secretly into town to start her rehearsals for the new spectacular run at Caesars Palace starting Dec. 1. Her under-the-radar arrival was kept secret as plans were announced for a gala welcome party Nov. 14 at the casino resort’s fountains on the Strip. Shania hardly unpacked fully before going straight to work with two round-the-clock days of costume fittings and wardrobe selections. Vegas DeLuxe has learned exclusively that her 15-male dance crew was finalized ... Read more...
Photos: ‘90210’ star Jessica Stroup celebrates her 26th birthday at Pure
By Don Chareunsy Actress Jessica Stroup, Erin Silver on the CW’s “90210,” celebrated her 26th birthday early at Pure in Caesars Palace on Saturday night (Stroup’s actual birthday is Tuesday). Just after midnight, Stroup arrived with her family and friends at the Angel Management Group hotspot wearing a bohemian-inspired plum dress. Stroup and her group, which included her mother Judy Stroup and brother Dave Stroup, then made their way to a VIP table on the main stage. The celebration of ... Read more...
Photos: OneRepublic wraps up D Las Vegas’ grand opening celebrations
By Don Chareunsy OneRepublic on Saturday night performed a free concert at Fremont Street Experience, wrapping up more than a week of grand opening celebrations for the D Las Vegas downtown. Contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was onsite for a photo gallery and reported, “The owner of the D, Derek Stevens, closed out the D’s grand opening week with a great evening of fun and music. Pop Evolution started it all off, and then OneRepublic took over Fremont Street. “Thousands and ... Read more...
Photos: Holly Madison bids adieu to role of Bo Peep in ‘Peepshow’
Blonde beauty Holly Madison brings her nearly four-year run as Bo Peep in the topless burlesque “Peepshow” to a close tonight at Planet Hollywood. News of her pregnancy and the February arrival of a baby daughter wonderfully caps her headline role — and that as Las Vegas showbiz ambassador. I’ve known Holly since the first day she arrived here after ending her romance with Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner, moving out of the Playboy Mansion and her Santa Monica, Calif., apartment ... Read more...
Photos: Heidi Montag hosts third anniversary at Crazy Horse III
By Don Chareunsy Reality TV starlet Heidi Montag of “The Hills” fame hosted the third-anniversary celebration of gentlemen’s club Crazy Horse III on Friday night, and fellow blond Brace Land of Showtime’s “Gigolos” was among the nighttime revelers. Spencer Pratt, Montag’s husband of four years who is attending USC for a degree in political science, was along for the festivities but did not walk the red carpet. Montag wore a black, partially see-through top and black leather shorts, Heidi Montag ... Read more...
Celebrity preview: Madison exits, Lakers vs. Kings, Psy, Speidi, Buffett
It’s the weekend we say a warm farewell to Holly Madison and her nearly four-year run in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood. Her last breast baring as a sexually awakening Bo Peep onstage is Sunday, and then “Holly’s World” cast mate Angel Porrino takes over until Coco Austin arrives in December. Striptease of a different nature takes place at the strip club Crazy Horse III with the appearance by reality TV starlet Heidi Montag accompanied by Spencer Pratt, her husband of ... Read more...
Will Heidi Montag bare all at Crazy Horse III third-anniversary bash?
By Andrea Domanick The starlet-studded strip club Crazy Horse III celebrates its third anniversary tonight with an all-out bash hosted by reality TV personality Heidi Montag. The buxom former “The Hills” star responded to my questions via e-mail about what’s in store for the party — for which she’s reportedly receiving a cool $25,000 — and what’s next for husband Spencer Pratt and her: Andrea Domanick: How did hosting the third anniversary of Crazy Horse III come about? Heidi Montag: ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: ‘Illusionists,’ with Jeff McBride, Kevin James, heads to L.V.
One of the most successful magic shows ever has been garnering rave reviews and big box office success on an amazing world tour, yet so far it hasn’t been seen in Las Vegas. That’s about to change, and the stars of “The Illusionists” couldn’t be happier because most of them live here. Jeff McBride and Kevin James are just two of the mind-blowing magicians who headline in “The Illusionists” for producer Simon Painter. In Australia and South America, the princes ... Read more...
Photos: Emotional Susan Boyle takes Flamingo stage with Donny Osmond
By Don Chareunsy It’s been a big week for Susan Boyle, the “Britain’s Got Talent” breakout star from 2009, as she performed not once but twice with Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond — her childhood idol and crush (call it “Puppy Love”). The British singer, plucked from obscurity into YouTube and music fame, performed with Osmond during the results show of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” on Tuesday night. Their duet, “This Is the Moment” from the musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” ... Read more...
Jeff Leibow gives voice to the fight against neurofibromatosis
By John Katsilometes In his role in “Jersey Boys” at Paris Las Vegas, Jeff Leibow portrays one of the group’s original members, Nick Massi. In one scene that reveals the allowances an entertainer makes to maintain a high level of fame, Leibow-as-Massi confesses that for a time, he told his own children that he was their uncle, rather than father, because he was away from home so frequently that he didn’t want his own kids to feel deprived of a ... Read more...
Mike Tyson turns a page — for real — with a brand new book deal
By John Katsilometes Mike Tyson’s life would make a great book. Let’s rephrase that. Mike Tyson’s life will make a great book. At the risk of pre-reviewing a tome not due until next summer, Tyson will doubtless stuff his upcoming “Undisputed Truth” (to be published by Blue Rider Press, a subsidiary of Penguin Group) with plenty of compelling material. At least, if his one-man show of the same name can be used as a gauge. During the shows at MGM ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Liberace musical to open in London before Broadway?
An under-the-radar sneak preview of the songs and music for a proposed new Liberace musical was given to investors, theatrical producers and members of our hometown Liberace Foundation this week. Reaction to the presentation at the former Michael Jackson villa here was “overwhelmingly positive.” I’m reliably told that singer and pianist Johnny Rodgers, who co-wrote the musical, was an “absolute showman.” Said manager Anna Hafner: “He was wonderful. He played a crystal piano wearing a gold jacket, and everybody wanted ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Palladin dinner at Alize; Adam Richman; Javier’s
Hot off the grill! Ten years ago, top Las Vegas chef Andre Rochat started a dinner salute to the late Jean-Louis Palladin, the master kitchen king who put fine dining on the map. Jean-Louis, who moved from the Watergate Hotel restaurant in Washington, D.C., to open Napa at the Rio, inspired chefs the world over to leave their kitchens and go to farms in search of the finest products. It was a culinary movement that changed the way chefs treated ... Read more...
‘DWTS’ photos: Donny Osmond, Susan Boyle perform; Bristol out
The dramatic duet between our Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond and British singing sensation Susan Boyle was more thrilling than the last-minute duel between Kirstie Alley with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Bristol Palin with Mark Ballas on Tuesday’s night’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Donny and Susan’s partnership thrilled millions of viewers coast to coast, and tonight the smaller and lucky audience at Donny & Marie Osmond’s theater in the Flamingo will see and listen to them first-hand. Susan, the unlikely star of ... Read more...
Photos: ‘Fantasy’ girls celebrate sexy 2013 calendar, 13th anniversary
As the gorgeous girls of the topless revue “Fantasy” begin their 14th year, it’s difficult to believe that it just keeps on getting better, and Tuesday night for the first time, all 15 of the regular and swing dancers appeared on their Luxor stage together. Normally, it’s eight dancers with superb singer Lorena Peril and comedian Sean E. Cooper, but producer and choreographer Anita Mann wanted them all onstage for the milestone. The show runs nightly, so the girls rotate ... Read more...
Las Vegas Food University debuts for foodies, future culinary stars
Fun-loving foodies across the country are about to be transformed from spectators into competition-ready chefs. Thanks to the new Las Vegas Food University’s inaugural classes, it’s possible that somebody could wind up being a future “Top Chef” star. The debut Food U courses at Caesars Palace from Dec. 11-13 coincide with the 20th anniversary celebration of chef Wolfgang Puck’s Spago at the Forum Shops and the opening of chef Gordon Ramsay’s gastropub Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill, also at Caesars ... Read more...
Counter Intelligence: Spago turns 20; app for chefs; Jose Andres’ Jaleo
Hot off the grill! Here’s a celebration that will let you eat the menu of 1992 at those two-decade-ago prices. Chef Wolfgang Puck is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first Las Vegas restaurant, Spago in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, on Dec. 11. He’ll greet guests, take photographs and cook in the kitchen at his legendary restaurant, which began the fine-dining trend in Sin City and the subsequent invasion of star chefs. To mark the occasion, Wolf says ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Adam Richman, Marie Osmond, Suzanne Somers, FTP
Adam Richman, current host of Travel Channel’s “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” and former host of “Man v. Food,” ate lunch today with friends at Hash House a Go Go on West Sahara Avenue. Adam enjoyed the sage fried chicken Benedict, aka the “Chicken Benny,” one of his favorite dishes featured on “Man v. Food” last year. Adam posed for a photograph with co-owner Brannon Rees. Actress and entrepreneur Suzanne Somers and her husband Alan Hamel attended “Donny & ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Rambo V’ slated to shoot in L.V.
It’s been four years in the making, but at long last it appears as if the fifth and final “Rambo” film from actor Sylvester Stallone has a go ahead with scenes set to be shot in and around Las Vegas and the Nevada and Arizona deserts. The movie series has long told the exploits of John Rambo and his hometown in Arizona. “Rambo V” has been an on-off project for Sly over his insistence that it be a solid and ... Read more...
Photos: Dennis Quaid discusses secrets behind success of ‘Vegas’
You can find our downtown Fremont Street just 20 minutes north of the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., in the town of Santa Clarita, California’s 24th largest city. I can hear you wondering if I’ve had one too many magnums of bubbly — “What is Robin rambling on about now?” — Fremont Street is in downtown Las Vegas nearly 400 miles east of Santa Clarita. True, but to the producers of the new hit drama “Vegas” on CBS, the ... Read more...
Photos: Hot and new 2013 ‘Fantasy’ calendar is the sexiest yet
Too hot to handle? You may have to wear gloves because the new and sexy “Fantasy” calendar with the topless temptresses from the Luxor adult revue is scorching. Tonight, the luscious and long-legged lovelies unveil the new 14-month 2013 calendar (next month through all of 2013) with the darling dancers draped in opulent jewelry — and little else. The gorgeous girls tell me that it was the sexiest photo shoot they’ve ever done. Our Las Vegas Sun photographer Christopher DeVargas, ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Tommy Lee, Buble, Endeavor, Thunder, Zito, ‘Bachelor’
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee partied with his girlfriend Sofia Toufa (aka Sofi) at Rain in the Palms. Heavily tattooed Tommy, who wore a graphic Tokyo T-shirt, a gray newsboy hat and dark jeans, was with 15 friends. Sofi, who performed at the nightclub, is a Bulgarian pop-folk and ethno-pop singer who most recently collaborated with Deadmau5 on his album “4x4=12. Before partying, the group dined at nearby N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms, and Tommy signed executive chef Barry Dakake’s ... Read more...
D Las Vegas photos: Party with Bret Michaels, Jizzy Pearl, Greg Maddux
By Don Chareunsy The D Las Vegas’ biggest official grand opening celebration took place Saturday night in downtown Las Vegas, and contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was on duty to capture the festivities with owner Derek Stevens, more than 400(!) of Stevens’ friends from his hometown of Detroit, his brother Greg Stevens, MLB great Greg Maddux, plus, entertainment from Nightshift and the awesomely named Jizzy Pearl. Oh, and some guy named Bret Michaels, frontman of Poison, “Celebrity Apprentice” winner who is ... Read more...
Photos: Holly Madison at Forever Home picnic for Lied Animal Foundation
By Don Chareunsy Reality TV star Holly Madison on Saturday afternoon attended the Forever Home Family Picnic benefiting the Lied Animal Foundation, an organization near and dear to Madison’s heart, as she has adopted from animal shelters. At the picnic, Holly, whose more than three-year run as Bo Peep in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood, ends Sunday, played and posed for photos with Elroy, who was recently in the news as the dog thrown from a moving truck downtown and then ... Read more...
Photos: Lavo’s wild Champagne Brunch is a Saturday bacchanal
If I hadn’t checked my watch and iPhone calendar, it could’ve been New Year’s Eve, and it’s going to be like that now every Saturday when Lavo at the Palazzo continues Season 2 of its Champagne Brunch — at least until the pools reopen next spring. There were girls on stilts and in masks, pink tutus and ripped t-shirts, and those were just the gorgeous servers. The brunch bunch was even wilder with $1,800 magnums of rose wine, prompting questions ... Read more...
Holly Madison and Pasquale Rotella are expecting … a girl!
By John Katsilometes Recently, “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood and reality TV star Holly Madison’s close friends have been presenting her with baby gifts. This is a befitting act, given Madison’s current state of impending mommyhood. But many of these gifts have been obviously and intentionally thematic: tutus and little skirts and the like, many of them in a pinkish hue. The girly gifts have been chosen because Madison and her beau, Electric Daisy Carnival founder and Insomniac Events CEO Pasquale ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Two-week soft opening plans for Bagatelle at Trop
Now that Bagatelle has firmed up its much-awaited Oct. 31 soft opening alongside the Tropicana, as we first reported, we’ve learned more details leading up to the grand opening VIP gala Nov. 16. It’s a sneak peek for two weeks as the owners focus on restaurant and dining. The partying starts when the champagne is popped with a Halloween “Night of Masks.” “Halloween is the perfect evening to unveil Bagatelle Supper Club to the city of Las Vegas,” says Jonathan ... Read more...
Photos: Blackjack with a Clydesdale, a Dalmatian and Michael Gaughan
It sounds like the start of a joke: A horse and a Dalmatian walk into a casino and decide to play a game of blackjack with the owner, except this was for real and not a standup comic’s gag. South Point owner Michael Gaughan was all laughs as he welcomed the lead Budweiser Clydesdale named Elite and the Dalmatian named King to his gaming pit. Contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was on duty to capture the unique trio of card players ... Read more...
Team Chippendales is still in ‘The Amazing Race’ on CBS
The Chippendales contestants on CBS’ Emmy Award-winning “The Amazing Race” are finally getting the hang of it, with pals Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis placing a strong 3rd in the trek across Indonesia on Sunday night’s episode. On the first episode three weeks ago, the Rio headliner hunks came dangerously close to being eliminated but by Episode 3 were pushing hard getting close to the top of the leader board. Meantime, best friends Brittany and Caitlin, who finished first on ... Read more...
Photos: Queen of Pop Madonna’s reign is far from over
By Don Chareunsy Love-her-or-hate-her singer and rapper Nicki Minaj said it best via video Saturday night of another polarizing figure in pop music: “There’s only one queen, and that’s Madonna. Bitch!” Queen of Pop Madonna brought her 2012 MDNA Tour to MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night, the first of two sold-out shows (the second was tonight), and, from her setlist (religious, thematic and stunning), staging (gothic cathedrals, chanting monks turned Chippendales dancers), singing (a lot of backing tracks ... Read more...
Photos: Ginuwine toasts 42nd birthday at LAX; at Chris Tucker’s show
By Don Chareunsy R&B singer and heartthrob Ginuwine celebrated his 42nd birthday hosting and performing at LAX in the Luxor on Saturday night. Ginuwine, dapper in a vest, a dress shirt and fashionable denim, arrived after 1 a.m., and his group and he made their way to a VIP table on the main stage. A group of gorgeous cocktail servers presented Ginuwine with a two-tiered, black-and-silver birthday cake that was decorated with music notes, and he held it up for ... Read more...
Photos: Kris Jenner hosts book signing at Kardashian Khaos
Reality TV star, entrepreneur and author Kris Jenner made her first solo appearance at family boutique Kardashian Khaos in the Mirage on Saturday for a book signing and fan meet-and-greet in support of her memoir “Kris Jenner … and All Things Kardashian.” Jenner, whose husband is Olympic champion Bruce Jenner (the 1976 decathlon!), wore purple and was greeted by excited fans lined up outside the store. Her brood includes Kim, Khloe, Khourtney and Rob Kardashian and Kendall, Kylie and Brody ... Read more...
Oscar Goodman saddened at death of friend, mentor Arlen Specter
By John Katsilometes Oscar Goodman remembers not liking his intensive studies at the University of Pennsylvania law school too much. But he liked having to live off his new wife, Carolyn, while attending college even less. So Goodman sought work in his chosen profession and walked into the District Attorney’s Office in his hometown of Philadelphia. The young law student was directed to the man who would help shape his career. Arlen Specter. In the years he studied at Penn ... Read more...
Sir Elton John plans star-studded 50th birthday bash for partner
It’s being called “the biggest birthday bash ever,” and music legend and Caesars Palace headliner Sir Elton John is masterminding the celebrations for his partner David Furnish’s 50th festivities. It will be even more extravagant and lavish than his 50th birthday celebration. The four days of fun to mark the birthday milestone of husband David Furnish, with whom he adopted a child, will culminate here on the Strip next Saturday. Incredibly, the Hollywood parties reportedly start Wednesday and continue through ... Read more...
La Toya’s dog? Busey’s rantings? Michaels’ ‘do rag? Jillette says bring it on
By John Katsilometes Penn Jillette asks, “You want the scoop?” Yes, I say! Scoop away! “That little dog La Toya Jackson has, that Pomeranian, has the biggest (male organ) you will ever see on a dog that size.” Dog’s name is Prince, and he is royally blessed. Jillette speaks of Jackson’s oddly endowed canine because these two (Jillette and Jackson) are members of the cast of “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” set to premiere in March. Taping begins Monday in New York, ... Read more...
Facing resistance Down Under, Mike Tyson doing good at home
By John Katsilometes It seems the sun never sets on Mike Tyson. This month he’s been zigzagging through the United Kingdom finishing a speaking tour that is a pared-down version of the “Undisputed Truth” one-man showcase he performed at MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theater in April. That brisk-selling spree of shows sent him to Broadway over the summer, where he performed six shows in a limited run at Longacre Theater in August. He’s since embarked on a European tour and has ... Read more...
Celebrity preview: Madonna, Calvin Harris, Foster, Kris Jenner, Akon
Madonna — what havoc can she wreak in the world’s wildest city? No matter where the singer, actress and producer goes, controversy follows. She’s been touring the world expressing herself and created headlines from Turkey, Russia, Israel and the Arab world. Now she’s here for the weekend with two shows, and in our crazy Entertainment Capital of the World, it seems difficult to believe that she somehow won’t kick up a desert storm. Is it more than coincidence that the ... Read more...
Photos: Muppets, Rod Stewart, ‘Voice’ singers join CeeLo for Christmas
Christmas came a little early this year when singer CeeLo Green recorded a “CeeLo and Friends” holiday special Wednesday night at the Peepshow Theater in Planet Hollywood where he will premiere his show “Loberace” on Feb. 27. Caesars Palace headliner Rod Stewart and 19 of “The Voice” contestants took part with Christmas carols and holiday songs. But it was the Muppets with Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog who nearly stole the show with an original song, “All I Need ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Gordon Ramsay’s dual opening celebrations in L.V.
It will be a set of opening-day celebrations for chef Gordon Ramsay when he’s back on the Strip in mid-December. We’ve already revealed that he’ll be here for the hoped-for Dec. 11 opening of his sleek, modern, London-styled gastropub Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace. Now we officially hear that he’s staying on for the Dec. 17 opening of his Flame Burger overlooking the Strip and Extra Lounge’s north entrance at Planet Hollywood. It was reported elsewhere that ... Read more...
10/11/12 and 12/12/12 weddings are mass matrimony merriment in L.V.
There’s no place in the world quite like Las Vegas for weddings. We can handle a “quickie.” We’re all organized for Elvis lookalikes to legalize vows. We can lay on as many showgirls as you wish for a glitz and glamour extravaganza. We can even throw the biggest and best the world has ever seen. With 120,000 licenses a year, we’re the undisputed Wedding Capital of the World where everybody from Elvis and Priscilla, Angeline and Billy Bob, Frank and ... Read more...
Amazing Johnathan’s SCREAMont Experiment opens to the public
For years, eccentric Strip headliner magician the Amazing Johnathan has invited just a few select friends to tour the mind-blowing haunted horror house he creates at his secret warehouse, but this Halloween, he’s opened it to the public for the first time and turned it into a 35,000-square-foot spectacle. “I have always enjoyed designing and creating my annual haunt for friends and family. This year, I am ready to share the Amazing Johnathan’s SCREAMont Experiment with the public and allow ... Read more...
Photos: The D’s grand opening with mayor, hot dogs, Prince impersonator
The newly transformed D Las Vegas celebrated is official grand opening Wednesday night with an A for awesome, a B for brilliant and a C for creative. And now we know the D is the nickname for owner Derek Stevens and his hometown of Detroit. That also explains the American Coney Island Chili Dogs that everybody raved about, their first time outside Motor City. Contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was on hand for the festivities; be sure to read all about ... Read more...
Exclusive: Nicole ‘Coco’ Austin can’t wait to get nekkid in ‘Peepshow’
It is an undeniably traffic-stopping, knockout figure — 38DD-24-40 — that gets millions of Internet hits, and actor and rapper Ice-T’s wife, Nicole “Coco” Austin, can’t wait to show it all off here when she begins her run as Bo Peep in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood on Dec. 3. As Vegas DeLuxe reported Tuesday, Angel Porrino returns as Bo Peep from Oct. 22 through Dec. 2 as Holly Madison ends her three-year-plus run Oct. 21. (Angel is Holly’s former assistant ... Read more...
Nathan Burton and Michael Turco reappear after disappearing act
It was musical chairs for dueling magicians Nathan Burton and Michael Turco, and at first it also looked like it would be magic wands at dawn! Plans for Nathan to film his upcoming reality TV series at his Flamingo afternoon theater performances hit a snag in rules and regulations. Then Michael, who was in the same afternoon time slot with his “Magic & Mayhem” at Saxe Theater in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops, ran into his own problems. Theater owner ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: CeeLo, Mraz, ‘Pawn Stars,’ Madison, ‘Fantasy’
Ahead of tonight’s special Christmas show and “Loberace” teaser at Planet Hollywood, superstar “The Voice” judge and singer CeeLo Green toured our downtown Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. After meeting with Keep Memory Alive founder Larry Ruvo, CeeLo sent a Twitter message and this photo: “Honored to be taking a tour of @ClevelandClinic — get familiar with them and @keepmemoryalive!” One day after Sunday’s closing night of his “Tour Is a Four Letter Word” at Red Rock ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: SHe is set to pounce at Eva Longoria’s Crystals haunt
Actress and restaurateur Eva Longoria’s shuttered restaurant and nightclub Beso at Crystals in CityCenter is being converted into a chi-chi, edgy and erotic theatrical dining venue known as SHe. Multimillionaire Golden Nugget owner Tilman Fertitta is masterminding the plans with his Morton’s chain of steakhouses, and longtime Las Vegas showman Jeff Kutash is producing the four-night-a-week, after-dinner, midnight-to-3 a.m. eroticism. Beso closed in August and is now set to open for New Year’s Eve with the feminine-driven Morton’s Steakhouse and ... Read more...
Photos: Hakkasan marks ‘topping off’ ceremony at MGM Grand
Construction workers rubbed shoulders with MGM Resorts International executives and Hakkasan Las Vegas restaurant nightclub operators for Tuesday’s “topping off” ceremony at MGM Grand. The crane swung in the final steel beam to mark the completion of the steel structure that’s taken the place of the former Studio 54 shuttered in February when construction began. Hakkasan is expected to open next spring as a four-level restaurant, nightclub and pool dayclub complex. Scott Sibella, MGM President and COO; Neil Moffitt, Angel ... Read more...
Frankie Moreno runs a 3-minute sprint in ‘DWTS’ appearance
By John Katsilometes Frankie Moreno’s “Dancing With the Stars” appearance could be likened to an Olympic event. A lot of preparation, practice and training for one momentous sprint. Moreno’s performance of his own single “Tangerine Honey” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Real Wild Child” was a mad dash set in the first 15 minutes on Tuesday night’s live broadcast on ABC. Moreno was played during a dance number choreographed by pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer, who was joined onstage by ever-beaming celeb ... Read more...
Photos: Downtown D Hotel aims to be dramatic, different and daring
The D could mean dramatic, different, delicious, daring or the duke of downtown. Or it might simply be named The D after its owner Derek Stevens or his Detroit hometown, but the guessing game continues right up until tonight’s grand reopening of the former Fitzgerald’s. Just wondering if this new trend of naming hotels with only letters — Q, LVH — is a result of social media creating shortcuts like LOL?! The D arrives with a rock and roll kick ... Read more...
‘DWTS’ photos: Frankie Moreno dazzles in night of shocks, surprises
Viewers of “Dancing With the Stars” on Tuesday night weren’t just stunned by the unexpected double elimination of racecar driver Helio Castroneves and singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees fame. It was the dazzling double performance from Stratosphere headliner Frankie Moreno that really wowed, and critics promptly labeled it “the sparkly gem of the night.” Our Editor at Large John Katsilometes was at the Hollywood studios for the thrilling performance by crooner Frankie, who performed “Tangerine Honey” and Jerry Lee ... Read more...
Photos: Blue Man Group marks move to Monte Carlo with skydiving
It’s the most electrifying move on the Strip as the Blue Man Group “jumps” this morning from their Venetian theater to new quarters at the Monte Carlo. Even before their first performance there tonight, the men in blue are celebrating the new production. Blue Man Group, trained by members of the Red Bull Air Force, at 10 a.m. will take a daring 7,000-foot-high leap above the Strip and glide to Earth landing (hopefully) on the hotel’s front driveway. Founders Chris ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Lawyers ruffling feathers of Las Vegas showbiz scene
Three legal showbiz gossip stories are stirring up lawyers and their court briefs as dramas and depositions unfold. 1) Superstar Cher’s heavy-handed legal eagles at Sony Pictures Screen Gems, which produced her film “Burlesque” last year, have ordered “iCandy Burlesque” producers at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile to “cease and desist,” saying the show is a “complete infringement of its intellectual property.” Last time I checked, burlesque started in the 1860s and remained popular through several decades, including its revival today ... Read more...
Photos: Mraz, Perri offer excitable, easygoing music at Red Rock Resort
By Mark Adams With his music in mind, Jason Mraz’s Sunday night show at Red Rock Resort was exactly what you’d expect from the Grammy-winning recording artist. His fun-loving tracks translated into a mellow and relaxed vibe, and his musicianship was awe-inspiring. Sunday night’s performance was the last leg of the singer-songwriter’s “Tour Is a Four Letter Word” national tour in support of his latest album Love Is a Four Letter Word. Serving as the tour’s opener was rising star ... Read more...
Sorting out impact of Frankie Moreno on ‘DWTS’ a delicate dance
By John Katsilometes LOS ANGELES — Last night we spoke of adventure in a restaurant that might not appear so adventurous: Cheesecake Factory. This was the Cheesecake Factory in the Grove, the retail and entertainment expanse in the city’s historical Farmer’s Market. It’s quite similar to Cheesecake Factory outposts at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace, Boca Park in Summerlin and the District in Green Valley Ranch. Except, at Cheesecake Factory at the Grove, animated water fountains dance near the ... Read more...
F&W All-Stars Day 3: Bellagio transforms into farm; brunch at Jasmine
It was as if MGM Resorts magicians Criss Angel and David Copperfield had pulled off the ultimate illusion when the five-diamond luxury Bellagio suddenly became a farmhouse. Well, at least its Grand Patio. The transformation into a farmhouse setting was to showcase “Four Farms, Three Chefs, Two Brothers and One Table.” Sensi executive chef Royden Ellamar and Zolo executive chef Brett Smith created a magnificent meal using seasonal ingredients from their favorite farms. It was an opportunity to show gourmet ... Read more...
Exclusive: ‘Loberace,’ Christmas show start of CeeLo’s Strip conquest
Superstar CeeLo Green plans to conquer the Strip with a longer run of his new show “Loberace” debuting in February and hopes it will develop into a full-blown entertainment experience that makes him a resident Las Vegas headliner. “I have taken on the name ‘Loberace’ not as theft but as an homage to someone whom I adored. I respect the bravery of entertainers and their contributions to creative culture. I just want to pick up that torch and carry it ... Read more...
Angel Porrino takes over Bo Peep in ‘Peepshow’ from Oct. 22-Dec. 2
Reality TV star and Las Vegas darling Holly Madison’s one-time assistant Angel Porrino, who also has graced the pages of Playboy, is about to step into her former boss’s high-heeled shoes as Bo Peep in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood. Angel, who starred with Holly in “Holly’s World,” starts Oct. 22 and will perform through Dec. 2. Rapper and actor Ice-T’s curvy and buxom wife Coco, aka Nicole Austin, takes over as Bo Peep starting Dec. 3 and continues through March, ... Read more...
On TV: ‘The Amazing Race,’ ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘Vegas’
It was a giant leap for the two Chippendales at the Rio dancers competing in the CBS smash “The Amazing Race” on Sunday night. A week ago, Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis were on the verge of being kicked off the show in its Season 21 premiere hovering one below last place. They started this week in last place but vaulted over other competitors to finish in 3rd. Our handsome hunks James and Jaymes were filmed in Indonesia where they ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Russell Brand, Bon Jovi, Julianne Hough, Pauly D, Nelly
Kardashian fans were on the search for Lamar Odom’s wife Khloe Kardashian-Odom at the Los Angeles Clippers game against the Denver Nuggets at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, but she was home waiting for her husband who today travels to Beijing and Shanghai for two preseason games against the Miami Heat. Lamar gave me a thumbs-up signal with his bandaged hand, but Khloe isn’t expected to make the seven-day trip with him. Chris Paul, who hosted the Baller’s Ball ... Read more...
F&W All-Stars Day 2 photos: Lunch of a lifetime; Bar Masa; Surfside Soiree
It was a multimillion-dollar lineup of superstar chef talent for the luncheon of a lifetime. Talk about a platinum powerhouse of culinary kings to create the meal to always remember. It was the unashamed, unabashed and exquisite highlight of the Third Annual Food & Wine All-Star Weekend festival. Foie gras is banned in California, but here it’s the absolute gourmet treat — and de rigeur. Chef Michael Mina excelled with his “brilliant brick” presentation of the delicacy and won raves ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: CeeLo says ‘Voice’ singers with him at Planet Hollywood
It’s a gift from Santa Claus for the contestants of NBC’s hit “The Voice.” Mentor judge and superstar singer CeeLo Green is planning to have 19 present and former winners and hopefuls from the show’s first three seasons at the Planet Hollywood taping of his Christmas special with Rod Stewart and the Muppets on Wednesday. He’s just signed Season 2 finalist Juliet Simms to a management contract, and his entire Season 3 team will be in the special, which promotes ... Read more...
Photos: ‘Crazy Girls’ at Riviera toasts 25 years and plans another 25
For a quarter of a century without interruption, “Crazy Girls” at the Riviera has bared their butts and breasts with exotic and erotic dance routines. Now producer Norbert Aleman says his updated show will run another 25 years and that one of our Strip’s most recognized statues also will stay put. To mark the anniversary, the lineup of “Crazy Girls” beauties held a pink-carpet celebration complete with a commemorative cake and an official proclamation naming it “Crazy Girls Day” last ... Read more...
Photos: Vinyl’s Mark OToole is L.V.’s foremost cancer-surviving singer
By John Katsilometes Mark OToole will never forget the moment he was told that he was afflicted with Stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The physician rendering that diagnosis asked him, “How do you feel about toupees?” OToole halted, processing the meaning of that question. Then he responded, “Screw that. I have a life. I have dogs to take care of. This is not going to happen.” Five years later, OToole is living that life. That he is singing the great American ... Read more...
Caine and Jones to toast joint 80th birthdays at ‘Power of Love’
It promises to be a legendary celebration and perhaps the most glittering gala ever in Las Vegas. Two showbiz giants — Oscar winner Sir Michael Caine and Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones — and two culinary kings, Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck, will share the “Power of Love” next April. Following last year’s knockout Muhammad Ali 70th birthday salute, this, too, will be an amazing televised fundraiser for our beloved charity Keep Memory Alive that supports the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Timberlake, ‘Royal Pains,’ Heigl, Longoria, Roth, Mars
Singer-songwriter and actor Justin Timberlake, who is about to wed actress Jessica Biel any moment now, crowned UNLV alumnus Ryan Moore the 2012 champion of his annual Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open today at TPC Summerlin. This year’s participants in the pro-am included George Lopez, Greg Maddux, Roland “Rollie” Fingers” and Rich “Goose” Goosage. While in town, George partied on the outdoor patio at Ghostbar in the Palms and is set to host the Nov. 17 roast of ... Read more...
Photos: Peter Gabriel’s ‘So Live’ stops at Planet Hollywood’s PH Live
By Don Chareunsy Legendary singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel brought his “So Live” tour to PH Live at Planet Hollywood on Friday night, and the original 1987 lineup was onstage with the acclaimed artist. Gabriel’s hit album was reissued Sept. 18 as a CD, special-edition 3-CD set and a super-deluxe box set. The five-time platinum-selling album debuted at No. 1, is Gabriel’s bestselling CD and includes the hits “Sledgehammer,” “Big Time,” “Red Rain,” the duet “Don’t Give Up” with Kate Bush and ... Read more...
F&W All-Stars Day 1 photos: Chefs dazzle foodies; who won ‘Iron Chef’?
For the third consecutive year, the culinary spectacular Food & Wine All-Star Weekend with Gail Simmons from “Top Chef” served up an all-star wave of celebrity chefs and master sommeliers. To prove it, the kitchen kings and queens even waded into the water at Mandalay Bay Beach for the kickoff. Food fans from as far away as Canada flew in for the extravaganza, and event attendees were wowed by our Las Vegas chefs who produced their best-ever show. No wonder ... Read more...
Photos: Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers party at Tao; Colin Hanks at Marquee
By Don Chareunsy L.A. Clippers star Chris Paul and his teammates tipped off the NBA pre-season in the Entertainment Capital of the World on Friday night at Tao in the Venetian. The entire team, including Paul, Lamar Odom, Grant Hill, Chauncey Billups, Matt Barnes and Blake Griffin, dined at the culinary hotspot Friday night. Odom started dinner by ordering a champagne toast for the group who took up two large tables in front of Tao’s larger-than-life Buddha in the main ... Read more...
Garth Brooks performs one-man show at the Wynn that includes everyone
By John Katsilometes It’s confession time: I was ready for Garth Brooks to tank. This was almost three years ago, December 2009, when Brooks showed up at a news conference at Wynn Las Vegas to describe the show he was bringing into Encore Theater. I wistfully remembered that moment this week, as Brooks announced he was leaving Las Vegas, ending his acoustic, one-man show at Encore Theater next month. Brooks performed one weekend a month for three years of what ... Read more...
Photos: Furthur calls to mind ghosts of Grateful Dead concerts past
By Jack Houston So what are Deadheads to do when it’s 2012 and the band they once worshiped has ceased to exist for the past 17 years? Go Furthur. On Thursday night, the most official and (lately) most uncanny representation of the Grateful Dead returned to the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel to wind its way through a set filled with Dead classics and a few choice covers. Whether or not Furthur, now in its third year of existence, ... Read more...
Photos: Cirque’s ‘Zarkana’ — unloading 65 trucks of spectacle at Aria
By Andrea Domanick The Zarkana Theater at Aria is so new that the blue paint on the aisle floors hasn’t dried, and production manager Robert Lemoine nearly slips as he walks down to survey the scene. Still, as Lemoine points out, it’s difficult to believe that just days ago, the former Viva Elvis Theater was empty. Barely a week into load-in — the last of the show’s 65 trucks arrived Thursday — a 52-ton tech grid dominates the stage, as ... Read more...
Downtown L.V. where Krylon artists mix with Gordie Brown, First Friday
By John Katsilometes A mass of travel journalists visited Las Vegas this week and made the Plaza its home base. These were members of the North American Travel Journalists Association, who spent three days canvassing the city, attending workshops and parties and taking tours of such attractions as the Mob Museum and Gold & Silver Pawn. They hit the Strip, too, dining at the new Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace and toured Henderson and Lake Las Vegas. I was invited ... Read more...
Photos: Holly Madison unveils 007 ‘Skyfall’ tuxedo at Planet Hollywood
By Don Chareunsy In honor of James Bond Day today, “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood star and blonde bombshell Holly Madison unveiled at Planet Hollywood in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace on Thursday the fabulous Tom Ford tuxedo worn by handsome actor Daniel Craig in the next James Bond film “Skyfall.” The tuxedo is now on display to the public at the restaurant. “Skyfall,” Craig’s third film as the British spy after 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2008’s “Quantum of Solace,” ... Read more...
Celebrity preview: Chris Paul, Jason Mraz, Garth Brooks, Food & Wine
It’s a Columbus Day holiday weekend, and back East the leaves are in peak fall foliage with festivals marking the changeover to chilly nights ahead. Here in the desert, we’ve still got bright, sunny and warm weather — but slightly cooler nights to enjoy the outdoors without scorching heat. That means more outside entertainment attractions as we get jackets and wraps ready. It was the week that country star Garth Brooks stunned us with the news that he’d reached the ... Read more...
This weekend, the improv is right for Drew Carey
By John Katsilometes It’s been far too long between interviews with Drew Carey. That is, if you consider nearly 14 years too long. Before this week, the most recent conversation I’ve had with Drew Carey for the purposes of publication was Jan. 15, 1999. It was to preview the first live performance of the “Whose Line Is It Anyway” improv show at the (gulp) Circus Maximus Showroom at Caesars Palace. It was the stage adaptation of Carey’s then-hit ABC show ... Read more...
Nobu Hotel, Cirque-Light Group club at Mandalay, Bagatelle, Hakkasan
Steel equipment and structures were loaded into place at the new Nobu Hotel and restaurant in Caesars Palace on Wednesday, and Shadow Bar was closed temporarily to facilitate the move and installation. The 181-room Nobu, his first, will welcome friends and family for the shakedown period starting Dec. 15. The official opening will be Feb. 4, but a few VIPs and high rollers will be there to check it out for New Year’s and the Consumer Electronics Show that follows. ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: Justin Timberlake, PGA part ways; NASCAR; ‘Vegas’
A few quick notes this Thursday in the Entertainment Capital of the World. Superstar singer and actor Justin Timberlake’s five-year deal with the Shriners Hospitals for Children celebrity golf tournament is not being renewed, and this week of appearances is his last as it switches over to solely a PGA Tour event next year. And thus why there’s no star-studded concert with his “Friends” this year. Our Las Vegas Motor Speedway is opening up Jan. 28-29 for NASCAR drivers and ... Read more...
N.Y.-N.Y.’s ‘Shades of Temptation’ includes ‘Crazy Horse Paris’ dancers
It’s the book of erotica, bondage and sex fantasy adventures that’s become a mainstream bestseller. Now “Fifty Shades of Grey” from British author E.L. James has become the inspiration for British producer David King’s sassy new show opening next week at New York-New York in head-to-head competition with Cirque du Soleil’s racy, nearly decade-old “Zumanity” just steps away. “ ‘Shades of Temptation’ will be a smoldering European adult show inspired by the book and playing out the wildest fantasies of ... Read more...
Four-day foodie heaven with Food & Wine All-Stars, Taste of Tao
Foodies are in food heaven today and this weekend as four days of fabulous feasting proves yet again that Las Vegas is one of the top gourmet capitals of the culinary world. Food & Wine magazine queen Gail Simmons, also a “Top Chef” judge and critic, hosts an extraordinary collection of celebrity chefs, sophisticated sommeliers and mastermind mixologists at MGM Resorts properties — Mandalay Bay, Aria in CityCenter, Bellagio and MGM Grand — Friday through Sunday. Before her star-studded extravaganza ... Read more...
Photos: M.E.N.U.S. with chefs, Counting Crows, Jim Rogers at M Resort
By Don Chareunsy The Epicurean Charitable Foundation celebrated its 11th Annual M.E.N.U.S. scholarship fundraiser with Las Vegas star chefs and the Counting Crows with frontman Adam Duritz last Friday night at the M Resort. Philanthropic leader Jim Rogers was the honoree for his dedication to education and the community. The autumn weather was perfect at M Resort’s Villaggio Del Sol Pool and Entertainment Piazza, the site of the dine around and the concert by the Counting Crows. Duritz addressed a ... Read more...
Photos: Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers
By Don Chareunsy It was a historic day in MLB history Wednesday, something that hasn’t happened in 45 years, something only 14 other players have ever accomplished and a milestone that isn’t likely to occur again in our lifetime. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera became a Triple Crown winner; he ended baseball’s regular season leading the league with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. (Full disclosure: I learned exactly what a Triple Crown in baseball ... Read more...
Filming in Las Vegas: ‘Hangover Part III’ and De Niro and Douglas
It is going to be a Hollywood-style traffic jam of monumental proportions at center Strip for three weeks starting in the middle of this month and stretching into November. Vegas DeLuxe has learned exclusively that the cast and crew of “The Hangover Part III” will move to Caesars Palace after completing scenes in our nearby desert. At the same time, Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas will be headquartered at Caesars, with much of the crew at Aria in CityCenter, ... Read more...
Stratosphere show to have Lacey look; no takers for Jerry Lewis solo
By John Katsilometes A few items raked from the scene: • The new production at the Stratosphere starring Claire Sinclair, powered by a live band and replete with live dancers, owns some star power offstage, too. The show’s choreographer is “Dancing With the Stars” pro Lacey Schwimmer. A cast member of “Dancing With the Stars: Live in Las Vegas” at the Tropicana, Schwimmer might also design the costumes in the production. On Tuesday, she is to appear with Frankie Moreno ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: ‘Zarkana,’ Australian Bee Gees, Holly Madison, Garth
The last of the giant truck convoy along with cast and crew for the new Cirque du Soleil show “Zarkana” opening Nov. 1 at Aria in CityCenter arrives on the Strip on Thursday. It marks the end of the massive load-out at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and the long cross-country trek for more than 65 trucks. Be sure to check back for our report and photo gallery. 500 SHOWS: Congratulations to the Australian Bee Gees cast and crew ... Read more...
Photos: Holy previews, Batman! ‘Batman Live’ is at Thomas & Mack
Part of Las Vegas is transformed tonight into a 3-D Gotham City filled with our loved and legendary crime-fighting heroes and those wicked and unscrupulous villains. Pow! Bam! Holy warfare, Batman! Yes, Robin, dreadful, dangerous and diabolical! The Madhattan comic book characters and crafty combatants will only be around through Sunday. There are eight performances of the two-hour “Batman Live” at the Thomas & Mack Center as the famed world of DC Comics comes to life onstage for the first ... Read more...
‘DWTS’ photos: Joey Fatone says bye, bye, bye; is Bristol Palin next?
It was the first major shock and surprise of this all-star Season 15 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” and it arrived seven days ahead of predictions. Our Tropicana’s “Dancing With the Stars: Live in Las Vegas” hero Joey Fatone, who also has hosted “The Price is Right Live” at Bally’s, and pro partner Kym Johnson (who won Season 9 with Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond), were unexpectedly knocked out of Tuesday’s Week 2 results episode, even though Bristol Palin and ... Read more...
Secrets from inside Gordon Ramsay’s new gastropub at Caesars Palace
If you thought chef Gordon Ramsay delivered the ultimate knockout punch with his first Strip venue — Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris — think again. We’re revealing that his Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace is set to soft open Dec. 10 as the ultimate haymaker. Bold, brave, unique, extraordinarily sassy and sexy, the gastropub dazzles even during construction. With only nine weeks until the first diners, Vegas DeLuxe has learned some of its incredible secrets. We’re ... Read more...
After three years, Garth Brooks is departing the Wynn on Nov. 17
By John Katsilometes There is no plug to pull in Garth Brooks’ acoustic show at Encore Theater, but he’s packing the guitar and heading out of Vegas. Announced today is the final performance date for Brooks’ solo shows at the Wynn Las Vegas enclave: Nov. 17. In a statement, Brooks said: “”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wynn. Mr. Wynn told me that the Wynn audiences were some of the best in the world, and he was right. As ... Read more...
Star Surveillance: Timberlake, Rev Run, Jepsen, Grenier and DeLonge
Pop prince and actor Justin Timberlake has arrived for his annual Shriners Hospitals for Children Open charity golf tournament at TPC Summerlin and had dinner at Old Homestead Steakhouse in Caesars Palace on Monday night. He enjoyed Tignanello wine from Italy with his oysters, Kobe meatball and a 16-ounce signature bone-in filet. Five pals and he were there for three hours. On Sunday night, comedian George Lopez dined at Old Homestead with his fiance and two business colleagues sharing Dom ... Read more...
Strip Scribbles: ‘Crazy Horse Paris’ girls depart for France, Spain, U.K.
No sooner did the curtain come down Monday night on the final exotic “Crazy Horse Paris” show at MGM Grand than we learned that two of the dancers, Candy St. Louis and Crystal D’Arc, will join the parent company in the French capital; Nahia Vigarosa and Boa Angora have left for the Barcelona, Spain, production; Daisy Blu has joined the London show. Exclusive news! Five of the girls who moved here from the French company are staying put and will ... Read more...
Report: 2012 Electric Daisy Carnival drew $207 million to Clark County
By Andrea Domanick Insomniac, the organizers behind June’s Electric Daisy Carnival, says the three-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, brought in an estimated $207 million to the Clark County economy. That amount, part of an economic impact report released today by Beacon Economics LLC, marks a 52 percent increase from the $136 million estimated by Beacon to have been brought by the 2011 Electric Daisy Carnival. According to the report, the festival produced an estimated $13.1 million in tax ... Read more...
Photos: ‘Crazy Girls’ at Riviera toast 25 years; Longest Butt Lineup try
There are no ifs, ands — but plenty of butts. After nearly 17,000 shows, the topless temptresses of “Crazy Girls” at the Riviera celebrate their 25th anniversary Wednesday night. But the fun got underway today with an attempt to create the Longest Butt Lineup ever staged on the Strip. Call it a two-day festival of flesh! For more than two decades, the famous “Crazy Girls” pose in the bronze statue in front of the Riviera has been far more than ... Read more...
Photos: ‘America’s Got Talent’ at the Palazzo has gone to the Olate Dogs
Two weeks ago, they were the fiercest of competitors, each one trying to outshine the other for the $1 million grand prize. Today, they are new best friends, each supporting the other in “America’s Got Talent Live” at the Palazzo, and it’s winning them standing ovations and grand applause for proving that an old-fashioned Las Vegas variety show is alive and well on the Strip. Ed Sullivan would be jumping for joy in his grave that a show without singers ... Read more...
Paris Hilton’s L.V. trip with River Viiperi: ‘Love,’ XS, brawl, Goretorium
Paris Hilton spent an idyllic week in Hawaii surfing and sunning with her new 21-year-old male-model boyfriend River Viiperi before flying to Las Vegas to continue her “honeymoon-styled” holiday. But it ended this morning in an alleged brawl at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore when Las Vegas police were reportedly called to break up a fight. TMZ reported that a male clubgoer filed a complaint with Metro after he got into an argument with River over Paris and his own ... Read more...
Claire Sinclair signs on for new production at Stratosphere
By John Katsilometes One of the busiest Playboy Playmates and a Las Vegas favorite has been signed to a Las Vegas production show. Claire Sinclair, the 2010 October Playmate and 2011 Playmate of the Year, is to be a featured performer at the show replacing “Bite” at the Stratosphere early next year. “Bite” closes its seven-year run at the Stratosphere on Halloween, and the latest chatter is it is headed downtown to the Plaza. The new show planned for the ... Read more...
Photos: Linq is pinning live entertainment options on Brooklyn Bowl
By John Katsilometes You must see it to understand it. That is the mantra of Brooklyn Bowl: See it, get it. The name itself doesn’t quite tell the entire story of the dexterous entertainment venue. The “bowl” is not to indicate a giant stadium. It’s not the Rose Bowl, but games are played there. Nor is it a purely music enclave, one built especially and exclusively for concerts. It’s not the Hollywood Bowl. But it is a formidable live music ... Read more...
Stars shine at kickoff of 2012 Global Gaming Expo in L.V. today
Gaming industry professionals from around the world have arrived in Las Vegas for this year’s Global Gaming Expo, which began today and celebrates with a star-studded party tonight. While here, the delegates will explore industry innovations and get a first-hand look at the trends and ideas that are changing the business of gaming and shaping its future. The premier trade show and conferences for the global gaming entertainment industry continue through Thursday at Sands Expo and Convention Center at the ... Read more...
Criss Angel, David Copperfield to work together on children’s fundraiser
Two popular Strip headliner magicians have put any competition aside to team up in a partnership to benefit Las Vegas children this Christmas. This has the makings of a new Abbott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy, Smothers Brothers or Martin & Lewis! Magic circles are abuzz that Luxor headliner Criss Angel (Cirque du Soleil’s “Believe”) and MGM Grand headliner David Copperfield, who perform opposite each other on Las Vegas Boulevard, are likely to join forces. It’s still a mystery as ... Read more...
Las Vegas Philharmonic’s conduct is ‘unprecedented,’ David Itkin says
By John Katsilometes Whether directing an orchestra or imparting a point-of-view, David Itkin specializes in precision. Composed, cautious and conciliatory during a recent phone interview from his home city of Dallas, the outgoing music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra said he wanted to finish the full term of his final contract, which was to end with the 2013 season. Itkin also said he was not granted the same measure of artistic control over the philharmonic that conductors at ... Read more...
‘Amazing Race’ photos: Team Chippendales barely makes the cut
The two Chippendales dancers on CBS’ “The Amazing Race” competing on Sunday night’s Season 21 debut against 10 other teams came perilously close to being kicked off the premiere. Jaymes Vaughan and Jaymes Davis started off great rappelling down a 10-story L.A. skyscraper and being in the first group of seven teams to make the fastest flight to Shanghai. Among their competitors: twins from New York (Natalie and Nadiya), a rocker and an attorney (James and Abba) and the incredible ... Read more...
Photos: Justin Bieber believes in Titanic takeoff at MGM Grand concert
Pop prince Justin Bieber dazzled and wowed his teenybopper fans at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday night 24 hours after he’d been mysteriously KO’d four times onstage and offstage at the tour debut in Phoenix. “You would never have known he’d been ill just hours earlier,” one eyewitness told me. “He showed no signs of the stomach flu or problems that made him ill on the premiere of his new ‘Believe’ tour.” In Phoenix on Saturday, Justin twice left ... Read more...
Criss Angel survives 'the most dangerous and frightening thing I’ve ever done in my life'
For 10 nail-biting minutes, several thousand people stood in total silence and watched magician Criss Angel inch his way, blindfolded, across two steel beams swaying 50 feet in the air. This was no illusion for the “Believe” star. No tricks, nothing hidden, no sleight of hand or wizardry to divert attention. The "Mindfreak" star, who is shooting a new series of one-hour specials for Spike TV, was in full view of the audience members, who stopped shopping at the Fashion Show mall on the Strip.
'Priscilla' and 500 drag queen costumes bus across the desert for nine-week run at the Venetian
The journey on Interstate 15 across the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for the "Priscilla" musical touring company is as incredible an undertaking as the Australian outback drag-queen scripted adventure itself. The big, glitzy, colorful theatrical production complete with an on-stage cutaway bus takes nine trucks to transport — two of which are just for the wardrobe costumes and hair pieces! Cast and crew arrived Monday, and Tuesday morning, “Priscilla School” opened to teach hired Las Vegas locals how best to help the cast fast-change in and out of the myriad of outrageous outfits. "Priscilla Queen of the Desert — The Musical" opens for a one-night preview Tuesday night, and the full run premieres on Thursday at the Venetian.
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