Archives
June 2006
6/30/06
Beatlemania Is Back: The Beatles 'Love' by Cirque du Soleil Opens With Galaxy of Stars -- NEW PHOTOS
6/29/06
6/28/06
6/27/06
6/26/06
6/23/06
6/22/06
6/21/06
Elvis Returns and So Does Shaq, Plus Reba's Special Recording and the Sexy X Girls
6/20/06
6/19/06
6/16/06
6/15/06
6/14/06
6/13/06
6/12/06
6/12/06
6/9/06
6/9/06
6/8/06
6/7/06
6/6/06
6/5/06
6/5/06
6/2/06
6/1/06
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Elvis may well have “left the building ” but he’s back in
the lobby of his old stomping ground. In what is being kept a closely-guarded
secret until the very last moment today at a velvet curtain will drop to reveal a bronze statue of the world’s
most famous rock and roll singer! It's a repolished, re-treated and re-modified
bronze of the late entertainer that originally went on display on September 8,1978 with his father, Vernon, and his former wife Priscilla proclaiming the life-sized replica “ looks very
much like him”. For history buffs, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Goulet and Rick Nelson
were also on hand for that unveiling of the statue which had been made by Los
Angeles sculptor Carl Romanelli - and was insured
30-years ago for a staggering $150,000. The statue was removed two years ago,
when new Hilton owners began a massive refurbishing of the property, sent away
to be cleaned in an upgrade – and then stored in secure secret storage to avoid
theft or damage. Security guards will make the final transfer of the statue
early today for the afternoon ceremony. Elvis had performed for seven years
at the property and every one of his runs there were sold out within 24 hours
of the box-office opening. I have used his former palatial penthouse suite
that’s still at the Hilton twice over the years for TV shows – and it was
certainly the forerunner and model of today’s extra extravagant supersuites.
Elvis Aaron Presley born January 8, 1935 and died at Graceland
on August 16,1977 after
starring in 33 movies and selling over 1 billion records for 150 different
albums making him the biggest selling artist of all time.
REBA RECORDING
Today the Elvis showroom is home to
both Barry Manilow and Reba McEntire (pictured with Kenny Chesney) as the regular headliners. The country
queen hopped back and forth in-between her most recent Vegas appearances to Nashville
for a very special recording session and Luxe Life has the
exclusive photos! It’s for a tribute album to legendary Barbara Mandrell – and
Reba got good friend Kenny Chesney to join her for the album’s title track (and
Barbara’s signature song) ‘I was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.’
Reba says that Barbara was not only a valuable friend, but also an influential force in her own career. In fact it was Reba who welcomed Barbara onstage at last year’s 40th anniversary Academy of Country Music celebration to recognize her for achieving the ultimate progression of awards: Top New Female, Top Female, Entertainer of the Year in country’s Triple Crown award! Barbara went on to win the Entertainer of the Year award for two consecutive years.
Other artists who also recorded after Reba’s session included Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Lorrie Morgan and even Willie Nelson. The tribute album “She Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool “ will be released on Oct. 10 from BNA Records. Reba promises to have first copies available at the Hilton right after the release, which she will pen with her autograph! Country sure is cool -- and Vegas is proving it with more and more country acts appearing here on a regular basis.
Kenney Chesney, Barbara Mandrell and Reba in Nashville
KING OF THE COURT
No sooner did Shaquille O'Neal help grab the Miami Heat's first-ever championship win in the NBA finals last night in Dallas, than he confirmed he's on his way here to celebrate. He's set to arrive at The Palms over the next few days -- with several Heat players along for the fun. Resort owner George Maloof says the super suite is waiting for the superchamp - " complete with a 7'6" bed for the 7'-plus ball player. Shaq will be front and center next week also at the Brenden Theaters at The Palms when he'll be presented with a new star on the theater's Walk of Fame -- joining Sylvester Stallone, Nicholas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Cuba Goooding Jr. and even yours truly. Shaq heads from Miami to Los Angeles at the weekend and will then fly on to Vegas. He will also be a surprise guest at next week's 944 Magazine 1-year birthday splash that begins five days of the world's largest and longest party. It kicks off next Wednesday, June 28, and the biggest party Vegas has ever seen will not end until Sunday, July 2. Camp Freddy with Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum and Dave Navarro will be joined by special guest musician, Carlos Santana, for the Saturday night concert and fireworks poolside. The Blue Man Group will also entertain with a pre-midnight show.
An all-star list of Hollyywood celebrities including Paris & Nicky Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Carmen Electra, Dean Cain and Woody Harrelson have said they'll be attending the five-day blow-out. Shaq has also booked his Palms suite already for a return in February, for the NBA All-Star game!.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
It’s a major night of celebrations at the Monte Carlo
resort. Congratulations to master magician Lance Burton on his 10th birthday
show tonight as the hotel-casino also celebrates its first decade birthday!
(Click here for last Friday’s Luxe Life with all the show
photos and the illusionists’ interview) And to my friend, owner-chef Andre
Rochat celebrating his 10th year there with his award-winning French
restaurant. That’s also a triple crowning! Lance has three more years remaining
on his contract before renewal negotiations get underway. Its also Happy 15th
wedding anniversary to my ABC Radio producer pal, Al Mancini, who produces our
network radio version of Luxe Life every week here. He will
renew marriage vows with wife, Sue, to mark the crystal anniversary -- except
they’ve modified it to become a “fire & ice’ party.
X MARKS THE GHOST SPOT
They kept pouring the good spirits, but if there were evil spirits at the Palm’s rooftop lounge, ghostbar, they fled when the sultry sexy sassy steamy X-girls arrived. The Xotic Xciting show-dancers took over the DJ space to perform several Xstatic risqué routines from their nightly show at the V Theater in the Desert Passages of the Aladdin/ Planet Hollywood hotel.
Producers Angela Sampras and husband, Matt Stabile, lined-up the dangerous dancers on the open-roof deck for the ultimate view of Vegas by night for souvenir fan-photos with the crazed crowd who packed the club at its Gossip Tuesday event.
STRIP SCRIBBLES
Best wishes to my good friend, Kerry Simon, the Food Network’s 'Iron Chef' winner because tonight he opens a branch of his Hard Rock Simon Bar & Kitchen at the newly made-over Sofitel Hotel in LA, while nightclub king Rande Gerber opens his new Stone Rose Lounge alongside. Kerry’s hip, celeb-laden Simon/LA will serve hotel guests 24 hours daily and his restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with all the Vegas favorite foods featured. Kerry’s finally revealed the secret of his “always 21 youthful looks” in the breakfast menu where you can order his patented Veggie Cocktail with the juice of beet, carrot, celery, cucumber and spinach mixture.
Incidentally my other best-chef friend, Wolfgang Puck, has opened his new CUT restaurant up the street in the Beverly Wilshire and already it’s standing-room only with such celebrities as Pierce Brosnan, Scarlett Johanson (no not together) and Keanu Reeves with actress Claire Fortani (definitely together!). A sister CUT restaurant is under review by Wolf as one of his next Vegas restaurants -- possibly for the new Palazzo Resort set to open early 2008 and now under construction alongside its parent Venetian resort.
TONIGHTS TIP
The “first gentleman of jazz” Kenny G brings his soprano sax to the Hilton to show just why he is the biggest selling instrumental musician of our time. He’ll blow hot and cold tonight and tomorrow in two rare appearances. G whiz -- the G doesn’t stand for gold but he certainly has that midas touch!
TOMORROWS TEASE
The new Mr. Vegas, heavyweight comedy king Jeff Beacher, invites Luxe Life in on the auditions of two of his zany new Strip shows as he readies the fourth outrageous season of Beacher’s Madhouse at the Hard Rock plus Toni Braxton’s first talent call and we’ll see if the ‘Soprano’s’ are set to have our local hero Steve Schirripa back to the Sopranos as Bobby Bacala for its final rubout hit season.
CONTACT US
You can pitch us with laughs or tears with an email to robinsvegas@aol.com To ensure you don’t
miss one eye-popping talked-about edition, click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up top so we can ping your post the very moment we publish
the brand new Luxe Life.
Go to AOL Vegas for much more on hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightlife, and everything Las Vegas! Check our travel section for great deals on hotels, airfare and much more!; And when visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
robinsvegas at 3:49:00 PM PDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
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Elvis Returns and So Does Shaq, Plus Reba's Special Recording and the Sexy X Girls
Elvis may well have “left the building ” but he’s back in
the lobby of his old stomping ground. In what is being kept a closely-guarded
secret until the very last moment today at a velvet curtain will drop to reveal a bronze statue of the world’s
most famous rock and roll singer! It's a repolished, re-treated and re-modified
bronze of the late entertainer that originally went on display on September 8,1978 with his father, Vernon, and his former wife Priscilla proclaiming the life-sized replica “ looks very
much like him”. For history buffs, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Goulet and Rick Nelson
were also on hand for that unveiling of the statue which had been made by Los
Angeles sculptor Carl Romanelli - and was insured
30-years ago for a staggering $150,000. The statue was removed two years ago,
when new Hilton owners began a massive refurbishing of the property, sent away
to be cleaned in an upgrade – and then stored in secure secret storage to avoid
theft or damage. Security guards will make the final transfer of the statue
early today for the afternoon ceremony. Elvis had performed for seven years
at the property and every one of his runs there were sold out within 24 hours
of the box-office opening. I have used his former palatial penthouse suite
that’s still at the Hilton twice over the years for TV shows – and it was
certainly the forerunner and model of today’s extra extravagant supersuites.
Elvis Aaron Presley born January 8, 1935 and died at Graceland
on August 16,1977 after
starring in 33 movies and selling over 1 billion records for 150 different
albums making him the biggest selling artist of all time.
REBA RECORDING
Today the Elvis showroom is home to
both Barry Manilow and Reba McEntire (pictured with Kenny Chesney) as the regular headliners. The country
queen hopped back and forth in-between her most recent Vegas appearances to Nashville
for a very special recording session and Luxe Life has the
exclusive photos! It’s for a tribute album to legendary Barbara Mandrell – and
Reba got good friend Kenny Chesney to join her for the album’s title track (and
Barbara’s signature song) ‘I was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.’
Reba says that Barbara was not only a valuable friend, but also an influential force in her own career. In fact it was Reba who welcomed Barbara onstage at last year’s 40th anniversary Academy of Country Music celebration to recognize her for achieving the ultimate progression of awards: Top New Female, Top Female, Entertainer of the Year in country’s Triple Crown award! Barbara went on to win the Entertainer of the Year award for two consecutive years.
Other artists who also recorded after Reba’s session included Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Lorrie Morgan and even Willie Nelson. The tribute album “She Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool “ will be released on Oct. 10 from BNA Records. Reba promises to have first copies available at the Hilton right after the release, which she will pen with her autograph! Country sure is cool -- and Vegas is proving it with more and more country acts appearing here on a regular basis.
Kenney Chesney, Barbara Mandrell and Reba in Nashville
KING OF THE COURT
No sooner did Shaquille O'Neal help grab the Miami Heat's first-ever championship win in the NBA finals last night in Dallas, than he confirmed he's on his way here to celebrate. He's set to arrive at The Palms over the next few days -- with several Heat players along for the fun. Resort owner George Maloof says the super suite is waiting for the superchamp - " complete with a 7'6" bed for the 7'-plus ball player. Shaq will be front and center next week also at the Brenden Theaters at The Palms when he'll be presented with a new star on the theater's Walk of Fame -- joining Sylvester Stallone, Nicholas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Cuba Goooding Jr. and even yours truly. Shaq heads from Miami to Los Angeles at the weekend and will then fly on to Vegas. He will also be a surprise guest at next week's 944 Magazine 1-year birthday splash that begins five days of the world's largest and longest party. It kicks off next Wednesday, June 28, and the biggest party Vegas has ever seen will not end until Sunday, July 2. Camp Freddy with Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum and Dave Navarro will be joined by special guest musician, Carlos Santana, for the Saturday night concert and fireworks poolside. The Blue Man Group will also entertain with a pre-midnight show.
An all-star list of Hollyywood celebrities including Paris & Nicky Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Carmen Electra, Dean Cain and Woody Harrelson have said they'll be attending the five-day blow-out. Shaq has also booked his Palms suite already for a return in February, for the NBA All-Star game!.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
It’s a major night of celebrations at the Monte Carlo
resort. Congratulations to master magician Lance Burton on his 10th birthday
show tonight as the hotel-casino also celebrates its first decade birthday!
(Click here for last Friday’s Luxe Life with all the show
photos and the illusionists’ interview) And to my friend, owner-chef Andre
Rochat celebrating his 10th year there with his award-winning French
restaurant. That’s also a triple crowning! Lance has three more years remaining
on his contract before renewal negotiations get underway. Its also Happy 15th
wedding anniversary to my ABC Radio producer pal, Al Mancini, who produces our
network radio version of Luxe Life every week here. He will
renew marriage vows with wife, Sue, to mark the crystal anniversary -- except
they’ve modified it to become a “fire & ice’ party.
X MARKS THE GHOST SPOT
They kept pouring the good spirits, but if there were evil spirits at the Palm’s rooftop lounge, ghostbar, they fled when the sultry sexy sassy steamy X-girls arrived. The Xotic Xciting show-dancers took over the DJ space to perform several Xstatic risqué routines from their nightly show at the V Theater in the Desert Passages of the Aladdin/ Planet Hollywood hotel.
Producers Angela Sampras and husband, Matt Stabile, lined-up the dangerous dancers on the open-roof deck for the ultimate view of Vegas by night for souvenir fan-photos with the crazed crowd who packed the club at its Gossip Tuesday event.
STRIP SCRIBBLES
Best wishes to my good friend, Kerry Simon, the Food Network’s 'Iron Chef' winner because tonight he opens a branch of his Hard Rock Simon Bar & Kitchen at the newly made-over Sofitel Hotel in LA, while nightclub king Rande Gerber opens his new Stone Rose Lounge alongside. Kerry’s hip, celeb-laden Simon/LA will serve hotel guests 24 hours daily and his restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with all the Vegas favorite foods featured. Kerry’s finally revealed the secret of his “always 21 youthful looks” in the breakfast menu where you can order his patented Veggie Cocktail with the juice of beet, carrot, celery, cucumber and spinach mixture.
Incidentally my other best-chef friend, Wolfgang Puck, has opened his new CUT restaurant up the street in the Beverly Wilshire and already it’s standing-room only with such celebrities as Pierce Brosnan, Scarlett Johanson (no not together) and Keanu Reeves with actress Claire Fortani (definitely together!). A sister CUT restaurant is under review by Wolf as one of his next Vegas restaurants -- possibly for the new Palazzo Resort set to open early 2008 and now under construction alongside its parent Venetian resort.
TONIGHTS TIP
The “first gentleman of jazz” Kenny G brings his soprano sax to the Hilton to show just why he is the biggest selling instrumental musician of our time. He’ll blow hot and cold tonight and tomorrow in two rare appearances. G whiz -- the G doesn’t stand for gold but he certainly has that midas touch!
TOMORROWS TEASE
The new Mr. Vegas, heavyweight comedy king Jeff Beacher, invites Luxe Life in on the auditions of two of his zany new Strip shows as he readies the fourth outrageous season of Beacher’s Madhouse at the Hard Rock plus Toni Braxton’s first talent call and we’ll see if the ‘Soprano’s’ are set to have our local hero Steve Schirripa back to the Sopranos as Bobby Bacala for its final rubout hit season.
CONTACT US
You can pitch us with laughs or tears with an email to robinsvegas@aol.com To ensure you don’t
miss one eye-popping talked-about edition, click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up top so we can ping your post the very moment we publish
the brand new Luxe Life.
Go to AOL Vegas for much more on hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightlife, and everything Las Vegas! Check our travel section for great deals on hotels, airfare and much more!; And when visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
robinsvegas at 3:49:00 PM PDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
