Archives
October 2006
10/31/06
10/30/06
10/29/06
Celeb Halloween Pics: Dennis Rodman, Tera Patrick, Criss Angel, Amazing Jonathan, Gene Simmons, More
10/27/06
10/26/06
10/26/06
10/25/06
10/24/06
10/23/06
10/22/06
10/20/06
10/19/06
10/19/06
10/18/06
10/18/06
10/17/06
10/17/06
Basketball Bonanza: the Lakers, the Kings, the Maloofs and a $6K Burger -- LUXE LIFE SPECIAL EDITION
10/16/06
10/16/06
10/15/06
10/13/06
10/12/06
10/11/06
10/11/06
10/10/06
10/9/06
10/9/06
10/9/06
10/8/06
10/6/06
10/5/06
10/5/06
10/4/06
10/4/06
10/3/06
10/3/06
10/2/06
10/2/06
10/1/06
Mariah Carey vs. Janet Jackson; PURE vs TAO -- LUXE LIFE SPECIAL EDITION & PHOTO TOUR
Sunday, October 1, 2006
It was the clash of the titans. Two nightclubs battled it out with superstar ammunition to wrestle the title of #1. In one corner it was TAO at The Venetian, celebrating its 1st anniversary with an all-star celebrity turnout, led by Janet Jackson, making a very rare Vegas visit. In the other corner -- just 100 yards away on the Strip -- it was PURE at Caesars Palace, with diva-queen Mariah Carey. Dancing away in the middle of it all, oblivious to the clash-contest, was party-heiress Paris Hilton, who hit both hot spots! Even ring announcer Michael Buffer who told me, "Lets Get Ready for War,” agreed with my informal panel of nightclub experts: by the end of the near 48-hours of nonstop partying it was called a split decision with both clubs still running neck and neck in the top slot. Here are the highlights:
LEFT: Mariah Carey arrives at PURE. RIGHT: Janet Jackson arrives at TAO.
RED CARPET RECORD
Yours truly on the red carpet with a python, which got almost as much attention as all the superstars.
The longest ever red-carpet in the world was rolled out both nights for the 500ft walk from the front of The Venetian, as it snaked sidewalks, stairs, and escalators to reach the front door of the TAO. Snake being the operative word, because even I let a perilous python wrap itself around me, as did a number of other guests! Posing on the welcome-way!!
PARIS ROMANCE RUMBLINGS
Paris is rarely without her BlackBerry, whichshe was using frequently at TAO.
The rumors will fly about a new romance between Paris Hilton and tennis champion Andy Roddick. Gossip hounds and West Coast celebrity bloggers have already started asking if he’s the new man in her life? The handsome tennis tycoon and the Party Heiress may have looked like a perfect doubles, set and match way late after the TAO birthday bash, by stretching out on a VIP bed at the rival PURE nightclub drinking Grey Goose vodka and taking shots of Patron. They chatted non-stop from 3am onwards when the Paris posse arrived at PURE with Roddick and actor Nick Cannon in tow. However, 24 hours later, Paris admitted, “There’s no serious dating anybody at the moment. I’m flying fancy free and enjoying being single and solo. “ After two pecks on my cheek she said she’ll be back next weekend in Vegas for the VIP opening of Social House and her younger sister Nicky’s 23rd birthday party at PURE. And although tattooed drummer Travis Barker, who’s recently been romantically linked with her, will also be drumming at PURE, there’s no love-match for life. “It’s a time for me to have a lot of friends and not get tied down with somebody serious,” said Paris.
Paris Hilton shows off her moves at TAO. Does the Party Heiress ever sleep?
When does she ever sleep? I don’t know because the young blonde beauty just keeps on dancing as if it’s a tough workout session. She just dances nonstop; on the main floor, in her VIP booth, on the seats, even on the divider walls while she’s text-messaging back and forth with friends. For the record, despite the fact that fans and photogs hound her with frenzied flashing and autograph requests, she always remains nice, pleasant and unflustered, even when her purse and Blackberry got moved and were temporarily displaced before I spotted it under the champagne table!
BROOKE REUNION
Yours truly with longtime friend Brooke Shields.
I haven’t seen my longtime friend, actress Brooke Shields, in many a moon, so we literally leapt VIP booths to hug hello again. Despite the fact we were in the middle of a jam-packed disco, she pulled out her cell-phone to show me photos of her two kids. I askedher what she thought of Vegas and she laughed: “It's changed a lot since I lived here for the 2-years I was married to Andre!"
WARM WELCOMES
LEFT: Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree arrive. RIGHT: Janet hugs dad Joe Jackson.
Janet Jackson fueled a frenzy, arriving in a hooded-but-backless low cut black gown that reminded me of former diva queen Grace Jones. But longtime beau Jermaine Dupree, in red leather jacket, gave me a warm welcome hi-five, reminding Janet that he’d starred me in one of his recent music videos. While Paris chatted with Janet, TAO’s star chef Sam Hazen posed with Jermaine for my camera. I’d seen Janet’s dad Joe Jackson in another area of TAO earlier, and wondered why he wasn’t in their VIP booth. Fortunately, somebody dragged Joe and his family group in for a 10-minute huggy-kissy reunion before he went back to the other far-off section. I don’t know if it was more awkward for me observing in the adjoining seats, or for the two “estranged” members of the troubled family.
LEFT: Jermaine Dupree with TAO operating partner Jason Strauss. RIGHT: J.D. with TAO Chef Sam Hazen.
GOOD BOY
Yours truly with former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at TAO.
Normally he’s the center of the fracas, but I've got to hand it to former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for being the dean of decorum and the Earl of excellent behavior at the party. Even when he shook hands with me it came with a softer, kinder, gentler touch!! Earlier in the week Mike, who now lives at the Aladdin Hotel, had been out on the town partying with Whitney Houston’s former beau Bobby Brown, who wound up “staying the night” with the gaggle of gal pals they brought back to Mike’s suite!
BAD BOY
LEFT: Kevin Federline arrives at TAO. CENTER: K-Feds bodyguard getting rough. RIGHT: K-Fed afterwards.
Kevin Federline won the award as worst celebrity of the night by allowing his huge bodyguard to punch my friend, JillAnn Spaulding’s camera into her face. Subsequently Kevin himself apologized in a personal email, but the damage had been done. These are the 3 photos that JillAnn took split seconds before the ugly incident. Earlier, K-Fed elected not to walk the red-carpet and hid up on TAO’s upper restaurant level, surrounded by a bevy of brawn. Insiders say he was paid to pose for photos, so he went down to the front-door’s red-zone and several key photographers were invited up to get shots. JillAnn told me, "We were asked to come to take pictures of him. I got 2 walking shots and then, inexplicably, as I took the third, his bodyguard yelled at me to stop and next thing I knew was that he punched my camera right back into my forehead bruising my cheeks and eyes. "JillAnn was back on red-carpet duty the next night. “I felt like I was hit with a brick. There was absolutely no reason for his monstrous behavior,” she concluded. I personally think K-Fed was upset because he was so overshadowed by all the other stars that nobody was really paying him any superstar attention. For a rapper who denies riding wife Britney Spear’s coat-tails for his own success, it's double-talk because she shows up on the 'Crazy' track of his debut CD 'Playing with Fire' that premieres on October 31, with Britney herself hosting the Halloween launch shindig!
TAO EXPANDS
My longtime friends Mark Packer and Richard Wolfe, who own the amazing 3-story venue told me that they’ve decided to open the next TAO entertainment eating emporium in London first, and that Miami would probably follow. They’ve scrapped plans for a Bahamas outpost but have the TAO self-contained Caribbean island with resort facilities, hotel suites, and restaurant and club concept high on their agenda. They’ll also install a new concept in the new adjoining Venetian sister tower, The Palazzo, which will open fall of next year. "We never believed we would have this much success in Vegas,” said Mark. “It has been the best first year of anything I’ve ever done in my life. To us it's still unbelievable.”
BEHIND THE CURTAINS
More of Mariah during her party at PURE Saturday night, where she sent fans into a frenzy.
A strong security squad guarded diva-queen pop superstar Mariah Carey after she limo’d from her 2nd MGM Grand concert to the PURE nightclub. It was her first return visit since christening the club some 18-months ago. First, along with two girlfriends and the cast of her Emancipation tour in an entourage totaling 50, she camped out under the stars on the upper outdoor patio. Wearing a tight, short black dress, black boots and black sunglasses she sipped on Dom Perignon champagne. In order to get some privacy she moved down to PURE’s main VIP stage area where guards of the giant kind pulled the white curtains at 1.45am to hide her away from everybody. Eventually at 2.10am, the chanting chorus from fans and her own personal traveling DJ Suss exaltations finally persuaded her to make a 2-minute appearance akin to how the Queen of England appeared at Buckingham Palace! The partygoers erupted in a sea of cell-phone flashes and Mariah even glad-handed some of her faithful followers. She had manager Benny Medina bring me over to her daybed for a little tete-a-tete. She told me that she was loving Vegas and PURE, but wanted me to clear up the rumor that she’d been injured in a fall at her MGM suite. “I simply accidentally walked into a table leg while I was in business meetings with the Elizabeth Arden people,” she said. “I banged my leg and although it hurt for a while it didn’t interfere with my dancing or the shows. I have to be less clumsy next time,” she laughed. Pre-dawn she moved yet again to the club’s calmer Red Room for more DP champagne. At 3.30am she called it a night to travel onto Oakland for the next concert stop. Also there, excelling in the excitement, the newly crowned Mr. Olympia, as well as Denver Broncos' Jay Cutler and Champ Bailey.
GREAT GUESTS
TAO’s guest list was staggering, and in addition to those mentioned above the party also included amongst many others, 'Jackass' looney Steve O, gorgeous 'Grey’s Anatomy' beauty Katherine Heigl, 'Entourage's' oily Jeremy Piven, rapper L’il Jon, hip hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari, comedy king Jamie Foxx, who even did a pre-dawn mic-shoutout from the raised stage and a surprise late night drop in from disgraced NY baseball star Darryl Strawberry.
Its hard for me to remember such a star-studded invasion of Vegas all in one weekend -- it was certainly one for the record books and its quite amazing we’re still standing. The hard thing is understanding that next weekend we’ll do it all over again as our desert kingdom parties like no other place on earth. It just keeps on getting hotter and wilder.
And now for a bit of fun. Video was very forbidden at the parties, but our artists have put together these seemingly time-lapsed photos of Paris and now you can watch her non-stop dancing for yourself.
STILL TO COME
Luxe Life will be back again mid-Monday -- after some well-earned rest -- with the rest of the wild weekend’s excitement: Celine Dion and Quincy Jones team up for a new record, star chefs cook up a storm for charity asVegas is over-run with a record number of celebrities plus Smokey Robinson shares the teary emotional “final” concert by beloved Clint Holmes at Harrahs. We’ll see you then with even more up-close and personal fab-fotos of the TAO and PURE partying stars!
CONTACT US
You can
treat us to a feast of food or playboy pulchritude with an email to
robinsvegas@aol.com. To ensure you don’t miss one daily “”popout”
edition, click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up
top if you’d like to know the
split-second we bust loose with the brand new Luxe
Life.
Go to AOL Vegasfor 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 whenvisiting Vegas, besure 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.
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Mariah Carey vs. Janet Jackson; PURE vs TAO -- LUXE LIFE SPECIAL EDITION & PHOTO TOUR
It was the clash of the titans. Two nightclubs battled it out with superstar ammunition to wrestle the title of #1. In one corner it was TAO at The Venetian, celebrating its 1st anniversary with an all-star celebrity turnout, led by Janet Jackson, making a very rare Vegas visit. In the other corner -- just 100 yards away on the Strip -- it was PURE at Caesars Palace, with diva-queen Mariah Carey. Dancing away in the middle of it all, oblivious to the clash-contest, was party-heiress Paris Hilton, who hit both hot spots! Even ring announcer Michael Buffer who told me, "Lets Get Ready for War,” agreed with my informal panel of nightclub experts: by the end of the near 48-hours of nonstop partying it was called a split decision with both clubs still running neck and neck in the top slot. Here are the highlights:
LEFT: Mariah Carey arrives at PURE. RIGHT: Janet Jackson arrives at TAO.
RED CARPET RECORD
Yours truly on the red carpet with a python, which got almost as much attention as all the superstars.
The longest ever red-carpet in the world was rolled out both nights for the 500ft walk from the front of The Venetian, as it snaked sidewalks, stairs, and escalators to reach the front door of the TAO. Snake being the operative word, because even I let a perilous python wrap itself around me, as did a number of other guests! Posing on the welcome-way!!
PARIS ROMANCE RUMBLINGS
Paris is rarely without her BlackBerry, whichshe was using frequently at TAO.
The rumors will fly about a new romance between Paris Hilton and tennis champion Andy Roddick. Gossip hounds and West Coast celebrity bloggers have already started asking if he’s the new man in her life? The handsome tennis tycoon and the Party Heiress may have looked like a perfect doubles, set and match way late after the TAO birthday bash, by stretching out on a VIP bed at the rival PURE nightclub drinking Grey Goose vodka and taking shots of Patron. They chatted non-stop from 3am onwards when the Paris posse arrived at PURE with Roddick and actor Nick Cannon in tow. However, 24 hours later, Paris admitted, “There’s no serious dating anybody at the moment. I’m flying fancy free and enjoying being single and solo. “ After two pecks on my cheek she said she’ll be back next weekend in Vegas for the VIP opening of Social House and her younger sister Nicky’s 23rd birthday party at PURE. And although tattooed drummer Travis Barker, who’s recently been romantically linked with her, will also be drumming at PURE, there’s no love-match for life. “It’s a time for me to have a lot of friends and not get tied down with somebody serious,” said Paris.
Paris Hilton shows off her moves at TAO. Does the Party Heiress ever sleep?
When does she ever sleep? I don’t know because the young blonde beauty just keeps on dancing as if it’s a tough workout session. She just dances nonstop; on the main floor, in her VIP booth, on the seats, even on the divider walls while she’s text-messaging back and forth with friends. For the record, despite the fact that fans and photogs hound her with frenzied flashing and autograph requests, she always remains nice, pleasant and unflustered, even when her purse and Blackberry got moved and were temporarily displaced before I spotted it under the champagne table!
BROOKE REUNION
Yours truly with longtime friend Brooke Shields.
I haven’t seen my longtime friend, actress Brooke Shields, in many a moon, so we literally leapt VIP booths to hug hello again. Despite the fact we were in the middle of a jam-packed disco, she pulled out her cell-phone to show me photos of her two kids. I askedher what she thought of Vegas and she laughed: “It's changed a lot since I lived here for the 2-years I was married to Andre!"
WARM WELCOMES
LEFT: Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree arrive. RIGHT: Janet hugs dad Joe Jackson.
Janet Jackson fueled a frenzy, arriving in a hooded-but-backless low cut black gown that reminded me of former diva queen Grace Jones. But longtime beau Jermaine Dupree, in red leather jacket, gave me a warm welcome hi-five, reminding Janet that he’d starred me in one of his recent music videos. While Paris chatted with Janet, TAO’s star chef Sam Hazen posed with Jermaine for my camera. I’d seen Janet’s dad Joe Jackson in another area of TAO earlier, and wondered why he wasn’t in their VIP booth. Fortunately, somebody dragged Joe and his family group in for a 10-minute huggy-kissy reunion before he went back to the other far-off section. I don’t know if it was more awkward for me observing in the adjoining seats, or for the two “estranged” members of the troubled family.
LEFT: Jermaine Dupree with TAO operating partner Jason Strauss. RIGHT: J.D. with TAO Chef Sam Hazen.
GOOD BOY
Yours truly with former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at TAO.
Normally he’s the center of the fracas, but I've got to hand it to former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for being the dean of decorum and the Earl of excellent behavior at the party. Even when he shook hands with me it came with a softer, kinder, gentler touch!! Earlier in the week Mike, who now lives at the Aladdin Hotel, had been out on the town partying with Whitney Houston’s former beau Bobby Brown, who wound up “staying the night” with the gaggle of gal pals they brought back to Mike’s suite!
BAD BOY
LEFT: Kevin Federline arrives at TAO. CENTER: K-Feds bodyguard getting rough. RIGHT: K-Fed afterwards.
Kevin Federline won the award as worst celebrity of the night by allowing his huge bodyguard to punch my friend, JillAnn Spaulding’s camera into her face. Subsequently Kevin himself apologized in a personal email, but the damage had been done. These are the 3 photos that JillAnn took split seconds before the ugly incident. Earlier, K-Fed elected not to walk the red-carpet and hid up on TAO’s upper restaurant level, surrounded by a bevy of brawn. Insiders say he was paid to pose for photos, so he went down to the front-door’s red-zone and several key photographers were invited up to get shots. JillAnn told me, "We were asked to come to take pictures of him. I got 2 walking shots and then, inexplicably, as I took the third, his bodyguard yelled at me to stop and next thing I knew was that he punched my camera right back into my forehead bruising my cheeks and eyes. "JillAnn was back on red-carpet duty the next night. “I felt like I was hit with a brick. There was absolutely no reason for his monstrous behavior,” she concluded. I personally think K-Fed was upset because he was so overshadowed by all the other stars that nobody was really paying him any superstar attention. For a rapper who denies riding wife Britney Spear’s coat-tails for his own success, it's double-talk because she shows up on the 'Crazy' track of his debut CD 'Playing with Fire' that premieres on October 31, with Britney herself hosting the Halloween launch shindig!
TAO EXPANDS
My longtime friends Mark Packer and Richard Wolfe, who own the amazing 3-story venue told me that they’ve decided to open the next TAO entertainment eating emporium in London first, and that Miami would probably follow. They’ve scrapped plans for a Bahamas outpost but have the TAO self-contained Caribbean island with resort facilities, hotel suites, and restaurant and club concept high on their agenda. They’ll also install a new concept in the new adjoining Venetian sister tower, The Palazzo, which will open fall of next year. "We never believed we would have this much success in Vegas,” said Mark. “It has been the best first year of anything I’ve ever done in my life. To us it's still unbelievable.”
BEHIND THE CURTAINS
More of Mariah during her party at PURE Saturday night, where she sent fans into a frenzy.
A strong security squad guarded diva-queen pop superstar Mariah Carey after she limo’d from her 2nd MGM Grand concert to the PURE nightclub. It was her first return visit since christening the club some 18-months ago. First, along with two girlfriends and the cast of her Emancipation tour in an entourage totaling 50, she camped out under the stars on the upper outdoor patio. Wearing a tight, short black dress, black boots and black sunglasses she sipped on Dom Perignon champagne. In order to get some privacy she moved down to PURE’s main VIP stage area where guards of the giant kind pulled the white curtains at 1.45am to hide her away from everybody. Eventually at 2.10am, the chanting chorus from fans and her own personal traveling DJ Suss exaltations finally persuaded her to make a 2-minute appearance akin to how the Queen of England appeared at Buckingham Palace! The partygoers erupted in a sea of cell-phone flashes and Mariah even glad-handed some of her faithful followers. She had manager Benny Medina bring me over to her daybed for a little tete-a-tete. She told me that she was loving Vegas and PURE, but wanted me to clear up the rumor that she’d been injured in a fall at her MGM suite. “I simply accidentally walked into a table leg while I was in business meetings with the Elizabeth Arden people,” she said. “I banged my leg and although it hurt for a while it didn’t interfere with my dancing or the shows. I have to be less clumsy next time,” she laughed. Pre-dawn she moved yet again to the club’s calmer Red Room for more DP champagne. At 3.30am she called it a night to travel onto Oakland for the next concert stop. Also there, excelling in the excitement, the newly crowned Mr. Olympia, as well as Denver Broncos' Jay Cutler and Champ Bailey.
GREAT GUESTS
TAO’s guest list was staggering, and in addition to those mentioned above the party also included amongst many others, 'Jackass' looney Steve O, gorgeous 'Grey’s Anatomy' beauty Katherine Heigl, 'Entourage's' oily Jeremy Piven, rapper L’il Jon, hip hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari, comedy king Jamie Foxx, who even did a pre-dawn mic-shoutout from the raised stage and a surprise late night drop in from disgraced NY baseball star Darryl Strawberry.
Its hard for me to remember such a star-studded invasion of Vegas all in one weekend -- it was certainly one for the record books and its quite amazing we’re still standing. The hard thing is understanding that next weekend we’ll do it all over again as our desert kingdom parties like no other place on earth. It just keeps on getting hotter and wilder.
And now for a bit of fun. Video was very forbidden at the parties, but our artists have put together these seemingly time-lapsed photos of Paris and now you can watch her non-stop dancing for yourself.
STILL TO COME
Luxe Life will be back again mid-Monday -- after some well-earned rest -- with the rest of the wild weekend’s excitement: Celine Dion and Quincy Jones team up for a new record, star chefs cook up a storm for charity asVegas is over-run with a record number of celebrities plus Smokey Robinson shares the teary emotional “final” concert by beloved Clint Holmes at Harrahs. We’ll see you then with even more up-close and personal fab-fotos of the TAO and PURE partying stars!
CONTACT US
You can
treat us to a feast of food or playboy pulchritude with an email to
robinsvegas@aol.com. To ensure you don’t miss one daily “”popout”
edition, click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up
top if you’d like to know the
split-second we bust loose with the brand new Luxe
Life.Go to AOL Vegasfor 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 whenvisiting Vegas, besure 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 5:52:00 PM PDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
