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
More From the Diva/Club Wars; Is Janet Jackson Mad at Paris?; Plus, Clint Holmes' Tearful Farewell
10/2/06
10/1/06
Monday, October 2, 2006
In This Issue:More photos from the wild weekend battle between
Mariah Carey/PURE and
Janet Jackson/TAO.
Is Janet Jackson mad at Paris
Hilton? The
'American Idol' crew makes a last-minute stop in
Vegas.
Clint Holmes' tearful farewell included a
hug from Smokey and a duet with mom. The first ever
waterproof cookbook is unveiled at Signature Chefs event at
The Venetian.
AS PROMISED
Spot the real diva! 'Jackass' Steve O parties at TAO, while Mariah Carey celebrates at PURE.
Here’s more of our Luxe Life candid, up close photos of the celebrity constellation that collided this past weekend as TAO and PURE battled for the title crown of World’s #1 nightclub. (You can click here to look at our bonus weekend coverage posted yesterday). There’s no doubt that Janet Jackson is a reigning queen atop the charts. She’s now 40 and as the pix show, ‘looking great having lost 60 lbs the past year’! Her camp told me that she has still not spoken "word one" to Justin Timberlake about that “wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl a while back, which resulted in the largest Government FCC fines being ever levied against a TV network!!
Janet arrives, with father Joe, Paris w/ fans, Champ Bailey, Miri Ben-Ari performs, Lil Jon asks, "What!"
RUMOURS & INNUENDOS
People are asking if Janet Jackson stormed out of TAO en masse, with her 30-strong entourage, including Jermaine Jackson, split-seconds after Paris Hilton began singing her 'Stars are Blind' single -- peppering her intro with several 4-letter adjectives of the love word for the TAO crowd. The party was a salute to Janet’s new '20 Years Old' CD and guests wondered why Paris was given the house mic to talk and sing-along to her own record at 3am! … People are asking what Kevin Federline was doing up in the TAO skybox level with a group of “trashy looking party girls” at 3am! I was told by a reliable spy who watched them that “Britney better put a really tight leash on her husband, because this ain't the behavior of a man who’s wife just had their 2nd baby.”
STOP THE JET
En route by private plane from 'American Idol' auditions in Alabama, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson suddenly decided to drop in on Vegas instead of going straight home to Los Angeles. "Stop the jet,” they ordered impulsively, and showed up unexpectedly at Bellagio, hit the casino cage to get cash and then raced straight into LIGHT nightclub, where fans mobbed them for photos. Randy tried to push through the crowds to find singer Toni Braxton, who was dining next door at FIX restaurant, but gave up because of the crush. Despite Cowell’s caustic on-camera comments, he was Mr. Nice Guy at LIGHT! … And Jenna Elman was surprised by her husband, Bodhi, with a last-minute, surprise trip to Vegas at the weekend to celebrate her 35th birthday. At STACK restaurant at The Mirage, the couple dined on Miso Black Cod Lettuce Cups, Yellowtail Sashimi, and Crispy Organic Chicken before the actress and former ZZ Top "Legs Girl" was presented with a specially prepared sugar-free chocolate birthday cake. (She’s on a sugar-free diet.) The well-fed birthday couple then had front-row seats for Cirque du Soleil’s 'LOVE.'
SINGING STARS
Although Caesars headliner Celine Dion recorded with legendary producer Quincy Jones at the Palms recording studios for the first time, its got nothing to do with her 1st album in 4 years, due next year after her Strip run concludes. She and Quincy partnered for 'I Knew I Loved You,' a tribute song for Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who had the music, but no words, in the 1984 movie 'Once Upon a Time in America.' Hard to believe Celine’s last #1 chart-topper was back in 1998, but fans won’t have to wait to hear her newest. She duets with Tony Bennett on his just-released CD 'If I Ruled The World.' Perfect timing for his Hilton headlining gig October 20-21, with Celine in attendance!!! Meantime, just wondering if there’s future business afoot with Celine and manager-hubby Rene Angelli, because they dined with top Cirque de Soleil execs at Joel Robuchon’s exclusive expensive MGM restaurant, and we all know her show, which ends next year, was created by Cirque’s #1 rival and former partner, Franco Dragone!!! Maybe Celine’s planning to switch when she returns to performing after her self-Imposed year-long hiatus starting next year to have a 2nd baby?
CLINT’S TEARY FAREWELL
Clint Holmes says goodbye to his band for one last time during his final performance Saturday night.
It was one standing ovation after another as a teary-eyed audience -- including Smokey Robinson and impressionist Fred Travalena -- bid farewell to multi-talented Clint Holmes on his last headliner-show at Harrah's. Clint left the stage for his final number, lining up his beloved band and crew so he could sing “You Are So Beautiful' to them from the audience! Earlier, Harrah’s honcho Tom Jenkins presented Clint with an original cartoon-charcoal of his favorite entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. by famed artist Hirschberg. Said the hotel exec, “How lucky was Vegas that Clint decided to call it home. He will always be welcomed as part of the Harrah's family whenever he wants.” After nearly 2,000 performances, Clint was ending a 6-year-run in order to launch a musical version of his life with a London premiere before Broadway. (Click here for last Wednesday’s long exclusive interview with Clint about his future plans) During his final week, before turning his showroom over to Rita Rudner tonight, a host of Vegas entertainers dropped by, including comedy heavyweight George Wallace, Martin Nievera, the cast of Second City, The Las Vegas Tenors, the Mosaic vocal group, and magician Mac King. The fun highlight was when Clint did his last impression of Tom Jones and a group of women threw panties at him. “Now that’s a first in 40-years,” laughed Clint who also pulled his 91-year-old mom, Audrey, a former opera singer, from the audience to do a duet with him seated on the stage stairs. Clint also walked into the audience to introduce Smokey to everybody and the two charismatic singers hugged and cried emotionally. Clint has been the unofficial Vegas ambassador of goodwill for the past half-decade and at his farewell party later in Penazzi’s at Harrahs told me, “It was a real emotional night. I almost shed tears, but knew if I started I’d never stop, so I just managed to hold it together. Tomorrow it’ll hit me hard. It has been a wonderful run but time now to open a new chapter in my life.” I thought the most emotional highlight of the night was when a group of hotel employees -- reservationists, managers, ticket sellers, cocktail waitresses, dealers, housekeeping staff -- all filed in a group down the center aisle to wish him well on the next part of his journey. His class-act ended when he waved farewell to the audience and said simply, “See you down then road.”
Clint got flowers, a hug from Smokey Robinson, a chance to sing with his mom, and a gift from Harrah's honcho Tom Jenkins.
END OF AN ERA #2
Sunday also marked the closing of the Elvis-A-Rama Experience that had been open 7-days a week behind the Fashion Show Mall for years. The Elvis Presley estate has been taken over recently by NY mogul Robert X Sillerman, who is co-producing the official Presley life story as a new Vegas musical with Cirque du Soleil, for the 2010 opening of MGM’s giant project City Center complex, and accordingly imitators, tributes and other related un-licensed Presley businesses are being shuttered.
CHARITY CHEFS
LEFT: Chefs David Robins and John LeGrone. RIGHT: Annie Connors and her new water-proof cookbook.
The 9th Signature chefs event at The Venetian to raise funds for the March of Dimes’ fight to conquer birth-defects was voted the best dining event of the year. More than 30 of our top restaurant chefs dazzled with unique creation s and taste treats, including my favorite chefs David Robins and John LeGrone from Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant group, Luciano Pellegrino from Valentinos, Rick Moonen from rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Sam Hazen and Josh Thomsen from TAO, Tom Maloney from AquaKnox and Renato DePirro with 'Hell’s Kitchen' winner, chef Heather West from the Red Rock resort’s Terra Rossa restaurant. I chuckled out loud when Charlie Palmer’s Aureole chef, Annie Connors dropped the first copy of his brand new cookbook (coming out later this week) into a vase of water. “It’s the first ever waterproof cookbook that you can use in the kitchen while you cook. So, if it falls in the sink or sits on the stove you just can't damage it.”
STRIP-SCRIBBLES
Actor Geoffrey Rush backstage with the cast of Cirque du Soleil's 'LOVE.'
The stars are out and about everywhere you turn, so much so you wonder if anybody’s home in Hollywood! Barbara Walters lunched at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois restaurant in the Forum Shops of Caesars, before interviewing tennis legend Andre Agassi and wife Steffie Graf inside the PURE nightclub, of which he’s a major investor along with Celine Dion and Shaquille O’Neal.I hear the interview will air at the end of this week to coincide with his Grand Slam for Children charity events at MGM. … Tom Cruise took his “better half” Katie Holmes for dinner delicacies at SW, the Steve Wynn steakhouse. … Geoffrey Rush from 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' took his family to see 'LOVE' at the Mirage, and then visited the cast backstage. Also there, separately, was comedy heavyweight Drew Carey. Both stars coincidentally had separate dinners in FIX beforehand. … Brat Pack’s Anthony Michael Hall, currently starring in USA network’s 'Dead Zone' took not one, but three gorgeous girls to lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in Caesars Forum Shops. … Meanwhile, over at Wolfgang’s RIVA poolside restaurant at The Venetian, MTV’s Andy Milonakis and still gorgeous Brooke Shields lunched separately in the sunshine. … Rob Lowe getting poker tips from the pros and Shirley MacLaine stopping in for Celine Dion’s show at Caesars after some Forum Shops dining and shopping.
TONIGHT'S TIP
Comedy’s reigning queen Rita Rudner premieres her new showroom at Harrah's and we’ll be there as the curtain goes up at 8pm. Simultaneously, at 9pm, Clint who wrapped his 6-year run there two days ago will be at Casa di Amore for his official farewell celebration party!
TOMORROW'S TEASE
LEFT: Funnywoman Rita Rudner. RIGHT: Hugh Heffner with a couple of his beautiful friends.
Our exclusive candid interview with funny woman Rita Rudner. She talks about her 5-years of memories at NewYork NewYork and the nervous first night excitement of looking forward to a long run at her new Harrah's home. Later in the week our first sneak-peek photo-tour of Hugh Hefner’s new bunny hutch, his first new Playboy club in 25 years that will open at the Palms on Friday. Here’s a tempting and tantalizing advance look at the Playboy excitement.
CONTACT US
You can
joke with us and hop into our hutch with an email to
robinsvegas@aol.com. To
ensure you don’t miss our latest always up-to-the minute edition,
click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up
top if you’d like to know the
split-second we post 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 whenvisiting Vegas, besure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotelsuite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
robinsvegas at 11:47:00 AM PDT Blog about this entry |
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More From the Diva/Club Wars; Is Janet Jackson Mad at Paris?; Plus, Clint Holmes' Tearful Farewell
In This Issue:
AS PROMISED
Spot the real diva! 'Jackass' Steve O parties at TAO, while Mariah Carey celebrates at PURE.
Here’s more of our Luxe Life candid, up close photos of the celebrity constellation that collided this past weekend as TAO and PURE battled for the title crown of World’s #1 nightclub. (You can click here to look at our bonus weekend coverage posted yesterday). There’s no doubt that Janet Jackson is a reigning queen atop the charts. She’s now 40 and as the pix show, ‘looking great having lost 60 lbs the past year’! Her camp told me that she has still not spoken "word one" to Justin Timberlake about that “wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl a while back, which resulted in the largest Government FCC fines being ever levied against a TV network!!
Janet arrives, with father Joe, Paris w/ fans, Champ Bailey, Miri Ben-Ari performs, Lil Jon asks, "What!"
RUMOURS & INNUENDOS
People are asking if Janet Jackson stormed out of TAO en masse, with her 30-strong entourage, including Jermaine Jackson, split-seconds after Paris Hilton began singing her 'Stars are Blind' single -- peppering her intro with several 4-letter adjectives of the love word for the TAO crowd. The party was a salute to Janet’s new '20 Years Old' CD and guests wondered why Paris was given the house mic to talk and sing-along to her own record at 3am! … People are asking what Kevin Federline was doing up in the TAO skybox level with a group of “trashy looking party girls” at 3am! I was told by a reliable spy who watched them that “Britney better put a really tight leash on her husband, because this ain't the behavior of a man who’s wife just had their 2nd baby.”
STOP THE JET
En route by private plane from 'American Idol' auditions in Alabama, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson suddenly decided to drop in on Vegas instead of going straight home to Los Angeles. "Stop the jet,” they ordered impulsively, and showed up unexpectedly at Bellagio, hit the casino cage to get cash and then raced straight into LIGHT nightclub, where fans mobbed them for photos. Randy tried to push through the crowds to find singer Toni Braxton, who was dining next door at FIX restaurant, but gave up because of the crush. Despite Cowell’s caustic on-camera comments, he was Mr. Nice Guy at LIGHT! … And Jenna Elman was surprised by her husband, Bodhi, with a last-minute, surprise trip to Vegas at the weekend to celebrate her 35th birthday. At STACK restaurant at The Mirage, the couple dined on Miso Black Cod Lettuce Cups, Yellowtail Sashimi, and Crispy Organic Chicken before the actress and former ZZ Top "Legs Girl" was presented with a specially prepared sugar-free chocolate birthday cake. (She’s on a sugar-free diet.) The well-fed birthday couple then had front-row seats for Cirque du Soleil’s 'LOVE.'
SINGING STARS
Although Caesars headliner Celine Dion recorded with legendary producer Quincy Jones at the Palms recording studios for the first time, its got nothing to do with her 1st album in 4 years, due next year after her Strip run concludes. She and Quincy partnered for 'I Knew I Loved You,' a tribute song for Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who had the music, but no words, in the 1984 movie 'Once Upon a Time in America.' Hard to believe Celine’s last #1 chart-topper was back in 1998, but fans won’t have to wait to hear her newest. She duets with Tony Bennett on his just-released CD 'If I Ruled The World.' Perfect timing for his Hilton headlining gig October 20-21, with Celine in attendance!!! Meantime, just wondering if there’s future business afoot with Celine and manager-hubby Rene Angelli, because they dined with top Cirque de Soleil execs at Joel Robuchon’s exclusive expensive MGM restaurant, and we all know her show, which ends next year, was created by Cirque’s #1 rival and former partner, Franco Dragone!!! Maybe Celine’s planning to switch when she returns to performing after her self-Imposed year-long hiatus starting next year to have a 2nd baby?
CLINT’S TEARY FAREWELL
Clint Holmes says goodbye to his band for one last time during his final performance Saturday night.
It was one standing ovation after another as a teary-eyed audience -- including Smokey Robinson and impressionist Fred Travalena -- bid farewell to multi-talented Clint Holmes on his last headliner-show at Harrah's. Clint left the stage for his final number, lining up his beloved band and crew so he could sing “You Are So Beautiful' to them from the audience! Earlier, Harrah’s honcho Tom Jenkins presented Clint with an original cartoon-charcoal of his favorite entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. by famed artist Hirschberg. Said the hotel exec, “How lucky was Vegas that Clint decided to call it home. He will always be welcomed as part of the Harrah's family whenever he wants.” After nearly 2,000 performances, Clint was ending a 6-year-run in order to launch a musical version of his life with a London premiere before Broadway. (Click here for last Wednesday’s long exclusive interview with Clint about his future plans) During his final week, before turning his showroom over to Rita Rudner tonight, a host of Vegas entertainers dropped by, including comedy heavyweight George Wallace, Martin Nievera, the cast of Second City, The Las Vegas Tenors, the Mosaic vocal group, and magician Mac King. The fun highlight was when Clint did his last impression of Tom Jones and a group of women threw panties at him. “Now that’s a first in 40-years,” laughed Clint who also pulled his 91-year-old mom, Audrey, a former opera singer, from the audience to do a duet with him seated on the stage stairs. Clint also walked into the audience to introduce Smokey to everybody and the two charismatic singers hugged and cried emotionally. Clint has been the unofficial Vegas ambassador of goodwill for the past half-decade and at his farewell party later in Penazzi’s at Harrahs told me, “It was a real emotional night. I almost shed tears, but knew if I started I’d never stop, so I just managed to hold it together. Tomorrow it’ll hit me hard. It has been a wonderful run but time now to open a new chapter in my life.” I thought the most emotional highlight of the night was when a group of hotel employees -- reservationists, managers, ticket sellers, cocktail waitresses, dealers, housekeeping staff -- all filed in a group down the center aisle to wish him well on the next part of his journey. His class-act ended when he waved farewell to the audience and said simply, “See you down then road.”
Clint got flowers, a hug from Smokey Robinson, a chance to sing with his mom, and a gift from Harrah's honcho Tom Jenkins.
END OF AN ERA #2
Sunday also marked the closing of the Elvis-A-Rama Experience that had been open 7-days a week behind the Fashion Show Mall for years. The Elvis Presley estate has been taken over recently by NY mogul Robert X Sillerman, who is co-producing the official Presley life story as a new Vegas musical with Cirque du Soleil, for the 2010 opening of MGM’s giant project City Center complex, and accordingly imitators, tributes and other related un-licensed Presley businesses are being shuttered.
CHARITY CHEFS
LEFT: Chefs David Robins and John LeGrone. RIGHT: Annie Connors and her new water-proof cookbook.
The 9th Signature chefs event at The Venetian to raise funds for the March of Dimes’ fight to conquer birth-defects was voted the best dining event of the year. More than 30 of our top restaurant chefs dazzled with unique creation s and taste treats, including my favorite chefs David Robins and John LeGrone from Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant group, Luciano Pellegrino from Valentinos, Rick Moonen from rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Sam Hazen and Josh Thomsen from TAO, Tom Maloney from AquaKnox and Renato DePirro with 'Hell’s Kitchen' winner, chef Heather West from the Red Rock resort’s Terra Rossa restaurant. I chuckled out loud when Charlie Palmer’s Aureole chef, Annie Connors dropped the first copy of his brand new cookbook (coming out later this week) into a vase of water. “It’s the first ever waterproof cookbook that you can use in the kitchen while you cook. So, if it falls in the sink or sits on the stove you just can't damage it.”
STRIP-SCRIBBLES
Actor Geoffrey Rush backstage with the cast of Cirque du Soleil's 'LOVE.'
The stars are out and about everywhere you turn, so much so you wonder if anybody’s home in Hollywood! Barbara Walters lunched at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois restaurant in the Forum Shops of Caesars, before interviewing tennis legend Andre Agassi and wife Steffie Graf inside the PURE nightclub, of which he’s a major investor along with Celine Dion and Shaquille O’Neal.I hear the interview will air at the end of this week to coincide with his Grand Slam for Children charity events at MGM. … Tom Cruise took his “better half” Katie Holmes for dinner delicacies at SW, the Steve Wynn steakhouse. … Geoffrey Rush from 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' took his family to see 'LOVE' at the Mirage, and then visited the cast backstage. Also there, separately, was comedy heavyweight Drew Carey. Both stars coincidentally had separate dinners in FIX beforehand. … Brat Pack’s Anthony Michael Hall, currently starring in USA network’s 'Dead Zone' took not one, but three gorgeous girls to lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in Caesars Forum Shops. … Meanwhile, over at Wolfgang’s RIVA poolside restaurant at The Venetian, MTV’s Andy Milonakis and still gorgeous Brooke Shields lunched separately in the sunshine. … Rob Lowe getting poker tips from the pros and Shirley MacLaine stopping in for Celine Dion’s show at Caesars after some Forum Shops dining and shopping.
TONIGHT'S TIP
Comedy’s reigning queen Rita Rudner premieres her new showroom at Harrah's and we’ll be there as the curtain goes up at 8pm. Simultaneously, at 9pm, Clint who wrapped his 6-year run there two days ago will be at Casa di Amore for his official farewell celebration party!
TOMORROW'S TEASE
LEFT: Funnywoman Rita Rudner. RIGHT: Hugh Heffner with a couple of his beautiful friends.
Our exclusive candid interview with funny woman Rita Rudner. She talks about her 5-years of memories at NewYork NewYork and the nervous first night excitement of looking forward to a long run at her new Harrah's home. Later in the week our first sneak-peek photo-tour of Hugh Hefner’s new bunny hutch, his first new Playboy club in 25 years that will open at the Palms on Friday. Here’s a tempting and tantalizing advance look at the Playboy excitement.
CONTACT US
You can
joke with us and hop into our hutch with an email to
robinsvegas@aol.com. To
ensure you don’t miss our latest always up-to-the minute edition,
click
here or at the 'Alert Me' up
top if you’d like to know the
split-second we post 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 whenvisiting Vegas, besure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotelsuite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
robinsvegas at 11:47:00 AM PDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
