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
Inside the New Playboy Club; Comedy Fest at Caesars; Eva Longoria's Fiancee Troubles
10/3/06
10/3/06
10/2/06
10/2/06
10/1/06
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
In This Issue:Go inside the new Playboy Club at the Palms, as well as Hef's
private Sky Villa.
The Vegas Grand Prix celebrates the upcoming racing series in
downtown Vegas. Get details about the
5-day Comedy Festival
coming to Caesars Palace in
Nov. Has 'Desperate
Housewives' star Eva Longoria broken up with
fiancee Tony
Parker?
It’s a 3-year-dream come true for Palms resort hotel tycoon George Maloof, but for his Playboy partners, Hugh Hefner and daughter Christie Hefner, it's a 25-year dream come true. (For the record, the last Playboy club closed back in 88 in Michigan and overseas in the Philippines in 91). But, Friday night at 7pm, Hef and George will pull a poolside switch at the Palms to illuminate a giant pink Playboy logo atop the Fantasy Tower of the $1-billion resort and at 10pm the first blackjack tables will open for business with Hef himself placing the first bet! He and George agree: “It’s a great union- the perfect fit and Vegas, Playboy and the Palms all benefit.”
George gave me an advance tour of the 3-story, rooftop high complex, coincidentally as university basketball coach of no-calm Bobby Knight toured the lower, Hardwood fantasy basketball suite!! That trademark Bunny logo is everywhere you look and the bunnies themselves will be wearing brand-new designer outfits by famed designer Roberto Cavalli that still feature the bowtie, cuffs and the rabbit-ears!
LEFT: Roberto Cavalli, who designed the new bunny outfits with Heff. RIGHT: Heff with his beauties.
“The concept of gaming in a nightclub built like an ultra lounge that has a cover charge was my dream 3-years ago” said George. “To do both is unique and it is the first time in Nevada’s 50-year-history of the Gaming Control Board overseeing all gaming thatit has been allowed. Gaming since the 40’s has been public and “open to all,” so there was never any form of discrimination about players. They wouldn’t have approved a secret private club or a private zoned place so they needed to see open designs from the very first moment. It actually took 6-months of designs until they got comfortable with the idea. Then I had to go to the State Legislature to have the laws changed. Finally we were approved in November 2004 and our Fantasy Tower was already under construction without us knowing what would actually go on the top.” In fact, last night, tonight, tomorrow and on the opening weekend, GCB officials are on hand to personally check everything and monitor the remote cameras they’ve also installed to ensure the new laws are observed and adhered to. The Playboy Club itself has a maximum of 500 people, so overflow guests waiting to enter from 8pm to 4am nightly will remain downstairs in the main resort lobby until they zoom up in a private elevator when space is available. Check out that collage of wallpaper featuring every centerfold of the last 25 years!
Views from inside the new Playboy Club, including the blackjack tables and the bar at NOVE.
It is visually stunning and at night, with the city’s sparkling lights on view through wall-to-wall windows, the Club is “awesome.” Hef’s familiar silk-robe, pipe-smoking image hangs as a portrait over a working fireplace and that rabbit logo is subtly impressed on everything from the carpet to glass dividers, cushion buttons and even on the nail heads! “Its sexy yet cozy,” said George, pointing out 20 Playboy themed video-poker/slot machines, 9 blackjack tables and the 1 roulette table in the two sunken gaming pits. The red and black lounge furniture is mock crocodile. “We have a Bunny Den which we might eventually use for poker. Wehave the Diamond bar, which dominates the far end and a 2nd Bunny Bar. We even put thegaming tables on hydraulics so we can raise or lower to give the club lounge feel of intimacy and flexibility,” said George. But he’s happiest of all about the 30 Playboy bunnies he’s hired as dealers.” I wanted the best. Not only the best in Vegas but the best anywhere," he said. "We’ve succeeded in having the most beautiful girls in the world. Not onehadever been a dealer before, so every one of them had to be trained to break into the business. When Hef opened the original Playboy Club in 1960 it redefined class and luxury in a way that set the standard for clubs all over the world for decades to come. Now we’ve taken the next logical step and updated the style and sophistication to cater to discriminating visitors who want the very best of the classic vibe that was created by Hef’s vision.” George told me that Hef himself supervised every last detail of the design, furnishing and fixtures.
The first two new Bunnies: LEFT: Lindsey Roeper. RIGHT: Denise Pernula.
Two bunnies already selected are Lindsey Roeper and Denise Pernula. Knowing both of them, I can truthfully say they are perfect choices to represent the new Playboy image in the 21st Century. Lindsey, just 22, trained for more than a month to become a dealer. Like Denise she agreed, “The new Bunny outfits are really cute, so we’re going to do real fine.” They’ll be using the new limited edition casino chips being made to commemorate the grand opening. As of tomorrow morning at 10am, the $5, $10, $25, $50 and $100 denominations can be purchased. They feature Playboy imagery including Hef circa 1953, the Dec 1953 centerfold shot of Marilyn Monroe when, before “playmate,” she was simply “sweetheart of the month," the real Holmby Hills 30-room mansion and his one-time Big Bunny private DC-9 jet!
Some of the new chips at the Playboy Club, commemorating the grand opening.
The Playboy Club itself is on the center level of the 3-floored extravaganza. First stop is NOVE (the Italian for N9NE, as its run by Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff’s N9NE Group -- operators of Rain and ghostbar in the original palms Tower) with a huge welcome bar and all-glass, mirrored open wrap-around walls. Chef Gino Bernardo, under the watchful eye of N9NE executive chef Barry Dakake (click here for his video tour of N9NE steakhouse at the Palms), have produced a sensational menu that has a mind-boggling selection of truly unique Italian specialties including The Big Sicilian, a near 2lb lobster priced at $150 and the double porterhouse Fiorentina steak listed at $84!!! The sunken 270-seat restaurant also features a secluded VIP dining area and an upstairs mezzanine half-level to host a total of 500. Sneak a look to see the amazing female bodies trimmed out of live green hedges!!!!!
Sky-high almost exterior escalators take guests between the 3 floors, and at the very top is LUNA (Italian for MOON). The 500-person nightclub is ribboned with shimmering crystals and, with its retractable roof that opens to the sky, is unlike any other dance-space in the world. It comes with open outdoor patio seating in pods of booths that make you feel you are sitting in the sky and looks down on the most amazing 270-degree view of the entire Strip from North to South. There are literally a million lights aglow at the top that have been built to turn blue or pink depending on the mood of the night. The Playboy bunny logo also lights up in the dance floor!
NOVE's Gino Bernardo and Barry Dakake, the sexy hedges, the double porterhouse, NOVE's wine cellar.
I also got the first sneak peek into Hugh Hefners 9,500 sq.ft., 4-bedroomed Sky Villa which is modeled after his famous Mansion in California. Hef and his current 3-pack of blonde girlfriends will be its first guests this weekend, but I can tell him in advance what to expect. The two-story floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide unparalleled views of Vegas. He personally selected an extensive collection of Playboy artwork for the walls and the indoor water, reflection pool and outdoor cantilevered Jacuzzi and an infinity pool (for topless bathing of course) jutting out of the main wall, make it a hedonistic heaven. It comes complete with a rotating circular bed, mirrored ceiling, media room music lounge, dining room, kitchen, plus a fully equipped gym with separate massage, sauna and steam rooms. Each of the bedrooms has a fireplace, Playboy magazine shoot photos of both Pamela Anderson, Marilyn Monroe and other nude-models decorate the welcome doors. Hef’s bedroom also features a large enough bathtub for 4!!! A personal glass elevator takes guests between the two floors of the world’s ultimate bachelor pad which, after he’s checked out, will be available for a mere $40,000 a night rental rate-making it the most expensive hotel suite in the world!
The bunny can be found everywhere, including the carpet. Playboy's past is also on display throughout.
The highlight for me of the amazing Playboy weekend will be serving as Master of Ceremonies on Saturday, just after high noon when my friend Hef will be honored with his own star on the Walk of Fame in the lobby of the hotel’s Brendan movie theaters complex. (Sylvestor Stallone and I already have ours there in place). Hef will be accompanied by his trio of blonde beauties from The Girls Next Door for the event and I promise to open the celebration champagne without spilling a drop.
George summed up as we ended our private tour, "I began thinking about all of this at the end of 2002. I really don’t like to look ahead beyond what's right in front of me and I have to focus on the here and now. But our 3rd Tower is already under construction for the Palms Place condos and we still have some acreage left to develop in our master plan. I’m thrilled my mother and brothers Joe, Gavin and Phil will be with me to celebrate this new milestone on Friday night. We don’t know if we’ll ever expand to be right on the Strip, because in our minds we’ve moved the Strip here and we aren't done yet. That’s a promise!”
GRAND PRIX PARTY
LEFT: Cedric "The Entertainer" & Frank Muniz. CENTER: Julio Cesar Chavez. RIGHT: Jason Priestley.
There was an all-star turnout of race-car enthusiasts when Vegas GrandPrix promoters hosted an event at our new World Market Center to announce the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The 15 event schedule -- as close as Phoenix but as far away as Surfers Paradise, Australia and Zhuhai in China -- kicks off right here April 6-8 in downtown Vegas, when even Fremont Street will be closed for the 160 mph race-cars! Our 3-day event will also feature concerts, a major boxing fight, and a top poker tournament and of course the race itself on a 2.4 mile, 14 turn course behind the barricaded streets. Ihad a wonderful reunion with long-ago friend, driver Danny Sullivan, who I haven’t seen since he moved to St. Tropez on the French Riviera, but who has now just returned to California. He’ll be driving in the vintage car race of the Grand Prix. Boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez attended and said, as a board member, it's his job to match up a great championship fight to coincide with the races. Cedric "The Entertainer" laughed that he’d like to fit behind the wheel and roar off at high-speed but said no race-car has yet been built for his svelte frame!!! Frankie Muniz of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ assured me he will be racing in the Vegas Grand Prix, but former 'Beverly Hills 90210' star Jason Priestley told me he wouldn’t be! He explained that during a race at Sparta, Kentucky in 2002 he hit the wall in the 2nd lap at 182 mph and almost died from the accident. "I was flat lined on the graph for about 90-secoinds and then suddenly a miracle and I came back to life,” he told me. Jason, Frankie and Cedric were all booked into the Fantasy Tower suites of the Palms for their stay here!!!
JANET GETS LUCKY
LEFT: Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree arrive at TAO. RIGHT: Janet with dad Joe Jackson.
It was a very lucky night at the Venetian gaming tables for Janet Jackson and her beau Jermaine Dupree. They reserved a table to play first-time craps. At 3.30am, Jermaine givesJanet the dice for her first-ever toss. He tells everybody crowded around that it's her first time and even allows Kevin Federline to buy in for a $1000 bet!! Lo and behold Janet threw the dice and everybody at the table won!! Talk about a bunch of people going crazy with their whooping and hollering! Janet and Jermaine stayed for 15 minutes more before moving onto play blackjack in a private salon. K-Fed continued playing craps but at another table. Inside the salon, a very merry Jeff Beacher, with five plates of food in front of him, had everybody including Paris Hilton laughing hysterically when he told everybody to look him up in Rolling Stone as the new Mr. Las Vegas!
COMEDY KINGS & QUEENS
Yours truly with superstar comedian Robin Williams, who will takepart in the Comedy Festival at Caesars.
Non-stop laughter is guaranteed around the clock for 5 full days when the 2nd consecutive Comedy Festival arrives at Caesars Palace November 14 thru 18. AOL joins HBO, TBS Vonage, Ford Mercury and Sierra Mist as sponsors, and the lineup of comedy stars includes the incredibly adored “Tourgasm” starring Dane Cook, a live version of MTV’s “Nick Cannon Presents Wild ‘N Out,” radio star Tom Joyner’s “Oh, Oh, Oh, Comedy Show” featuring Mike Epps, Mo’Nique, Damon Wayans, and Katt Williams, perennial 'D-list' celebrity comedienne Kathy Griffin, 'Sex and The City’s' Mario Cantone, the masters of edgy humor Dave Attell and Louis Black, an adults-only, late night special hosted by Bob Saget, special appearances by Joe Rogan and pals, Jamie Kennedy, and a landmark performance by the inimitable comedic legend Don Rickles. And of course the “Comic Relief”, charity fundraiser finale to benefit New Orleans rebuilding and Hurricane Katrina victims and starring founders Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.
SHATTERED LOVE
The 75x110-foot Maxim cover w/ Eva Longoria that was erected in the desert for Maxim's 100th issue.
Hollywood insider whispers grow louder that the long romance between 'Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria and her San Antonio Spurs basketball fiancee, Tony Parker has ended in a blowout, but then why weren’t the regular Vegas visitors showing that split at the MGM resort. In fact, she leapt onto him and with her legs wrapped tightly around her waist went piggyback riding through the lobby with pre-dawn casino players watching in amusement and disbelief. Word is that, after being lovey-dovey here, he flew right off to New York next day and got caught with another woman! Shattered Eva admits this week major problems in the relationship but doesn’t say their romance is over for good -- yet!!
STRIP SCRIBBLES
Poker prince David Williams and comedian Cedric “The Entertainer” enjoying Patron shots at their VIP table,while Sacramento Kings forward Kenny Thomas enjoyed the beats of guest DJ Robert Oleysyck at Tabu in MGM Grand. … Ournewest neighbor, actor Adrien Brody ('The Jacket,' 'The Pianist') was at FIX in Bellagio, sharing the news that his new home here makes him our city’s newest resident!
TONIGHT'S TIP
My longtime friend Neil Sedaka will tickle the ivories and sing his hits thru Sunday night at The Orleans and don’t be surprised if his close pal, 'American Idol' winner Clay Aiken, drops by. … Hysterically funny Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, who’ve been making us laugh together for 30-years, team up again, but this time for their last appearance at the Stardust before it closes next month. … TAO’s super chef Sam Hazen is the guest of another Venetian chef’s TV show on the Food Network this evening. Bam-man Emeril Lagasse kicks it up a notch to host his neighbor on tonight’s Asian Flavors show. Sam will prepare his famed Asian Buddha chicken, which just happens to be the 1 item I order every time I dine at TAO.
TOMORROW'S TEASE
My dinner with the Pope!!! I dine with the worlds #1 chef who has been hailed as such a culinary genius he’s called the food world’s Pope by every other chef. In an exclusive Luxe Life interview, Joel Robuchon with two restaurants at theMGM Grand reveals even he’s amazed at the incredible Vegas restaurant scene and our city’s top standards of quality exceed any other place on earth! We’ll also meet the Vegas chefs who proudly wound up in Gourmet magazine’s top 50 American culinary stars and their restaurants- the most of any other city.
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split-second we cookup the brand new Luxe
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Inside the New Playboy Club; Comedy Fest at Caesars; Eva Longoria's Fiancee Troubles
In This Issue:
It’s a 3-year-dream come true for Palms resort hotel tycoon George Maloof, but for his Playboy partners, Hugh Hefner and daughter Christie Hefner, it's a 25-year dream come true. (For the record, the last Playboy club closed back in 88 in Michigan and overseas in the Philippines in 91). But, Friday night at 7pm, Hef and George will pull a poolside switch at the Palms to illuminate a giant pink Playboy logo atop the Fantasy Tower of the $1-billion resort and at 10pm the first blackjack tables will open for business with Hef himself placing the first bet! He and George agree: “It’s a great union- the perfect fit and Vegas, Playboy and the Palms all benefit.”
George gave me an advance tour of the 3-story, rooftop high complex, coincidentally as university basketball coach of no-calm Bobby Knight toured the lower, Hardwood fantasy basketball suite!! That trademark Bunny logo is everywhere you look and the bunnies themselves will be wearing brand-new designer outfits by famed designer Roberto Cavalli that still feature the bowtie, cuffs and the rabbit-ears!
LEFT: Roberto Cavalli, who designed the new bunny outfits with Heff. RIGHT: Heff with his beauties.
“The concept of gaming in a nightclub built like an ultra lounge that has a cover charge was my dream 3-years ago” said George. “To do both is unique and it is the first time in Nevada’s 50-year-history of the Gaming Control Board overseeing all gaming thatit has been allowed. Gaming since the 40’s has been public and “open to all,” so there was never any form of discrimination about players. They wouldn’t have approved a secret private club or a private zoned place so they needed to see open designs from the very first moment. It actually took 6-months of designs until they got comfortable with the idea. Then I had to go to the State Legislature to have the laws changed. Finally we were approved in November 2004 and our Fantasy Tower was already under construction without us knowing what would actually go on the top.” In fact, last night, tonight, tomorrow and on the opening weekend, GCB officials are on hand to personally check everything and monitor the remote cameras they’ve also installed to ensure the new laws are observed and adhered to. The Playboy Club itself has a maximum of 500 people, so overflow guests waiting to enter from 8pm to 4am nightly will remain downstairs in the main resort lobby until they zoom up in a private elevator when space is available. Check out that collage of wallpaper featuring every centerfold of the last 25 years!
Views from inside the new Playboy Club, including the blackjack tables and the bar at NOVE.
It is visually stunning and at night, with the city’s sparkling lights on view through wall-to-wall windows, the Club is “awesome.” Hef’s familiar silk-robe, pipe-smoking image hangs as a portrait over a working fireplace and that rabbit logo is subtly impressed on everything from the carpet to glass dividers, cushion buttons and even on the nail heads! “Its sexy yet cozy,” said George, pointing out 20 Playboy themed video-poker/slot machines, 9 blackjack tables and the 1 roulette table in the two sunken gaming pits. The red and black lounge furniture is mock crocodile. “We have a Bunny Den which we might eventually use for poker. Wehave the Diamond bar, which dominates the far end and a 2nd Bunny Bar. We even put thegaming tables on hydraulics so we can raise or lower to give the club lounge feel of intimacy and flexibility,” said George. But he’s happiest of all about the 30 Playboy bunnies he’s hired as dealers.” I wanted the best. Not only the best in Vegas but the best anywhere," he said. "We’ve succeeded in having the most beautiful girls in the world. Not onehadever been a dealer before, so every one of them had to be trained to break into the business. When Hef opened the original Playboy Club in 1960 it redefined class and luxury in a way that set the standard for clubs all over the world for decades to come. Now we’ve taken the next logical step and updated the style and sophistication to cater to discriminating visitors who want the very best of the classic vibe that was created by Hef’s vision.” George told me that Hef himself supervised every last detail of the design, furnishing and fixtures.
The first two new Bunnies: LEFT: Lindsey Roeper. RIGHT: Denise Pernula.
Two bunnies already selected are Lindsey Roeper and Denise Pernula. Knowing both of them, I can truthfully say they are perfect choices to represent the new Playboy image in the 21st Century. Lindsey, just 22, trained for more than a month to become a dealer. Like Denise she agreed, “The new Bunny outfits are really cute, so we’re going to do real fine.” They’ll be using the new limited edition casino chips being made to commemorate the grand opening. As of tomorrow morning at 10am, the $5, $10, $25, $50 and $100 denominations can be purchased. They feature Playboy imagery including Hef circa 1953, the Dec 1953 centerfold shot of Marilyn Monroe when, before “playmate,” she was simply “sweetheart of the month," the real Holmby Hills 30-room mansion and his one-time Big Bunny private DC-9 jet!
Some of the new chips at the Playboy Club, commemorating the grand opening.
The Playboy Club itself is on the center level of the 3-floored extravaganza. First stop is NOVE (the Italian for N9NE, as its run by Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff’s N9NE Group -- operators of Rain and ghostbar in the original palms Tower) with a huge welcome bar and all-glass, mirrored open wrap-around walls. Chef Gino Bernardo, under the watchful eye of N9NE executive chef Barry Dakake (click here for his video tour of N9NE steakhouse at the Palms), have produced a sensational menu that has a mind-boggling selection of truly unique Italian specialties including The Big Sicilian, a near 2lb lobster priced at $150 and the double porterhouse Fiorentina steak listed at $84!!! The sunken 270-seat restaurant also features a secluded VIP dining area and an upstairs mezzanine half-level to host a total of 500. Sneak a look to see the amazing female bodies trimmed out of live green hedges!!!!!
Sky-high almost exterior escalators take guests between the 3 floors, and at the very top is LUNA (Italian for MOON). The 500-person nightclub is ribboned with shimmering crystals and, with its retractable roof that opens to the sky, is unlike any other dance-space in the world. It comes with open outdoor patio seating in pods of booths that make you feel you are sitting in the sky and looks down on the most amazing 270-degree view of the entire Strip from North to South. There are literally a million lights aglow at the top that have been built to turn blue or pink depending on the mood of the night. The Playboy bunny logo also lights up in the dance floor!
NOVE's Gino Bernardo and Barry Dakake, the sexy hedges, the double porterhouse, NOVE's wine cellar.
I also got the first sneak peek into Hugh Hefners 9,500 sq.ft., 4-bedroomed Sky Villa which is modeled after his famous Mansion in California. Hef and his current 3-pack of blonde girlfriends will be its first guests this weekend, but I can tell him in advance what to expect. The two-story floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide unparalleled views of Vegas. He personally selected an extensive collection of Playboy artwork for the walls and the indoor water, reflection pool and outdoor cantilevered Jacuzzi and an infinity pool (for topless bathing of course) jutting out of the main wall, make it a hedonistic heaven. It comes complete with a rotating circular bed, mirrored ceiling, media room music lounge, dining room, kitchen, plus a fully equipped gym with separate massage, sauna and steam rooms. Each of the bedrooms has a fireplace, Playboy magazine shoot photos of both Pamela Anderson, Marilyn Monroe and other nude-models decorate the welcome doors. Hef’s bedroom also features a large enough bathtub for 4!!! A personal glass elevator takes guests between the two floors of the world’s ultimate bachelor pad which, after he’s checked out, will be available for a mere $40,000 a night rental rate-making it the most expensive hotel suite in the world!
The bunny can be found everywhere, including the carpet. Playboy's past is also on display throughout.
The highlight for me of the amazing Playboy weekend will be serving as Master of Ceremonies on Saturday, just after high noon when my friend Hef will be honored with his own star on the Walk of Fame in the lobby of the hotel’s Brendan movie theaters complex. (Sylvestor Stallone and I already have ours there in place). Hef will be accompanied by his trio of blonde beauties from The Girls Next Door for the event and I promise to open the celebration champagne without spilling a drop.
George summed up as we ended our private tour, "I began thinking about all of this at the end of 2002. I really don’t like to look ahead beyond what's right in front of me and I have to focus on the here and now. But our 3rd Tower is already under construction for the Palms Place condos and we still have some acreage left to develop in our master plan. I’m thrilled my mother and brothers Joe, Gavin and Phil will be with me to celebrate this new milestone on Friday night. We don’t know if we’ll ever expand to be right on the Strip, because in our minds we’ve moved the Strip here and we aren't done yet. That’s a promise!”
GRAND PRIX PARTY
LEFT: Cedric "The Entertainer" & Frank Muniz. CENTER: Julio Cesar Chavez. RIGHT: Jason Priestley.
There was an all-star turnout of race-car enthusiasts when Vegas GrandPrix promoters hosted an event at our new World Market Center to announce the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The 15 event schedule -- as close as Phoenix but as far away as Surfers Paradise, Australia and Zhuhai in China -- kicks off right here April 6-8 in downtown Vegas, when even Fremont Street will be closed for the 160 mph race-cars! Our 3-day event will also feature concerts, a major boxing fight, and a top poker tournament and of course the race itself on a 2.4 mile, 14 turn course behind the barricaded streets. Ihad a wonderful reunion with long-ago friend, driver Danny Sullivan, who I haven’t seen since he moved to St. Tropez on the French Riviera, but who has now just returned to California. He’ll be driving in the vintage car race of the Grand Prix. Boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez attended and said, as a board member, it's his job to match up a great championship fight to coincide with the races. Cedric "The Entertainer" laughed that he’d like to fit behind the wheel and roar off at high-speed but said no race-car has yet been built for his svelte frame!!! Frankie Muniz of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ assured me he will be racing in the Vegas Grand Prix, but former 'Beverly Hills 90210' star Jason Priestley told me he wouldn’t be! He explained that during a race at Sparta, Kentucky in 2002 he hit the wall in the 2nd lap at 182 mph and almost died from the accident. "I was flat lined on the graph for about 90-secoinds and then suddenly a miracle and I came back to life,” he told me. Jason, Frankie and Cedric were all booked into the Fantasy Tower suites of the Palms for their stay here!!!
JANET GETS LUCKY
LEFT: Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree arrive at TAO. RIGHT: Janet with dad Joe Jackson.
It was a very lucky night at the Venetian gaming tables for Janet Jackson and her beau Jermaine Dupree. They reserved a table to play first-time craps. At 3.30am, Jermaine givesJanet the dice for her first-ever toss. He tells everybody crowded around that it's her first time and even allows Kevin Federline to buy in for a $1000 bet!! Lo and behold Janet threw the dice and everybody at the table won!! Talk about a bunch of people going crazy with their whooping and hollering! Janet and Jermaine stayed for 15 minutes more before moving onto play blackjack in a private salon. K-Fed continued playing craps but at another table. Inside the salon, a very merry Jeff Beacher, with five plates of food in front of him, had everybody including Paris Hilton laughing hysterically when he told everybody to look him up in Rolling Stone as the new Mr. Las Vegas!
COMEDY KINGS & QUEENS
Yours truly with superstar comedian Robin Williams, who will takepart in the Comedy Festival at Caesars.
Non-stop laughter is guaranteed around the clock for 5 full days when the 2nd consecutive Comedy Festival arrives at Caesars Palace November 14 thru 18. AOL joins HBO, TBS Vonage, Ford Mercury and Sierra Mist as sponsors, and the lineup of comedy stars includes the incredibly adored “Tourgasm” starring Dane Cook, a live version of MTV’s “Nick Cannon Presents Wild ‘N Out,” radio star Tom Joyner’s “Oh, Oh, Oh, Comedy Show” featuring Mike Epps, Mo’Nique, Damon Wayans, and Katt Williams, perennial 'D-list' celebrity comedienne Kathy Griffin, 'Sex and The City’s' Mario Cantone, the masters of edgy humor Dave Attell and Louis Black, an adults-only, late night special hosted by Bob Saget, special appearances by Joe Rogan and pals, Jamie Kennedy, and a landmark performance by the inimitable comedic legend Don Rickles. And of course the “Comic Relief”, charity fundraiser finale to benefit New Orleans rebuilding and Hurricane Katrina victims and starring founders Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.
SHATTERED LOVE
The 75x110-foot Maxim cover w/ Eva Longoria that was erected in the desert for Maxim's 100th issue.
Hollywood insider whispers grow louder that the long romance between 'Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria and her San Antonio Spurs basketball fiancee, Tony Parker has ended in a blowout, but then why weren’t the regular Vegas visitors showing that split at the MGM resort. In fact, she leapt onto him and with her legs wrapped tightly around her waist went piggyback riding through the lobby with pre-dawn casino players watching in amusement and disbelief. Word is that, after being lovey-dovey here, he flew right off to New York next day and got caught with another woman! Shattered Eva admits this week major problems in the relationship but doesn’t say their romance is over for good -- yet!!
STRIP SCRIBBLES
Poker prince David Williams and comedian Cedric “The Entertainer” enjoying Patron shots at their VIP table,while Sacramento Kings forward Kenny Thomas enjoyed the beats of guest DJ Robert Oleysyck at Tabu in MGM Grand. … Ournewest neighbor, actor Adrien Brody ('The Jacket,' 'The Pianist') was at FIX in Bellagio, sharing the news that his new home here makes him our city’s newest resident!
TONIGHT'S TIP
My longtime friend Neil Sedaka will tickle the ivories and sing his hits thru Sunday night at The Orleans and don’t be surprised if his close pal, 'American Idol' winner Clay Aiken, drops by. … Hysterically funny Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, who’ve been making us laugh together for 30-years, team up again, but this time for their last appearance at the Stardust before it closes next month. … TAO’s super chef Sam Hazen is the guest of another Venetian chef’s TV show on the Food Network this evening. Bam-man Emeril Lagasse kicks it up a notch to host his neighbor on tonight’s Asian Flavors show. Sam will prepare his famed Asian Buddha chicken, which just happens to be the 1 item I order every time I dine at TAO.
TOMORROW'S TEASE
My dinner with the Pope!!! I dine with the worlds #1 chef who has been hailed as such a culinary genius he’s called the food world’s Pope by every other chef. In an exclusive Luxe Life interview, Joel Robuchon with two restaurants at theMGM Grand reveals even he’s amazed at the incredible Vegas restaurant scene and our city’s top standards of quality exceed any other place on earth! We’ll also meet the Vegas chefs who proudly wound up in Gourmet magazine’s top 50 American culinary stars and their restaurants- the most of any other city.
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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 hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory ofattractions, shows and restaurants.
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