Rumors have Playboy Magazine executives in Las Vegas this weekend scouting the gorgeous gals of La Femme, the highly rated burlesque show at the MGM Grand, for a potential upcoming photo shoot. The girls of La Femme rotate from Las Vegas to Paris, where girls star in La Femme’s sister-show at the legendary Crazy Horse.

Capton’s Beverage Tracker continues to win over operators and owners alike. The latest success story is from Ham’s, a 25-location chain in the Mid-Atlantic region. "We were seeing a rising liquor cost trend in some of our high volume bar locations,” noted Ham’s Restaurants COO Steve Stern. “We knew that over pouring and free drinks were the primary problem. We needed a tool that would help us fix these problems. After installing Beverage Tracker, our liquor costs immediately dropped three to four points, which brought those locations back in line with our standards.

Congratulations to Steiner’s – A Nevada Style Pub for winning both of Las Vegas’ Best Happy Hour categories from CitySearch last week, one from the audience and one from the editors. Other awards taken home by Steiner’s included Best Beer Selection and Best Sports Bar.

While we’re handing out props, we wanted to give some special recognition to Bo “Bo-Town” Karlen, one of Vegas’ few remaining independent nightlife promoters. Karlen was honored at Body English (Hard Rock Hotel) last Sunday Night on the occasion of his 1 millionth flyer. While the majority of the city’s most successful promoters have been swallowed up in the corporate nightlife environment, Bo-town just keeps doing his thing.

Amazing Johnathan’s new Comedy Central special will be airing this weekend on Saturday at 10 p.m. Titled “Wrong on Every Level,” it will be re-aired several times afterward, so check out your local listings for more details.

Popular comedian Dave Chappelle has canceled his Thursday night performance at the 2nd annual Comedy Festival taking place in Las Vegas over the next week. Although no explanation was given for the cancellation, ticket holders will receive refunds.

The question gets asked all the time: “Who’s buying the residence condos being sold at multiple properties on and around the Las Vegas Strip?” At the W, which is expected to break ground in mid-2007, the answer seems to be, at least partly, high-profile athletes and sports stars. Denver Nuggets all-star forward Carmelo Anthony recently purchased a two-bedroom corner unit, as did Oakland Raiders defensive back Derrick Gibson and former major league fireballer Scott Erickson.

The incredible and incomparable Monti Rock III will be making a rare public appearance at the Forum Shops on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when he helps unveil the 2007 Spring/Summer collection for Jimmy Choo shoes. The disco-dancing diva will be introducing the new shoes with a bevy of fashion models. 

A new annual art auction will raise money for various local charities with the first ever Culture for a Cause art auction taking place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Red Rock Resort, Casino & Spa. The goal of the event is to contribute, cultivate and raise money exclusively for Las Vegas-based charitable organizations while revealing “the cultural side” of Las Vegas. The guest of honor for the event will be Las Vegas’ very own gin imbibing mayor, Oscar Goodman.

Serious shout-outs to SCORES Las Vegas for its official Papa Roach after party that took place last Saturday night. The club was packed from wall to wall with partygoers – enjoying the amazing new, clean taste of Xcellent Vodka – while breaking in the all-new SCORES Sky Lounge

Cirque du Soleil’s famous production, LOVE, celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles through their timeless, original recordings. The international cast of 60 channels a raw, youthful energy evoking the exuberant and irreverent spirit of The Beatles. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, The Beatles, LOVE will present a live in-studio performance at “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The show will airs at 11:35 p.m. on KVBC Channel 3 in Las Vegas. LOVE can also be experienced Thursday through Monday at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. at the LOVE Theatre in The Mirage.

The All-Star Weekend craziness officially began today when a collection of NBA players, legends and local Las Vegas personalities unveiled the 2007 All-Star game ballots and placed the first votes to see which stars will shine bright next February when the NBA All-Star game gets a Las Vegas facelift. Alongside hizzoner Oscar Goodman were former UNLV Running Rebels Shawn Marion and Greg -Anthony, NBA legend Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, Sacramento Kings big man Brad Miller and Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton.

Metropolitan Choppers LLC has created a The Sirens of TI Chopper, which was unveiled at Tangerine (Treasure Island) last Saturday night. The metal masterpiece is one of only 12 bikes that the company builds each year.

Bertolini’s in the Forum Shops mall wants to reward Christmas shoppers who purchase gift certificates for the casual Italian bistro for those on their shopping lists. For every $50 gift certificate purchased, the eatery will give the purchasee a $10 gift certificate. “This is our way of making gift-giving a little easier during the holiday season,” said general manager Brandon Bueltel.

An Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt wedding is the event that Hollywood and their million of fans have been waiting for. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Madame Tussauds in The Venetian will be creating the wedding in wax! In a chapel setting, Jolie will stand at the altar with long time beau Brad Pitt while superstar George Clooney serves as the best man. Jolie had been the most requested figure at Madame Tussauds since the museum unveiled Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

The Verandah at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas has announced it is now completely non-smoking. "We always permitted smoking in the Verandah's patio area, but accommodating nonsmokers next to smokers has been an increasingly difficult challenge during our busy times.  I am pleased to announce, as of today, we going entirely non-smoking," said Kari Koskela, Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas director of food and beverage.

Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza will be hosting its fourth annual Las Vegas Toys for Tots program from Nov. 25 through Dec. 16 at both locations where they will be collecting new, unwrapped toys. The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect the toys and distribute them as holiday gifts to children in need. “We are pleased to again partner with the Toys for Tots program and help families in need this holiday season,” said Sami Ladeki, founder of Ladeki Restaurant Group.

We wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to one of the Eye on Vegas’ most ardent supporters and friends, Dennis Haskins. The former “Saved by the Bell” star (he played Principal Belding, is currently in Detroit finishing up a film before returning to Los Angeles for his 56th birthday on Saturday night. Happy Birthday, Dennis, we can’t wait to see you in Vegas again sometime soon!

Nevada Magazine has awarded its First annual Entertainer of the Year award to master magician Lance Burton, who has headlined at the Monte Carlo Resort for over 10 years.

Our radar perked up last week when we heard rumors that The Mirage had forced the end of KISSU, a new promotion that was being hosted by veteran promoter Brandon Roque at the properties new high-end Japanese eatery, Japonais.  We reached out to Mirage president Scott Sibella, who responded, “We felt we already have great Monday business and decided to look at another night.” The Monday business he referred to is almost certainly JET Nightclub’s pumping Industry Mondays. An interesting connection exists because Roque was formerly employed by the Light Group, owner of JET Nightclub, “This decision was made by the hotel and we were not involved,” stated a representative of the Light Group, who continued, “We have a great relationship with Brandon.” No word on whether or not KISSU will be re-launched on another night.

On the serious DL … We just heard a rumor that hip hop superstar Jay-Z has plans to hold a late-night performance at Tao Nightclub on Saturday, Nov 18. While it’s no secret that the now un-retired Hova has plans for a seven-city tour promoting his new album “Kingdom Come,” the rumored Tao performance is by no means an official tour stop. We attempted to confirm the validity of the rumor with Tao boss Jason Strauss, who hardly denied the story, instead replying, “Who did you hear that from? No comment.” Our spies insist: sometime around 2 a.m. on Saturday, you will want to be at Tao.

Moments ago, we received a call from our sister publication, the L.A. Eye, with a breaking news exclusive that the Morgans Hotel Group/Hard Rock Hotel will be outsourcing management of The Joint. Reliable sources tell us that Austin, Texas-based Capital Sports & Entertainment is the frontrunner in the bidding, which essentially would give the chosen company control of the Rock’s on-site concert venue for the next two years. While CSE’s live music successes seem to be limited to the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the not-what-it-once-was Lollapalooza music festival, clients of the company include the venerable Lance Armstrong, Blues Traveler and motor sports star Melanie Troxel. You gotta figure CSE has more pull than its Web site would lead one to believe. Besides, it is an intimate concert venue at the Hard Rock Hotel where one would imagine it’s not too difficult to book acts. If the deal with CSE goes through, The Joint is likely looking at a $3 million facelift, which will include sky seats and a new sound system.

Don't forget to tell them "Eye" sent you.