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Makin' Those Rounds
CHEF MICHAEL GINOR once said about me "you never know who someone is going to become someday," and that tiny little truism, uttered when he didn't even know I was listening, has stuck with me. So imagine my surprise early Wednesday morning at Starbucks when I ran into one of my former employees from the Rio. No longer in his standard-issue, uncomfortable nylon bartending shirt, and me no longer in my liquor-spattered suit. There was a moment of recognition and respect before he took his coffee back to his office, and I went back to my laptop and tea, him in a fine suit, and me in all my pre-deadline glory: track pants, flip flops, sweater. If any two people had ever worn uncomfortable standard-issue lives in the pursuit of finding their niche, it was us two.
Celebrating her birthday Monday, October 9th at Jet Nightclub was Kirvin Doak's Kelly Frey and friends. AV with DJ/VJ Roonie G. attracted the crush of bodies one is accustomed to on Monday's Industry night. And then some! Roonie has just signed a one-year contract at the Taj Mahal, Atlantic City and will return to Vegas the Monday before Halloween with a very special edition of AV, splicing into his audiovisual remix performance scenes from all your favorite horror flicks! Check out the teaser video! Taking a breather by the DJ booth, I chatted up Circuit friend Genghis Cohen of Tabu fame, now a marketing and consulting guru to the Club Paradise/Rainbow Bar & Grill complex. Cohen hinted that among his projects in the works are plans to possibly do something new in the Miami nightlife market; it has also been whispered—though not by him—that he has projects simmering at Luxor and maybe MGM.
Empire Ballroom celebrated its one year anniversary on the Tuesday the 10th much the same way it celebrated its grand opening, with an elegant VIP cocktail party and later a wild 'n crazy live performance on stage. I stayed only halfway through Otherwise's set but it was long enough to hear and see that EB's new sound investments were, uh, sound investments! Michael Mina's newest restaurant StripSteak celebrated its grand opening Thursday night. Like any F&B event in Vegas, in addition to all the celebs like Andre Agassi and chef Todd English, there was bound to be an unofficial gathering of Cornell alumni. This one did nothing to disappoint what with Lindsay Gruenhut, Jade Bailey, Alex Koch, and Oliver Wharton all enjoying the wining, dining, and visiting StripSteak's Noah Ellis and Billy Guth, also alumni. Interim CHS social chairs Zach "I'm a younger, better looking, smaller, and less cancerous Churchill" Conine and I were also staking out the joint—pun sooooo intended—for a future event. And, yes, we all know where the rest of the evening went…don't we? That's right, after closing down StripSteak it was straight to Forty Deuce for the 1:30 a.m. burlesque show! Hot enough to melt even Paris Hilton's icy stare. Grrrowl!
Now you might want to sit down for this one. Friday, yet another uncharacteristically rainy night, I channeled my college self and played Beer Pong. Wait, I never played beer pong in college. Why not? Because the ball ends up on the frat house floor—or in this case in the bushes—more often than in the cup, especially if I'm playing. And then who wants to drink a beer with a dirty ping pong ball bobbing up and down in it anyway!? And don't give me that "Alcohol kills germs bit." So, did I do it? You bet. Did I win? Not even close. The Whiskey at Green Valley Ranch was hopping Saturday night. Not one of my usual haunts but it was interesting still to see how the club has held onto a loyal, spendy, well-dressed crowd even in the face of so much competition from the in-casino clubs, and general Strip-centricity of Vegas. Rock on GVR! Dropping temps did nothing to dissuade a good hundred or more people from gathering on The Whiskey's patio to enjoy a cigar or cocktail al fresco. But it did prompt the female bartenders to rub themselves against each other although loyal patrons tell me they like to do that there anyway. Well, now you know.
Think Sunday was a day of rest? I think not. Arriving at the MGM's opulent Sky Lofts for the birthday of Cirque du Soliel's Jessica Berlin I commented that the woman in front of me on the escalator was carrying a baby while I had a big bag of booze. Where is all this headed, I have to wonder. No time—I had the loft's elevator to ride! The infamous Nyman brothers arrived with sippy cups in hand and while we were all instructed to bring a bottle of liquor who's name begins with our first initial, all they could find was "Coke-a-Cola" and "Cups." I brought a foul concoction of passion fruit and vodka that tasted like my hairspray. But the name was "X-Rated" so I had little choice. By ten I was downtown at Beauty Bar for the sixth and final qualifier of the Drop Dead Gorgeous beauty pageant where actor/comedian Pete Giovine, whom you should remember from Beacher's Madhouse and before that on The Restaurant, did a kick-ass job of jumping on the mic to give host Toni James a proper intro and to show the contestants how to "work it." Think we stopped there? Nope. Quick stops at Light for NYC's DJ Cassidy and Tao for Deep Dish's Sharam confirmed that Sunday is Vegas' cultural exchange night with nightclub execs partying their faces off at everyone else's club but their own. Don't worry guys and gals, we're not talking. Hell, that's how it should be! Industry nights, afterhours, and any night their homebase club is closed should be neutral territory. Free the party people!
And now for the news…
People Are Saying…
A Full House…Jet Nightclub at the Mirage will ease into their new dedicated House night—mentioned last week in The Circuit—at first monthly, beginning with their Haunted Halloween party which will feature a top-notch lineup including Bad Boy Bill, Richard Vission, Donald Glaude and more. Another such event will follow in mid-November and again in December however immediately following New Year's, the event will morph into a weekly fixture on the nightlife circuit. But the real news is that Jet will be accomplishing all this with the help of a whole new lineup of very familiar faces. Josh Donaldson, most known for managing the talented Donald Glaude and for helping Ice Las Vegas to attract notable DJs to its decks, has signed on to work alongside Zee Zandi booking house DJs for Main Room events at Jet. Says Zandi, "I am ecstatic. I think there's so much to learn from him." Zee adds that as she and Josh gravitate towards different types of house music, the guests will feel the benefit of variety. Ice's Director of VIP Services Brian Klimaski has also signed on. In addition to his duties at Ice and Foundation Room, Klimaski will host the new dedicated house night aided by Ice promoters Mike Kramer and Sam Ng. "I'm really excited to be working with Andy Masi and the team at Jet," says Klimaski who has long wished to gather together the "old gang" from Ice. "Each event is unique for each venue—it's all the about the music, working with my friends, and taking care of the the same people that I always have for the last three years. Piece by piece, we're reuniting the team and it's all for the benefit of the venues!" Some additional players are still in discussion with Jet so there are plenty more exciting announcements coming in addition to the outrageous November headliners.
Atlantis Uncovered…Things are reportedly going swimmingly with construction of Pure Management Group's as-yet-unnamed nightclub at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, as reported in The Circuit in September. The 7,000 to 10,000 square foot nightclub is "still a couple of months out" says a source within PMG though we hear now that the club (which will definitely not be called Pure) will in fact be replacing the Atlantis' existing Dragons Nightclub. "Around the week of March 14th," says a another of our spies, this one from way out in the Bahamas. March 14th also marks the arrival of close to $1 Billion of Atlantis' new amenities including a 60-acre water park, an 11-acre dolphin lagoon, a hip new all-suite tower with adult-only pools (sounding familiar to you, Vegas?), and a new beach & pool ultra lounge courtesy of a well-known outfit from New York. "It's huge business down there (in the Bahamas)," says our source, estimating the Atlantis' F&B department to be raking in $220 Million per year, which puts it just under some of Vegas' best properties.
Light's New Blood…Last Sunday it was Steve "Kid Millionaire" Aoki, a West Coast fave. This past Sunday it was NYC's DJ Cassidy. And on Sunday, November 5th we will hear the likes of Seattle's DJ Scene and many more renown hip-hop and mash-up turntablists. All for your benefit, Light is making a concerted effort to bring new talent, the very leaders in their markets, to inject some new sounds into the Vegas nightlife scene. While Jet and Tao roll out their new house nights, expect to hear Light's new, fresh sounds go bump in the night.
Mo' Money…Speaking of Light, the 5th annual Saints and Sinners Ball sponsored by Stuff Magazine will now have an addition $5,000 to give away for the best costumes. The event scheduled to be held at Light on Sunday, October 29th was originally slated to reward $5000 in prize money but that has now doubled to $10,000. Get thee to Star Costumes!
Trump This…Tycoon-in-training and sophisticated socialite Ivanka Trump will celebrate her 25th birthday in grand style at Pure on Saturday, October 28th. Catch of glimpse of the Donald's finest creation and tallest namesake when the heiress and chic business woman walks the red carpet at 11 p.m. Um, can you tell I really like this chick? What's not to love: she's smart, sexy, has the right last name, and the right first name (read: not Paris). More power to you, sister!
Diva Alert…Shocking? Maybe. Sexy? Perhaps. A first? For certain! Devoted fans of Michael Shulman's Diva Las Vegas column, you will be pleased to know that your hero will go down in history this November as the first man to join the Pussycat Dolls for a full-on Shulman experience. What might that consist of? Glad you asked. Picture this: The curtains are drawn back to reveal not Willa Ford or Nicollette Sheridan but Vegas' own Michael Shulman in a tuxedo and over-the-knee boots a la Kinky Boots, seated inside the PCD's signature glass champagne glass and singing Shirley Bassey's number "I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning (And Raise A Little Hell Tonight)." I'm not kidding! Want a preview? Shulman says he made a call to one of Pure's owners after indulging in a few cocktails and had to be reminded of what he had suggested when he received an unlikely phone call in the morning, granting his wish!
Playboys and Girls…Hef-aholics like myself will be happy to know that the house that Hef built has some events in store for all you good little boys and girls. The second Sunday of every month will see a magazine party featuring the cover girl from that month's issue. In addition, look for Sundays to become Playboy and Moon's official industry appreciation night with special cover deals for locals. And in the future, when the Mansion in LA throws an official Playboy party such as a Midsummer Night's Dream or Hef's birthday, the event will be simultaneously celebrated at Playboy Las Vegas with live video linking the two together for toasts!
Wanna feel appreciated?…Cherry Nightclub at Red Rock Casino and Resort launched its new Salvation Thursdays last Thursday. It's an industry appreciation night featuring cutting-edge progressive house by DJ Josh Abrams. Says Cherry VIP host Chance McDaniel, "This is the beginning a new era at Cherry." O-PM is also beginning a new locals night on Wednesdays offering no cover all night with Nevada ID plus one comp drink ticket.
People Are Seeing…Stars!
Britney, the next Pussycat Doll?…Britney Spears arrived at the Pussycat Dolls lounge around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 18th, with one girlfriend just in time to catch the Dolls' last show of the evening. At the door she was asked for ID but told the bouncer she really didn't want to show him. He said he had to see her ID to let her in, in accordance with Nevada gaming laws. Upon hearing that, she complied. The two ladies sat in the corner, beneath the PCD sign during the show and enjoyed Voss waters till they left at 1 a.m. A source adds, "Britney was very interested in the routines and the dance moves." Hmmm, perhaps Mrs. Federline is thinking of making an appearance with the Pussycat Dolls as part of her reemergence into musical society? I bet she'd look pretty hot in that champagne glass!
Phil Ivey has it rough…So, imagine you're down $500,000 at the tables. Things are not looking up. What do you do? Well, if those tables happen to be at the Venetian you call up your VIP hosts and ask to be taken to the bar! That's what poker star Phil Ivey did this past Saturday night when he was down a cool half a million. But when he arrived at Tao, his first time to the club, he was greeted with a casino comp for $2,000. That doesn't sound right to me either. A new comp for $10,000 was issue by the house, the Cristal came out in force, and that's when the real party started! And it only cost $500K!
In further Playboy news…In the spirit of the new Playboy Club and the League Championship Series, here's a fun little tidbit: former major league pitcher Scott Erickson and his Playmate-sportscaster wife, Lisa Guerrero, recently reserved a condo at the W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Residences. Their studio is located on the 52nd floor and was purchased for more than one million.
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Xania Woodman has never met a martini she didn't like.
Email her at: xania@thecircuitlv.com
Copyright © The Circuit™. Used with permission.
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