With a No. 1-selling album and six Grammy Award nominations this year already under his belt, Ne-Yo – the artist 
formerly known as Shaffer Smith when he went to Rancho High School in Las Vegas – will now kick off his first tour as a headliner in his Las Vegas hometown this Thursday, February 5, at 8 p.m. when he performs at The Pearl at the Palms Casino& Hotel.
Oddly enough, Ne-Yo wasn’t studying music when in high school- he was there for visual arts, drawing and painting. In fact, no one knew he could sing.
Coming full circle, this Sunday at the Grammy’s he will be hob-knobbing with his competition including Jay-Z and Kanye West, each of whom also has six nominations.
His Grammy nominations this year include Album of the Year and Best Contemporary R&B Album for “Year Of The Gentleman,” Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Closer” and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance; and, in the songwriter category, Best R&B Song for “Miss Independent,” and for “Spotlight,” recorded by Jennifer Hudson.
in Las Vegas, was a poster boy for PETA on February 3, appearing in the nightclub Wasted Space (a club that he also co-owns) in the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel to “expose” the cruelty of the fur trade by showing off his amply tattooed body in a poster. Hart stood next to the poster, with the tagline: “Ink, Not Mink” in a brand-new ad for PETA that espouses, “Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs.” 
time TBA. The event will feature cuisine of chefs Todd English and Wolfgang Puck, auction, and a long-awaited performance by Siegfried and Roy. Admission is $1,500 per person or tables can be reserved. For information, contact the Bellagio at 702-263-9797 or 
Vegas Backstage Access (VBA) 