Tag Archives: Las Vegas nightclubs

First DJ ‘Throwdown’ in Las Vegas

DJs are firmly entrenched in nearly every entertainment nook and cranny in Las Vegas.  Now they get to show who has the best music blending talent of all in the first ever Las Vegas DJ Awards.

The event is Sunday, April 25 at The Bank nightclub in Las Vegas.  About 40 Djs will duke it out across 12 categories for the title of top turntablist in Sin City, including Best Local Following, Best Female and Sexiest DJ. While there are no cash prizes, winners get trophies and bragging rights for the next 365 or so days.  Doors open at 10:30 p.m., $30 cover, Las Vegas residents free. Vote for your favorites at www.jackcolton.com/lvdjawards

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Dead Las Vegas Topless Club May Miraculously Get Resuscitated

Christopher Condotti, a trucking company owner from Chicago, has just been approved by the United States Department of Justice to purchase the long defunct Crazy Horse Too topless bar and nightclub in Las Vegas for $10.5 million. 

The extremely popular bar closed in July, 2007 and was once the haunt of porn star Jenna Jameson who used to strip there.   And the nightclub was frequented nightly by many celebrities and politicians.

The bar’s previous owner, ex-felon Rick Rizzolo, is still obligated to pay court ordered debts amounting to more than $17 million dollars including $10 million to beating victim Kirk Henry which must come totally from the sale of the bar. 

However, the pending sale to Condotti (listed under CC Holdings LLC, where Condotti is manager) for less than $17 million leaves Rizzolo responsible for making up the deficit from his personal assets most likely hidden in the Cook Islands, according to court records. 

Because of the club’s close proximity to other adult uses, it was grandfathered in and operated for many years on a Special Use Permit that expired in 2008 following the bar’sclosure by the City of Las Vegas based on it being a public nuisance. 

The current sale is dependent on the Las Vegas City Council granting Condotti a change of zoning and a permanent liquor license according to the ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT, released on April 21.  The sale is contigent upon the club being granted several licenses, including a special-use zoning permit, a liquor license, a tobacco license and a retail sales license.  The deadline for getting those is Nov. 30, 2010. 

Included in the Order of Forfeiture filed in 2008, and the following document filed in U.S. Federal Court on January 29, 2010, Rizzolo agreed to stand personally responsible to pay the difference in the event the Crazy Horse Too does not sell for an amount adequate to pay his court ordered debts. He did so in exchange for a feather light prison sentence.

Based on the current sale, it’s probable that Rick and Lisa Rizzolo’s hidden off shore assets will be seized to pay the deficit in the likely event Kirk Henry or the government prevails at a Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA) jury trial tentatively scheduled for September 2010. 

The seizure is expected unless Rick Rizzolo’s attorneys can effectively convince the jury that their client is broke, and that he transferred half his assets to his ex-wife during a legitimate divorce that was finalized one month before he began plea negotiations, and following the filing of Mr. Henry’s personal injury lawsuit.  To see the full ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT, click here.

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$67 Million Memorial Day Weekend Party in Las Vegas

Lavish spending and, hopefully, getting a great return on the investment, is the whole idea behind the replacement of the porte cochere at Wynn’s Encore with Encore Beach Resort and Surrender nightclub in Las Vegas, including new outdoor seating for Switch restaurant as well. 

The changes, funded by Wynn Resorts Ltd., all kickoff starting on Memorial Day weekend.

The beach club features a 60,000-square-foot pool with 40-foot tall palm trees and three tiered pools.  Bungalows and cabanas are part of the chic design experience, along with a restaurant and poolside gaming tables.

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Prive Nightclub in Las Vegas on Life Support, Death Imminent

The Prive and Living Room nightclubs at Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas are losing their lease with Planet Hollywood and many are saying the nightclubs will close this weekend. 

The adjacent and jointly operated clubs, which filed for bankruptcy protection in Miami in November, filed a motion on Wednesday to dismiss the bankruptcy case because of the lease issue.

{Las Vegas Backstage Access has written in the past on Prive nightclub and their many woes.}

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New Daytime Partying Comes to Las Vegas

To many, partying into the wee hours of the morning in Las Vegas is just part of the seductive intrigue.  But, why not opt for a change to your modus operandi and try an opulent brand of new daytime partying? 

The 9 Group, renowned for superb dining, nightlife and lifestyle experiences, presents a provocative and innovative new dayclub affair known as High Society at Nove Italiano in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, premiering 1 p.m. Sunday, April 11.   

Creating a posh atmosphere filled with life’s little luxuries in the middle of the afternoon, High Society offers partygoers a place to mix and mingle among Las Vegas’ nobility while indulging in high-end libations, decadent brunch and vivacious entertainment.   

Upon entering, Nove Italiano will envelope guests in a complete sensory experience – from sophisticated interior decor, to aromatic food and thirst-quenching beverages, to the incomparable energy created by resident DJs Zen Freeman and Mark Stylz spinning on the turntables.  Atop the Palm’s sky-scraping 51st floor, Nove Italiano’s guests will indulge in some of the city’s most spectacular views, and enjoy ever-changing exuberant entertainment, including roaming live musicians and a live painter offering complimentary tableside guest portraits. 

The brunch menu at High Society combines rich tastes and traditional favorites at various stations including the salad, fresh fruits and fish stations, as well as a build your own frittatas station. Fare also includes warm items on the griddle or hot plate such as Italian sausage and pepper hash, crispy pancetta and chicken apple sausage, a variety of poached eggs served with crab cake, spinach and bearnaise sauce, pancetta, ciabatta, drizzled with a Hollandaise sauce or long cooked greens mixed with a fontina cheese and fonduta. Other warm items include a variety of pizzas and Panini sandwiches. Guests can pair brunch with $99 bottles of champagne and half bottles of spirits. 

High Society will start at 1 p.m. every Sunday at Nove Italiano. The buffet brunch is $30 per person. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend. Admission is free and table reservations are strongly recommended. For more information, VIP tables and bottle reservations, visit www.novelasvegas.com  or call 702-942-6800. 

Nove Italiano is open for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.  For additional information, please visit www.novelasvegas.com or call 702-942-6800.

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Tiger Woods Adds Another Porn Star; Mistress Moves to Las Vegas

With this week marking Tiger Woods return to professional golf, more high-profile names with Las Vegas nightclub connections have surfaced in his ongoing infidelity scandal. 

Los Angeles nightlife impresario and Peter Morton’s right hand man supplying celebrities to the now defunct Body English nightclub at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel, Brent Bolthouse is mentioned in the May issue of Vanity Fair, which features “The Temptation of Tiger Woods,” one of the most comprehensive accounts to date on the golf star’s double life. 

Porn star Holly Sampson, right, told Vanity Fair that Bolthouse got her involved in a May 2009 bachelor party Woods was throwing for an associate. 

Meanwhile, Rachel Uchitel, the former Las Vegas Tao VIP host who has been referred to as Tiger’s Mistress No. 1, recently told FoxNews.com that she has moved to Las Vegas to be with her dogs and family, adding she gets less media scrutiny in Las Vegas than she did while living in New York City.

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Eva Langoria Parker to be honored for Latin Chamber of Commerce Business Leadership Award in Las Vegas

Eva Longoria Parker, entrepreneur and owner of two new, successful CityCenter ventures, Beso steakhouse and Eve nightclub, will host the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce 35th Installation Gala on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Eve in Crystals at CityCenter in Las Vegas.  Red carpet starts at 6 p.m. for media. 

Part of the official swearing-in ceremony of the 2010 Board of Directors. Luis Valera, Chairman of the Board, will share his vision for 2010 and present Longoria Parker with the first-ever “Premio de Oro – Distinguished Leadership” award. The award recognizes Longoria Parker for her success as the Las Vegas Strip’s sole Latina restaurant and nightclub owner and for her commitment to expand opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses. 

In addition, the City of Las Vegas and Clark Country will declare February 20 as “Eva Longoria Parker Day.” 

Following the proclamation ceremony starting at 6:45 p.m. and award presentation at 7:45 p.m. for media, Longoria Parker will host an after-party celebration at Eve nightclub. Eve event is open to the public.

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Harrah’s Entertainment in Las Vegas Going… Retail

Harrah’s Entertainment is reportedly seeking a building permit for a three-story, 72,000-square-foot Strip-front build-out on the southwest corner of Paris Las Vegas. That space, which now has a fountain and an outdoor dining area, would get a retail store, new restaurants and a nightclub.

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Tropicana in Las Vegas Getting a New Nightclub?

The Tropicana in Las Vegas is reportedly negotiating a deal with nightclub chain Nikki Beach.

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Wynn Las Vegas Encore Named Best Nightclub in U.S.

Barely a year old, the megaclub at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas has been named the No. 1 club in the nation. Sister club Tryst finished fifth. 

The Las Vegas nightclub industry not only swept the first five spots — Tao at The Venetian was second, Pure at Caesars Palace, third; and The Bank at Bellagio, fourth — but almost one-fourth of the Top 100 are Las Vegas nightclubs. 

XS raked in an astounding $70 million. 

The awards will be presented March 8 during the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas. 

“Clearly, Las Vegas maintains its dominance as a nightclub destination,” said David Henkes, vice president of Technomic, the Chicago-based hospitality market research firm that partners with Nightclub & Bar magazine to determine The Top 100.  They provide the industry’s only ranking of leading nightclub, bar and lounge venues based on total revenue. 

Las Vegas has seven clubs in the Top 10. LAX at the Luxor was ninth and Jet at The Mirage was 10th. 

The other Las Vegas nightclubs that made the list: 

11. Lavo at the Palazzo. 12. Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel, now closed.) 13. Moon at the Palms. 14. Ghostbar at the Palms. 16. Drai’s After Hours at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall. 28. Christian Audigier at Treasure Island. 31. The Playboy Club at the Palms. 32. Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay. 36. Rain at the Palms. 37. Blush at the Wynn. 45. Studio 54 at MGM Grand. 49. Krave at Planet Hollywood. 52. Stoney’s Rocking Country. 94. Tabu Ultra Lounge at MGM Grand.

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New Las Vegas Nightclubs Opening Doors

Despite high Las Vegas unemployment, foreclosures, and a stifling recessionary environment, that’s not stopping Las Vegas casinos from pulling out all the stops and opening new nightclubs this New Year’s Eve. 

The 25,000-square-foot Haze nightclub, the newest offering from the Light Group, will be opening its doors tomorrow night at Aria in the new CityCenter.  Also at CityCenter, Eva Langoria Parker’s Eve nightclub will be opening. 

The new rock bar Smokin’ Hot Aces is also having its grand opening in The Venetian’s retail shops on New Year’s Eve, following a soft opening that started Monday. 

The 14,000-square-foot Vanity nightclub – featuring a $1 million chandelier with 20,000 crystals and another 20,000 LED lights – will open on New Year’s Eve at the base of the Hard Rock’s new HRH tower (previous article by Las Vegas Backstage Access). 

For fans of the Hard Rock’s Body English nightclub, the basement club will fade into oblivion on Jan.1, having its last hurrah on the same night Vanity opens.

One of the Vanity club partners is Las Vegas major leaguer Jason Giambi says celebrities will have to earn their keep.  “Gone are the days where you would pay a celebrity $200,000 to just show up and you had a chance to make your make your money back,” says Giambi, adding, “I’m thankful that’s over.”

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Steve Wynn, Light Group Plan Las Vegas Nightclubs

Steve Wynn is apparently ready to counter the opening of ARIA’s new nightclubs in the $8.5 billion CityCenter project with some nightlife of his own, according to a report in the New York Post.

Wynn is planning to spend $100 million to build a new nightclub, called Surrender, and a new Encore Beach featuring three pools, 30 private bungalows and a gaming pavilion.  

Wynn’s Encore resort, which opened in December 2008, has been enjoying the great success of its XS club, which extends into the pool area and features two levels of private bungalows.

Not to be outdone, The Light Group, which has established itself as one of the premier nightclub operators in Las Vegas, is also getting ready to open the 25,000-square-foot Haze club at ARIA. It will also open the Liquid pool venue in the spring.

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Sean “Diddy” Combs to Open Las Vegas Nightclub

Sean “Diddy” Combs is about to open a new nightclub in Las Vegas.  Well, at least he’s going to help open one. 

“(The) Hard Rock is opening a club and I’m supposed to be opening up that new club for them,” so says the versatile artist. 

The new nightspot, Vanity, is set to open on New Year’s Eve. 

Still, the rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy won’t necessarily be at the Hard Rock when the ball drops on 2010. 

Instead, he said he is scheduled to host a day or two after the grand opening celebration, on or around Jan. 2. 

Still, he may very well be there at the Hard Rock on NYE. 

Maybe. 

“I may be out here, I may be shooting a television special,” he teased, adding with a smile, “I can’t give you any more details, that’s breaking news.” 

Still, it’s pretty safe to say Puffy is planning to party somewhere in Las Vegas on Dec. 31. 

The hip-hop heavyweight is no stranger to the Las Vegas club scene and likely has a litany of lucrative hosting offers on the table for New Year’s Eve. 

“I’m the Black Sinatra,” he said. “I’m supposed to be out here.” 

It wasn’t always this way for the rapper/actor/producer/fashion designer/fragrance developer/father/vodka czar.  Whew! 

“I used to come to Vegas maybe once every other year,” the outspoken 40-year-old icon said. “I’ve been out here already four times this year … This is the most I’ve been out here.”

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Big Name Rockers Perform in Las Vegas with Naked Strippers

The Playground/Crazy Horse III strip club complex in Las Vegas has just opened an intimate, 200-person rock club called Dead Man’s Hand. 

So, what’s the big deal you ask? 

Curiously, there is no gambling permitted, thus the customary restrictions on nudity don’t apply. Their business model has resulted in creating the only place in Las Vegas where you can see big name rockers perform and then go into the next room for some stripper lap dancing for the ultimate coup de grace. 

The other nice thing that helps our choking economy:  the admission is always FREE! 

For more, please check out www.PlaygroundLV.com

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Dead Nightclubs Sleep in Las Vegas

Our choking economy has exacted its toll on many Las Vegas nightclubs that were once beacons the entertainment mecca of the world:  Ice, The Hop, Empire Ballroom, Puff, and Red Room Saloon, to name but a few of the more prominent ones.

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Pure Management Group in Las Vegas Promotes Deborah Krause to COO

Nightlife and restaurant leader Pure Management Group (PMG) announced the promotion of Deborah Krause to Chief Operating Officer. Since joining PMG two and a half years ago, Deborah Krause has earned many honors as theDeborahKrause company’s Executive Vice President overseeing Food & Beverage and Development and with this new appointment, Krause will now oversee all operations for PMG and its venues.
 
With more than 15 years of experience in developing and maintaining hotels, restaurants and nightlife destinations throughout the country, Krause has earned the respect of her peers in the Las Vegas community and beyond. Her efforts have led to many awards including the “American Express Gold Star” for service, an Epicurean Award, several “Best of Las Vegas” awards including “Best New Restaurant” (2004) and most notably the coveted “40 Under 40 Business Award” (2006) which honors Las Vegas’ top business executives – all under 40 years of age – who have changed the face of the city.

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Las Vegas Strip Club Looking to Grease Pole Again

The federal government has wanted to unload the Crazy Horse Too strip club in Las Vegas ever since the U.S. Marshals Service assumed ownership of it in 2007 as part of a plea agreement with its former owner, felon Rick Rizzolo. 

After two years and at least one failed attempt, the marshals finally have an agreement in place, largely confidential, with a new potential buyer, Mayor Oscar Goodman and several attorneys close to the case confirmed late last week. 

Pete Rinato, a local attorney for the prospective buyer, said the buyer signed a contract with the Marshals Service about three weeks ago. He declined to name his client, who he said is a “non-local,” but added that his name would be released soon. 

In a larger sense, an alliance of sorts has been formed, said several attorneys  knowledgeable about the deal, a kind of “strange bedfellows” pact in which many of the normally adversarial parties are now allied because they’re eager for the sale to go through. 

Those parties include the prospective buyer, the federal government, Rizzolo and the man who successfully sued the now-shuttered club after his neck was broken there. This alliance doesn’t yet include the city, though it might before all is said and done. 

The agreement hinges on the owner of a Russell Road strip club, calling itself the Crazy Horse 3, giving up that name so future owners of the Crazy Horse Too, on Industrial Road, can retain sole rights to the name. 

The pact is also relying on the city to grant a liquor license and exotic dance permit to the club’s buyer, so the value of the club can be boosted. Without a liquor license, the club is valued at about $5 million — chump change compared to what it would be with the proper licenses. As of 15 months ago, with the licenses, the club was valued at $32 million. 

Rinato said a lawsuit will soon be filed against the owners of the Crazy Horse 3, demanding that they give up that name. 

After serving roughly 10 months in federal prison for tax evasion, Rizzolo was released in early 2008. As part of his guilty plea, Rizzolo was allowed to use proceeds from the sale of the gentleman’s club to satisfy tens of millions of dollars in debts he owes various parties. 

Goodman said he didn’t know who the potential buyer is- and hasn’t asked. 

Others who do know, include federal officials, but they aren’t talking. 

Federal agents seized the Crazy Horse Too in September 2007. The following June, Pro criticized the marshals for not applying for a city liquor license and simply taking over the club. 

At the time, the marshals said they didn’t want to run a strip club. Three months later they changed their tune, recognizing that they needed the licenses to get a higher sale price.

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Las Vegas Nightclubs Gone Too Wild?

Even in wild, anything goes Las Vegas, apparently, there are limits on what can and can’t be done in nightclubs.

In July, gaming regulators slapped the Planet Hollywood casino with a $500,000 fine for its Prive nightclub’s bad behavior, including “topless and lewd activity” and dumping club-goers in the casino “in various states of consciousness.”

The same month, the Rio closed its Sapphire topless pool, managed by a local gentleman’s club, after authorities arrested 10 people on suspicion of prostitution and drug crimes. Over Labor Day weekend, eight more arrests on similar charges were made at the Hard Rock Hotel’s pool club party, Rehab.

It’s all part of a crackdown by Las Vegas authorities on what they see as clubs gone wild.

“The quarrel is not, ‘You guys are offering entertainment that’s going to offend Middle America.’ We all want to keep Middle America coming to us to have fun. But we have rules,” said Randall Sayre of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. During the heyday of the “What happens here, stays here” tourism campaign, the must-have accessory for any Las Vegas Strip casino was a pulsating nightclub that lured Hollywood starlets and drunken tourists willing to pay for a few hours of shimmer.

That has sometimes proved to be an ill-fated mix. Though the clubs are reliable moneymakers and publicity machines, some have vexed officials with their fraternity-style antics — including stripping contests, fistfights, and alleged drug use and sexual assaults.

In the last decade, smoky lounges on the Strip gave way to three-story mega-clubs and booze-drenched pool parties. Out on the cutting edge of trendy are clubs such as the bronze-walled XS, the centerpiece of casino magnate Steve Wynn’s resort Encore.

Most of the clubs, which pull in tens of millions of dollars from high-volume sales of alcohol and special seating, successfully keep thousands of tourists under control. But the venues, jostling for the same young crowd, have a penchant for envelope-pushing — and the casinos, Sayre said, have mostly kept their hands off the cash machines.

In the last two years, Clark County has warned clubs about a wet-boxer-shorts contest and women shedding shirts at events named “Lose the Tan Lines” and “Boobs or Bust.” Some clubs launched stripping contests; others tried to sneak around no-nudity ordinances by slathering women in body paint.

Many nightlife problems are far graver, however, which could prove problematic for casinos in the long run. Gaming regulators can hold them responsible for most anything that unfolds on their properties.

In 2006, the state Gaming Control Board told casinos it was concerned about reports of violent, excessively drunk and underage club-goers. In the last year, authorities have noticed an uptick in prostitution and narcotics crimes at Strip hot spots, said Officer Bill Cassell of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

But it was “Prive-gate” that truly rattled the town’s after-dark scene and it appears no end is in sight for the enforcement and creation of new clubbing rules to govern Las Vegas partygoers.

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Stripper Poles Being Outlawed for Use by Guests in Las Vegas Clubs

Clark County Nevada officials are working on establishing a new law to ban the use of stripper poles by guests in nightclubs, a move that arose in the wake of yanking the Prive nightclub’s liquor license.  Stripperpole

County spokesman Dan Kulin reportedly told the Las Vegas Weekly reporter Xania Woodman that “allowing customers to use dance poles implicitly encourages inappropriate and/or lewd behavior.” 

What’s next?  To best prevent further debauchery and otherwise lewd behavior, perhaps only water and soft drinks should to be served after 9 p.m. in Las Vegas nightclubs?  Maybe an accompanying new ad slogan: “What happens in Vegas, happens everywhere?”

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What’s Up with Steve Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas?

There is much controversy swirling around a supposed new nightclub and beach at Encore in Las Vegas, the newest signature resort in the Wynn collection, which opened  on December 22, 2008. 

Many are saying the nightclub has been named Switch Beach and the club’s monicker will be Wet Kiss.  

Plus, as Steve Wynn and his wife Elaine are going through the steps of their costly divorce, recently selling stock to plan for the eventuality as reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access, Steve now has reportedly purchased another luxury yacht.

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A Safe & Sane Las Vegas? Prive Nightclub Says So

Apart from some staunch Las Vegans who feel – and sincerely hope – that “Sin City” will change its long-standing dastardly moniker and morph into a hotbed for bio-med and other non-sordid industries, it’s not going to happen, at least according to many Las Vegas authorities, including casino mogul Sheldon Addison and his many cohorts. Prive

Las Vegas has, is, and apparently always will be all about entertainment oozing from its every eclectic pore.   Tourists, the Las Vegas lifeblood, come to entertain and be entertained– and, like the advertising slogans oft allude to, not always in the most savory of pursuits.  

Having a drink- or ten – staying up to the wee hours, while chasing microscopic skirts or quaffed GQ gents is the regular modus operandi for many in Las Vegas.

But could that historic Las Vegas lifestyle be facing evolutionary, if not revolutionary, pressure to change? 

Taking the cue from pop entertainment icon visitors Brit-Brit, Paris Hilton, LiLo, and others, perhaps that decadent, yet strangely renewing lifestyle of old is, like life itself,  changing– is guzzling chic water and partaking in only good clean fun becoming the evolving new order ruling the night? 

Enter Prive Nightclub, the current poster child for potentially a ‘New Deal’ in Vegas.  The nightclub reopened late last Friday night to throngs of partygoers waiting for hours to get in after the club was shut down and a $500,000 fine paid by Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in July to Nevada gambling regulators for the private Las Vegas nightclub’s many prior indiscretions, including hiring employees with criminal records, allowing minors inside the club and permitting underage drinking, drug use, taking dangerously drunk customers and dropping them off unattended in the casino, and physical and sexual assault by nightclub employees. [July 19 Las Vegas Backstage Access article.] 

It was almost like the past never happened.  In fact, many party going tourists from outside Las Vegas, didn’t even know the trendy club and sister ultralounge, The Living Room, had been shut down.   Once one was lucky (and skillful) enough fight the throng of hundreds waiting behind the entry ropes and get the inside, they found the club didn’t miss a single thundering beat, testified by the quaking, packed dance floor and eye-candy go-go dancers aplenty shaking their overflowing assets like no tomorrow.  Rapper and music producer Jermaine Dupri took to the turntables later in the evening, seemingly possessed and oblivious to the prior entertainment history lesson. 

What was different, though, was that topless and otherwise lewd and somewhat lascivious activity – the stuff that made Las Vegas a leading “no tell” tourist destination – was curiously absent.  Add to the fact, hotel-casino staffs were also allowed to enter unencumbered, not escorted by Prive security, as was the customary practice before, presumably to catch sin before it starts. 

Prive is encouraged to remain in good graces, as their temporary opening license is good only through Sept. 20, unless it is extended by the county.   Before that, on Sept. 1, club officials are scheduled to appear before the Clark County Commission to check to see if they are remaining nice and not naughty. 

Before you think this Prive incident is a statistical rare anomaly, think again.  Much like the H1N1 pandemic virus, club actions similar to Prive are all pervasive in Las Vegas– it’s just that similar nightclubs haven’t been caught- yet. 

While Las Vegas Backstage Access doesn’t ever condone actions that hurt anyone, intentionally or unintentionally, save this, we feel that partying and risqué fun in the spirit of Las Vegas isn’t such a bad thing.  Las Vegas is not Olathe, Kansas. 

In the final analysis, is Las Vegas squeezing the “sin” out of Sin City?   

Will late night milk and cookies, and an occasional Stevie D trendy gourmet sucker, rule the New Vegas scene, much to the detriment and demise of a unique lifestyle- and contribute to further waning of club revenues?

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V Bar at the Venetian in Las Vegas Starts Three New Events

The V Bar located inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas starts three new events in their Ultra Lounge:  Willing Wednesdays, Open Spin Thursdays and Evolution Sundays.  

In addition to the TAO Beach already operating their Beach Party on Sunday afternoons, these new events are designed to aid the Venetian attract a greater weekend party crowd. 

V Bar has been twice voted the best Las Vegas hotel bar by users of CitySearch.Com.  Virtually no entry lines and no entry lists are plusses for their entertainment offering. 

NetworkingVegas.Com is sponsoring Willing Wednesdays, a business mixer with the likes of Spearmint Rhino Ladies to corporate lawyers attending. With one of the hottest DJ/VJ’s in Las Vegas, Freddie B will be spinning the music. 

With a new twist and a chance for up-and-coming DJs to have a chance at stardom, V Bar will host Open Spin Thursdays. Resident DJ Andrew B along with special guest DJ’s will be giving up-and-coming DJs a chance to show their spinning skills on the first Thursday of every month. 

Ark Vegas venues Latin Nights offerings are such a hit, they decided to extend it to a late night party on Sundays at V Bar. MAS Entertainment provides hot DJ’s spinning the latest Electronic mash-ups, Pop and Rock sounds. 

The party begins at 10 p.m. all three nights. Please contact Ark Vegas at ArkVegas.Com for more information.

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Sammy Hagar to Open New Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas

Sammy Hagar will open a new Cabo Wabo Cantina on the Las Vegas Strip this fall.  Planet Hollywood Casino & Hotel will be the new home for the Red Rocker’s famous Cantina, replacing Trader Vic’s in the Miracle Mile shops. SammyHagar

Hagar plans to bring a 15,000 square foot, split-level bar, nightclub and restaurant combination, uniquely styled after the original located in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Just as his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo helped transform the city from a tired, Mexican desert town to the most popular tourist attraction in Mexico, Hagar hopes to bring the same hard-rocking, laid-back style to this new Las Vegas venue. 

Cabo Wabo will feature a coastal Mexican menu along side live music in an ‘all-day, all-night party’ that promises it won’t break your wallet. The spirit menu will be centered around Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Tequila, with ‘Caboritas’ and ‘Cabo Bombas’ as far as the eye can see. Contemporarily-enlightened Mexican seafood dishes will highlight the dining menu including lobster burritos and shrimp enchiladas. 

“I am ecstatic to finally introduce Las Vegas to the Cabo Wabo lifestyle,” says Cabo Wabo founder Sammy Hagar. “The cantina’s fun-loving, fiesta atmosphere will bring a rock and roll vibe to the heart of the Strip like people have never seen before. We are going to rock the Vegas Strip!” Look for Sammy’s new band Chickenfoot, with Michael Anthony from Van Halen, hanging out and regular jamming in the venue.

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Celebrities Turned Away By Las Vegas Nightclub Bouncers

The reason “why what happens in Las Vegas, stays there” could be merely because what is planned to happen there gets sometimes thwarted by nightclub bouncers.  bouncer

As reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access on June 18, Holly Madison was stopped from entering the Body English nightclub inside the Hard Rock for having an underage friend.  Now we learn that she’s not the only one.  

The NHL’s most valuable player, Russian Alex Ovechkin, was reportedly turned away from Lavo nightclub in the Palazzo on June 17 with two of his friends after showing up wearing flip-flops.   

Recently, Lavo nightclub also turned back NFL great Terrell Owens because of dress code infractions.  Tao nightclub in the Venetian did the same to NBA star Dwyane Wade. 

Eric Trump showed up at Light nightclub (now The Bank) with more than a dozen male friends on his 21st birthday in 2005, only to be turned away in part because of Light’s policy that limits parties of men to sex, to keep the female attendance ratio high, and because he played the “don’t-you-know-who-I-am” card.

NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, wearing shorts and sneakers, was also asked to leave Light nightclub about seven years ago. 

To prevent these unsavory mishaps, it might be well when coming to Las Vegas and planning a night out on the town to bring along your Sunday best to change into just in case you get turned away for wardrobe infractions.  

Besides, the always dapper Jermaine Dupri, whose crusade for Las Vegas partiers is to start dressing spiffier to the nines, will love your for it.

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Don’t Expect Paris Hilton Back in Las Vegas Anytime Soon

BFFThe second season of  “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF” premieres Tuesday on MTV, but instead of hanging out and partying in Las Vegas, the filthy rich socialite heiress has plans for finding her next hot and fabulous cohort–in the United Arab Emirates. 

According to Variety, Hilton will head to Dubai later this month to begin the 17-day shooting process, with the finale shooting in Los Angeles. Hilton’s current boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt, is likely to appear in the show as well. (However, her other boyfriend, Real Madrid soccer star Christiano Ronaldo, appears to prefer the Las Vegas roulette tables, seen trying his luck at the Palms Casino last week.)

“Paris Hilton’s My New BFF-Dubai,” will be produced by Lionsgate and Ish Entertainment, who have struck a deal with the Dubai-based Uniqon. The deal is part of a larger Lionsgate initiative to locate new international partners. 

Michael Hirschorn, co-founder of Ish Entertainment, is enthusiastic about the project.  “I love it for the sheer wildcard aspect of it,” he said. “It’s so out of the ordinary.”

The show will include Hilton’s experiences and reactions to Arab culture and society, as well as the girl-on-girl competition that the show’s format typically features. Half of the potential BFF’s will be from the Middle East, and half from elsewhere who are currently living in Dubai. 

While testing the ladies’ character to see who fits her style, Hilton’s going to have to drastically tone down her behavior. Hirschorn said the Dubai production won’t be as risqué as the American and U.K. versions, given the cultural norms in the Middle East. 

Let’s see how long the party gal fares without alcohol, swearing and plunging necklines.

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Las Vegas Bartender Armando Rosairo Wins National Crown

Designing drinks on a straightforward platform of “make it fresh, keep it simple,” Southern Wine & Spirits’ Director of Mixology Armando Rosario accepted his trophy (a cocktail shaker mounted atop a marble mortar) as winner of the of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s (USBG) 2009 Nevada championship. ArmandoRosario

Then, on May 12, Rosario represented Nevada in the USBG’s national championship at the Drake Hotel in San Francisco- and won! 

His signature fave concoction is a blend of Sauza Tres Generaciones Plata, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, cucumber, optional dill and an optional half-ounce of vodka. 

As the national winner, Rosario will go on to represent the United States at the International Bartenders Association (IBA)’s prestigious annual World Cocktail Competition in Germany. 

“I am excited to have the opportunity to represent the U.S.,” says the native of Mozambique, “and am confident that the simplicity and beauty of the drink will be appealing on a worldwide stage as well.”

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Celebrities L-O-V-E Gourmet Lollipops

As a kid, it was always a good day when you went to the doctor, or other onerous visit, and  then when it was over, you received a big sucker to ostensibly ease your pain and reward the visit.  And getting an extra quarter from your parents was always a cool deal, letting you buy a sucker just for more fun. 

Now, those comfy chilhood feelings are being relived as celebrities love heading down the red carpet and hanging out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York nightclubs with gourmet, glamour suckers.  Carmen Electra, Zach Braff, Ice-T, Nick Canon,  Perez Hilton, Mickey Rourke, the hotties from The Hills and pretty much anyone else that’s been on reality television is hooked on the yummy and sticky fad. SugarFactory

For a paltry $32 apiece (there’s no recession, right?), you can snatch up the latest edible and completely customizable clubbing accessory and get your sugar fix at the same time.  First, select one of seven bejeweled handles on the www.SugarFactory.com and select your poison:  green apple, cherry, bubble gum, blue raspberry, creamy orange, pina colada or watermelon.   Three-pack refills are available for $12.     

For those that still can’t satisfy their sweet tooth, there are also $25 signature pops like the Britney Spears Circus Tour pops, Kim Kardashian’s Silver Rainbow or champagne pops or the very Vegas-ey Pussycat Dolls PCD Tour pop.  

The brainchild creator of the tantalizing celebrity gourmet pops is none other than the former Pure Management Group managing partner Steve “Stevie D” Davidovici who is the manager of Sugar Factory, LLC.    The company was formed in August of 2008, just six months after IRS agents raided Pure, LAX and offices of Pure Management Group. 

Davidovici is also in the midst of reportedly purchasing a New York club, as previously reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access in May 14, 2009 article. 

Apparently, Davidovici is getting the last laugh on red carpets of many prestigious U.S. nightclubs. 

What’s next?  Signature pop-designed fillings from the dentist?

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Need a Cocaine Hit? Try Red Bull!

If all night partying in Sin City and the caffeine and sugar chaser in Red Bull drinks in the wee morning hours doesn’t kill you, maybe the cocaine will. 

Red Bull has long been a preferred drink of choice for Las Vegas partiers, and widely distributed in the United States, either used in mixed drinks or just swigged right out of the can.  That’s why last year Red Bull deemed fit to launch their sister drink, Red Bull Cola, after a splashy Las Vegas launch.  RedBull

It’s a cola-flavored spin-off to the popular Swiss-made Red Bull energy drink, marketing itself as “Strong & Natural,” containing only natural ingredients such as lemon, ginger and kola nut.  Coca-Cola lists only “natural flavors” on the can’s label. The company historically has kept its ingredients a secret- until now. 

The rub is that it also been found to contain coca leaf- coming from the same plant that supplies cocaine.   

“Decocainized coca leaf extracts are used as flavoring in food products around the world and are considered to be safe,” Red Bull said in a released statement, citing a U.S. Food and Drug Administration code that lists decocainized coca leaf as a safe, natural extractive. 

Officials in Germany are not swallowing those assurances. Six German states – half of Germany’s population – have now banned the drink and pulled the can off their shelves after a German health institute recently took a sampling of Red Bull Simply Cola, using a highly sophisticated method of testing. The sample results tested positive for cocaine — albeit a tiny 0.13 micrograms in one can.  Although 12,000 liters would need to be drunk to feel any effect, that was enough to cause concern in Germany, where the country’s strict federal consumer protection agency is doing more tests. 

Red Bull management, based in the Austrian city of Salzberg, counters the allegations saying it’s really not a big deal.  It’s not the white powdery stuff; it won’t get you high; it won’t hurt you. But they “take the German authority’s concerns seriously” and had an independent institute test Red Bull Simply Cola, which found that cocaine was not detectable in the drink.  Furthermore, they said, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment found the drink’s ingredients posed no health risks and no risk of “undesired pharmacological effects including, any potential narcotic effects.” 

Meanwhile, the FDA wasn’t aware of any complaints about the drink, nor does it have plans to order a ban in this country.  “We’re aware of this news report but do not have any additional information at this time,” said FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan. 

Bottom’s up!  Try your gambling luck and gulp Red Bull Simply Cola’s in Las Vegas like water!

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Las Vegas Nightclub Kingpin Plans New York City Nightclub

Steve Davidovici, an original partner in Pure Management Group (PMG) in Las Vegas, raised in New York, is telling friends he’s opening a new club in New York City.   SteveDavidovici

Davidovici has been flying und the radar since the IRS raided Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a year ago in February.  The probe is part of an investigation into PMG. 

Davidovici’s new club is called The Griffin, located near the Hotel Gansevoort.

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Mariah Carey & Hubby Nick Cannon Plan Lavish One-Year Anniversary Bash in Las Vegas

Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon will be literally rolling the dice for their one-year-anniversary with a lavish celebration in Las Vegas. mariahcarey

The Glitter star stunned fans last year when she married hip-hop star Cannon in a private ceremony in the Bahamas on April 30. 

A year later, the duo is still going strong and are planning their one-year anniversary party in Sin City at the end of April, it’s claimed. 

The celebrations will reportedly begin at 11 p.m, on April 30 and go on until the early hours of the morning at the Palms’ Moon nightclub in Las Vegas. 

Mariah’s marriage to Nick was her second time – she split from recording-industry mogul Tommy Mottola in 1998, after five years together.

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Lindsay Lohan Shuns Stripping, Outed by Prive Nightclub for Drinking in Las Vegas

Although Lindsay Lohan is reportedly not going to strip down and perform in the newly opened Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas opposite Spice Girl Mel B, her behind-the-scenes boozing has been made public by bosses of a Las Vegas nightclub who claim to have seen the actress downing vodka. 

The Mean Girls star – who is newly-single after splitting from girlfriend Samantha Ronson – as been outed by management at Prive nightclub in the Planet Hollywood for drinking alcohol when she claims to be tee-toataling after several stints in rehab. 

According to TMZ, the nightclub released a statement saying:  “Mel [B] was drinking Merlot and Lindsay asked for a Vodka drink mixed with soda water and a splash of cranberry.” 

Lindsay lashed out at a reporter who quizzed her about her ongoing imbibing relationship with alcohol only last week, responding with: “I don’t drink…a**hole.” 

The actress attended rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for alcohol and substance abuse in 2007.

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Justin Timberlake Loves Swigging Tequila 901

Justin Timberlake may want to take a page from the book of illustrious Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman when it comes to promoting liquor in Las Vegas.  While Goodman occasionally makes appearances with showgirls and gin, justintimberlakeTimberlake now likes to dance and sing his way through Las Vegas appearances with his new 901 tequila buddy.  He’s been spotted at XS at Encore, the Playboy Club at the Palms, and elsewhere swigging on the yummy brew. 

901 is the area code of Memphis where Timberlake grew up and according to Timberlake, “It’s also the time that the evening stops and the night officially begins.” 

901 tequila will be available in May, sold exclusively in Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles.

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Blowing Smoke May Again Become Fashionable in Las Vegas

Some people in Las Vegas are quick to contend that smoking, bars, and entertainment are inextricably linked together.   After all, how better can one relax?  It’s just the right thing to do, right?smoking

But for almost three years a Nevada voter-approved no-smoking law has been in effect that prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars that serve food, slot machine areas of grocery sorters, arcades and about every public place except the gaming areas of casinos.   Though the law exists, it has very little bit to it, with few even getting a citation.

Now that measure is headed for a legislative showdown.  And when the smoke settles, smokers may just be headed out to light cigs in their favorite watering hole to the delight of bar and tavern owners. 

The Nevada Senate voted 14-5 last Friday to advance bill SB372 that would allow adults to smoke in bars that serve food effective December 9.  The bill is also expected to be received well by the Assembly. 

Business owners contend the smoking ban was responsible for closing 47 bars in Clark County and the loss of hundreds and jobs. They further said profits are off 15 to 50 percent and their customer based has dropped by 25 percent.    

The smoking ban also lost $41 million for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority when a cigar and smokers’ convention moved to New Orleans where patrons could smoke on the convention floor. 

The Nevada Tavern Owners’ Association has further challenged the constitutionality of the smoking ban in an April 6 lawsuit awaiting the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision. 

However, anti-smoking advocates contend that tavern and bar owners are ignoring the fact that the economy has bone into a recession, using the ban as a scapegoat for business failure.    

Adding water to dowse the cigs, opponents say, smoking is just plain deadly, citing studies from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that show smokers cost the country $96 billion a year in direct health care costs, and an additional $97 billion a year in lost productivity.

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Esquire is looking for a few good men in Las Vegas (???)

Well, a few REAL men, to be exact, as in really well-dressed! Esquire Magazine, with partners The Bellagio Hotel and The Bank Nightclub, will host the 2009 Best Dressed Real Man event and Style Lounge at The Bank nightclub in Las Vegas, Friday, April 17 from 8-10:30 p.m. esquire

The fashionable men will have the opportunity to register for the contest in person (and in style) while enjoying a Kenneth Cole trunk show, a Nivea for Men grooming station, a display of IWC Schaffhausen watches, Gentleman Jack specialty cocktails, complimentary Michelob Ultra and hors d’oeuvres. All BDRM guests will be offered complimentary entrance to the event, and will be able to stay and party at The Bank for the afterparty. 

When voting ends on May 31, five finalists will be narrowed down to one winner who will receive a $33,200 prize package consisting of $5,000 Kenneth Cole wardrobe, a $5,000 designer wardrobe, a two-day/three-night trip to New York City for the winner and a guest, plus two tickets to a runway fashion show, $15,000 cash, plus a one-year supply of Nivea for Men products, an IWC watch, and the winner will also be featured in Esquire’s September Style 2009 issue. 

As if that weren’t enough, all BDRM entries received will automatically be entered into the Nivea for Men Work Smarter, Play Harder Man of the Week contest. 

Come dressed to conquer.  Bragging rights? Absolutely.

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Cheap Las Vegas Booze, Lotsa Fun

Hey, it’s a recession isn’t it?  You wouldn’t necessarily know it by frequenting many of the Las Vegas nightclubs and ordering bottle service for your guests.  Raining C-notes is the rule, not the exception.  It’s hard to get an economical buzz on anymore. 

Until now. 

O’Sheas Casino on the Las Vegas Strip is offering – are you sitting down? – an unbeatable mouth watering 24/7 special where you can purchase a 750-milliliter bottle of Smirnoff or Jack Daniel’s nestled in a stylish brown paper bag with six austere plastic cups and a pitcher containing your mixer of choice.  All this for just $45. 

If one of their bars is packed,  don’t wait, just race to the other one. 

So, it’s time to get out and shake off the recession blues and hit the Las Vegas streets for some cheap booze and entertainment.  And for great comraderie, be sure to bring all your friends and reasonable facsimiles thereof.

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Las Vegas Travel Web Site Upgrades Customer Options

VEGAS.com has revamped its Web site, enabling the creation of custom Las Vegas travel package for their customers with just one visit to the site. 

The improved VEGAS.com allows consumers to move seamlessly through its many offerings , adding items to their virtual shopping carts and checking out in one transaction after all the trip’s components – travel, lodging, shows and other activities – are  in place.  

Shoppers check on ticket availability for shows and other Las Vegas entertainment options before making their hotel and airline reservations at a package rate. 

It also offers flights from 400 airlines – up from one – and supports making flight reservations to Las Vegas from 1,700 cities, up from 90. 

When combined with the thousands of hotel, show, tour, golf, nightclub and restaurant options marketed by the site, VEGAS.com estimates that it will enable consumers to choose from 207 billion possible combinations of Las Vegas tourism offerings.

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Las Vegas Nightclub Discrimination Lawsuit Continues

Las Vegas Strip casino and shopping mall lost a bid on Thursday to throw out a hip hop nightclub’s lawsuit alleging it is being discriminated against because most of its patrons are black. poetrynightclub

U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan said it was too early to make a decision until he hears more about Poetry nightclub’s claims of corporate racial bias against Caesars Palace, the Forum Shops and property owner Simon Property Group Inc. 

“There’s enough here that it survives a motion to dismiss,” Mahan said from the bench at the end of a one-hour procedural hearing. The judge said that the civil lawsuit was still in early pleading stages, and called for written motions before scheduling more arguments. 

Club owner Phase II Chin LLC, in a civil lawsuit filed Feb. 7, 2008, seeks unspecified monetary damages and orders prohibiting “racially-motivated” discrimination by the corporate entities.  “They don’t want black patrons in this establishment,” club attorney Harold Gewerter told the judge Thursday. “They don’t come out and say they don’t want minority patrons in there. But they show it with their conduct.” 

Caesars, Simon and the Forum Shops deny the discrimination bias claims, and lawyers argued that the case amounts to a lease contract dispute. They said Poetry was operating under an illegal sublease with the Wolfgang Puck restaurant, Chinois.  “Any claims of any racial bias are outrageous and completely false,” Gary Thompson, spokesman for Caesars Palace owner Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., said in a telephone interview. “The actual facts will come out as the case proceeds.”

Lawyer Charles McCrea Jr., representing Forum Shops and Simon Properties, said there was no evidence of bias in the four breach of lease notices he said the property owners sent to Chinois.  “We have a right to notify them the management contract violated the lease,” McCrae said. “Nothing in those notices alludes to race or demography.” 

Caesars lawyer Steve Morris said the casino was even further removed from any relationship with the club. “There is no contract with Caesars,” Morris told the judge, arguing that without a contractual relationship between the club and the casino, there could be no bias. 

Club representatives say they have a management contract, not a sublease, to operate an after-hours club upstairs from Chinois. Gewerter argued that made the club a “third party beneficiary” of the Chinois contract with Forum Shops, Simon and Caesars. 

The club, initially called OPM, opened in May 2003. The lawsuit alleges that by January 2005, Caesars, Forum Shops and Simon began “an ongoing campaign of harassment and misconduct” to force the club out. 

Club manager Michael Goodwin said outside court Thursday that because his club caters to a black clientele, casino and mall managers blame it for “every negative activity in Las Vegas and around Caesars Palace having to do with African-American people.” 

Goodwin denied incidents that officials cite involved club patrons, and said owners of the casino and upscale 160-store mall also imposed prohibitively expensive security requirements as a condition of allowing entry to the club through the main Forum Shops concourse-which Goodwin called “the only dignified way to enter.” 

Goodwin said he employs 30 security staffers inside the club and hires four armed Las Vegas police officers per night outside the club, which is open 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. four nights a week. He said he can’t pay what he called “impossible money” for more.  That means patrons in trendy club clothing have to enter by a back door and an unsightly litter-strewn service hallway.

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Las Vegas Leads Nation in Nightclub, Bar and Lounge Revenue

The post-mortem is in for what’s commonly referred to as “The Show,” and what’s officially known as the annual Nightclub & Bar Convention & Trade Show, part of the International Hospitality Week, that was held last week for four days, March 1 though  4,  in Las Vegas. nightclub2

But The Show was definitely not dead – and nobody was spotted reading any last rites- especially great news in our sour, but always sweet Las Vegas economy.  Thousands of bar and nightclub conventioneers, though, literally hoisted-elbow-to-elbow, packing the Las Vegas Convention Center to check out the large array of new bar products and equipment from around the country and, of course, taste scrumptious food samples and imbibe on out-of-this-world libations. 

The good news is that Las Vegas represented the largest-volume of independent nightclubs, bars, and lounges in the United States for 2008.  Bad economy or not, Las Vegas proved once again that successful bar and nightclub operations is an art and science revenue reality:  Las Vegas is the home of 21 of the top 100 nightclubs and bars in the nation, drawing in a combined revenue from $360 million to $570 million in 2008.   Further adding to the prestigious ranking, Las Vegas was home to 6 of the top 10 venues. 

“Clearly, Las Vegas maintains its dominance as a nightclub destination,” says David Henkes, vice president of Technomic and leader of the firm’s adult beverage practice. 

Such are the findings of the primary and secondary research study undertaken by Nightclub & Bar magazine and Chicago-based market research firm Technomic, Inc., who partnered together to develop the first revenue-based listing of top-producing independent nightclubs, bars and lounges in the nation. 

The survey used to develop the Top 100 list showed that 60 percent of respondents experienced increases in total revenues in 2008; only 11 percent experienced sales decline and 29 percent reported no change from 2007. 

On average, alcohol accounted for 71 percent of total revenues, with cocktails generating the lion’s share of drink sales – 52 percent – and beer and spirits contributing 38 percent and 10 percent, respectively.  Food sales accounted for an average of seven percent of venue sales. 

Henkes projects that nightclubs, bars and lounges will fare better than their casual dining colleagues in the face of the continued downward economic spiral.   However, he cautioned that as unemployment rises and the recession continues to impact more and more consumers, the young adult demographic that favors these independent nightclubs, bars and lounges will likely curb their discretionary spending. 

“To succeed in 2009, operators will need a clear value proposition:  understand why people come to your venue and deliver an experience they can’t get elsewhere,” Henkes affirms.  “In the best of times, it’s difficult to keep a hot club hot – many of these Top 100 clubs have done so continuously for years – but all bar operators will need to work smart to keep going and growing.  Each individual concept needs to continuously reinvent itself to stay fresh for today’s customer, who is becoming more discerning in where they spend their entertainment dollars.” 

To wet your whistle, here’s the ranking of Las Vegas venues from the nation’s Top 100 revenue 2008 listing :  Tao Nightclub (1) – pictured in inset, Tryst (2), Pure (4), Jet (5), The Bank Nightclub (7), LAX (8), Body English (11), Moon Nightclub (12), ghostbar (13), Prive (17), Playboy Club (21), Drais After Hours (22), Christina Audigier (27), rumjungle (28), Studio 54 (29), Blush (31), Rain in the Desert (35), Stoney’s Rockin Country Bar (38), Krave Nightclub (44), Tabu Ultra Lounge (60), and Poetry Nightclub (79). 

Bottom’s up- here’s hoping for a good bar and nightclub 2009 performance.

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