Las Vegas Weekly

11.20.09 · 1:52 PM

MGM CityCenter Part 5: Meet the architects, and what’s still to come

CityCenter at night.

Photo: Kirvin Doak Communications

Today is Part 5 of our five-part series on MGM’s CityCenter, opening next month on the Strip. The links to Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 are at the end of this story.

It’s already been dubbed the newest wonder of the world. Now it’s time for the architects, who took MGM’s dream and vision and turned it into the reality of CityCenter, to take credit.

Architect Cesar Pelli, who brought Aria with its retail, dining and entertainment extravaganza Crystals to life, said: “It is a shimmering world of reflections. With Aria, there was much interchange of ideas. The gathering of so many creative people energized us all and made us aim for higher goals. Buildings shape the places where we work, where we live, and they can serve to make our lives richer and more enjoyable.”

Back in 2004, CityCenter was just a blank canvas that with energy and talent would become the creation of the most ambitious and visionary development ever conceived in the world’s most dynamic, entertaining and exciting city. How does someone design an entire city inside a city that already exists?

MGM executives traveled the world to assemble a dream team of the world’s foremost architects and two of America’s foremost builders. The design phase alone took 20 months. The world’s largest architectural firm led the process, managing seven world-class architects, 45 interior designers and hundreds of consultants.

Pelli Clark Pelli has created four of the world’s largest private developments: New York’s World Financial Center, Kula Lumpur City Centre in Malaysia, the Canary Wharf complex in London and Hong Kong’s International Finance Center. The firm was selected to create Aria. Rafael Vinoly of RV Architecture, who has designed the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Jazz Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center and the Montevideo, Uruguay, International Airport, was selected for the nongaming, nonsmoking Vdara Hotel and Spa.

Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn, who designed the Sony Center in Berlin and the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, was given the responsibility of the unique residential development Veer Towers. He said: “They symbolize spirit and optimism. By leaning them, they became a sculpture with a strong iconic value.” Two large-scale commissioned works by Richard Long titled Circle of Life and Earth each measuring 80 feet high and 50 feet wide are drawn on mud walls from Red Rock. New York-based Kohn Pederson Fox conceived the sophisticated sanctuary of the nongaming Mandarin Oriental at the entrance to CityCenter, with the public spaces designed by interior designer Adam Tihany.

Studio Daniel Libeskind, who won the World Trade Center competition in 2003 and worked on the Denver Art Museum and Jewish Museum in Berlin, was the exterior architect for Crystals. David Rockwell, who was instructed to make the modern building inviting, engaging, intriguing and relaxing, handled the interior architecture. David is well known here in Las Vegas with a variety of leading restaurants and theatrical staging. He designed last year’s Oscars show, the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the Film Center at New York’s Lincoln Center and The W hotel in Manhattan.

London’s Foster+Partners, who designed the Hearst Tower in Manhattan and the Beijing Airport, was selected for The Harmon Hotel, which is still to come. The Harmon has been designed and conceived as the world’s most exclusive boutique hotel, with 400 superb hotel rooms in its curving 28-story facade as another gateway to CityCenter. It will be operated and managed as a hip and exclusive property by The Light Group, who run the Bank in the Bellagio and Jet in The Mirage, along with numerous restaurants. It, too, is a nongaming property. A stainless steel aluminum and lacquer single rose in full bloom, from artist Isa Genzken, stands 26 feet tall, weighs more than 1,000 pounds and will be at the porte-cochere.

The Harmon, which is set to open late next year, will be the final building of CityCenter.

This morning, MGM Mirage officials proudly announced that it has earned its fifth and sixth Gold Ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council with the certifications of The Mandarin Oriental and the Veer Towers. It’s the highest LEED achievement by any development in Las Vegas and now makes the 18 million-square-foot metropolis one of the world’s largest sustainable communities.

“From its inception to design, development and construction, we had one single goal in mind, which was to create CityCenter as a destination that is not only built in an environmentally sustainable manner but also operates every day with an equal commitment to conserving natural resources” said City Center CEO and President Bobby Baldwin. “With this new total of six LEED gold recognitions, we’re very close to sharing with the world a remarkable demonstration that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable.”

Some of those environmentally sustainable highlights include the first energy generation on the Strip with a natural gas co-generation power plant providing electricity while reducing emissions and using the waste heat to provide domestic hot water; the world’s first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean burning natural gas; and water conservation of as much as 43 percent within buildings and 60 percent in outdoor landscaping, a savings of 50 million gallons each year. The energy savings in CityCenter would be enough to power nearly 9,000 homes. Guests are cooled from the ground up rather than wasting down-energy cooling from empty ceiling space. Even the slot machines have bases serving as vents!

It’s now just 10 days to the Dec. 1 opening of the Vdara Hotel and Spa to be followed Dec. 3 by the Crystals. The Mandarin Oriental opens Dec. 4, with the Aria following on Dec. 16 as the grand official opening gala for the entire 70-acre complex.

Click HERE for Part 1, click HERE for Part 2, click HERE for Part 3, and click HERE for Part 4 of our five-part series posted each day this week. Next week, we have our chat with Eva Longoria Parker, the Desperate Housewives star who is opening her new Beso restaurant and Eve nightclub in Crystals.

The world’s newest wonder is in a countdown of just 250 hours before the doors are opened for the first time to visitors from around the globe. I’m predicting that all people will say is one word -- “wow!” -- and then nothing follows because they’re struck speechless.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.20.09 · 11:03 AM

Tito Ortiz makes return against Forrest Griffin in UFC 106

The stars will be shining brightly in Las Vegas yet again this weekend, and I’m not talking about what a KO’d fighter might be seeing! Celebrity fight fans are all set to flock ringside for Tito Ortiz’s return to UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tito’s ladylove, former porn princess Jenna Jameson, also will be front row tomorrow night to root for her bad boy beau from Huntington Beach, Calif.

Tito is fighting Forrest Griffin, who lost to Anderson Silva in UFC 101. This is Tito’s first fight since May of last year when Lyoto Machida defeated him. Tito and Forrest last met in 2006, when Tito won in a controversial split decision.

Here’s the YouTube video of Tito on his very first day of workouts for this fight.

Tito has been one of UFC’s biggest star draws and the ultimate fan favorite over the years, but he’s been away for 14-plus months (446 days, his longest layoff since 1998) dealing with back surgery -- and also what appeared to be a tough contract standoff with his boss and friend UFC President Dana White. Apparently, the two have reconciled and resolved their differences, and Tito has a new, larger payday than before for six new fights, this being the first.

Tito returns to the ring at age 34 weighing a trim 205 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. He was champion from April 2000 until September 2003 with an undefeated record. It now stands at 14-6-1 in the UFC and 16-6-1 as a pro. His opponent is identical in height and weight but four years younger. Forrest’s only championship reign was for six months last year. His record is 15-6 as a professional and 7-4 in the UFC.

When the UFC comes back from its now global promotions to its hometown, there’s always a slew of parties. Here’s the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN:

*Win or lose, Tito will take Jenna in his arms to his after-fight party at Tao in The Venetian.

*Forrest will be directly across the Strip at Jet in The Mirage.

*Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will host the official UFC 106 after-party at LAX in the Luxor.

*UFC fighter Anthony “Rumble” Johnson fights Josh Koscheck in a highly anticipated undercard match and then hosts a bash at Studio 54 in MGM Grand.

*MMA ring girl Natasha Wicks will host the Hawaiian Tropic Zone after-party in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile that follows the official closed-circuit viewing on its 36-foot-tall plasma screen.

*UFC champion Amir Sadollah will host the official Tap Out after-bash at Prive in Planet Hollywood.

We will tweet the Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin result as soon as it happens, and a full photo report of the action and the party fun will follow right here at Vegas DeLuxe.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.20.09 · 2:37 PM

Latest odds on who’ll be in the Top Chef Las Vegas finals

It’s down to the Final Four on Top Chef Las Vegas, and judging by the newest odds posted last night, it looks as if the one surviving female cheftestant will be ousted, and the final showdown will be between two brothers and another male who just won himself a spot in the Bocuse d’Or, the world cooking Olympics.

Our friend Johnny Avello, Wynn Race & Sports Book director, produced his odds for Week 13 of Season 6 -- next Wednesday’s show. He’s been correct nearly all season, and now using his skills, knowledge and research, Johnny has determined that Jennifer Carroll will be the next one to pack up her knives. She began at 20 to 1 and closes at 9 to 1.

The kitchen is boiling over in the battle between Kevin Gillespie, who opened at 8 to 1 and is now 6 to 5, versus Michael Voltaggio, who started at 11 to 1 and is currently 2 to 1, and brother Bryan Voltaggio, who began at 15 to 1 and is now 4 to 1. Segments for the final, airing next month, were shot in two Napa Valley vineyards.

Click HERE for our report yesterday from our Editor Don Chareunsy, who joined star chef Alex Stratta at Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn for the Top Chef Las Vegas screening that featured Alex.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.20.09 · 6 AM

Photo Gallery: King of Formula One racing Michael Schumacher

Seven-time Formula One racing champion Michael Schumacher at the 13th Superkarts USA SuperNationals at The Rio.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, the king of Formula 1 racing, is competing at the 13th Superkarts USA SuperNationals at The Rio through Sunday, culminating in six hours of races on the final day.

Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue is in the pits and on the track covering “The Race of the Year” SuperNationals for Vegas DeLuxe.

“I am not sure if you realize how special these photographs are. Hardly any photographers ever are granted the access I had today,” Tom said. “You never see photos like this of Michael, by far the greatest racer the past 20 years. This is the first time in a Karting Championship in the USA for him and the first time ever on a track in Las Vegas!”

During the five days of racing, a maximum of 40 competitors drive in each of nine classes. There is one Las Vegas driver, Matt Jaskol, who in 2000 became the first driver to win five heat races in a row at the SuperNationals. Qualifying races are today, heat races are tomorrow, and the championship races are Sunday.

Vegas DeLuxe will continue to cover the SuperNationals through Sunday’s six hours of races.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.20.09 · 12:32 PM

Gossip Gems: Hangover sequel, Barry Manilow and chefs news

Three men and a baby: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in The Hangover.

Photo: Warner Bros.

Rumors have quietly started that a sequel to The Hangover is in the works. Will that mean return cameos by Mike Tyson, Carrot Top and Wayne Newton? The Hangover, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, was shot here at Caesars Palace and became the sleeper hit of the year.

Since its release, the blockbuster comedy has earned $277 million in the U.S. and North America and $182.1 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $459.1 million, making it the highest-grossing R-rated comedy ever in the U.S., surpassing a 25-year record held by Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop. This are staggering numbers, and the DVD hasn’t even been released yet.

That will change on Dec. 15, and the DVD is expected to add millions more. To celebrate its release, the cast of The Hangover will be back here Dec. 10 with a full schedule of meet-and-greets and festivities at Caesars Palace. Plans for a sequel will be unveiled at that time, according to rumors.

Incidentally, Caesars also will celebrate National Hangover Day on Jan. 1 with a daylong series of events to either help you recover from New Year’s Eve or at least sooth your headaches and bleary eyes. They’re hoping that a couple of The Hangover stars will be back to take part in that, too.

Barry Manilow’s new Strip show

When I first broke the news in an exclusive Barry Manilow interview about his Las Vegas Hilton contract negotiations and follow-up stories of him not renewing, there was a lot of disbelief from some of my media colleagues. Then I revealed that Barry was moving out of the Hilton and onto the Strip. We were first to confirm rumors posted elsewhere that he would start a residency at the Paris’ Theatre des Arts.

Now I am the first again to advise that the official announcement will come Dec. 1 with a session at the Paris with Barry. He will confirm that his new show, possibly titled A Gift of Love, will start there Feb. 14 -- Valentine’s Day! Barry is already at work prepping the show, along with a generous selection of love songs that dovetail with the late January release of his new album The Greatest Love Songs of All Time.

There’s an irony in all of this. I knew Barry back in Manhattan when he was a piano teacher adding to his TV commercial paychecks before he hit the big time playing for Bette Midler’s appearances at the Continental Baths. Bette calls it quits on the Strip at Caesars early in the New Year just as Barry moves onto the Strip as a headline superstar in his own right.

Wicked whispers

*I’m reliably told that a deal has been executed between the German bank that owns the troubled Cosmopolitan condo tower hotel casino alongside CityCenter and a New York nightlife group who will take over its top three rooftop floors. I know the owner-partners involved, but everybody’s keeping mum for the moment. I’m told, though, that the three-story nightlife entertainment complex will house the largest mega nightclub in Las Vegas history, at least one and maybe two major restaurants, a beach pool and gardens filled with hip day and nightlife lounges. Designs are already underway with the hope that this time next year they will be getting ready for a New Year’s Eve opening.

*Anybody who watched episodes of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice will never forget two-time participant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. Many never knew she had been married in 2002 but separated in 2005 and later divorced. Now she’s here filming her own reality TV series, and The Donald played a role in that, too. Omarosa, who has been at the Trump International Hotel all week, films today at a ranch down in Jean. The project has been cloaked in secrecy, but I’m reliably told that the story thread is of Omarosa looking for love and marriage. Most of the filming for her new series takes place here in Las Vegas.

*I know the names of both chefs involved in this next tidbit, but for now we’ll leave them unidentified to save some possible problems with this advance news. One major kitchen king is pulling up stakes -- and eggs -- at a major resort casino and reportedly returning to New York. Before the kitchen is laid to rest, I’m hearing that another major celebrity chef will promptly take it over, literally just jumping across the street from another winning hotel. The musical chairs here are part of a much larger deal involving other casinos in the same family, which we’ve already reported.

Remember where you heard all of this first!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.20.09 · 10:31 AM

Opportunity Village opens its 18th annual Magical Forest

Photo: Opportunity Village

It’s the most beautiful holiday tradition in Las Vegas as the Opportunity Village Magical Forest opens its doors for the 18th annual holiday season celebration tomorrow night. This year’s newest attraction will be the Santa Speedway.

The winter wonderland attracts more than 150,000 visitors each year and was ranked one of HGTV’s annual Top Holiday Destinations. Organizers hope to generate more than $1 million from the holiday fundraiser.

Linda Smith, the incredible force behind our beloved local charity, said: “We began the Magical Forest in 1992, and it has become a Vegas tradition. As our largest annual fundraiser, 100 percent of money raised goes directly to the programs and services provided to men and women with profound intellectual disabilities offering employment training, advocacy and social re-creation.”

Tomorrow’s 6 p.m. official tree-lighting ceremony will include a Gingerbread House contest with Strip headliner celebrity judges Zowie Bowie, who also will entertain with the Champagne Showgirls welcoming Santa Claus arriving by sleigh with his elves. The gingerbread entries remain on display throughout the holidays.

Tickets for the amazing attraction are less than $10. Daily hours are 5:30 to 9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 2.

Rides include the Forest Express passenger train as it winds through 2 acres of displays and hundreds of Christmas trees decorated in more than a million twinkling lights! An enchanted carousel delights riders and spectators alike with its animals, lights and traditional music. The Alpine Slide is another major attraction. Don’t forget that on Dec. 14, you get to lock up our Sheriff Doug Gillespie as part of the fundraising fun!

Opportunity Village also remembers the disadvantaged and at-risk children of our community. Thanks to an anonymous donor who enjoyed the first Magical Forest 18 years ago and left a legacy, a bus tour program enables first- through third-graders to enjoy lunch, take the full tour and meet Santa.

Please support Opportunity Village and this year’s Magical Forest. If you have never seen or experienced it, you are missing out on one of the world’s most extraordinary displays of the season. Happy Holidays, everybody, and remember Opportunity Village’s next fundraiser is our Dec. 5 Great Santa Run at Town Square, where we hope to wrest back the Guinness World Record for the most Santas in one place.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.19.09 · 4:58 PM

MGM CityCenter Part 4: The luxurious Aria, Mandarin Oriental and Vdara

Today is Part 4 of our five-part series on MGM’s CityCenter, opening next month on the Strip. The links to Parts 1, 2 and 3 are at the end of this story.

The new show Viva Elvis at CityCenter has announced that tickets will go on sale Dec. 15, which is when I get a sneak peek at the new Cirque du Soleil spectacular. Previews will start Dec. 18 and run through Jan. 28, with 25 percent off tickets before the Jan. 29 premiere.

When the new nonsmoking, nongaming Vdara Hotel opens in just 12 days, the sprawling new MGM CityCenter officially comes to life. It’s followed on Dec. 3 with the gala opening of the shopping palace Crystals, 24 hours later by the Mandarin Oriental first-day celebrations and finally the Aria resort casino on Dec. 16.

A few weeks ago, I had a privileged tour through Aria and Vdara. Now as our five-part series on the new wonder of the world continues, we’ll peek inside the lavish and luxurious hotels and look at their restaurants and spas that will redefine the arts of fine dining and rich relaxation.

ARIA

The best and brightest chefs and restaurateurs from across the country make up one of the most incredible line-ups ever assembled. Las Vegas veterans Michael Mina, Julian Serrano, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Sirio Maccioni, Jean-Philippe Maury and The Light Group are joining with two top talented newcomers: Masayoshi Takayama and Chicago chef Shawn McLain. All of the star chefs are promising concepts totally new to their repertoire.

Masa, who has the reputation of being the world’s most expensive Japanese chef, has two unique spaces in one: his Bar Masa is more casual with his modern Japanese cuisine, but Shaboo will be an exclusive -- and expensive -- dining experience for a limited number of guests as if they were dining alone. Each table will have its own induction cooking and will be adorned with vessels brought from the private cobalt blue concrete vault. The ceilings soar 42 feet high!

I met with Shawn this year on his visit to Las Vegas as he began planning his first restaurant outside Chicago, where he has the top three rated eateries. The James Beard Award winner scored with the Spring seafood-centric menu, which won him Chef of the Year. His vegetable-focused Green Zebra won more awards when it opened in 2004, and a year later, his Custom House steak-focused restaurant grabbed even more honors. His Sage restaurant here will carry the influences from all three award winners as he spotlights farm to table produce, artisan meats and sustainable seafood. My longtime friend and Top Chef Hubert Keller’s former manager Tobias Peach will run Sage.

Michael Mina’s new restaurant will be titled American Fish; Jean Georges Steakhouse will redefine the traditional steakhouse with high energy and sex appeal; Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni introduces Italian favorites at Sirio; and Julian Serrano at Aria will be the first restaurant in America designed by the Spanish group Gente de Valor. Julian promises to stretch the boundaries of traditional and innovative Spanish fare.

The Light Group will unveil the Union Restaurant and Lounge serving a playful menu of contemporary American cuisine under the watchful eye of executive chef Brian Massie, already esteemed here for his eclectic dishes at Stack and Fix in the nearby Mirage and Bellagio, respectively. Although an inside restaurant, it’s open to the casino floor but strategically positioned behind floor-to-ceiling architectural trees, providing a sense of seclusion and intimacy but still right in the heart of the casino action.

Jean Philippe’s Patisserie at Aria will have the world’s largest chocolate fountain with 2,100 pounds of liquid chocolate flowing constantly. Aria also will be home to modern Thai restaurant Lemongrass and Blossom, a classic Chinese restaurant.

The entire structure of striking architecture produces energy, inspiration and vision. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, Aria’s two steel-and-glass towers are a 21st century building gleaming in desert light throughout soaring open spaces in the three-story lobby atrium.

There are 4,004 guest accommodations, including 568 suites, with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows providing magnificent views of Las Vegas. MGM says they are the most technologically advanced guestrooms in the country.

Daylight will stream onto the 150,000-square-foot gaming floor -- now that’s putting a whole new natural light on things! For high-end players, exclusive salons will offer high-limit slot and table games in private environments, and never-before-seen technologies throughout the casino provide unmatched service.

In Aria’s 80,000-square-foot spa, salt, stone, earth, fire and water all join to create a meditative experience .The two-level Spa features 62 treatment rooms, a full-service salon, an advanced fitness center and our city’s first co-ed spa balcony featuring an outdoor therapy pool. It features shiatsu, couples’ massage, Thai massage, hydrotherapy and vichy rooms, as well as three exclusive spa suites.

A tranquil stone and water garden adorned with sacred Japanese Aji stones, blessed in Japan to inspire calmness and tranquility, welcomes guests. Treatment room walls have been made from earthy soil, and a unique salt meditation room (shio) features a wall of illuminated salt bricks that encourages the healing of skin irritations and upper respiratory problems. A second meditation room will be the only in America to offer Japanese stone sauna (ganbanyoku) beds. During a ganbanyoku treatment, guests will relax upon a bed of heated black mineral stone that emits negative ions and far-infrared rays. In addition to relaxing muscles, the treatment helps improve circulation, increase metabolism and eliminate toxins.

There also are three private spa suites, each serving as a personal “spa within a spa” serving up to eight people. The co-ed outdoor therapy pool is akin to a Japanese open-air hot bath (rotenburo) The salon will feature 16 stylist stations, six color stations, four makeup stations, 12 manicure stations, 15 pedicure stations, one barber station and one waxing station.

The 16,000-square-foot fitness center includes 44 cardio pieces, 20 treadmills, 10 full-body cross-trainers, three lower-body cross trainers, five recumbent bikes, three upright bikes, two espresso bikes and one body ergo meter, all which will have Direct Channel Access and iPod connections.

VDARA

My culinary genius friend Martin Heierling, innovator at the Bellagio’s Sensi, serves as executive chef for Vdara. He has created the stunning Silk Road restaurant inspired by the ancient trade route spanning from Venice to the Far East. He’s incorporating subtle spices and exotic ingredients to create modern, trans-ethnic cuisine. Silk Road transforms as the day ticks on from lively at daybreak to chic and sexy at nightfall.

An all-suite hotel of 1,495 rooms, it is physically connected to the adjoining Bellagio and directly adjacent to Aria. Vdara, which also is part condo tower with two- bedroom residences and penthouses, has a distinctive crescent shape soaring 57 stories. Its unique skin of patterned glass creates one of the most striking design statements through its sleek, shimmering structure.

The Vdara health and beauty center is an 18,000-square-foot, two-level spa, salon and advanced fitness facility with a spotlight on holistic health and well being. There are 11 treatment rooms and three relaxation lounges with signature treatments using ingredients derived from organic herbs, flowers, fruits, vegetables and essential oils. Vdara Health & Beauty is the first Las Vegas spa recognized by the Green Spa Network for its commitment to the environment.

MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Welcome to the only freestanding, nongaming luxury property on the Strip with its very own sophisticated sanctuary. Award-winning Chef Pierre Gagnaire will put a modern spin on the simplicity of classic French cuisine. Twist will be located in the 23rd floor Sky Lobby and will seat 72 guests enjoying dazzling Strip and valley views through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Pierre is a world-renowned three-star Michelin chef who is hailed as one of the top three chefs in the world. Vegas DeLuxe was the first to break news of his arrival to our dining scene and also first to reveal that he’s ordered $1,000 dinner dishes carved from jade!

Additionally, there is Mozen Bistro, an all-day contemporary kitchen featuring authentic Asian dishes and multi-national fare. A Tea Lounge serves as an intimate visual meeting place with an extensive menu of teas and rituals. The boutique Mandarin Bar seats 82 and comes with a team of molecular mixologists to build customized concoctions.

Kohn Pedersen Fox designed the 47-story, nongaming hotel --and residences -- with contemporary interiors by Adam D. Tihany. It has a sky bridge connecting to Crystals, and the 7,650-square-foot Oriental Ballroom is the only one in the city offering views of the Strip.

Mandarin Oriental serves as the gateway to CityCenter with interlocking glass and metal elements on the facade from Chinese motifs. It is the ultimate luxurious boutique hotel with 392 rooms and suites, in addition to 227 residential condos. There are three presidential suites each measuring more than 3,200 square feet.

The two-level Spa is a 27,000-square-foot oasis for serenity and rejuvenation, with a 1930s Shanghai design reflecting the glamour and elegance from that era. It features treatments based on Eastern methodologies with Western applications. There are 17 treatment rooms, including seven Couple’s Suites, multiple relaxation and water experiences, a Rhassoul for women and a co-ed Hammam. An expansive Fitness Center with a Yoga and Pilates Studio and Technogym cardiovascular and strength equipment also is available.

I have omitted coverage of the leaning Veer Towers, as they are condo residences and thus more private than public. However, I will tell you that every guestroom in CityCenter is networked with fiber optics providing Wi-Fi eight times faster than any other U.S. hotel guestroom! MGM officials have provided more than 2,900 wireless access points with more than 6,500 antennas, so anywhere you go over its 70 acres, you’ll always stay connected.

You have no idea how important that is for journalists like us. It also means when I set up camp there for New Year’s Eve, we’ll be able to transmit Eva Longoria Parker’s Dec. 31 through Jan. 1 party in real time!

We’ll be back to wrap our advance look at City Center tomorrow with Part 5, and early next week, we’ll have our chat with Eva Longoria as she gets ready for her Dec. 3 opening of Beso the restaurant and Eve the nightclub.

Click HERE for Part 1, click HERE for Part 2, and click HERE for Part 3 of our five-part series posted Monday, Tuesday and yesterday, respectively.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.19.09 · 11:41 AM

Photo Gallery: Holly Madison celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau

Holly Madison, center, at the unveiling of Beaujolais Nouveau at the Paris on Nov. 18, 2009.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Celebrating the classic French tradition at Paris Las Vegas, Peepshow blonde bombshell Holly Madison and a Lucille Ball impersonator kicked off the resort’s third annual Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau celebration with a traditional grape stomp, reminiscent of the iconic I Love Lucy scene from the classic TV series.

We posted my first photos right after yesterday afternoon’s ceremony, but here now is the professional photo gallery with contributions by leading lens lady Denise Truscello and contributing photographers Erik Kabik and Scott Harrison.

According to French Law, Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November. The time-honored event is celebrated at midnight throughout the world as people anxiously await the current year’s vintage.

The Las Vegas festivities were held at 3 p.m. yesterday (coinciding with midnight in the French capital, Paris). Holly, The Girls Next Door reality TV star who is currently filming her new E! series Planet Holly here in Las Vegas, Lucy and Yann Bourigault, North America export director of Les Vins Georges DuBoeuf, gathered at the Paris to unveil this year’s custom-designed bottle and become the first to sample the 2009 harvest.

The Paris will celebrate this year’s festivities with five days of events. There will be tastings and unique Beaujolais Nouveau pairings at Mon Ami Gabi, Les Artistes Steakhouse and the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s Steakhouse. A full schedule of events is available at ParisLasVegas.com/ParisWine.

Beaujolais Nouveau comes from hand-harvested Gamay grapes and is a fresh, fruity red wine. In the last harvest report, Georges proclaimed that the 2009 harvest was one of the best in the past 50 years. The company expects to sell 65 million bottles of Nouveau Beaujolais over the next few weeks.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.19.09 · 8:49 AM

Photo Gallery: Oprah’s karaoke king celebrates Sushi Samba anniversary

The first anniversary of Sushi Samba in the Palazzo.

Photo: Hew Burney/HewBurney.com

It was a colorful evening of samba dancers and sake ladies for the first anniversary celebrations of Sushi Samba in the Palazzo last night. The festivities, which included Zowie Bowie’s Chris Phillips, coincided with Sushi Samba’s 10th anniversary of its East Coast restaurants and the launch of the new weekly Saki-oake nights.

Oprah Winfrey’s $250,000 karaoke winner, the 6-foot-5, 350-pound Abraham McDonald, was the first opening guest. He told me that when he entered a karaoke contest in Southern California, it was solely in hopes of winning the $500 prize to get his car out of the repair shop.

“I didn't even know it was part of Oprah’s contest, but I did win and got my car back!” Abraham told me. “Then Oprah’s people called, and I was in the finals at her TV show in Chicago. Gladys Knight from Las Vegas was the judge who said I should be the winner. I got the check. I was on top of the world. My life had changed overnight. I was on Good Morning America. Now I’m here in Las Vegas, and next up I start recording with famous producer L.A. Reid for my CD debut!”

Our contributing photographer Hew Burney was there to capture all the action as Sushi Samba owner Matt Johnson led us in the traditional smashing of the wooden sake barrel, with some of the group wearing the official sake masters jacket.

From Holly Madison’s first uncorking of Beaujolais Nouveau to my smashing of sake, it was quite a day for celebrating the beverage part of our business!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This

11.19.09 · 3:44 PM

Strip Scribbles: Lance Burton headlines magic awards special on TV

Our beloved Monte Carlo headliner Lance Burton is the star guest on tonight’s two-hour World Magic Awards hosted by Robert Wagner and Jill St. John on MyNetworkTV. It will feature 14 magic acts from around the world and includes Las Vegas magicians Joseph Gabriel and Franz Harary, plus our Ed Alonzo, who toured with Britney Spears and created the illusions in her Circus Tour this year.

All next week, thanks to Las Vegas magic headliner Rick Thomas, late-night talk show host Craig Ferguson will present Magic Week for the third time. Each night, actor Neil Patrick Harris will introduce a magician. Craig first became fascinated and impressed with magic after his son took him to see Rick perform here in 2007.

Our Harrah’s headliner comedy-magician Mac King will honor Spread the Word Nevada Kids to Kids with a magic show and storybook reading on Dec. 11. The organization was recently selected by Barnes & Noble to be the recipient of its annual holiday giving program.

*Congratulations to hometown hero and tennis champion Andre Agassi, who is back at No. 1 again with the news that his new book Open: An Autobiography has landed at the top of The New York Times bestseller list. Click HERE for our coverage of Andre’s launch and candid interview at Steve Wynn’s Encore theater with ESPN’s Rick Reilly. Today, Andre is promoting the book in L.A. with radio and TV appearances, topped off with Jay Leno’s show. Here’s the newest YouTube interview with Andre from ITN Sports:

*Congratulations to longtime Sahara guest Ann Yerton from upstate New York, who won the 2009 Harley Cross-Bones motorcycle -- valued at $21,270 -- at the end of the Las Vegas BikeFest. The meet attracted some 30,000 motorcyclists who rode the desert for the ninth annual rally, now the largest late-season West Coast gathering.

Star surveillance

Sex and the City actor Chris Noth enjoyed dinner at Robert De Niro’s Ago in the Hard Rock Hotel and then jumped over to Blush in the Wynn dancing to the music of DJ Mighty Mi and welcoming locals who donated more than 100 toys for our valley’s kids. … Actress Allison Janney celebrates her 50th birthday today and came to town early. She dined at Lavo in the Palazzo sipping wine and enjoying ravioli, a rib eye steak and mashed potatoes before heading upstairs to the nightclub. Next morning, she was up bright and early for breakfast with Iron Chef Kerry Simon at his Palms Place restaurant. … Later, UFC fighter and Dancing With the Stars contestant Chuck Liddell stopped in for lunch with Kerry and said he’ll be back on next week’s ABC finals show in Hollywood.

Tonight’s tips

Illusionist David Copperfield begins a new run of shows at MGM’s Hollywood Theater through Dec. 2. … Cher starts a run from Nov. 19 through Dec. 20 at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace promising new Bob Mackie gowns and dance routines. … Congratulations to Mike Penrod, owner of the Nikki Beach Clubs and hotel chain who celebrates his 40th birthday along with Nikki Beach’s first-ever Las Vegas event at MGM. … Hawaiian Tropic Zone at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile hosts a contest in search of a MMA ring girl for the Tuff-N-Uff fights at The Orleans on Nov. 27, with a $500 prize. … Cafe Tacuba celebrates its 20th anniversary tour with a stop at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. … Seven wineries will present 28 wines from around the world at the Vineyards of Style event at the Shoppes in the Palazzo. The Toast to Prevent Hunger is a fundraiser that benefits our local Three Square food bank that serves 250 agencies across Southern Nevada. Emeril Lagasse’s Table 10 and Dos Caminos are serving taste treats.

Tomorrow’s teases

It’s another busy, star-packed weekend with UFC 106 to top it off as we wrap up our five-part series on MGM’s new CityCenter. We meet the eight architects who brought the incredible dream to life and look at what’s still to come. Artist Peter Max heads to town next week, and we have an exclusive interview, plus Opportunity Village opens up its Magical Christmas playground.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter HERE.

Permalink Share This