Las Vegas Weekly

02.3.12 · 1:32 PM

Photos: Miss America roots for Patriots, learns news from Madonna

2012 Taste of the NFL and Super Bowl XLVI Media Day with 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler and Troy Polamalu in Indianapolis on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com

Less than a month ago, Laura Kaeppeler only dreamed that she’d one day get to see the Super Bowl in person. Then here on the Strip, the 23-year-old brunette won the 2012 Miss America Pageant at Planet Hollywood on Jan. 14, and today she’s in Indianapolis with her 50-yard-line seat for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI.

“It’s all been a surreal whirlwind. Fun and exciting, but each morning I’m waking up and asking if it’s all for real. I guess it will take another couple of months to sink in.

“Everything has run smoothly since I left Las Vegas. I haven’t lost the crown, which is the most important thing. Being Miss America and fulfilling my duties is everything and more than I imagined.”

Laura, who worked at Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Phoenix before flying to Indiana, is at Super Bowl XLVI to host the Taste of the NFL food benefit, and that meant a busy day of NFL media activities Thursday ahead of the New England Patriots-New York Giants matchup Sunday afternoon.

“They have Radio Row, with dozens of radio stations from all over the country doing their shows. So I had 5 hours of back-to-back interviews promoting the charity and Miss America. It didn’t overwhelm me, but that was pretty tough and long. This morning, I was up early for a live ‘Good Morning America’ satellite feed,” she told me.

Among the sports stars with whom Laura worked: Michael Irvin, Curt Schilling, Joe Theismann and Kurt Warner. Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue is on duty with Laura as the Hoosier State hosts its first big game with more than 300,000 fans already counted through the Super Bowl Village there.

Laura sat in on pop queen Madonna’s meet-and-greet: “I found her really down to earth and sincere. She told us that she’s going to sing three of her older hits on the halftime show and one new song along with a surprise guest star that she says will remain a total secret up until the very last second.”

Laura continued: “This is my first Super Bowl, so it is fun and exciting, although coming from Wisconsin, I just wish my (Green Bay) Packers were here playing. So since the Giants beat the Packers, I’ll be honest: I’m looking for revenge, so I’m rooting for the Patriots in payback time!”

She told me that since being whisked from Las Vegas for next-day New York City TV appearances, she’s been on a nonstop journey but is keeping in touch with family and friends at home with “lots of texting and using Skype on my computer.”

“That way I get to see my pet Maltese Shih-Tzu Smokey. They hold him up to the computer camera, and I talk to him on my computer. It’s working and doesn’t feel so far away from each other.”

On Monday, we’ll have more exclusive photos of Laura in Indianapolis, where the 500 is completely forgotten this weekend in favor of football. She’ll visit food banks and Saturday joins chef Bobby Flay (Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace) and country singer Sara Evans for the Taste of the NFL.

They’ll entertain and host chefs from all 32 NFL cities who raise funds for the Kick Hunger challenge for needy children. The $600 admission ticket goes to the program assisting low-income households. Taste of the NFL has raised $11 million in its 20 years of events.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.3.12 · 3:14 AM

Celebrity preview: Motley Crue, UFC 143, George Strait, girls, girls, girls

Motley Crue performs during Crue Fest 2 at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Aug. 1, 2009.

Photo: Erik Kabik/ErikKabik.com

It’s such a huge weekend that the Hard Rock Hotel is transforming itself into a one-of-a-kind Sin City circus extravaganza to welcome not only the start of the 12 wild Motley Crue mini-residency shows, but also the Lingerie Bowl IX beauties for their parties. (Today’s also a big day for the Crue because Mayor Carolyn Goodman has declared Feb. 3, 2012, “Motley Crue Day” in Las Vegas.)

After two-time defending champion Los Angeles Temptation battles the Philadelphia Passion at Orleans Arena in a showdown before the New York Giants and New England Patriots square off in Super Bowl XLVI, the LFL stars are Motley’s front-row guests. This is more than a curvy collision of “Girls, Girls, Girls,” with Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx in the thick of it. This is the hottest of video vixens come to life who’ll fire up the Joint for real.

It’s such a sexy weekend that Sports Illustrated Swimwear Issue bikini beauties Irina Shayk and Jessica White kick off 1 OAK’s big game parties at the Mirage, arriving here before the other shapely stunners who invade on Valentine’s Day to celebrate the release of the 2012 edition.

It’s such a music weekend that rap’s reigning king, Sean “Diddy” Combs, is here for his own Super Bowl party at Tao in the Venetian, while country music majesty George Strait rules at MGM Grand Garden Arena with Martina McBride.

It’s such a wild outrageous weekend that comedians Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen and Joe Rogan will be fighting one another for the raunchiest standup humor award.

It’s such a strong weekend that UFC 143 has its own brute force rules in effect for Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit’s fight to the finish and Josh Koscheck’s showdown against Mike Pierce.

It’s such a party weekend that Studio 54 goes out in a blaze of glory and with fond memories after 14 years at MGM Grand, with rapper, actor and entrepreneur LL Cool J as the final host. Caesars Palace headliner Sir Elton John and Gloria Gaynor opened Studio 54 on Feb. 15, 1998.

So raise your glasses, pump up the volume and strap in for a 360-degree rollercoaster ride around our Super-Bowl sized edition of the Royal Robin Rundown:

FRIDAY, FEB. 3, 2012

Motley Crue rocks for 12 shows at the Joint in the Hard Rock over the next 19 days, and the band has some outrageous, debauched parties in store for fans. Adam Ant, The Good, The Mad and The Lovely Posse are at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip, andKrys Wright is at Book & Stage in the Cosmopolitan.

Tim Allen is at the Venetian, Daniel Tosh is at the Mirage, Dana Carvey is at the Orleans and Josh Wolf is at South Point, all for two nights. Joe Rogan is at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay, and Drew Carey is back with his Improv-a-Ganza at MGM Grand, while Andrew Dice Clay is at the Riviera all weekend.

OF SPECIAL NOTE

Tickets go on sale for Eddie Vedder’s April 11 concert at the Pearl in the Palms and the Hustlerz Ambition Tour on March 20 at HOB. UFC stars, including Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, dine at Fogo de Chao for the annual It Ain’t Chemo celebrity auction fundraiser. Las Vegas MMA presents Mixed Martial Arts at Its Best at the Las Vegas Hotel (LVH, formerly the Hilton). UFC Octagon girl Brittney Palmer signs autographs at Las Vegas Fight Shop at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops.

Jeg Coughlin Jr., Cory McClenathan and NHRA pro teams are at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for test sessions previewing the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The Las Vegas Wranglers battled the Alaska Aces over two nights at Orleans Arena. Wing Bowl 3, where contestants eat as many chicken wings as possible in 5 minutes for $5,000 and a championship belt, is at South Point.

PARTY PATROL

Apl.De.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas is guest DJ at Tao. Laura Croft celebrates her birthday at Chateau Nightclub & Gardens at the Paris. Sports Illustrated swimsuit models Irina Shayk (last year’s cover model) and Jessica White kick off big game weekend at 1 OAK. Grammy Award winner DJ Afrojack spins at Surrender in Steve Wynn’s Encore. Bad Boy Bill is at RPM Nightclub in the Tropicana. DJs Gabriel & Dresden are at Marquee in the Cosmopolitan. Benchwarmer hosts a party with 50 of its hot girls for the Big Game’s Biggest Party at Gallery in Planet Hollywood. And Respect Your Universe Inc., a MMA clothing brand, is at Tryst in the Wynn for a pre-UFC 143 party.

SATURDAY, Feb. 4, 2012

George Strait, forever the king of country, is at MGM Grand Garden Arena with Martina McBride, and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies are at Green Valley Ranch.

OF SPECIAL NOTE

UFC 143 features Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit in the Octagon at Mandalay Bay Events Center. The IBA Cruiserweight Championship of the Americas is at LVH with Victor Barragan vs. Jonte Willis. Boxing legends Ken Norton, Leon Spinks and Earnie Shavers sign autographs at LVH. UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre signs autographs at Las Vegas Fight Show. Psychic medium John Edwards leads a seminar at the Flamingo. And tickets go on sale for Funkapalooza 2012 at Planet Hollywood on March 24 and for Staind and Chevelle at Sunset Station on April 27.

PARTY PATROL

Studio 54 hosts one final celebration with LL Cool J, as the MGM Grand nightclub closes its doors to be transformed into a mega-restaurant, night and day party palace and pool by Christmas. Diddy hosts a Super Bowl party at Tao -- expect his Ciroc vodka to be flowing. Rocker brothers Joel and Benji Madden spin at RPM. Tiesto spins at XS in the Encore. Kelly Rowland performs at Pure in Caesars Palace. Wilmer Valderrama celebrates his 32nd birthday at Hyde Bellagio

Vanilla Ice raps at LAX in the Luxor. Kaskade spins at Marquee. It’s Prostyle vs. Nathan Scott at Surrender. And the Fourth Annual Cheer Bowl featuring dozens of cheerleaders takes over the Bank at the Bellagio for two nights, while George Clooney’s significant other, Stacy Keibler, hosts there Saturday.

UFC 143 PARTIES

Victorious or vanquished, Nick Diaz and Benchwarmer girls host at Gallery. Broken or bruised, Carlos Condit hosts at Chateau. Georges St-Pierre is at Tryst. Fabricio Werdum is at Tabu Ultra Lounge in MGM Grand. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen, Shane Carwin and Gray Maynard will be at the Headrush/Forgiven party hosted by T.J. Lavin, Chris “C.T” Tamburello and UFC Octagon girl Chandella Powell at RPM.

SUNDAY, FEB. 5, 2012

Lingerie Bowl IX pits the undefeated and favored Philadelphia Passion against two-time defending champion Los Angeles Temptation live on MTV2 from Orleans Arena. We posted a rundown of Lingerie Bowl events on Monday.

PARTY PATROL

Actress Aimee Teegarden (“Friday Night Lights”) wraps Super Bowl Sunday at Gallery, and 20 Benchwarmer beauties host at nearby Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina for the big game. Plus, peruse Las Vegas Sun colleague Allison Duck’s guide on where to watch the Super Bowl in town.

Check back over the weekend as we post reports and photographs of the ultimate playground parties, with continuing coverage next week.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.3.12 · 2:51 PM

Reunited Gabriel & Dresden kick off yearlong residency at Marquee

Creating sparks: Gabriel & Dresden are back at it after three years apart.

By Andrea Domanick

They’re baaack! EDM heroes Gabriel & Dresden return to Las Vegas tonight to kick off a yearlong residency at Marquee in the Cosmopolitan. The recently reunited duo will be playing new remixes and mashups, along with classic tracks that earned them recognition in the early 2000s as the group Motorcycle.

Singer and Motorcycle collaborator Jes also will be in house for the gig, which marks the first time the trio has performed together in seven years. I spoke with Dave Dresden and Josh Gabriel via Skype from their respective homes in Oakland, Calif., and Amsterdam to get the scoop on their reunion, the residency and why you won’t ever hear them play a remix of “Wonderwall.”

Andrea Domanick: So you reunited last year after taking time off to focus on your solo projects. How did that lead to a residency at Marquee, and what can we expect from it?

Dave Dresden: You know, we went away for a few years, but the fans didn’t. So when we got back together last year, there was a lot of interest in us. And I think Marquee felt that the music that we play, because it’s a lot more song-oriented, was a good fit for them. So we’re gonna make our show there into something that definitely feels like a Vegas night, but nothing too overstated or overdone.

Josh Gabriel: We’ve always tried to downplay production as a part of a performance. In general, we keep things simple. And Vegas is a chance to experiment, since there is this whole production value focus on the shows here. It’s a chance to go a little bit over the top and figure out what that means for us, because I think we might have a different definition than other artists who’ve played here.

A.D.: As artists, what makes Vegas a good fit for you?

J.G: With dance music finally blowing up in the States, there’s this energy where people are going out and really getting that full club experience for the first time in their lives, and you can really feel that in Vegas. It’s different than playing to a room of people who have been brought up on dance music like we’re used to. So it’s exciting to see other people now getting a chance to get exposed to it. And it’s nice to be a part of the group that’s showing people what’s what as far as dance music is concerned.

A.D.: How has your sound and style evolved as a result of the explosion of EDM into the mainstream?

J.G.: There’s definitely different ways of thinking about DJ’ing in a club. It used to be, how much new stuff can I play? How tricky or groundbreaking can I be? And now it’s a different world out there -- people want to hear something that’s familiar to them, even if it’s in a new context. So now our focus has brought us to doing a lot more vocal tracks, remixes, bootlegs. And what happens is that the sound ends up being a lot more approachable.

D.D.: There aren’t that many people who say, “You know, I was out last night, and there was a song, it really changed my life, and it went ‘bloop, bloop ,bloop, bleep, bloop.’ That’s just not how it goes down!

J.G.: It’s like training wheels on a bicycle -- they need music they know in order to relate. We’ve been concentrating on doing messed-up things with things that people know. So we do a bootleg of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” We have a bootleg of the Beatles and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling.”

D.D.: We even have a bootleg of one of Skrillex’s biggest tracks that we just dropped, and it kills it every time.

A.D.: But it seems like every time you go out to a club here, you hear remixes of the same Red Hot Chili Peppers and Oasis songs. How do you avoid falling into that?

D.D.: It starts with a song and how we feel about the lyrics and the vocal performance. For a case like [Oasis’] “Wonderwall,” it’s like, we’ll leave everybody to that one. We do have a Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” bootleg that we do. But we stay away from cliches as much as we can.

A.D.: But where’s the line between cliche and something that’s conventional and palatable enough for a mainstream audience that’s just getting into EDM?

D.D.: It’s a very fine line. There were three weeks where we could’ve just played Adele, but then everyone had their own mashup or bootleg of it, and then it became cliche.

J.G.: It’s a feel thing. It’s a checks-and-balances system. If one of us vetoes something [because we think it’s cliche], it doesn’t get played. We just sort of know when we listen to something whether or not it’s gonna work for us.

A.D.: What do you personally enjoy about Vegas? What else do you plan to do here?

D.D.: Making music in the hotel room.

A.D.: Really? That’s your go-to thing to do in Vegas?

J.G.: [laughs] That’s what we do anywhere. We used to be wilder.

D.D.: Because we live on different continents, the road is a really good place to get these ideas down. … If we’re not sleeping, we’re making music or doing something musical.

A.D.: So what’s that process like?

D.D.: We get behind our laptops and start playing with sounds. I’ll be in Logic on headphones getting a drum beat together while he’s building a synth riff, and then maybe an hour later, we come together and go over what we’ve got. It’s a flow thing. It’s really unspoken, we have no plan. We really strive to have fun. When we’re having fun, that’s heaven to us.

Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter at @AndreaDomanick and fan her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AndreaDomanick.

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02.2.12 · 4:52 PM

Strip Scribbles: Sports Illustrated swimsuit models + music in L.V.

Models Irina Shayk and Jessica White at Tao Beach in The Venetian on June 26, 2010.

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Twenty of the world’s most incredible bikini beauties will leave New York for two days of fun on the Strip, arriving Feb. 14 to celebrate the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The models party in Manhattan first to announce the new cover girl the night before. Last year, it was Irina Shayk, and she’s at the Mirage on Friday night at 1 OAK with swimwear model cohort Jessica White, who this morning was named one of this year’s contenders for the coveted cover.

The cover winner will be revealed Feb. 13, and the battle comes down to Genevieve Morton, Brooklyn Decker, Cintia Dicker, Este Ginzburg, Julie Henderson, Hilary Rhoda, Jessica Perez, Kate Upton and Jessica. Brooklyn, the wife of tennis star Andy Roddick, is a former cover girl.

They’ll be headquartered with 10 of the magazine’s other beautiful bodies at the Cosmopolitan when the magazine debuts to shine a spotlight on 10 of the 17 up-and-coming music artists whose music creates the soundtrack to Swimsuit 2012. It also will mark the debut of a two-day Lexus/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Beauties & Beats Music Festival with the glamour girls stage side at all 10 performances from 5 to 11 p.m. at Book & Stage. The event is free and open to those ages 21 and older.

“We’re excited to shine the enormous spotlight of Swimsuit on to these 17 emerging artists, the same way we have helped to illuminate the stars of our models for nearly 50 years,” said M.J. Day, senior editor. More than 70 million people worldwide will see the models and the musicians in the magazine and mixed media platforms.

JUST ASKING: Is it mere coincidence that Stacy Keibler is hosting at the Bank in the Bellagio this weekend, Cheryl Burke is at Tao in the Venetian tonight, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Val Chmerkovskiy and Tony Dovolani were on the Strip last weekend? I can confirm that the casting folks from the top-rated “Dancing With the Stars” were here, too, sizing up offers to Las Vegas names for when the new series starts rehearsals March 3.

TASTE OF THE NFL: 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler is in Indianapolis participating in Taste of the NFL events surrounding Super Bowl XLVI with chef Bobby Flay (Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace). Laura, who is working with our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue there, will be on “Good Morning America" at 8 a.m. Friday to talk about the benefits provided by the chefs of each NFL city.

NEW DJ RESIDENCIES: “Jersey Shore” stars DJ Pauly D has signed on with Vanity at the Hard Rock Hotel. Formerly at Rain in the Palms, Pauly kicks off Season 9 of the infamous Rehab on April 22 and spins at Vanity the night before. And Gabriel & Dresden start their residency at Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan on Friday after a three-year hiatus and touring in 17 countries.

CALENDAR GIRL: “Peepshow” star Cheaza celebrates the release of her new sexy, sassy calendar at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile next Wednesday -- go to her Web site Cheaza.com for a sneak peek. The knockout beauty who was shot by Playboy and Maxim photographers will be autographing her calendars at Pampas. Don’t be surprised if castmates Holly Madison and Josh Strickland stop by to wish her well. She’s also celebrating the completion of her new album with its single “Live for Tonight.”

GALLERY GIRL: Classic porn star and Las Vegas resident Sunset Thomas has created a novel series of photo paintings shot by Tony Chiu for her new Web site SunsetThomasArtGallery.com They are unique and unexpected in black and white, with eye-popping splashes of neon color added, and when the lensman and his subject went to Oscar’s Steakhouse at the Plaza to celebrate the shoot, there was former Mayor Oscar Goodman, so they gave him with one of the tasteful nudes, which he promised to hang up at home. Sunset and Tony plan to open a gallery of her nudes in the burgeoning downtown Arts District.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

“DWTS” beauty Cheryl hosts a go-go contest at Tao, with $15,000 in prizes for the winner and runner-up. Andrew Dice Clay puts the sin back in our city with four nights at the Riviera. “The Price Is Right host Drew Carey starts a four-day run at MGM Grand with his Improv-A-Ganza alongside TV co-stars Kathy Kinney, Johnathan Mangum and Heather Campbell. Clint Holmes is MC of the Queen of Hearts benefit honoring 10 remarkable Las Vegas women at Crystals in CityCenter to benefit Lied Discovery Children’s Museum. And the International Sportsmen’s Expo opens at the Las Vegas Convention Center as Nevada’s largest outdoor adventure travel, fishing and hunting consumer show.

TOMORROW’S TEASE

It’s more than just a betting binge at our sports books on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a thrill-a-minute entertainment extravaganza that puts Indianapolis and Madonna to shame as the Strip has bigger action and many more stars -- with lingerie ladies, swimwear stunners and UFC fighters all in our Weekend Celebrity Preview.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.2.12 · 6:04 PM

Exclusive: Official portraits of Miss Nevada USA, Miss Teen Nevada USA

They are truly stunning official portraits. The first duty of the newly crowned Miss Nevada USA Jade Kelsall and Miss Teen Nevada USA Katie Eklund was to report to Georgina Vaughan’s Las Vegas photography studio for the official post-pageant photo shoot.

Georgina, the 2009 Miss Nevada USA, is now a pageant photographer and released the portraits for a Vegas DeLuxe first look. “There’s no doubt that Jade and Katie are big winners,” Georgina said. “The camera doesn’t lie, and I think I captured them at their best the day after the pageant.

“Their happiness and confidence comes shining through. They are the best Nevada has had, and I agree with many others that they could go all the way to the big title.”

Jade, who was a nightclub hostess at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore, is the new ambassador of Top Shop, the U.K. chain of hip clothing stores that is opening an outlet in Fashion Show next month. She will represent our Silver State in the Miss USA Pageant here June 3 and airing on NBC, with that winner representing America in the Miss Universe Pageant.

Katie, a senior at Centennial High School and a Bulldogs cheerleader, travels to the Bahamas in August for the Miss Teen USA Pageant. She is already heavily tipped to make it to the Top Five.

Pageant photographer Joe Pier put together a poster of the 2012 Miss Nevada USA Pageant’s Top 12 from their swimsuit presentation Sunday night at the Pearl in the Palms, and, yes, that’s Jade in the center row second from the left already looking like a winner.

Incidentally, in other Miss Nevada Pageant news, actress Dawn Wells, a Reno High School graduate who found stardom on “Gilligan’s Island” as Mary Ann after winning the 1959 Miss Nevada USA Pageant, appears in the new Broadway play “Love, Loss and What I Wore” that also features Sierra Boggess, formerly Christine Daae in “Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular” at the Venetian.

Vegas DeLuxe will continue to cover Jade and Katie as they prepare for their national competitions.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.2.12 · 12:28 PM

Exclusive: Motley Crue plans sexy, outrageous after-parties at Hard Rock

Motley Crue performs during Crue Fest 2 at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Aug. 1, 2009.

Photo: Erik Kabik/ErikKabik.com

Motley Crue promises that the 12 mini-residency concerts at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel starting Friday will be wilder and more outrageous, scandalous and shocking than any rock concert ever produced. But that’s tame compared to the eight private, VIP, high-roller after-parties being planned, and I’ve managed to pin down the secrets planned for the notorious rockers.

There will actually be two parties on eight nights of the run -- Feb. 10-12, 14, 15 and 17-19 -- the first in Body English and then a more private, wilder one in a VIP suite to be renamed Home Suite Home. Only 300 of the most privileged get to that super-private bash, but as many as 1,000 will party in Body English, which will be renamed Unreal Estate.

Within Body English and Unreal Estate will be the Devil’s Bachelor Pad, a bizarre manor hidden behind giant black metal gates with black carpeting. There will be Wiccan priestesses with Ouija boards serving as palm readers and fortunetellers, body-painted animals, fire breathers, jugglers, midgets, stilt walkers, go-go dancers, circus performers, fairies and dozens of naughty French maids. Expect to see goats as part of a second live performance with drummer Tommy Lee and DJ Arrow. A buffet with roasted pig will help fuel the hungry.

Unreal Estate is only a teaser to what’s planned for the upstairs Home Suite Home. Super VIPs will see a white pony with a unicorn horn, S&M DJ Ouchy the Clown, lounge act Troy Dante Inferno, midget servers and a milk-and-cookies bathtub performance, plus 20 models in barely there pajamas taking part in pillow fights and other bed-top maneuvers. The dessert buffet will be placed atop a painted naked woman -- presumably the paint covers the naughty bits to avoid confusion with cabernet grapes and melon slices?

I’m reliably told that the two parties are being designed to reflect the Crue’s “Symphony for the Devil” album cover and that Home Suite Home is to have every man’s fantasy of hot women in sexy pajamas and lingerie laying around their bedroom. I’m also told that Las Vegas will never be the same again after these parties, and it’s highly unlikely that anybody could ever top what’s being planned for the raucous midnight-to-6-a.m. festivities. It’s decadence at its peak!

Meantime this morning, the full-length Super Bowl Sunday KIA commercial with the Crue, Las Vegas UFC hero Chuck Liddell and supermodel Adriana Lima was released.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.2.12 · 2:32 PM

Iconic mega-club Studio 54 set to say farewell after 14 years

When a nightclub in Las Vegas makes it past one year, it’s considered a success. Five years? Consider it middle-aged. Ten years is almost unheard of, which makes it all the more remarkable that Studio 54 has managed to reign as the matriarch of the Las Vegas club scene for more than 14 years.

The iconic nightclub was one of the first, if not the first, mega-clubs to emerge as a hub of decadence and entertainment that today defines nightlife along the Strip. But come Saturday, the glitter and strobe lights of Studio 54 are going dark.

It’s a moment that MGM Grand Director of Entertainment Barry Morgan calls bittersweet and inevitable.

“So much of the staff has been here for almost the entire 14 years, it’s really like a family,” says Morgan, who, having helped open the club as its entertainment manager in 1997, is among them. “It’s sad to see that part of it go. But then again, change is always good.”

MGM Grand announced the club’s closure in November as part of a broader renovation the resort is currently undergoing. Studio 54 is expected to reopen as a new nightclub and restaurant at the end of this year. However, its legacy still lingers in the numerous other clubs it has influenced over the years.

Morgan credits Studio 54’s success to its branding, modeled off the storied Studio 54 of New York, which closed in 1986; MGM then bought the rights to the club.

“If it had been called ‘The MGM Club,’ it wouldn’t have been successful. The old Studio 54 was iconic for being where you went when you wanted to be on the scene, and that was a good fit for where Vegas was heading in the late '90s, too,” he explains.

In its heyday, the Las Vegas Studio 54 of the 1990s and early 2000s was a vibrant dance destination that Morgan describes as “precocious and unpretentious.” When patrons walked into the 22,000-square-foot club, they entered an unprecedented sensory overload of Warholian hues, oversized Afro wigs, writhing go-go girls and mirror balls reflecting the aerial acrobatics being performed around them.

It was a club where Siegfried & Roy would mingle post-show on industry night and where Prince gave his legendary New Year’s 1999 performance; where New York mainstays like John Travolta and Hugh Hefner partied with the likes of Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg; it was an experience drenched in lights and alcohol that cemented “over-the-top” as the new norm, forever changing the shape of Las Vegas nightlife.

But when the club launched in 1997, Morgan’s expectations for Studio 54 were decidedly grounded; the club was designed to be more of an entertainment destination than the hedonistic hotspot of its New York predecessor. He describes a small but committed crew of 12 dancers -- three men and nine women -- who would perform dance and comedy routines every half hour.

“Everyone who worked there was also an entertainer,” Morgan says. “We had a bartender who sang; the bar back was a juggler. Everyone got involved in the productions.”

That immersive experience gave rise to the trend, and now expectation, of the server-entertainer so common in Strip venues today.

For dancer and Las Vegas native Jenny Ammon, that was part of the appeal. Ammon has performed at the club five days a week for 12 years.

“Whatever you did, you had to have a talent,” she recalls. “When people come to Vegas, they want to be entertained, and they want that right in front of them.”

Still, Ammon admits that Studio 54 got off to a slow start. It was the first nightclub to be housed inside a hotel rather than autonomously located near the Strip. As a result, the club spent its first few years struggling to attract patrons beyond convention center attendees and hangers-on of the original Studio 54.

Studio 54 rose into its prime with the launch of Erotically Delicious Entertainers’ Night (EDEN), the city’s first industry night.

Ammon says EDEN changed opportunities for both locals and performers. It helped catalyze the need for entertainment and entertainers in all facets of Strip life and unified the nightlife scene for locals and tourists alike.

“Before Studio 54, I wasn’t a big club person. I hung out at the dance studio, and then we’d go get drinks around Harmon and Koval, or if it was after a show, maybe Drai’s if it wasn’t crowded. But with EDEN, it was amazing to have somewhere to go after work, especially where we’d feel appreciated,” she says.

Ammon says that the combination of attracting tourists and the industry at a single destination was what made Studio 54 finally take off.

Industry night wasn’t the club’s only innovation. Bottle service, a trend in Europe and New York that was still relatively unheard of in Vegas at the time, became an early staple at Studio 54. More theme nights cropped up. Aerial performances quickly became a mainstay.

But it didn’t take long for Studio 54’s lavish nightlife experience to catch on with the rest of the Strip; with it came Luxor’s Ra and Club Rio at the Rio; then there was GhostBar at the Palms, with its breathtaking view of the city, and Body English’s rock star decadence at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Soon enough, nearly every resort had its own nightclub, each with a new draw to trump the other. As clubgoers were increasingly forced to pick and choose among them, Morgan admits that there were times when Studio 54 struggled to maintain its competitive edge.

“Everyone had to outdo each other. It was difficult to stay the place to be when new clubs were opening with a lot more money than we had,” he says.

That forced the club to undergo several significant facelifts over the years, including a lavish remodeling of the entrance, an extension of the entry corridor, the addition of exclusive VIP areas and lounges and a general revamping of music and entertainment.

“Everything’s definitely gotten shorter,” Ammon says of her costumes, which have evolved from bellbottoms to lingerie over the years. “No more pants! There’s no hiding behind the costumes.”

But she says keeping Studio 54’s signature party features, like its balloon drop and confetti, were as essential to is prolonged success as its renovations. “Adults love to be kids,” she says.

Morgan ultimately credits the club’s longevity to its integrity. “We always stayed true to ourselves as being a destination for fun, easygoing dance and where crowds can be truly entertained.”

After Studio 54’s farewell bash Saturday, hosted by rapper/actor LL Cool J, the club will be shut down and dismantled in preparation for the new venue. Many of the old staff already have new opportunities lined up.

Morgan, who will be busying himself with MGM’s other entertainment venues, hopes that they would be able to return to the club that replaces Studio 54 in the winter. But older staffers, like Ammon, who started with Studio 54 when she was 21, are still weighing their options.

“This place has been like being in my own living room. It’s so comfortable, I get to see my friends every day. I even met my husband here,” she says. “I don’t think there’s another place I can go and get the same experience. But the good will keep coming. This never felt like a job.”

Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter at @AndreaDomanick and fan her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AndreaDomanick.

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02.2.12 · 11:31 PM

Photos: Lingerie Bowl IX teams promise a ferocious battle for title

Philadelphia Passion's Marirose Roach.

Photo: Joe Petro/LFL; Don Montague/LFL

Vengeance? Victory? Violence? Two Lingerie Football League teams of fit and fierce females will skirmish for the second consecutive year, and the gridiron combat will be televised live to millions around the world on MTV2 from Orleans Arena as the matchup before the Super Bowl XLVI showdown between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. It’s a repeat of last year's Lingerie Bowl when the Philadelphia Passion lost 25-24 to the L.A. Temptation.

On Wednesday, I hosted the media day for the gridiron girls along with L.A. coach David Bizub and Philly coach Chandler Brown, who was recently named Coach of the Year. My pal, Las Vegas morning radio DJ Chet Buchanan, joins us Sunday as the show announcer.

The edgy excitement starts at 10 a.m. with a Tailgate Village party at Orleans Arena. Doors open at noon for the 1 p.m. kickoff. The teams will play two 17-minute halves, and the new 2012 champion should be decided by the time Eli Manning and Tom Brady begin their battle in Indianapolis -- providing there’s no overtime.

Both teams then host Super Bowl screenings at the Hard Rock Hotel before joining Motley Crue and their own Lingerie Bowl IX party at Vanity Nightclub. I can advise that despite serious Philadelphia injuries, Las Vegas leading odds-maker Jason Rood of MGM Resorts International has the official betting lines for Lingerie Bowl IX:

With two key players sidelined, he still lists the Passion as a 4.5-point favorite, with the over, under set at 62.5 points. Philadelphia has been favored this season in every game they have played. I met the injured players Wednesday, and their emotional teammates told me that they’d play the game for them in the highest of spirits as they watch from the player box.

“It’s an added incentive for them to do their best. They are determined to win it for the two of them, and these girls just don’t let their teammates down,” Chandler told me.

Here are excepts from the Lingerie Bowl IX rundown by Jim Wallin of LFL360.com (click on the link for his full coverage): “If the Philadelphia Passion hope to avenge last year’s one-point Lingerie Bowl VIII defeat to the Los Angeles Temptation, they will have to do so without their best player, Marirose Roach (#6). The Passion running back/safety sustained a significant neck injury late in the first half in Sunday (Jan. 29) afternoon’s Eastern Conference Championship against the Tampa Breeze.

“She did play most of the second half of the game, but Philadelphia officials indicate that she woke up the following day with discomfort. She is expected to make a full recovery, but a team spokesman was hesitant to put a concrete time frame on her recovery.

“Marirose was widely considered as the premiere offensive weapon in the league, netting a league-high 18 touchdowns, 441 total yards and a league-leading four interceptions. Jenny Butler is expected to take her place in the starting lineup, but Passion head coach Chandler Brown has not yet indicated who will start in her place at safety.

“These are the LFL’s two most powerful armies, and the Vegas battlefield is the second chapter of their high-stakes epic. L.A. is the back-to-back champion team defending their honor against the two-time Eastern Conference Philly champions. They’ve had hard-fought battles over the past five months, and Philly arrives undefeated again. Each has earned the right to re-engage each other in an all-or-nothing, do-or-die death match.

“There’s no doubt this will be a thriller of a game -- and the best Lingerie Bowl battle we’ve ever seen.”

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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02.2.12 · 3:43 PM

Presidential palate also includes margherita pizzas from Due Forni

President Obama speaks at a UPS facility in Las Vegas on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/ErikKabik.com

By John Katsilometes

The restaurants whence the Big Cheese ordered pizza during his stay in Las Vegas last week has become a two-topping issue.

President Barack Obama’s 12-pizza, multiple-cannoli order from the recently opened Dom DeMarco’s Pizza & Bar on West Charleston Avenue in Summerlin has received an extra-large serving of national and local media coverage. The new pizza joint is an outpost of Brooklyn’s renowned Di Fara’s pizzeria and co-owned by Albert Scalleat.

Scalleat took the well-chronicled order from an associate visiting with the presidential entourage last Wednesday. The Obama camp was ensconced at Element Hotel, which sits about three miles away from Dom DeMarco’s on Discovery Drive.

Basking in national media attention to the point that even TMZ has called asking for details, Scalleat reports at least a 15-percent boost in business since the saucy news was made public. One report put that bump at 25 percent, and that’s a lotta dough, my friends.

But it was not the only pizza order made for the president that night. At 10:15, a call was made to the pizza restaurant across the street from Element, Due Forni, which celebrates its year anniversary next Wednesday. Restaurant co-owner Alex Taylor had earlier in the day offered his services to the hotel if it needed a delivery to the presidential party, even though Due Forni does not typically deliver. Realizing Element does not offer room service, Taylor gladly offered to hustle an order to the hotel if it was for the presidential party.

The call came just as Due Forni was closing, but Taylor willingly took the order -- two margherita pizzas -- keeping his word that he would deliver if it was for the president’s team. He delivered the order himself, parking in the Terrible Herbst Chevron gas station and convenience store in front of the hotel, where he was met by a person who, we surmise, was a member of the president’s Secret Service detail.

The two walked over to Element, where Taylor was passed to a second stoic person who also resonated “security” and simply offered the order for cash. He made the drop, went back to the restaurant -- and proceeded to not make a big deal out of it (the first I’d heard of any of this was at Saturday night’s Nevada Ballet Theatre Black & White Ball honoring Eva Longoria at Aria, where Taylor was telling friends about the rare opportunity to serve).

Reached by phone at the restaurant, Taylor spoke about it today, but stressed that he did not seek attention for the transaction. Say this for pizza master: He’s far better at making pies than news.

“A lot of my customers have said, ‘You should call! You should call!’ ” Taylor said (the customers are either referring to members of the media or, perhaps, Ghostbusters). “I just told them, ‘It’s a voting issue -- remember when you cast your vote where the president ordered his pizza from.’ ”

There does seem enough pizza to go around. As an addendum, Taylor and his family were invited to tour Air Force One. A member of Taylor’s extended family is a member of the presidential communications staff.

Sadly, Taylor did not meet the president himself.

“I can only hope,” he said, “that he liked the pizza.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.

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02.1.12 · 6:38 PM

Christian Louboutin, David Lynch strut their way to ‘Crazy Horse Paris’

Changes are coming to the erotic “Crazy Horse Paris” at MGM Grand. “Crazy? No. Very crazy? Yes!” one top executive told me from its French headquarters in Paris. Following in the high heels of its guest stars Dita Von Teese, Carmen Electra, Claire Sinclair and Pamela Anderson now comes the first “guest creator” in its history.

Fashion designer Christian Louboutin won’t be shedding clothes onstage, but the king of stilettos will give “CHP” a makeover. The celebrated creator of the red sole is giving his fresh interpretation of “Crazy” in Paris first before moving on to the Strip.

Christian is collaborating with director David Lynch and master musician Swizz Beatz on the music and Gilles Papain for the video on four new acts updating art masterpieces with hip hop to look at femininity in all its forms. “ ‘Crazy’ is an iconic Paris monument, a monument to dance and a fantastic celebration of women for women,” he said.

The creative venture, titled “Fire” here in Las Vegas and “Feu” in Paris, plays the French capital March 4-May 31 before heading to the Strip. I am told he is designing all new red shoes for the topless beauties, and their traditional lipsticks will change to match his trademark color.

Additionally, I can confirm our earlier Vegas DeLuxe exclusives about the deal with the Pink Elephant Club to expand the current Crazy Horse Paris theater at MGM Grand by a quarter of its size, opened to and moving more into the casino. The gorgeous dancers will have their early evening showcase in a larger, yet more intimate, nightclub theater, and then be incorporated in the changeover to the wild Pink Elephant from South America.

Expect plans to be officially set within the month, when final contracts are signed and then announced for the fall transformation.

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 at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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