Nightclubs have long been on the cutting edge of technology, so the exponential increase in nightlife-related websites comes as no big surprise. You will always have your good old standbys like NapkinNights.com, SpyOnVegas.com and the TheCircuitLV.com (run by the Weekly's own Xania Woodman), but a slew of new club-inspired home pages are providing surfers with dizzying options. One such reason is the amount of traffic (and therefore money) a decent website can bring in.
Take, for example, JackColton.com which, having just turned a year old last week, claims to be directing an estimated $500,000 a month in bottle sales to different clubs and VIP hosts through info on the site. (Colton is an occasional contributor to Las Vegas Weekly.) GrooveLink.com is a new weekly calendar/promo site with updated events posted for all its clients (Playboy Club, Moon, Ghostbar, Rain, Tao, Triq and the Beatles Revolution Lounge thus far), along with an accompanying newsletter. GrooveLink also has all the artwork and fliers for each corresponding venue and night available for download if you wanted to put the link up on your own home page or MySpace page.
LocalitesLA.com and LocalitesVegas.com recently launched and tout themselves as entertainment and lifestyle magazines. On the sites, though, it is the usual breed: lots of cleavage in out-and-about photos, hot spots no doubt fueled by their advertisers, profiles of "trendsetters" and VIP services provided by Vegas Group Entertainment. What they do have that others don't is a fashion element, links to and reviews of local duds, making the clicks at least somewhat unique.
One that may not look as nice as the others but seems to have a little more meat in terms of content is azclubculture.com. Although it only deals with Arizona, local geeks could learn a thing or two. There is no corporate or large advertising hand involved, or so it appears, so most of the information and recommendations are unbiased. It is a member-based site, so everyone is free to post their event or talk about someone else's shindig, whether positively or negatively. DJ reviews are open to members, and even better than just a bunch of random snapshots of drunk tourists, azclubculture.com has a Hot or Not category to rate the attractiveness of local bartenders and waitresses. With the industry's narcissistic fascination with itself, this looks to get a lot of hits.
Rumor has it that Greenspun Media Group (publisher of the Weekly) is in the process of revamping one of its own sites and making it a hub for the nightlife industry. It could launch as soon as this fall.
Clowning around
Nothing surprises us anymore, at least not after this. We never thought we would see the day, but yes, it's true: Circus Circus will now offer bottle service. Mexitalia Xpress, the Mexican and Italian restaurant (hence the bad portmanteau), is turning up the heat on Friday and Saturday nights and lets just hope the kids are already in bed. Luna y Sol—or moon and sun, for those of you who cheated your way through Spanish in high school—will take over the restaurant on weekend nights, starting at 11 p.m., with a DJ spinning the latest in Latin music and, wildly enough, VIP bottle service. The last of the family-themed resorts could be on its way out with the addition of go-go dancers as well. "Daddy, what happened to the nice lady's clothes?"
After-dinner desserts
Dinner and a movie are so passé. How about a burger and burlesque? Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce is providing a tantalizing reason to eat out, as for a limited time, show a receipt from a meal at approved MGM Mirage restaurants and skip the cover charge with your whole party. For restaurants that qualify go to fortydeuce.com/free.php
Name that bar
Along with the Miracle Mile taking over Desert Passage, the V Theater is already in the process of a multimillion-dollar makeover that includes two new showrooms and an extended bar on the mall level. At the end of this week, the V Theater Group will open a contest to name the new addition. They're looking for creative, witty and original; the winning submission's creator will receive free drinks for a year, free tickets to all of the shows at the theater and $500. The winner will be chosen by David Saxe and the V Theater Group and unveiled at the opening of the bar, expected on July 4. You can cast your suggestion at varietytheater.com, but you must be over 21 years old.
Prince takes another bow
We are learning not to jump too quickly at anything that comes from the world of 3121. Last Thursday we reported, along with a flurry of other media outlets, that Prince's show at the Rio would be closing on March 31. That very same Thursday he announced that he would be staying another month. Friday morning the deal was off, and by Friday afternoon it was in stone: 3121 and its Prince will remain intact through the end of April. And then? We'll see.
Cocktail of the Week
Beck's Mini Keg Rockhouse, $125 for two
Ingredients
5 Liters Beck's Beer
Approximately 20 beers in each
Tapping a whole different market with bottle service, ordering this pair of light German pilsners will land you a table as well as all the VIP service that accompanies a bottle of spirits. According to their ad, the Rockhouse was voted as the Best Bar on the Strip to Get You Drunk. And while we aren't sure who voted or what survey even has such a category, we can see (out of one eye) why they won.
How sweet it is
"The second I played the first record ... I was like bam, bam, bam! That was when I felt like I'd accomplished something, conquered Las Vegas."
– DJ Suhel of Pacha New York vividly recalling his first time playing Vegas at Club Rio on July 11, 2003.
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