I'll go ahead and state a blatantly obvious fact of life: the multi-million dollar Las Vegas nightlife industry is absolutely booming right now, and is in the middle of another major growth spurt with as many as 16 new nightclubs and lounges opening their ropes within the next year. You heard right, 16.

Between the complete annihilation of all things Egyptian at the Luxor (soon to be "The Pyramid"); the Luxor ambitiously opening up at least five additional venues within the next year; the $780,000,000 expansion of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; Miami's Opium Group (of Mansion, Prive, Opium in Miami) taking over all things nightlife at Planet Hollywood; the new Palazzo tower at the Venetian (with Jay Z's 40/40 and a probable Tao expansion); the new Encore tower at Wynn Las Vegas (look for another venture between Victor Drai and Wynn), and the timely renovation of both Tangerine and Light (aka: The Bank as of December) – the battle has begun!

LAX NIGHTCLUB - OPENING NIGHT. Courtesy of SpyOnVegas.com

Most would agree that the current amount of Las Vegas nightclubs is fairly in line with the amount of Las Vegas club patrons. It works out nicely. But what happens a year from now when a slew of new high-budget venues hit the Strip? I'm going to go out on a limb and predict one of three scenarios (or more likely a combination of all three):

Scenario 1: The additional national exposure (celebrity coverage, press, etc), and creative marketing provided by the influx of new clubs will help the overall Las Vegas nightlife industry grow to the point where the market can easily support itself.

Scenario 2: The added competition will affect the basic principle of "supply and demand," inevitably making the events that clubs throw even more spectacular, causing the prices of bottle service to fluctuate favorably toward the consumer, and making two out of every three advertisements for Las Vegas tie into nightlife somehow.

Scenario 3: Only the venues with the strongest teams, the best overall entertainment products, and the most loyal customer support will survive.

What will ultimately happen venue-by-venue is truly anyone's guess, but the fact that nightlife is widely considered to be one of the biggest driving forces behind all that is the new Las Vegas is very exciting to say the least.

Turn Out the Lights, the Party Is (Temporarily) Over
After four years of making headlines, building careers, and pushing Las Vegas nightlife to soaring new heights, Bellagio's Light Nightclub has officially closed its doors for good. Work will begin immediately on transforming the space into Light Group's newest venue, The Bank, which has an anticipated opening of Jan. 1, 2008. Look for soft-opening invites to start coming in around Dec. 15, and plan on walking into a much bigger space. This portion of the Bellagio was originally remodeled as an elevated tram stop for service between the hotel and Fashion Show Mall, but the plan was scrapped and they ultimately built a nightclub instead (hence the escalator entrance that Light had). Word on the street is the space below the club will be incorporated into Bank. The real question is: how many tourists are going to walk up to the doorman and try to cash in their chips thinking it's a cashier? Ha!

Fresh-Squeezed Clubbing
Tangerine was scheduled to shut down for complete renovation following Labor Day weekend, but it has since then been decided to keep the venue open at least until New Year's on a Thursday through Sunday basis. Their Wednesday night crowd will be ushered toward Tangerine's new big sister LAX, and the venue will eventually resume its original fate sometime in 2008.

Fever Out of Favor
After being open a ridiculously short two months (well, slightly less, but I'll give them a courtesy curve), South Point's Fever Nightclub closed on Sept. 1 without a tremendous amount of shock from anyone who knew better. The entertainment department of South Point apparently realized, after the expensive fact, that this space will only be profitable if they operate it as a showroom with weekly special events. As if this same lesson wasn't learned at Santa Fe Station, Sunset Station, Red Rock, Boulder Station, and at virtually every other traditionally local's casino that has tried to open a nightclub with a huge marketing budget, bottle service, and generally mainstream music. With that said, I whole-heartedly feel like hiking to the top of tallest mountain surrounding the Las Vegas valley and screaming at the top of my lungs "kindly STOP attempting to open nightclubs away from the main strip area with the same business model as those on the strip area! You can't compete! The overall market that keeps Tao, Body English, Pure, and the others open won't be coming down your way!"

Between a Hard Rock and a Good Place
After recently being acquired by the Morgan Group, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has already broken ground on what will ultimately be a staggering $780,000,000 expansion of the property. A source within the hotel tells me that this development will include two new towers, one major nightclub that opens up to the hotel pool similar to how Tryst opens up to it's iconic lake, a lounge partially owned by Carey Hart called Wasted Space, an expanded hotel pool for the wildly popular Rehab pool party, and a snazzy rock lounge that will adjoin the concert venue The Joint. The best part about it is that, contrary to the many rumors floating around last year when the Morgan Group acquired the property, Body English is completely safe from closing down.

Pyramid Power
As most people know by now, the Egyptian theme is currently being relentlessly gutted from every aspect of the Luxor and they are working hard to transform the hotel into MGM Mirage's biggest party spot with as many as five new nightlife venues on the drawing board in addition to the recently opened LAX, Noir, and Aurora. It's estimated that next such venue will be the sexy new hybrid restaurant / nightclub Cathouse which will open in late November. The venue features a 5,000 sq ft lounge, and additionally a 5,000-square-foot restaurant that will dually serve as an extension of the nightlife portion of Cathouse after 11:30PM each night.

Nightlife Planet
I'll go ahead and preface this one by saying that I don't have a ton of hard facts about what's going on at Planet Hollywood nightlife wise, but I do know that Miami nightlife management company Opium Group (Mansion, Prive, Opium Garden) is rumored to be heavily involved in the alleged opening of as many as four new nightlife venues within the property. Also rumored, as reported by TheVegasEye.com, is that the very talented former Pure Management Director of Operations Greg Jarmolowich will be spearheading the operations. Greg hasn't made any effort to deny these rumors, but if anyone is suited to take on the challenge of opening venues within a resort that most locals will proudly declare "nothing will ever work there," it's him.

First-Class Opening
I've got a pretty strict rule against going to any nightclub on a holiday weekend (especially a grand opening), so I have not yet seen Pure Management's newest mega-club LAX for myself. But from the very moment that people started lining up to get in for the grand opening, my phone was literally lit up with text messages giving me a play-by-play account of all the action. I had press, guests from out of town, industry locals, and even several people who were sitting on stage mere feet away from the grand opening celebrity host Britney Spears texting me telling me all about it (note to self, avoid sitting next to Britney Spears as you'll be blinded by camera flashes).

The overall feedback was pretty positive, and I'll go ahead and say that any negatives could be directly attributed to the nasty combination of huge holiday weekend crowds and the fact that LAX wasn't able to have the usual amount of soft openings (to clear up any kinks) because of construction delays. I checked out the club on Wednesday, and have a full review up next week.

Blush Hour
The highly-anticipated Blush Boutique Nightclub, a partnership of Sean Christie and Steve Wynn, also had their official Grand Opening on Aug. 31 to great success. The 5,500-square-foot venue occupies the former space of Lure Ultra Lounge, and aims to provide a nightlife option that can easily transform from an elegant lounge to a high-energy nightclub at the flip of the switch. True to my anti-holiday weekend rule, I wasn't in attendance at their official Grand Opening, butI was there on Tuesday, Sept. 4 for the Grand Opening of their Tuesday night party.

About Jack Colton
Jack Colton is the Vegas nightlife empresario responsible for the 'character-based' JackColton.com -- one of the best sites to learn and master Vegas nightlife secrets like how not to wait in line at busy clubs, who to contact for table reservations, and why wearing sunglasses at night makes you look like a jackass. Helpful stuff.

In an anticipated announcement today, Luxor President Felix Rappaport confirmed less than an hour ago what LUXE LIFE first reported earlier this year: TV star and famed illusionist Criss Angel will be starring in a Cirque du Soleil production slated to launch at the Luxor in a little more than a year during summer 2008.

All secrets were revealed as to the subject of this newest Cirque du Soleil show announcement today as casino execs and media entered the Luxor Theater today for the special announcement. The backdrop had logos for the Luxor, Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel's trademark Circle A, reminiscent of an anarchy symbol. This will be the sixth resident show in Vegas joining Mystere, O, Zumanity, Ka and LOVE with an Elvis-based show opening at MGM Mirage's City Center when that is completed before the decade's end.

It's now official that Cirque du Soleil will present 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel in a $100-million+ magic spectacular as first reported in LUXE LIFE. The news is imminent and a countdown of just four days has begun.

LUXE LIFE has learned that invitations will be issued to TV crews and journalists within 24 hours to meet at the Luxor on Thursday, Mar. 15 at 2PM for the actual announcement with Cirque executives from Montreal and Luxor president, Felix Rappaport, along with other MGM officials also in attendance.

Its a double bonanza weekend for Criss because he also got the news that his top-rated A&E series 'Mindfreak' has just been renewed for a fourth hit season and he has with just three more weeks of programs to film for the current season where has has been based at the Luxor for the filming of the new series.

Less than one week since LUXE LIFE posted its exclusive interview with Bellagio Chef Jeff Henderson, just hours before he went on the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss his extraordinary life story for the first time, Oscar winning actor Will Smith has signed to make a major motion picture of the ex-drug dealer's tale of redemption. Jeff became a chef while serving time for being a crack cocaine dealer. His book 'Cooked' was only published two weeks ago by William Morrow!

MGM Mirage CEO Terry Lanni (pictured) hosted a private top-level dinner last night at Social House in Treasure Island with Pansy Ho, the daughter of Macau and Hong Kong hotel entrepreneur Stanley Ho.

Nevada's Gaming Commissioners have summoned the stunning Hong Kong tycoon-princess to Carson City as part of their investigation into the co-partner license that she and MGM Mirage are seeking to operate a casino on the Chinese enclave.

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It appears as if Mayor Oscar Goodman and Greg Anthony are a 'thumbs up' closer to bring an NBA team to Las Vegas.

Just as first reported exclusively here two days ago in LUXE LIFE, NBA Commissioner David Stern has performed a 180-degree pivot when he told Mayor Goodman to draft a proposal to bring an NBA team to Vegas. Stern announced the news today at a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel.

The next steps for Mayor Goodman are to lobby the NBA team owners in town during the All-Star festivities over the next couple of days and then get the proposal completed in time for the April 23rd NBA owners' spring meeting so Commissioner Stern can deliver the proposal in person as promised.

Vegas Confidential's Norm Clarke confirmed the LUXE LIFE story, but added an element of intrigue surrounding the oft-rumoured move of the Sacramento Kings to Las Vegas. Mayor Goodman and Commissioner Stern sat at the same table as the Joe, Gavin and George Maloof, fueling conversation that it will be the Kings that move to Vegas.

The Maloof brothers, who own the Kings, also own the wildly popular Palms Resort & Casino here in Vegas which includes the new Fantasy Tower and Playboy Club. Speculation about the family consolidating their major business interests into the same market would seem to make sense, but the Maloofs are adamant about keeping their team in Central California.

George Maloof has repeated on several occasions that the family's desire is to keep the Kings in Sacramento even though the voters rejected tax measures to fund an arena.

As reported in LUXE LIFE, local sports hero, Greg Anthony, is hoping to lead a group effort to buy a team and bring it here to Vegas. Greg played basketball at Rancho High School in Las Vegas before becoming a UNLV, NBA and now ESPN star.

Stay tuned to LUXE LIFE as the story develops.

Last minute negotiations are ongoing in a dramatic 48-hour countdown that might make Vegas history with official news of a NBA team getting approval for a move to our desert kingdom.

NBA Commissioner David Stern arrived in Vegas last night and has plans today to meet with Mayor Oscar Goodman. One of the items on that agenda is the strong possibility of the Memphis Grizzlies being sold to a Vegas investor group.

The pieces of the puzzle are slowly being put together. This morning at 9AM, the board of directors of our Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will meet here and announce that the FIBA Basketball Championship will also be held in Vegas before year end. The NBA All-Star dance team will actually attend the board of directors meeting, signaling the excitement of basketball for Vegas.

In addition, the 2006 final visitor count to our resort-casino hotel city will be announced and I am told the numbers break all previous records!

By late tomorrow morning, Mayor Goodman should know that his hard work the past year in seeking a NBA team will have finally been met with success. Numerous NBA executives who arrived here yesterday have been sworn to secrecy about the possible announcement. You can expect the monumental news confirmed in 48 hours, with all the details being announced prior to or during Sunday's All-Star Game.

This is the 56th annual All-Star event, but the first ever held in a city that doesn't have a basketball franchise team. I'm reliably told that Gregg Anthony, a former UNLV Running Rebel is already lining up former NBA players and other investors for the new Vegas team.

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Congratulations to the 20 category winners in Las Vegas Life's now respected 8th Annual Epicurean Awards, particularly because so many are my favorites, which we also recommend here on Vegas Pop and AOL Vegas.


* Our friend Joel Robuchon (seen above) won two awards, the first for "Best French" restaurant, with his namesake fine-dining destination at MGM and as "Best Chef," inching out our other pal John LaGrone at Postrio in the Venetian.

* Sushi Roku at the Caesar's Forum Shops as "Best Japanese" nosing out Shibuya at the MGM that won last year. Its next-door sister restaurant BOA Steakhouse won for "Best Cocktails."

* Rick Moonen of rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay where his fine dining restaurant resembles a cruise ship's first-class salon!

* Owner Pierre Salveggio and chef partner Luciano Pellegrini won for "Best Italian" restaurant and "Best Wine List" at their Valentino restaurant in the Venetian. Click here for our AOL video tour.

* Little wonder that with all its star-studded celebrity customers that Social House at Treasure Island won the "Best New Strip Restaurant" category. Downstairs its Tangerine Lounge won "Best Lounge."

My friend Barry Dakake won "Best American" for his N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms. Click here for our AOL video tour.

* Although Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas has two Asian restaurants, the award for "Best Chinese" went to Wing Lei, which ironically translated means "win forever prosperous." His SW Steakhouse there also won for "Best Steakhouse."

* Readers of Las Vegas Life voted for Verandah at the Four Seasons for "Best Brunch." Verandah also tied with our personal favorite Wolfgang Puck's Spago at Caesars Palace for "Best Power Brunch." Spago won in the "Best Desserts" category also. Click here for our AOL Luxe Life tour of Wolfgang's Spago and Postrio restaurants.

* In the local's category Hank's Fine Steaks at the Green Valley Ranch won for best on the east-side of town and the Mauro family including mom Nora and brothers Giovanni and Marcello won for their Nora's Cuisine as "Best on the West" and the " Best New Off Strip" with Nora's Winebar and Osteria.

* Enter through a gauntlet of flaming candles to discover Isla Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar at Treasure iIsland and you'll easily understand why it picked up the "Best Mexican" prize.

* Last but certainly not least, the "Best Service" award went to my friend Michael Mina's (seen right) same name restaurant at the Bellagio.

Now, in a town where we pride ourselves on super-service to keep our tourist guests returning time and time again I had to learn for myself just what sets Michael Mina's apart, so I sped over to discover the secrets.

I was bowled over by my female server; one of four women and 11 men who act as the 15 front waiters who have five runners just taking the food from the kitchen to the tables of the 130 guests. But it was her knowledge of food and wine that impressed me most, and it turns out Michael insists they all undergo weekly food and wine seminars so they know the menu and list inside out. All have even passed the first stage of master sommelier exams on wine.

I'd not eaten here before and found the elegant design with rare woods and sumptuous fabrics still a relaxing and perfect spot for the contemporary seafood and refined American cuisine of California products. Loved Michael Mina's five course tasting menu plucked from the pages of his cookbook and you even get an autographed copy with the bill! In addition there's vegetarian and seasonal tasting menus and the regular menu where you get three variations of each item! No wonder it got a "toques off" award!

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Celebrities and superstar chefs are helping a 10-year-dream come true this weekend, and when the $60-million Lou Ruvo Brain Institute groundbreaking takes place this afternoon, it means Vegas will now also grab another #1 ranking. We're already recognized for being #1 with resorts, #1 for fine dining, #1 for entertainment and #1 for retail shopping. The new research and rehab center for Alzheimer, Huntington, Parkinson, ALS and related diseases has attracted such a powerful medical brain trust that Vegas will now become home of the country's #1 medical center for the treatable and preventable cure of memory disorders.

"Hope is not just on the way," said Larry Ruvo, "it's finally arrived!"


Today at 4PM, world-famous architect Frank Gehry joins Mayor Oscar Goodman (seen above together), celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and Larry to put on hardhats and pick up shovels for the groundbreaking ceremony downtown that I will emcee. Tomorrow, at the 11th annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love Gala Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Lorraine Bracco (Sopranos) Hilary and Haylie Duff, (Agent Cody Banks) Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel will all add to the glittering red-carpet festivities. Comedy king Brad Garrett will be the headline entertainer, with one extraordinary surprise superstar attraction in a Vegas debut of never-seen-before entertainment. Although I know the wow blockbuster, I'm sworn to secrecy, but we'll have the close-up report with photos right here on Monday morning! (Meantime, here are a few photos of last year's gala.)



Top-chefs Joel Robuchon and Mario Batali will join Wolfgang and his partner David Robbins for the spectacular four-course dinner, which will be accompanied by some of the world's rarest and most sought-after wines. Star chef Emeril Lagasse will also attend but this year officially gets a night off; until his infectious personality propels him into the night's unscripted excitement.

I'll emcee the evening as ringmaster with Sotheby's Vice-Chairman, auctioneer Jamie Niven as guru of the gavel selling the most incredible lineup of remarkable auction items. They include: David Copperfield's donation to stay at his "fountain of youth" island in the Bahamas with roundtrip private jet; A summer weekend of tennis games and lessons with Andre Agassi and his wife Stefi Graf, who will even do all the cooking; A Vegas shopping spree with Teri Hatcher; Dinner with Oscar winning actress Dame Julie Andrews; A private dinner cooked by Emeril, who will bring his pal, Robin Williams along to entertain; Tommy Lasorda will personally host a visit to Dodger Stadium; Dinner with the drivers at this year's Indy 500 and then watch the race in the pits; The ultimate trip to Italy hosted at the Tuscan estates of fashion kings Salvatore Ferragamo and Ermenegildo Zegna; A rare, impossible to obtain collector's 2007 Bentley Continental convertible, one of which just sold for $1.3 million in Florida.


Kevin Spacey will help me with the final knockout item of the night, when he'll host the winning bidder to a New York visit that includes a Tiffany his and hers shopping spree and front-row seats for his new play 'A Moon for the Misbegotten,' followed by dinner with him at super chef Daniel Boulud's Manhattan restaurant. On top of that rocker Jon Bon Jovi has agreed to host the next night's dinner at the "unreservable" RAO's restaurant, which even had to say NO to Bill Clinton and Madonna! Dr. Ruth Westheimer will take charge of a legendary Le Cirque lunch and offer free advice to spice up your love life!

Architect Frank Gehry, whose family was also affected by Alzheimer's, has designed the unique building, which has already been hailed as a world architectural masterpiece. His friend, superstar actor Brad Pitt, who is an architectural student, has seen the design plans and models and has promised to help our future fundraising efforts!!! This is the ultimate! (AOL joined me in helping our charitable efforts and you can link to the progress of our fight right here on our daily Luxe Life pages).


With 1,000 of Vegas' movers and shakers attending, we're hoping for a $10-million night, which will finalize the construction go-ahead of the 67,000 sq.ft Brain Institute set for completion late next year. It has been hailed worldwide as the finest initiative for attacking brain diseases and the national USA resource for new detection, diagnostic and treatment solutions. As a result the all-star board of scientists and physicians which includes Nobel Laureate prizewinners and top teams from Harvard University, the Mayo Clinic and he Universities of Pennsylvania and San Diego specializing in combating and conquering the increasing elderly population's battle against dementia and memory disorders.

Larry's efforts to build the Brain Institute in honor of his father Lou Ruvo, who died from Alzheimer's began with a small dinner 10-years-ago in an upstairs room at Wolfgang's Spago restaurant here with just 40 friends. Wolf also lost his parents to Alzheimer's. In the past decade the annual fundraising dinner has grown to a 1,000 supporters who've raised $60 million to see that dream come true. "All, I want now is for the scientists to find a cure," said my friend, Larry. "And they've promised me they will. This in itself is a remarkable achievement for Las Vegas and when that happens our city will be on the map all over again for the medical breakthrough."

STRIP SCRIBBLES
Now, thanks to wife Nicole Kidman standing by him while in drug-rehab, Keith Urban's much-anticipated return to a concert stage tour is set with a June 9 date here at Mandalay Bay. Named after his multi-platinum album, 'Love, Pain & the whole Crazy Thing,' the tour will feature The Wreckers, with Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, as the opening act. Tickets, go on sale tomorrow morning and later on Saturday Night Live he'll make his 1st TV show appearance following the hospital stay. ... Tickets for the May 5 championship clash between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at MGM were all sold out in less than 30 hours for a record-shattering total of $19-million, with some fetching $2,000. And that was pre-scalper and pre-ticket-brokers prices! The Cinco de Mayo bout between De La Hoya (38-4, 30 knockouts), the sport's most popular attraction, and Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs), widely regarded as its best fighter, is also likely to break pay-per-view records.

And now for this weekends attractions and our highlights that we refer to around here affectionately as ...

ROBIN'S ROYAL RUNDOWN

Fri Feb 9

* After sell-out previews, it's finally the laugh-filled premiere of 'The Producers' with David Hasselhoff at the Paris.

* For laughter out loud fun Brad Garrett is master of mirth at the Mirage.

* 30 Seconds to Mars band members Jared & Shannon Leto, Tom Milicivec and Matt Wachter will celebrate their new record "A Beautiful Lie" going platinum with a bash at JET in the Mirage.

* The six veterans of rock are right at home as Foreigner playing at the Luxor.

* Step downtown and back in time a little to the sweet pop sounds of Petula Clark at the Suncoast.

* They stand tall and strong! The Tower of Power takes control at the Orleans.

* A slight gap in musical history because I don't see the Union with Gary Puckett when his destination ticket is punched for Boulder Station.

* CineVegas continues its screening series lineup with a Cannes Film Festival winner "Climates" at the Tropicana Cinemas.

* Hit 'Alpha Dog' movie actress Dominique Swain hosts a party at Light to celebrate her covergirl status on the February Stuff magazine.

Sat Feb 10
* Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Teri Hatcher, Lorraine Bracco, Hilary and Haylie Duff are on the red carpet at the Keep Memory Alive Gala in MGM's Convention center. Brad Garrett will make the laughs before zipping back to his Mirage show, and there's one unbelievable surprise first time performance that will be kept secret until the very last moment!

* Baby Come to Me just once! I just don't have the heart to tell James Ingram I wont be able to break-away from the Keep Memory Alive gala when he sings spectacular pre-Valentine's Day soul out at the Green Valley Ranch.

* There'll be beads of perspiration when Keith Sweat pulls into Texas Station.

* Direct from Jay Leno's Tonight Show, Kevin Eubanks will blow the horn entering Sante Fe Station.

* Expect a toe-to-toe, in the trenches slugfest when three time world champion "Sugar Shane" Mosley makes his long-awaited return to the ring to face former welterweight champion Luis Collazo at Mandalay Bay.

* Back to the oldies but goldies with The Comets at the Cannery.

Sun Feb 11
* Light cocktail server Natasha Meade is the covergirl on the new Clubplanet Magazine so she's the star of Light's MAGIC kickoff party.


* 'Surreal Life Fame Games' Episode 5: After a one-week Super Bowl break, our 5th episode of 'Fame Games' returns with a full-frontal course of naked chef and a visit by Surreal Lifers Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight. But then comes the challenge of comics vs. magicians with a live variety show in front of an unsuspecting audience at the V Theater in the Desert passage. Magician Nathan Burton makes a special appearance to teach magic to stars of our already top-rated reality show. The cast is split into two teams, to battle against each other and, as our photo shows, Nathan presents Chyna, Emmanuel Lewis, Verne Troyer and Traci Bingham. Comedian Joe Trammell gets the other team In Back to Reality 's Go-Fish game one more player loses and I kick them out of the mansion for good and forever!!

MONDAY'S TEASE
The NBA comes to town, and all the superstars of basketball will take up residence for the All-Star Jam and the big game of the giants! Luxe Life has the full rundown so you don't miss anything. Plus, even the cynic in us will vanish as we celebrate the most romantic time of the year. It's Valentine's Day, and that means the busiest day on the books for weddings!

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Twenty-five years ago an unemployed actor named Gerald Alessandrini created a musical revue making fun of then-current Broadway shows. 'Forbidden Broadway' became an unlikely hit with both critics and audiences, and has since returned to skewer the Great White Way every year.

Now that Las Vegas has been described as the Broadway of the west, with such ongoing shows as 'The Producers,' 'Mamma Mia!' and 'Spamalot' playing on the Strip, 'Forbidden Broadway' is hot on their heels, with a performance on February 24 at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Expect comical sendups of current Vegas musicals as well as faves still on Broadway like 'The Lion King' and 'Avenue Q,' as well as over-the-top portrayals of Broadway divas Ethel Merman, Liza Minnelli and Sarah Brightman.

Tickets for the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning show are $40, $55 and $85.

Wow! The emails are in avalanche mode. I'm blown away by the reaction to our world exclusive interview with Michael Jackson yesterday. The phone has rung nonstop ever since and everybody wants to know about Michael.

But buried in the communiques were several questions about how you can book a rock star to make a personal appearance at your local hangout. In fact, after I wrote about music queens Bette Midler and Christina Aguilera appearing at my friend Joe Hardy's 84th birthday party, I've been asked if stars are "for sale."

The answer is a resounding YES, if you've got the super-sized megabucks! Ironically, the all-time record price, paid for his own 60th birthday, belongs to Texas mogul David Bonderman who shelled out $10 million to have comedy giant Robin Williams join the Rolling Stones and John Mellencamp in a private show at The Joint in the Hard Rock here. He must have loved Vegas, because last month the co-founder of the Texas Pacific Group private investment bank successfully bid nearly $20 billion to buy the Harrah's gaming empire.

I don't know what Joe's birthday bash cost, but it was the ultimate 'rich and famous' party, and at the wedding of Russian businessman Andrei Melnichenko, allegedly paid Aguilera $1.5 million for her to sing at his supper. There was an even bigger galaxy of stars at Elizabeth Brook's bat mitzvah atop the Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Room with 50 Cent, Aerosmith, Stevie Nicks, Ciara and Tom Petty, which rang up another $10 million bill.

British pop star George Michael allegedly charged $3 million an hour to sing in Moscow for a Russian mining magnate and fellow Brit Sir Elton John is known to get $1 million+ for a brief, 90-minute private gig! Sammy Hagar put on his full hour show of lights and pyrotechnics for just 70g uests of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban at the empty arena in Dallas because of the "large sum of money and Cuban's plane to fly them back and forth." Jimmy Buffet earned $250,000 to sing at a $2 million birthday party in Sardinia and Joe Cocker performed at a mountaintop wedding in Aspen, Even the Eagles, Bob Dylan, the Foo Fighters and the Black Eyed Peas did the "rent-a-star" game, entertaining employees at the 30th anniversary of Genetech in San Francisco. I'm reliably told that, with more and more tycoons shelling out millions to impress friends, the business of renting stars is booming and in many cases its way more than they'll earn for a concert tour date.

ANOTHER ACE FOR AGASSI

They've both served up winners on tennis courts around the world and now it looks as if hometown heroes Andre Agassi and his wife, Stefi Graf, have another big winner on their hands. This is far more than a racquet! They've joined forces to create a love-set-match line of quality, distinctive furnishings, and the story goes all the way back to 1992, when Andre won his first major tournament at Wimbledon. Returning home he bought an expensive Kreiss sofa to celebrate! Ever since, they've both been big Kreiss fans. The Kreiss family asked them to partner and create their very own line and the result is a unique collection that captures their energy, spirit and definitions of grace and style.


The sports couple launched their collection with a private reception opening the Kreiss showrooms on the day after the brand new World Market Center premiered downtown. Michael Kreiss commented: "It's a wonderful union of contrast, texture and comfort. Each piece of theirs incorporates exotic finishes, clean design and distinctive combinations of materials. Taken as a whole it exhibits freshness, youth and classic stylings that are synonymous with these two icons." There's a block-shaped coffee table with pull-out trays as a surprise, that Andre created, and the dark woven leather frame combined with off-white chenille cushions is an elegant and relaxed 2007 spin on that original sofa he bought all those years ago. After all the hoopla, the sporting couple took off just by themselves for their own private celebration dinner at the new Vintner Grill restaurant in their neighborhood.

HIGH DOLLAR HEADACHES

Boy-band mogul, Lou Pearlman, who masterminded the Chippendales male-revue (seen above) at the Rio, is battling more than $130 million in lawsuits related to his empire of restaurants, record labels, airline leasing and balloon-blimp advertising displays. I first met Pearlman when he was launching the pop groups *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. The Chippendales subsidiary runs the male-dancer shows, highly popular with bachelorette parties around the globe. Last weekend his hometown newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, even reported that the staggering $130 million figure doesn't even include the $33 million that judges have recently ordered him to pay on other previous lawsuits The latest suit, filed just days ago by Bank of America, alleges he has defaulted on business and personal loans worth more than $17 million. A week earlier the same bank filed a mortgage-foreclosure suit seeking more than $25 million for possession of his Church Street Station entertainment complex in downtown Orlando.

MARILYN: FOREVER BLONDE

Gorgeous Sunny Thompson, who starred in several topless shows at the Rio in recent years, turns up in her own new one woman play based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. It will world premiere at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood on February 22. The musical is a meticulously researched evening of the screen goddess' inner most feelings culled from her actual words in hundreds of interviews and personal conversations. The Marilyn Monroe Story In Her Own Words and Music features 18 songs from the blonde bombshell's legendary movie career including Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," Irving Berlin's "You'd Be Surprised," Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen's "That Old Black Magic" and Jule Styne's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend." Sunny tells me her play takes place at what might have been the star's final photo shoot. "Between poses for the camera, Marilyn reminisces over a lifetime of mercurial success and the desperation of lost loves, misunderstandings and the curse of living in the shadow of a "bigger than life" image from which she could not escape," said Sunny. In these first-seen Luxe Life photos you have to agree the resemblance between Sunny and Marilyn is remarkably uncanny, and slightly unnerving! Sunny has already filmed the play and is currently being edited for release later this year. In April, Sunny will take it for a two month run (April 28-June 24) at the Dayton Art Institutes 500-seat theater in Ohio, alongside the Marilyn Monroe art exhibit "Life as a Legend."


DEBUT RECORDING
Longtime local singer and former Miss Nevada, Sandy Kastel is putting the finishing touches on her debut album to be released at the end of this month, saluting the legends of song who made Vegas great: Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Wayne Newton, Peggy Lee and Celine Dion. In fact, it was her songs 'Maybe This Time' and 'My man' that won the talent awards of the Miss America Pageant back in Atlantic City several years ago. Sandy, who helped prepare this year's Miss Nevada, Caydi Cole for her judge's interviews, is one of the boosters of the Miss America Organization's new scholarship fundraising effort, and was at both the Danny Gans entertainment gala for the Childrens Miracle Network and the televised pageant itself. Sandy's dad was a saxophonist playing for the Vegas shows of Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine and Juliet Prowse. She starred in the long-running show "Pinups At The Movies" and coming full circle she performed in her own show at the Blue Note Club, which was at the Aladdin, which is becoming the Planet Hollywood resort, where the Miss America Pageant was held.

CHOCOLATE KING
Top chocolatier and chef Francois Payard has signed with Caesars Palace to open a branch of his famed New York City patisserie alongside the newly-opened Rao's restaurant this summer. He plans to recreate his whimsical, bubbly upscale classic Paris Left Bank, Manhattan East Side pastry shop with three different areas for his unique cuisines; a specialty goods station with his famous chocolates and candies, a counter service panini bar from breakfast to late-night and then a traditional restaurant dining room. Caesars Palace president Gary Selesner says: "Francois Payard is widely recognized among the world's great culinary talents and is arguably the best-known pastry chef in the world."

STRIP SCRIBBLES

'Scream' and 'Scooby Doo' actor Matthew Lillard (above) is so into executive chef Brian Massie's food at Stack in the Mirage, that he even went into the kitchen to work on the 'hot line' preparing his own "Hot Rock's" dish before winding the night up next door at the JET Nightclub. ... My Too Hot Tamale chef friends at Border Grill in Mandalay Bay were told that it was Jessica Simpson dining here with her mom, Tina, on a quick break from her Florida travels with new boyfriend, singer John Mayer. Jessica zipped right back after giving her mother the intimate inside info the new lovejob and you can expect to see the cuddled-up couple at next Sunday's Grammy Awards. ... My favorite Hawaiian chef, Roy Yamaguchi (right), who has two of his 34 worldwide restaurants right here in Vegas, was picked as the final judge for Bravo's 'Top Chef,' shot in Honolulu. Ilan Hall of Great Neck, NY grabbed the 1st prize of $100,000 to launch his own restaurant. Roy ordered all the TV's in his 25 American mainland restaurants tuned into the show! Chef Tom Colicchio, who has a restaurant at MGM Grand, was one of the other judges for the run of the hit show.

TONIGHT'S TIP
It's the largest sake tasting in Nevada history when Shibuya at MGM Grand presents more than 100 of the Japanese grades. John Gauntner will explain the culture, history and brewing of the popular beverage. My suggestion is go to the incredible restaurant first for an extraordinary and amazing dinner and then stick around for the 10:30PM first sip and somehow pray you last until the 1:30AM final tasting!

TOMORROW'S TEASE
The tantalizing temptresses who make up the gorgeous X Girls are back, with a brand new erotic burlesque show at the Flamingo and Luxe Life has the first photos of the stripped-down beauties. Plus, we'll check in with hero-hunk David Hasselhoff as he prepares for the final 24-hours before "curtain up" on the VIP Vegas red carpet gala premiere of 'The Producers' at the Paris.

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Responding to grossly inaccurate media speculation about the gaming activity of prominent entertainment entrepreneur Rene Angelil, Caesars Palace issued a statement this afternoon.

"Allegations that Rene gambles as much as $1 million per week are totally false," said Gary Selesner, president of the famed resort. "In deference to the privacy of all our guests, we don't discuss their gaming or hotel patronage, but with Rene's permission, we would like to set the record straight. His casino losses in 2005 and 2006 have totaled exactly $230,300, which have been more than offset by his tournament poker winnings, of $259,079, which are posted on the Internet.

"Rene and his wife Celine Dion are very dear to us," Selesner continued. "In addition to being the best partners a business person could want, they are exemplary people, whose integrity, achievement and philanthropy have justly earned worldwide respect. In life and in business, Rene is a winner, and one of the finest people I have ever known. Caesars Palace is very sorry for any embarrassment that may have resulted from the media speculation."

The Caesars Palace response was issued after an inaccurate statement appeared in newspapers.

Editor's Note: The gambling figures in the original story were from Harrah's VP of Communications, Jan Jones, and printed in a prestigious and responsible British newspaper, The Observer. The story was first filed locally in the LATimes.com blog of writer Richard Abowitz. Luxe Life reported coverage by the LA Times and Review-Journal and made no comments, observations or speculation, but quite correctly predicted the controversy that would be ignited by them.

When I first heard about this story, I had to check my wall calendar to make sure it was still 2007.

A war of signs has taken a turn for the stupid in a local labor dispute between Advanced Architectural Metals (AAM), a local company that provides metalwork for casinos, and a local carpenters union.

Last summer, Carpenter's Local 1977 hung a large picket sign that says "Shame on Lori Irish" -- the owner of AAM. They say she stopped paying benefits for the workers so they went on strike.

Pretty standard labor dispute stuff, right? People disagree and signs are made. I can't drive by a Wal-Mart in Vegas without seeing a picket line and "Shame on Wal-Mart" signs.

Apparently at some point in the dispute, somebody at AAM OK'd hanging two 20' signs at the business that read:

"CARPENTERS UNION MEMBERS ARE ALL HOMOSEXUALS AND THATS WHY THE IRON WORKERS ALL HAVE TO BEAT THEM UP!"

On how many levels is this sign wrong? Beyond the skillful, schoolyard-themed name calling, the signs encourage violence against people based on on sexual orientation, which federally is not a hate crime, but still. It's hard to believe that a company in this post-Matthew Shepard, current Isaiah Washington world, could be so successful and at the same time, so insensitive.

According to the ACLU, one way in which the sign is not wrong is in accordance with the First Amendment. While they the signs are shameful, they confirm that it's protected free speech.

Differences and diversity is what makes America, America and I'm sure there is frustration on both sides during a long labor dispute. However, I think if AAM would have just passed out T-shirts that read "Iron Workers Swing Harder Hammers," that would have been more effective. People would probably even pay for a shirt like that.

Regardless of how the duspute turns out, one thing is for sure, the "beat up gay carpenters" message is a tough sell.

More on the Story:
- KVBC: Video and Photos of the Sign

Miss America is not Miss USA. Sometimes people get confused, and it's easy to understand how that can happen. There are only a few times outside of prom where one sees that many ladies in flashy evening gowns being judged.

There are subtle differences, but at 86 years and counting, Miss America has 30 years of seniority and not to mention Bernie Wayne's trademark song, "There She Is, Miss America." Although the The Nixons wrote a catchy song titled, "Miss USA" 10 years ago, but it never became the official jingle.

Recently, Miss USA has been setting itself apart in the controversy department. The reigning queen, Tara Conner, is getting out of rehab after underage boozing around Manhattan. While she' got a second chance to hold onto her crown, Miss Nevada, Katie Rees, was dethroned for 'Girls Gone Wild'-style photos in her native Florida and Miss New Jersey USA resigned for being preggers.

I'm sure the Miss America organization was a little nervous last year about packing up the pageant and moving from Atlantic City to Sin City. However, with the 2007 Miss America pageant on Monday, this year is the second straight in Vegas so the new formula seems to be working. The glitz and glamour of Vegas, plus well-behaved beauties equal success. And don't forget this year's host, Mario Lopez.

It's also the second year of a two-year deal of the pageant being aired on CMT. ABC dumped the show in 2004 after "bad ratings" but even as ratings were dropping year over year, they were still in the double-digit millions on a Saturday night so it is more of a case of a network not knowing how to drive viewers for long-term success than their excuse of irrelevancy of beauty pageants. Whereas, the pageant has been around since the 1920s, recent history demonstrates ABC's ability to find it a hit and then bleed it dry until it can be syndicated. But I digress.

CMT has an option to broadcast the pageant through 2011 and since Miss America was CMT's most watched telecast ever and made CMT the most watched basic cable channel of the week, it just proves that Miss America is still relevant. I'm one of the 12-million people that watched the pageant on CMT, but unfortunately, without reigning queens in rehab, it's going to take more distribution or even a Live 8-style broadcast on the Web for deprecating critics to allow the public to enjoy and celebrate this history of America.

In an interview with Robin Leach, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell talks about the rebranding efforts which should help drive the audience and awareness.

It would also help if the Miss America pageant would make the permanent move to Vegas and take advantage of the brand association. After all, the pageant started as the "Fall Frolic" to help keep tourists in Atlantic City after Labor Day and Vegas is still in the top 5 brands behind Google and iPod. It's like history repeating itself, but this time the location benefits the pageant.

For an inside look at Pageant Week, be sure to check Robin's coverage in Luxe Life. He has the enviable job (job is a strong word here) of hanging out with the ladies and sharing the experience with you. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Check back on Monday night right after the crowning for Robin's first Q & A with the winner.

In the meantime, I'm still trying to figure out how I get to become a judge.

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Rumors are rampant around Vegas show-business circles this morning that the giant alliance between Cirque du Soleil and Robert FX Sillerman to launch an Elvis Presley show in the new MGM City Center, currently under construction, has collapsed.