Las Vegas Weekly

01.6.09 · 2:26 PM

Restaurant Roundup: Switch moves walls and ceilings; Botero offers inside and outside dining; Guy Savoy opens Krug champagne parlor

It will go down in the record books as the most unique theatrical-experience restaurant in the world, and I think diners will actually stop eating the fabulous food and remain open-mouthed in amazement. At Steve Wynn’s new Switch restaurant in his just-opened the Encore, everything changes!

Not once but several times a night. Everything? Well, at least the walls and the ceiling -- and maybe even accessories on the servers’ uniforms! It makes you believe that every 20 minutes, you’re sitting in a different restaurant in some other part of the world because it certainly doesn’t let you know you’re in Las Vegas.

The idea is genius! It could have come from a Hollywood movie set. There are five different “scene” changes -- three different sets of walls that completely transform the mood (the setting adds to the experience of the changing outside scenery), plus two sets of different disappearing ceilings -- one more spectacular than the other with the lowered trio of crystal chandeliers.

My longtime friend chef Marc Poidevin, who dates back with me to his Le Cirque days in New York, is a fine-food impresario, but he’s even upstaged by the amazing walls and decorations that silently slide into play and transform the room three times an hour.

“It’s certainly a truly unique dining experience” Marc told me. “The theatrics enhance the dinner. The French-inspired cuisine combined with the shifting ceiling and walls offers an event that’s in a class of its own. There’s nothing like it I know of anywhere else in the world.”

The romantic steakhouse and seafood restaurant is a beautiful work of art when you enter, but then it goes on changing even better as the meal progresses. And what a dinner! The seafood tower not only is topped by a sculpted seahorse, but Marc also has placed pearls in their shells on the triple-tiered service of oysters, caviar, crab legs and scallop ceviche. His appetizers of Hawaiian-style tuna poke come with roasted beets, and the sautéed foie gras comes with wild blueberry.

Call the recipe for success here equal parts restaurant and theater -- and prepare to be dazzled by both!

Botero Steak

Nearby in the Encore is nightclub czar Victor Drai’s new indoor-and-outdoor Botero Steak restaurant. It’s a circular eatery set around a massive stone sculpture of a well-endowed woman -- “Fertility Goddess” as seen by Colombian artist Fernando Botero. A black lacquered bead chandelier dangles above it, making the luminous pool below glisten. The artist’s humorous larger-than-life creations, including another sculpture and three paintings from his successful 2007 Circus series, also are built into the restaurant.

Guests have a 360-degree view of the adjoining XS nightclub and its extraordinary day-and-night pool playground. In warmer weather, Botero will open its outdoor area for poolside dining, making it a complete in-and-out, sexy, sophisticated and modern steakhouse.

Mark LoRusso is the executive chef and serves up “steak your way” prepared in traditional, pepper or chimichurri styles for the 12-ounce filets, 18-ounce dry-aged New York Strips or 20-ounce bone-in rib eyes. For those who crave fish, there’s a whole roasted European Loup de mer or poached halibut!

Once again, it’s a restaurant for the eyes and senses in addition to unique taste treats.

Krug Champagne Parlor

Over at Caesars Palace, world-renowned chef Guy Savoy started the New Year right with the inauguration of the only Krug champagne room in the U.S. The world’s most prestigious champagne, made by six generations of the same family and regarded as the most sought-after bubbly in the world, has been endorsed by everybody from my hero, Sir Winston Churchill, to famed French fashion designer Coco Chanel.

Our friends the violin-playing Alizma triplets were among a group of celebrating guests, including Caesars Palace President Gary Selesner and Flamingo/Harrah’s President Don Marrandino.

Now from spring onwards, private parties and large dining groups will be able to experience the exclusive Krug parlor of pleasure at famed Michelin three-star Guy Savoy and drink “the heavens’ sparkling stars” while sitting among the finest cuvees in the world.

Top Restaurant Awards

On a final gourmet note, our local public broadcasting food critic John Curtas has announced his Top Restaurant Awards in an end-of-the-year tradition. According to Curtas, this year’s list is notable for “… the explosion of great local dining that’s finally made it to our neighborhoods.” The 2008 award recipients include: Cocktail Bar of the Year, the original Nora’s Cuisine on West Flamingo, for its trailblazing creativity in the cult of the properly crafted cocktail. Excellence in Management and Service: CUT, Wolfgang Puck’s steakhouse in the Palazzo. Says Curtas: “No one ran a smoother operation this year … better than the team at CUT.”

Sommelier of the Year: Desi Echavarrie at Restaurant Charlie in the Palazzo “… because he paired not only wine, but beer and cocktails with this restaurant’s sophisticated food flawlessly.” Pastry Chef of the Year: Vanessa Garcia at Restaurant Charlie. According to Curtas, “Her deconstructed beauties put a post-modern spin on sweets that still have me scratching my head over their hyper-deliciousness.” Chef of the Year: Mitsuo Endo of Raku. Curtas recognized Chef Endo for his culinary mastery, saying, “… taking an invisible corner of a run-down shopping center and turning it into a local and nationally recognized restaurant is nothing short of amazing.” Restaurant of the Year: Raku. Curtas describes Raku as “a 30-seat gem that puts out superior Japanese food on a level that Las Vegas has never before witnessed. (Raku) specializes in small plate wonders of flavor, composition and texture.”

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01.6.09 · 10:25 AM

Music, sports and entertainment icons and tech titans head up the CES parade

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em.

Photo: N9NE Group

Showbiz, music and sports superstars and captains of the electronics industry are en route to Las Vegas today for the giant 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, the globe’s greatest gathering of gadgets and gizmo groupies! The world’s largest consumer technology trade convention officially kicks off tomorrow as manufacturers promote their latest products and technologies, with Microsoft’s head honcho Steve Ballmer -- instead of Bill Gates after 10 consecutive years -- making the premiere keynote speech.

In a revealing first-day presentation, Soulja Boy Tell ’Em will share strategies of his rising stardom using everything from disc tracks on YouTube to incredible ring tone sales. His manager and producer will join his “Tell ’Em” panel to show how his finger is firmly on the pulse of today’s digital world instead of yesteryear’s guitar strings! Then pop music giant Akon, who rang in New Year’s Eve at the House of Blues here, will outline how art meets commerce in the digital age.

On hand from NBC Universal will be all the anchor hosts of the morning show Today, Brian Williams of NBC Evening News, Access Hollywood on-air personalities and CNBC’S frisky financial feline Maria Bartiromo.

Over at Sony Television, game show king Alex Trebek will film daily episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy! right on the convention floor to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Eleven episodes will be recorded on a 16,000-square-foot stage for an audience of 600 delegates each time. Dr. Oz, a frequent medical guest star on The Oprah Winfrey Show, also will use the set to promote his new, upcoming syndicated talk show.

Sports celebrities booked at the Sharp HDTV zone highlight a slew of Major League Baseball players, including Prince Fielder, all-star first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers and the youngest person ever to reach 50 home runs, plus five-time all-star Big Papi, David Ortiz from the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine, silver sluggers Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins and Matt Holiday of the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs infielder Ryan Therlot and New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. Basketball stars Clyde Drexler, Robert Parish and Bill Walton are booked at the Haier America booth.

Akon will be back at the SanDisk booth, and Indy Car and Indy 500 racer Sarah Fisher will be at the Simcraft booth. The first-night awards show in the Bellini Ballroom at The Venetian will feature the presentation of the Global Media Award to Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.Am. The Monster Cable invitation-only concert at Paris Las Vegas has songbird Diana Ross as the headline attraction.

Some 130,000-plus conventioneers are expected to explore the 1.7 million square feet of exhibits, the third largest in CES history. There will be 300 new exhibitors this year despite the fact the electronics industry is reportedly in its worst slump in several decades. Last year, CES added more than $230 million in spending here in Las Vegas -- and that’s not counting gaming revenues. In all, 1,500-plus U.S. companies and 1,300 overseas manufacturers will represent some 140 different countries.

The 42nd CES is the annual centerpiece of what’s well over a $125 billion global business of electronics. You know me and my fun facts file! For your fascination, take note that the first CES show was held back in New York in 1967, four years before the first ever cell phone call and the U-Matic VCR, the now non-existent forerunner of the Beta system! In 1978, CES moved to Las Vegas as the Hilton added its north tower -- three years before the first-ever demo of HDTV and the introduction of the CD in 1981.

It took seven years before CDs surpassed the old vinyl records in sales in 1988. Hard to believe it was only back in 1993 that PDAs were first launched, and in 1996 we saw the first movie-length DVDs. At the turn of the century, the average U.S. household had 17 consumer electronic items, but today it’s hovering at the 30 mark!

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01.6.09 · 1:33 PM

Strip Scribbles: Olympic swimming ace Michael Phelps and girlfriend frolic in Lavo’s playground

Multiple Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps might well call Maryland home, but he’s spending so much time in Las Vegas these days, he should buy a condo here! The world champion and record holder has been brushing up his poker skills while on the Strip, and, I’m reliably told, definitely plans to play in the next World Series of Poker. When he’s not hoping for a royal flush, he’s been out and about on the town with gal pal Carolynn Pal, who is nicknamed “Caz” at Moon, where she works as a cocktail server.

They took a group of 20 friends to Lavo at the Palazzo, where Chef Ludo Lefebvre sent out favorites from his Mediterranean menu! Then Michael and Caz danced the night away from a large corner VIP section. A mystery guest in the club even sent over four bottles of Dom Perignon champagne to their table.

Another customer who had just paid a $90,000 bill for his night of partying on his way out at 3 a.m. added a Cristal champagne bottle to the tab and sent it to actor Wilmer Valderrama at an adjoining table. If there’s a nationwide economic slowdown, you’d never know it inside Lavo!

It truly was a night of the gold! Newly engaged Dancing With the Stars professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy joined True Blood co-stars Antonio Sabato Jr. and Nicholas Gonzales, and adoring female fans went wild for the trio of hunks! Singer Jesse McCartney and friends dined at Lavo before taking a VIP table near the Olympic swimming superstar. Jesse sent shots of Patron tequila to the DJ booth when the turntable twister DJ Five played his music! Actor Elias Koteas and a female friend shared champagne near the marble bar.

Oakland Raiders players Michael Bush, Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas arrived after midnight and sat alongside New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, with his sister and friends drinking Hennessy XO, while linebacker Keith Bulluck and tight end Bo Scaife (Oliver Edward Scaife III) of the Tennessee Titans dazzled with their bling and consumed multiple bottles of Patron Silver tequila and Perrier Jouet Rose champagne.

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg hopped between Lavo and sister Venetian club Tao all weekend long, celebrating her sister Irene’s birthday and even brought Mom along to join in the fun. They feasted on specialty dishes from the Mediterranean menu at Lavo, including Greek salad and filet rossini, and shared a pitcher of pomegranate lemonade. Once on the dance floor, after Mom left the kids to play, they switched to Veuve Clicquot champagne for their toasts and Grey Goose cocktails as the stunning servers presented a birthday mountain of signature cupcake cones with sparklers. Also at Tao was comedian Mike Epps, who was totally content remaining low-key and simply hanging out at the bar by himself!

*Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil emailed me to confirm that his annual “Off the STRIP POKER Tournament” will take place Jan. 17 at the Hard Rock Hotel. It will kick off with a silent charity cocktail reception at 3 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. no-limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament and an 8 p.m. VIP after-party and live auction -- all to benefit his Skylar Neil Foundation honoring his daughter Skylar, who passed away in 1995 from cancer. Vince tells me that the princes and princesses of poker, Hollywood celebrities, Vegas Strip dancers and adult-world stars will all mix up together for the fourth annual event.

*The 35th annual UNLVino event date has been set for April 16-18, and this year the pool at the Palms, The District at Green Valley Ranch and Paris Las Vegas will be the location sites. The largest wine tasting West of the Mississippi -- if not all of America -- raises scholarship funds for the students of the William F. Harrah Hotel College of Hotel Administration. This year, three extraordinary alumni have been selected to receive the Dom Perignon Award of Excellence: George Maloof Jr., president of the Palms Casino Resort; Guy Fieri, celebrity chef and TV personality; and Glenn Carano, director of marking for Silver Legacy Resort Casino.

*Star surveillance: Not long now this month before former adult movie queen Jenna Jameson gives birth to twins. Proud poppa UFC fighter Tito Ortiz took her for dinner at the new Society cafe at the just-opened the Encore before walking without his beloved to Blush next door in the Wynn. … Motor sports stars Travis Pastrana and Marco Andretti raced with a group of friends at Pole Position Raceway opposite the Palms Place condo-tel tower, where Marco owns an apartment. … Four Christmases star Patty Van Horn hit the X topless burlesque show at the Flamingo and wound up on stage in the mile-high flight attendant’s sexy striptease number. … Reality TV star Denise Richards enjoyed a larger-than-life dinner at Strip House in Planet Hollywood. … Ricky and Kathy Hilton, proud parents of socialites Paris and Nicky Hilton, toured the new XS nightclub at Steve Wynn’s the Encore -- and stayed on for the party! … ZZ Top’s lead singer Billy Gibbons kicked back in Carey Hart’s Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel for two consecutive nights until after 2 a.m. with his Bud Light beers. … Poker pro David Williams and former NFL corner back Ray Crocket were at adjoining tables on the Pure dance floor at Caesars Palace -- David ordered up Patron tequila shots, but Ray stuck to Fiji water!

*Entertainer Terry Fator and his sidekick, ventriloquist doll Winston the Impersonating Turtle, have made two interesting resolutions for the New Year! Says Terry: “My resolution is to never lose the appreciation I have for every single person who helped me achieve my dream. I promise that after every show at The Mirage, I will make myself available to meet any of those folks who want to say hello.” Says Winston: “I resolve not to be so shy and come out of my shell more often.”

Tonight’s tip

Wasted Space owner Carey Hart kicks off 2009 with his first music concert starring The Frail with The Lazy Stars and Neon Facade at the Hard Rock Hotel. … To celebrate the birthdays of resident DJs Hollywood and Ikon at Pure in Caesars Palace, you can actually relax the dress code and wear a sweat suit for LMFAO’s electro hip-hop performance. … At the world-famous Improv Comedy Club at Harrah’s, Don McMillan takes the stage through Sunday with supporting comedy acts Katsy Chappell and Flip Schultz. … “Local Love” debuts at Moon atop the Palms Fantasy Tower complete with an open audition to discover a new resident house DJ!

Tomorrow’s tease

From my dictionary definitions, this has to be the ultimate dichotomy for same-day arrivals -- even in Las Vegas! The porn princesses of the adult, XXX-rated movie world arrive on the Strip at the same time as the clean-cut Walt Disney High School Musical stars skate on ice into The Orleans Arena! We’ve got an advance peek at both -- and porn star of the year Jenna Haze gives us an exclusive insider’s look at the sex-fueled convention and barely dressed awards show! It’s also the first 2009 performance of drummer Travis Barker and music mate DJ AM in Sin City since their escape and recovery from the fiery and deadly private plane crash last year!

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01.6.09 · 11:46 AM

Partying in pajamas at the Palms at Kerry Simon’s new brunch

Oh, the absolute luxury of it all! Weekend visitors to Las Vegas really know how to party -- and now before they head home on a Sunday night, they can literally roll right out of bed for breakfast and a hangover cure.

Thanks to Iron Chef Kerry Simon, he’s created a pajama brunch at his Palms Place restaurant Simon. It’s already a giant hit, and even the staff are in their nighties, robes and pj’s. If you’re too beat to stroll the buffet spread at the sushi bar, have the wait staff do it for you!

Check out the sexy, smiling, naughty nurses at the build-it-yourself bloody mary bar! (No photos here because you’ll have to check them out for yourself!) They’ll happily mix up the choice of concoctions, and with their bra-bursting, short-mini uniforms, they will wake up any tired eyes. Pop singer Jesse McCartney was among the first when I went there in my Italian cashmere bathrobe!

The place was packed, and most everyone was in their pj’s. Even local residents such as La Cage Aux Folles star Frank Moreno turned up in their nightwear and dressing gowns -- and, BTW, he doesn’t wake up looking like Joan Rivers, who he impersonates nightly at the Riviera!

Other diners at Simon included Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden; racecar driver Marco Andretti, who has a condo there; Olympic swimming ace Michael Phelps, who always stays there while visiting Las Vegas; and reality TV star Brody Jenner, who brought along his girlfriend, 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, and his mom, Linda Thompson. That group palled up with Palms owner George Maloof for Patron tequila shots and Kerry’s signature junk-food dessert later!

Elsewhere in the Palms, Michael was spotted with rock rapper Kid Rock at the Playboy Club and Moon, and George, who ran into rocker Scott Weiland, escorted Nicolette Sheridan to the Stone Temple Pilots concert in his Pearl Concert Theater. Also at Moon for three hours of partying were Supercr3w and their member Chris from Jabbawackeez, while at Nove, Washington Redskins star Clinton Portis ordered up sausage and chicken pesto pizzas for his five guests, plus a special linguine with shrimp and fried lobster alfredo that he requested for the chef to make for them! Clinton took the group off to the casino and to the Playboy Club afterwards for a little gaming action.

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01.6.09 · 12:29 PM

Entertainment and sports celebrities are living the life of XS

Playboy Playmate Raquel Gibson and friend.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/Tryst

Ever since the new mega club XS opened New Year’s Eve at Steve Wynn’s new the Encore, it has been mobbed and become the hottest club on Earth! Last night, thousands of people lined up for the debut hospitality industry night.

I sat with Elaine Wynn, XS owner Victor Drai, boxing mogul Bob Arum and Saved By the Bell actor Dennis “Mr. Belding” Haskins, and all of us marveled at the sensational scene. The lines of guys and gals dressed in the smartest and sexiest of outfits -- and all well and neatly behaved -- stretched more than 100 yards in two different directions, snaking through three lanes apiece of winding roped aisles!

In all my days of covering nightlife in the world’s top hotspots, I’ve never witnessed such a tremendous turnout like this one that was still rocking strong at 4 a.m. today!

Click HERE for the video tour of the Encore, and click HERE for our exclusive video interview with hotel tycoon Steve Wynn about his nightclubs.

The stars have discovered XS, too, and when 21-year-old pop music heartthrob Jesse McCartney turned up at the sold-out party, he was so awestruck that he even joined in with a spontaneous performance of his hits on a mic right from his dance floor VIP table. He sang his latest smash “Leavin’ ” and his previous hits “Beautiful Soul” and “It’s Over.”

Several NFL players also were spotted at XS, including the Oakland Raiders running back trio of Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. Other NFL players there were Kansas City Chiefs safety Jarrad Page, Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and Carolina Panthers defender Michael Coldean. Also in the smart, fashionable crowd were UFC fighter Tito Ortiz -- on his own without gal pal Jenna Jameson, who is about to deliver their twins -- and actor comedian Pauly Shore.

Meantime, Steve and Victor’s original next-door nightlife palace Tryst at the Wynn isn’t forgotten or unloved! Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker was partying there with friends at a dance-floor VIP table along with Cleveland Browns wide receivers Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth, Playboy Playmate Raquel Gibson, FHM model Vida Guerra and actress Alisa Reyes.

Elaine told me: “I think we have the two most beautiful nightclubs in the world -- that’s what everybody in Vegas tells us. It might have taken us three years of hard work but so worth it in the end because XS is the immediate No. 1 club anywhere.”

She told me that her husband’s recent reluctant price-cutting of room rates to stimulate Las Vegas visitor counts had worked incredibly well, with two records of room-night reservations being shattered, selling more than 60,000 room nights in one 12-hour period.

She laughed when I talked about her husband having “developer’s disease” and always wanting to build bigger and better.

“We have to open the new tower in Macau at the end of this New Year first, and then we’ll think about what next for Vegas,” she said.

What is next for Mr. Wynn, one wonders?

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01.6.09 · 8:25 AM

Morning Call: David Spade buys a round of drinks for his audience … of 700!

Comedian David Spade was so overwhelmed by the response to his first night in his new Venetian showroom home that he took the entire audience out for a drink to celebrate! All 700 of them!

David invited them all to walk over to the new Sportsbook Bar & Grill in the adjoining Palazzo and picked up the check for one round of 700 drinks! Later, after posing for photos and shaking hands with his fans, David took a group of 10 friends to a premiere night dinner at nearby Wolfgang Puck’s CUT steakhouse, where his assistant had pre-ordered filet steaks and appetizers for the table!

David has suddenly found a whole new starry cult following on his first three-day outing at The Venetian. After Dark Knight actor Aaron Eckhart and rap rocker Kid Rock stopped in to see his show, he joined them for dinner at Tao in The Venetian, feasting on Kobe beef, Chilean sea bass and lobster wontons.

Just a few tables away at the restaurant was actress Michelle Trachtenberg celebrating her sister’s birthday. The party also included Michelle’s mom and two friends, and they all stopped by David’s table to say hello and congratulate him on the new show.

The next night, Michelle, who was staying in The Venetian, went to see his show and discovered blonde beauty and Hollywood friend Nicolette Sheridan, who was staying in the Palazzo, was there, too, watching alongside hometown heroes The Killers!

David will be returning to the Wayne Brady showroom at The Venetian several times this year under a new contract with the resort after a yearlong run at rival Planet Hollywood. The showroom there will become home for The Peep Show starting in March with Scary Spice Melanie Brown and General Hospital actress and Playboy cover beauty Kelly Monaco.

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01.6.09 · 9:04 AM

Bottoms up! Beer pong world champions net $50,000 at the Flamingo

World Series of Beer Pong.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Who knew that a four-day tournament of tossing a little white ping-pong ball into a plastic beer container would draw more than 800 fierce competitors from 40 states and three overseas countries?

For the past four days, 400 two-man teams have played a minimum of 12 games and shown why beer pong has grown from a one-time frat house and college baseball drunken giggle into a worldwide phenomenon.

Not only that, but respected ring announcer Bruce Buffer from the UFC officially called the action at the Flamingo, and the sport has its own sanctioning authority. Michael Popielarski and Ron Hamilton wound up the $50,000 beer pong world champions.

ESPN covered beer pong as a sporting event last year, and our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was on hand for the action and captured these unique photos for Vegas DeLuxe. Can lucrative network offers now be far behind? Maybe even add a category for fine wines and champagne just to vary the action?

The game is extraordinarily simple: Toss a ping-pong ball over an 8-foot table and land it in a plastic cup that has a level of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer in it. Obviously, the more balls that land, the more beer one drinks, and then the less balls find their target with accuracy!

Deceptively simple but dangerously difficult due to the beer drinking! Plus, there are rules to abide by! Who would have ever guessed?

For more information on beer pong and for World Series of Beer Pong contest rules, check out www.bpong.com. And for more beer pong coverage, check out our colleagues at www.lasvegasweekly.com.

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01.5.09 · 12:20 PM

It’s final curtain in Las Vegas for Stomp Out Loud, Mamma Mia! and Raw Talent Live

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Exactly 12 hours after the curtain came down on the final Mamma Mia! performance last night, the construction crew entered the Mandalay Bay theater at 8:30 a.m. today to start ripping it apart to prepare for the new inbound musical The Lion King. Work starts today on the front of the theater, the lobby, the retail store and the auditorium, but the Mamma Mia! crew have until the end of the month to clean out everything backstage, including sets and costumes.

It was the most memorable and bittersweet night in Las Vegas showbiz history, as three Strip shows came to an end simultaneously. Mamma Mia!, after nearly six years and 2,200-plus shows for 2 million ticket buyers, had its final curtain for the 30 cast members at Mandalay Bay. Stomp Out Loud was just two months short of two years at Planet Hollywood when it bid adieu, and Raw Talent Live at the Sahara decided to move on in another direction.

Click HERE for yesterday’s exclusive interview with Mamma Mia! lead Carol Linnea Johnson as she reflected on her three-year run in the Mandalay Bay musical. We joined her cast mates Vicki Van Tassel and Robin Baxter for last night’s cast after-party.

The Mamma Mia! cast seemed more exuberant in its final show, the band played louder, and the audience gave them more applause and standing ovations than ever before. Three members of the audience even showed up dressed in shining, sparkling spandex suits to match Donna & the Dynamos’ last Las Vegas performance.

Carol told me at the party: “Yes, there were tears on the stage. A couple of times, we choked up, but somehow we held it together. The audience made me feel like a homecoming queen. Somehow it all felt like the very first time I ever went on stage. I was going to make a very short thank-you speech on behalf of the cast, but the crew had arranged for silver confetti from our last-ever closing wedding scene to shower the audience, and that became it as they turned the mics off! Each one of the cast snuck in some back-heel kicks as a running gag through the show -- ‘kicking up our heels as we exit stage left!’

“It will feel strange and empty for a couple of days, but for my husband Don, life is good because we now get to go out in the evening as a couple instead of going off to work! The only mistake I made during the final show was that I almost forgot to take the check from one of my ex-lovers to pay for the wedding. He kept pushing it on me until finally I took it almost one minute late!”

Among the partygoers was actress Tina Walsh, who played the lead role of Donna for the first three-year run of the show. Tina now stars in Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian. Tina told me: “I was working my show tonight, so I couldn’t get here for the final Mamma Mia!, but I made it to the party, and I did get to see it before it closed on my last day off -- New Year’s Eve.”

Also at the farewell was juggler and comedian Michael Goudeau, who stars in the Lance Burton show at the Monte Carlo. He told me that Tina and he had started out in showbiz together back in 1982 when they performed at the Astroworld entertainment park in Houston in Here’s Hollywood.

As Vegas Deluxe reported yesterday, Nancy and Ray Sommer of Henderson, who watched Mamma Mia! for the 74th time since they first attended the musical on their first wedding anniversary on Aug. 19, 2006, were special guests at the farewell party.

“We were both divorced,” Nancy told me. “It was my third marriage and Ray’s second. We had moved here from Southern California to start life anew. There was something that touched both of us the very first time we saw the show. It was about marriage and special love, and that continued on a personal level each time we saw it. If we were down or unhappy or it had been a bad day, this was the show that lifted our spirits. We both loved it with all our hearts!

“We spent our first two years in Vegas coming back time and again to see the show. We must have brought 60 friends over that time to see the show, some from as far away as Germany. They even returned two or three times to see it. It’s infectious that way. I think we’ve spent $14,000 on the tickets during that time. We’re upstanding citizens. We’re not weird -- there are much worse addictions, like drugs! Some of our friends thought we were insane until they came to see the show, and then they understood why we loved it so much.”

Nancy admitted that she cried one more time during the final show: “When Carol as Donna is brushing her daughter Sophie’s hair just before the wedding, she sings the ABBA song ‘Slipping Through My Fingers.’ That just gets me, and I’d brought extra tissues because I knew I’d lose it hearing it for the last time.”

Ray added as I was scribbling my notes: “We’re going to save a lot of money now! But we’ll really miss the show, the story, the music, the laughter and the cast. It will be a horrible, empty feeling. Yes, we’ll be back for The Lion King, but from now on we’ll have to rely on the CDs and the DVD of Mamma Mia!”

Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue sat in on the final Planet Hollywood performance of Stomp Out Loud and captured this amazing photo gallery of their final night.

Tom told me: Stomp simply turned out the lights at Planet Hollywood. It was a stomp your feet and clap your hands kind of crowd at the final performance.” After a 22-month run from March 2007 to January 2009, the final broom swept across the stage.

Tom summed up: “The cast of Stomp Out Loud thanked the crowd with a toast with many a tear in their eyes. If you were lucky enough to have had seen any of the shows, you always had a great time with their special sounds, but this last one was one stompin’ production. They gave it everything they had.”

Spies tell me the cast is hoping to relocate to the Sahara where Raw Talent Live also ended its run last night. Show producer Nicole Durr is believed to be opening a spectacular new laser-light nightclub at the Palazzo this spring and will feature the Raw Talent cast as individual cabaret acts as part of that venue’s extraordinary entertainment lineup.

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01.5.09 · 1:28 PM

Exclusive Interview: Robbie Maddison is on the mend from injury and says of NYE jump: ‘I was terrified’

For the first time, motorcycle stunt king Robbie Madison has revealed just how close he came to death with his incredible leap to the top of the Arc de Triomphe at Paris Las Vegas on the Strip on New Year’s Eve.

“My eyes were flooded, and my vision was blurred on takeoff,” he admitted in an exclusive interview with me before he left town over the weekend. “I waved to the people out there before the jump as if everything was fine, but, being brutally honest, I was terrified. I realized at that very moment, I was mad to be doing this.

“When that g-force hit me, I knew I’d made one error that could have proved fatal. I left the ramp wrong and realized on the way up my body weight was too far back -- a matter of fractions, but enough where I could have lost control. Believe it or not, but I had to move my body just a little bit further forward mid-air, otherwise I might have hit the arch and crashed backwards to the ground instead of getting up, over and down into it. If I hadn’t forced myself through the g-force, I’d have been a goner.”

I asked Robbie to look with me at the frightening freefall photo we posted as our main picture on Vegas DeLuxe the morning after the jump. “I’ve never seen a drop like this,” he admitted. “I was terrified. I wanted to be sick. You can practice all you like, but when you get on site and actually see it without protections and all the risks are in place there, that’s when fatal errors can happen.

“The funny thing, though, was that even though I was terrified, my heart wasn’t beating fast. I kept saying to myself, ‘I’m not crazy, and I’m not risking my life,’ even though afterwards I knew I was!”

Vegas DeLuxe readers know now that Robbie was taken to a hospital after injuring his left hand on the hard landing when his bike shuddered and almost broke in two. “I felt my hand tear,” he confessed. “I honestly thought it was broken. The doctors, though, gave me about 10 stitches, bandages and a small cast but were more worried about any internal injuries I might have sustained. To me, although there was blood, after everything I’ve been through and done to my body in the past with injuries, this was little more than a paper cut. It’s already on the mend!

“It was definitely the high-tension moment of the whole experience. I said to myself, ‘I guess I am pretty mad.’ When I was in the hospital waiting for the doctors, I got sick to my stomach. There was this relief that swept over me that I’d succeeded, but at the same time, I know I’d punished myself. Worse, I had made my new fiancee Amy suffer even more than me. I should never have put her through this. I did apologize to her.”

Despite the injury and drama, Aussie native Robbie, 27, has no plans to stop jumping. He told me: “I want to continue. I’m captive to this and want to create something even more spectacular. I was focused on this jump for such a long time, and I’m going to enjoy it for a little while, but soon I know I will get restless to find something even more incredible than this. I’m not sure what to do next, but we’ll look for another amazing landmark we can jump from or to or over.”

He said he’d be ready, willing and able to return for another New Year’s Eve ESPN televised spectacular in 12 months time. I eyeballed the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris and nudged him. “I’ll keep that one in mind” was the most I could get out of him at that moment! “I love Vegas and would certainly like to come back to do something bigger, better and even crazier here.”

And just how does a self-confessed madman relax in the midst of all this jump insanity? I learned that three times in the past few days, he’d unwound by taking speed laps in the mini-racecars at the Pole Position Raceway opposite the Palms Place condo-tower! He also had dinner at N9NE steakhouse in the Palms with my Las Vegas neighbor here, ESPN reporter Jamie Little, and his fellow daredevil Rhys Millen of New Zealand, who successfully backflipped his off-road truck at The Rio during the ESPN TV special Red Bull New Year, No Limits.

Check out www.vegasdeluxe.com for all of our previous stories and photos of Robbie and Rhys’ jumps.

In his latest blog, Robbie wrote: “I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone out there that tuned in and watched and supported me for my greatest feat thus far, my 322 feet 7 inches on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas over a football field. It has been amazing to get all the kind words from everyone around the world -- I really appreciate it. The New Year’s Eve jump was something that I had been working on for a long time, and to see it pull off on the world’s stage was something out of this world for me. Red Bull and ESPN put a lot on the line for me, and I was so thrilled that they all believed in me and made my dream a reality. The Red Bull experiment is only the start of something great for me and long-distance jumping. I want to take it to a whole other realm and really show everyone out there what is possible on a dirt bike. For everyone out there concerned that I may not still compete in FMX, I just wanted to let you all know that it is still a top priority for me to achieve greatness in the FMX scene. I have a full FMX calendar in 2009, as well as some long-distance feats that should be really interesting to watch.”

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01.5.09 · 11:02 AM

Strip Scribbles: Nightclub shakeups start New Year’s war; is Ray J buying one?

Nightlife observers are convinced that a major shakeup of nightclubs is about to get underway now that the 800-pound Encore resort gorilla named XS has opened. One expert told me: “Watch Victor Drai’s XS put at least three clubs out of business by spring, and you’re going to see others undergoing major renovations and remodels to compete, with the remainder fighting for survival.” Tonight is the debut of XS’s hospitality industry night, and experts will be watching its expected double-whammy impact on locals!

Meantime, for three consecutive nights, multiplatinum R&B star Ray J partied at Poetry nightclub in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and now I’m hearing solid rumors that he will become a new partner there. “He loved the club that much,” one of my reliable sources told me, “and he wants to buy it.” I know Poetry owners Mike Goodwin and Branden Powers were in heated lunchtime business discussions at the new T&T Mexican eatery inside the Luxor over the weekend. I’m betting you’ll hear by midweek that the I’s have been dotted and the T’s have been crossed on a contract that makes Ray J, real name William Norwood Jr., a partner in the upscale hip-hop nightspot. When the sexy singer tossed out thousands of $$$ in a “Sexy Lady” contest there over the weekend, he was definitely celebrating something special! Ray J, who is the younger brother of R&B princess Brandy, debuts his new show For the Love of Ray J next month on VH1, where women from across the country compete for his favors and attention.

Another solid rumor to come my way revolves around Michael Greco, Pure’s director of celebrity services. I reliably hear, even though it’s only rumor, that George Maloof has tapped him to become the new Palms entertainment chief overseeing all the nightlife venues there. Expect that first major salvo in the new nightlife adventures of Las Vegas to be officially fired within two weeks!

*It’s now absolutely official: I’m the first to tell you that the 52 Miss America contestants will arrive en masse in Las Vegas on Jan. 15, and after checking into Planet Hollywood for their 10-day stay, their arrival parade will be on the out-front winding staircase starting at 2:30 p.m. Planet Hollywood President Mike Mecca will officially welcome each state’s gorgeous representative with a red rose. The live telecast is set for Jan. 24 after three nights of preliminary stage events and the judge’s interrogations! We’ll be there each day starting Jan. 15 for our Vegas DeLuxe postings of exclusive stories and photos.

*Smooth as silk R&B singer Usher went shopping for an incredibly expensive new Rolex watch while he was staying at the Bellagio, and to accommodate his privacy, the lobby store shut the doors so he could be the only customer in there while fans pressed hard against the windows to see just how many thousands he was spending!

*From all inside reports I’ve heard, Holly Madison’s parents, who visited for New Year’s, hit it off perfectly with boyfriend Criss Angel and his mom and brothers! The Mindfreak magician even took them to Fix for desserts, ordering up warm brownie cakes, molten chocolate coffee cakes, cappuccino milk shakes and even a hot chocolate from the bar! During their visit, Holly took Mom and Dad to watch Criss’s Cirque du Soleil Believe show at the Luxor, and both families joined together for a private New Year’s dinner at Tender there past the midnight hour! More from that “seal of approval” as it develops!

*Dancing With the Stars runner-up Lance Bass treated two of the show’s professional dancers, Kym Johnson and Cheryl Burke, to dinner with five other friends in the private dining room of Strip House inside Planet Hollywood. Also dining there in another section were love mates Tito Ortiz and former porn princess Jenna Jameson.

*While at their LAX New Year’s Eve party in the Luxor, the Kardashian family confirmed that their reality TV show home in Hidden Hills, Calif., is up for sale. Sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney said their present four-bedroom home where they film the show simply isn’t large enough, so they’re moving up in size! If you’ve got a cool $3.4 million sitting around, you can snap it up immediately! You’d sure be Keeping Up With the Kardashians if you became the new owner!

Star surveillance: Basketball legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, was front row and center at Bette Midler’s spectacular at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, and afterwards he went backstage for a personal meet-and-greet with the singer. … Multiple Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps brought along 20 family members and friends for dinner at Tao in The Venetian. While revelers were celebrating the annual post-New Year’s Eve “Hung Over & Broke” party, the world record holder tucked into Chilean sea bass, Kobe beef and chicken pad thai before hitting the large corner dance floor table with Patron tequila and Grey Goose vodka! Michael went into the DJ booth to wave to the crowd after getting a shout-out from comedian Pauly Shore, who re-did a 10 to 1 midnight countdown. Lance Bass, along with fellow DWTS contestant Maurice Green and pro dancer Cheryl Burke, also joined in the fun. Cheryl showed off some of her serious dance moves to actress Mena Suvari and her fiance Simone Sestito, who were seated alongside in the VIP section for the second consecutive night! Before the night was over, Staind lead singer Aaron Lewis arrived with his crew. Also there was Dr. 90210 star Dr. Gary Motykie and up-and-coming actress Briana Evigan with beau Max Nash. … Master illusionist Lance Burton led the cheering section for his girlfriend Gabriella Versace’s opening night of her new run of shows at the Palazzo’s lounge as lead singer for the band Nitro.

Tonight’s tip

It’s New Year’s Eve all over again as far as members of our hospitality industry are concerned. Since they all had to work through the midnight countdown as 2008 turned into 2009, tonight Jet at The Mirage throws them their own New Year’s Eve party now that the tourists have returned home. … It’s also the premiere of Victor Drai’s new XS nightclub’s Industry Night at Steve Wynn’s just-opened the Encore. … Hip-hop star T Pain entertains and plays guest DJ at Prive in Planet Hollywood and promises to “make it rain” with greenbacks all over the dance floor.

Tomorrow’s tease

Funnyman David Spade becomes the hottest cult comedy star in town -- and takes all 700 members of his audience out for drinks! … The giant Consumer Electronics Show pulls into town with a slew of NBC stars in tow along with game show titan Alex Trebek and a host of other celebrities. … Iron Chef Kerry Simon throws a fun, star-studded pajama party at his Palms Place restaurant Simon. Check out those sexy nurses at the Bloody Mary Hangover bar! … Plus four other super chefs make headlines in a restaurant-themed day focusing on the tastiest treats! … Then on Wednesday, get ready for our exclusive, sizzling, sexy, sassy and sensational interview with porn princess Jenna Haze, as she gives us the advance peek at the Adult Video Network convention and awards show.

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