The MAIN Event: Top 100 Nightclubs in America
For the second year in a row Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine and Nightclub & Bar Magazine are joining forces to host the official opening night bash for the Nightclub & Bar Convention better known simply as "The Show." On Monday, March 6 we will be bringing The MAIN Event to Tao Nightclub for a party in honor of the Top 100 Nightclubs in the country. Already, hot spots from around the country have announced that they will be present making this event a rare opportunity for nightclubs across the nation to party together. On the Top 100 list are nearly a dozen Vegas outlets giving this party special meaning for all our local nightlife friends. Vegas outlets to land on the list include: last year's party host PURE Nightclub (Caesars Palace), Light Nightclub (Bellagio), Ice Nightclub (off-Strip), rumjungle Nightclub (Mandalay Bay), Rain Nightclub (Palms), Studio 54 (MGM Grand) and Tabu Ultra Lounge (MGM Grand). It will be a very special night for nightclubs on the list and we invite our Eye on Vegas readers to come join the celebration.

To RSVP to The MAIN Event please click here and remember to provide your full name and contact information.

We also have a limited number of tables available for any nightclubs, bars or restaurants who want to bring their staff together to celebrate with the Top 100 nightclubs in the country. For table reservations please e-mail us here.

Two More Nightclub & Bar Events
We always have so much fun during Nightclub & Bar that we don't want the party to end. That being said, we couldn't be done after Monday's event at Tao so we have signed on to present two more events for 'The Show.'

On Tuesday, March 7 LVFBM and the Eye on Vegas are joining forces with SCORES Las Vegas to present an industry appreciation night to remember titled 'Simply SIN.' Think we're kidding? We would certainly hope not especially because we have two of adult entertainment's hottest stars making special guest appearances at the event. The Peruvian Princess, Alexis Amore, and Olivia O'Lovely will be in the house meeting fans, signing autographs and perhaps taking a sexy snapshot or two. As always, SCORES will be sharing their love with the industry with a special VIP area that will include liquor aplenty, the beautiful women of SCORES and even massage chairs for that quick rub down! No RSVP is necessary; just join us from 10P-12A on Tuesday, March 7 at SCORES.

On Wednesday, March 8 we will be finishing the Nightclub & Bar convention in style at TI's Tangerine Nightclub with the incomparable Grand Master Flash. Moonshine Wednesdays at Tangerine has essentially owned the middle of the week since its inception last year and we are looking forward to upping the ante with one of the country's most respected and renowned DJ's. From the Strip-front patio to the sizzling burlesque acts the moon will be just a little bit brighter on Wednesday, March 8 with LVFBM on board.

The Show Itself
After writing about all the parties we are involved with for Nightclub & Bar it only seems fitting to talk about the actual show itself. This year's convention will mark the 26th time that Nightclub & Bar Magazine has hosted the convention which features everything that has anything to do with nightclubs. The Show, as it is commonly known, consists of over 80 different educational sessions and a showroom floor that features OVER 2,000 booths. This convention is a 100 percent-must-attend for anybody who works in the nightclub, bar, liquor and or service industries. For more information or to register for the convention click here

Hard Rockin' Rumors
We don't know about you, but we started receiving emails as early as Monday evening regarding the potential sale of Peter Morton's Hard Rock Hotel. On Tuesday morning the property issued a brief statement that simply said, "It has received proposals to acquire the property. The company has determined that it will explore a potential sale. There can be no assurances that this process will lead to a transaction." Rumors have been running rampant on just who put an offer on the table, but it is one of the better-kept secrets we have witnessed in some time. The rumor mill turned up several names last week; most prominently the Fertitta brothers who own Station Casinos. "It's not us," stated Lori Nelson, director of corporate communications for the multi-property company in a telephone call last week. We keep hearing rumors that both conflict with that statement and those that firmly confirm it, so who knows. One prominent gossip pitchman brought Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone Magazine into the rumor mill and the Rank Group has also turned up in various whispers, although mostly probably because it would make some sense for the Hard Rock Hotel properties to be under one umbrella. Although everyone is very tightlipped on the situation, we hear that two offers are actually on the table. Only time will tell …

On The Move
Las Vegas nightlife guru Mike Fuller has accepted the corporate director of marketing position with the N9NE Group. Fuller is somewhat of a rarity as a born and bred Las Vegas local and is well established as a trendsetter in the industry. Although he is publicly best known for his DJ work around the city, it is just the tip of the iceberg of the numerous projects he has had a hand in. In this position he will oversee all marketing aspects for the N9NE Group ventures in Chicago, Dallas and, of course, Las Vegas. This position had been vacant for sometime since the departure of Andrew Wintner many moons ago. Congratulations to both Fuller and the N9NE Group on this fantastic hire.

Maggie Feldman has announced that she will be joining the W Hotel & Casino as the director of public relations. The seasoned PR beauty had previously worked at the PR Firm Kirvin Doak.

Miami Blues
Organizers of the 'Only Vegas' event that was set to coincide with the Winter Music Conference in Miami, FL sent out a heartfelt e-mail last week announcing that plans to host an event for the second consecutive year had been halted. "It is a sad day in clubland when we have to report that this year's Miami event is not going to take place," stated the e-mail. Last year's event came to fruition when 14 Las Vegas nightclubs took over a South Beach mansion to rave reviews. The Eye learned that this year's event was to take place at Miami's Paris Studio, an 18,000 square-foot studio used for filming and photography, essentially allowing for a made-to-order venue. "We are disappointed that this event will not take place," noted Ice PR Guru Marc Jay who was one of the individuals behind the event. "Last year's event was so fantastic that we had hoped to keep the momentum rolling. That being said, I am heavily involved in the Global Gathering Festival and will now be able to focus all of my attention on this event. Hopefully next year the nightclubs involved will be able to commit to the event in a timely manner so that we can throw a fantastic party in 2007."

The Global Gathering Festival that Jay refers to is a re-occurring music festival that combines live concert performances with sets from some of the planet's biggest DJs. The festival that kicks-off in Miami a week prior to W.M.C. will feature a live performance from the Nine Inch Nails as well as DJs such as Sasha and Digweed and Armen Van Buren. It will mark the first time that this event has been held in the United States.

World Club Awards has a Vegas Edge
Speaking of Miami, nominations have been announced for the fourth annual World Club Awards and, once again, Las Vegas will be well represented with several nominations in varying categories. For the second year in a row, Ice Nightclub has been nominated in the "Best Club" category (quixotically, no Las Vegas club earned a nomination in the Best Superclub category with East Coast heavyweights like Miami's Mansion and Space and New York's Crobar). For the third year in a row, MGM's Tabu Ultra Lounge has been nominated in the "Best Lounge" category, a category in which it has taken home back-to-back disco globes. Las Vegas newcomer Tao Nightclub earned a shot at awards for "Best New Club" and "Best Interior Design." Steven Lockwood's brilliant, although currently in-hiatus, A/V promotion earned several nominations including "Best Party," "Best Resident VJ" for Roonie G and "Best Video System" for BJ Stanton. Obviously Ra is no longer in operation and both Lockwood and Stanton have joined the team at JET. Lastly, Studio 54's DJ P picked up a nod for "Best Resident." In our opinion, Pure would make for one rather glaring omission from the list, but we would expect an even larger Vegas presence next year when JET and Tryst become eligible, let alone anything else that opens in 2006. A panel of 10 industry-veteran, neutral judges selects the award winners.

Congratulations to all of the Las Vegas clubs and individuals who have been nominated. We wish you the best of luck!

From the Block to Bellagio
Café Bellagio Executive Chef Jeffrey Henderson is cooking up something different these days and his story will now be told in an up-coming book entitled "From Cocaine to Foie Gras." Henderson, who learned to cook in prison after he was incarcerated for making as much as $35,000 a week as a drug dealer in San Diego, admitted that at the time of his arrest the only thing he knew how to cook were crack rocks. "People say I got arrested. No, I got rescued," says Henderson who signed a six-figure book deal with William Morrow/HarperCollins last week. Henderson is currently compiling information and photographs of his days as a drug dealer so that the accuracy of his story will not come under question. "I want to stand tall when my memoir comes out that everything is true," he says.

As the Crow Flies
Corpulent comic Jeff Beacher announced that a report in the Eye on Vegas saying that he was moving to the Imperial Palace was "110 percent incorrect." The next day he then announced that he would be opening a Madhouse bar at the property that would feature the same freaks that perform at his show. Uhmm okay, perhaps we have different definitions of incorrect, what do you think?

In response to critical remarks made toward the Madhouse last week, we hear that the comic's team has purchased a URL address that closely resembles our very own www.eyeonvegas.net. No word as of yet in regards what they plan to do with it, but we can tell you that we are close to re-launching our Web site with dynamic new features that will blow you away!

Hot Corner
It seems like we've been the only ones talking about the impending implosion of the Tropicana Hotel & Casino. We can understand why as the property has moved forward with implosion plans several times over recent years only to halt the proceedings. Since the property isn't taking reservations past April 15 and has submitted initial building plans, it looks like this time it's for real. The plans show the property moving to a 3,000-room tower. If everything continues according to plan the double tower implosion should make for one of the more impressive implosions to date.

PURE Innovation
This past Saturday night PURE Nightclub's superstar DJ AM and Blink 182's tattooed drummer Travis Barker joined forces for the third time as they fused turntable beats with live drumming. We had missed the first two appearances from the pair and made sure we didn't miss it a third time. What we witnessed was a phenomenal session that showed off AM's ability to rock a club and Barker's talented drum work that had the crowd screaming for more. It's not often that a nightclub breaks from the norm and does something different, with this performance Pure showed a deft eye for innovation and we can't wait 'til the pair comes back again. If you haven't seen the AM/Barker set we highly recommend you check it out the next time the pair performs together. Also in attendance Saturday night was Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton. The couple was celebrating both Bolton's birthday and the wedding reception of his daughter, Robin. They were just the latest celebs in Pure the past week as the laundry list includes former Running Rebel Larry Johnson, Green Day, Thomas 'The Hitman' Hearns, Dennis Rodman and Super Bowl-winning Quarterback Ben Rothlisberger.

Reading Between the Lines
Did anyone else catch any of the juicy nuggets dropped in our phenomenal 'State of the Industry' article? For one, Pure's Greg J let it slip that the Pure Management Group is starting a new restaurant division. We already knew about the Japanese/Sushi restaurant going above Tangerine, but one restaurant does not a division make…hmmm wonder what else is up their sleeves? There is all that space sitting vacant at the Luxor …

Perhaps even more interesting were juicy tidbits from Tao's honcho Jason Strauss. "We have plans for an expansion of our facility in Las Vegas," noted the New Yawker tight-lipped. "We will also be announcing plans for a Tao outlet in a foreign market." Hmmm … we're just kinda guessing but … Sheldon Adelson is building in Macau right? To read the full article, click here.

Baby Bing
Speaking of Tao, while the staff prepare for the nightclub and bar madness that is set to ensue next week they are keeping busy with a special 21st birthday party for Soprano's star Robert Iler. The young actor is best known for his role as A.J. Soprano in the hit HBO series which is about to launch its sixth season next month. Introducing the birthday boy will be the gorgeous Jamie Lynn Sigler who plays sibling Meadow.

Red Bull Revs Up
The world's most popular energy drink has announced it's extending its dominance to the racetrack. With the big NASCAR weekend right around the corner Red Bull will be warming folks up to see the double bull logo at 180 miles per hour. Red Bull is both the owner and the sponsor for a NASCAR Nextel Cup Race team in 2007. The primary car will be solely sponsored by Red Bull (see above) while another car will feature the Team Red Bull logo along with a multitude of other sponsors. It was also announced that race veteran Marty Gaunt will serve as general manager for Team Red Bull and run day-to-day operations. The NASCAR festivities take place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from March 10-12.

Vegas Gets in the Mardi Gras Mood
Steiner's, the local chain of pubs, will be helping Las Vegans celebrate Mardi Gras with a celebration on Tuesday, Feb 28 (A.K.A. Fat Tuesday). Guests will be able to enjoy celebratory specials like Red Beans and Andouille Sausage Soup with Rice, Red Snapper Pontchartrain (blackened red snapper with lump crab meat topped with hollandaise sauce) and for dessert, Bonton-Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce and Ice Cream. Don't worry, they aren't forgetting about the beverage side of the celebration because they will feature Hurricanes, Mint Juleps and New Orleans microbrew. Steiner's has three locations around the valley at Cheyenne, Buffalo and South Las Vegas Boulevard.

Nightclub Articles Online
Due to overwhelming response we have expanded our online library to include several additional articles from LVFBM's nightclub issue. A few weeks back we teased our readers with some of the hot gossip that nightlife baron Rande Gerber spilled to LVFBM in an exclusive interview. You can read the whole article titled "Setting the Standard" Also, make sure you check out the literary debut from the beautiful Sasha Michael titled "How-To Vegas VIP" as well as Bryan Bass' look at the five hottest nightclub elements of '05 titled "Club Hooks." Bobby G is back with "What's Drinkin' in the Nightclubs" and there is also an interview with David Sullivan, the maestro behind Infinite Audio Systems here in Las Vegas. To read further please click here.

Paddy's Place
MonteLago Village is preparing for the newest addition to the Lake Las Vegas family; the Auld Dubliner, which is set to open on St. Patrick's Day. The authentic Irish pub was actually crafted in Ireland and then re-built in the MonteLago Village. Irish native David Copley will serve up a huge range of traditional Irish food, Irish whiskey and Irish beers. Chef Roberto Martinez's menu offers up Boxty Stew, traditional sausage rolls and even some recipes from Copley's mother! This will be the Auld Dubliner's third location with other outposts in Long Beach and Squaw Valley, CA.

Hotel & Restaurant Show
The 27th annual Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show is approaching its April 12-13 date at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. As always, a slew of educational seminars are coming together to help educate hoteliers and restaurateurs. Seminar topics include "Understanding Multiculturalism for Better Guest Service and HR Management," "10 Trends to Shape the Future of Food" and "Strategies for Preventing Identity Theft in the Hospitality Industry." For additional details, seminar information and to register for the show, please click here.

And the Winner is … Miller Genuine Draft!
The fantastic folks from MGD have joined forces with Entertainment Weekly to host a special Oscar viewing party right here in Las Vegas. On Sunday, March 5 the Oscar-themed event will take over Tangerine Nightclub for a viewing of the award show that will be accompanied with complimentary Miller Genuine Draft and hors d'oeuvres. The party will also feature a special guest DJ appearance from DJ Z Trip. Sounds like the perfect event in which to view Oscar's special day. Okay, you twisted our arm, you want passes don't you. The first 10 people to e-mail us here with the subject 'The Winner is … Me!' will win a pair of passes to the event.

In a Monterey Mood
The Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association is coming to Las Vegas for a tasting on Thursday, March 9 at RM Seafood (Mandalay Bay). They will be showcasing more than 25 wineries from the region while helping to raise money for the Nevada Restaurant Association's education scholarship programs. The tasting has been divided into two sections; a trade tasting from 2-5P and a consumer tasting from 6-9P. The ticket cost for the consumer tasting is $45 per person.

The Sun Rises Higher
We found a new service from a local, independent company that focuses on web-based marketing that you might find attractive. Essentially, Moving Sun Studios has created a 'supersize' package that combines a flyer and e-vite all for one low price. They are also launching ultra-high-end Web sites for companies across the valley, you may have admired their work at the Club Renaissance Web site. For more information click here.

Quick Bites
On Wednesday, March 1 Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden will be making a special appearance at Tangerine Nightclub (Treasure Island). Madden, who is the twin brother of Good Charlotte lead singer Joel, will be serving as guest DJ for one night only.

We made a pit-stop by Studio 54 this past weekend because truth be told, the trio of Justine Julian, Carla Quinn and Alysia Wrenn might just make for the most beautiful VIP host team in town. From all accounts the women are having a field day pushing bottle service in the brand new VIP room that is a ten-fold improvement after last year's renovations.

Congratulations to the folks at Las Vegas Magazine which has re-debuted this past month. It was great seeing our friend Robin Leach's Luxe Life blog jump from the Internet to a hardcopy column!

Organizers have announced that the 16th annual Taste of Vail event will take place from April 5-8.

Outlaw Motorsports will be celebrating their grand opening at PURE on Tuesday night (02/28). The custom car company is the brainchild of West Coast Choppers alumni Alex Anderson and Bobby McCurdy and Las Vegas nightlife and restaurant entrepreneur Billy Richardson. From what we hear from PURE's management team the event will be a star-studded affair that is being combined with a birthday party for promoter John Lewis. There will be a special guest performance that will blow people away. We promised to keep it a secret but we can tell you that he definitely drives a pimp ride.

Also on Tuesday is the McMahon Perfect Vodka industry appreciation night at the House of Blues. The event gets going at 11P and there will be drink specials throughout the night.

W Magazine has hired Chef Joachim Splichal to handle food service for their Oscar hospitality suites. Of course, the former James Beard award winner has a Vegas connection with his Venetian restaurant, Pinot Brasserie.

The newly-retired Jerome 'The Bus' Bettis was spotted in the kitchen of Tao this weekend. Don't worry, he's not starting a new career, he was just signing autographs and posing for pictures with the kitchen staff.
One reason OPM continues to be profitable is because of their ability to retain staff in an ever-competitive nightclub market. One example of why the OPM staff has such loyalty to Managing Partner Mike Goodwin took place tonight (02/27) when he rented out the "Rainman Suite" for an employee appreciation party. The suite is known as such because of the Oscar-winning flick that featured Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

R&B sensation Usher was back in Vegas last week catching his second Cirque du Soleil production in as many weeks. This time his party of six was spotted at Mystere. Interestingly the tickets were picked up by Bob Levin, former president of worldwide theatrical marketing for Disney and current president of worldwide marketing and distribution for MGM. Hmmmm … Before the show, the music superstar was spotted dining at Sushi Roku in the Forum Shops. From all accounts the star enjoyed some of the city's freshest sushi while enjoying the stunning view of the Las Vegas Strip.

Last week we went out on a ledge when we wrote that the rumors surrounding a riff between L.A. nightlife queen Amanda Demme and the W Hotel & Casino were just that, rumors. This week there's some proof that we might have been right. Amanda Demme and Edge Resorts President Adam Frank were spotted together at Pure last Tuesday night.
The 10th annual Premiere Napa Valley wine auction brought in a record amount of revenue last weekend when 67 winning bidders snapped up 181 lots of one-of-a-kind Napa Valley wine. Proving that American wines are still a hot commodity and popular investment, the auction raised over $1.8 million, a 28 percent increase from last year's auction.

SYSCO has announced a term sheet to acquire Desert Meats & Provisions, the largest independent specialty meat distributor in Las Vegas. The company's diverse customer list includes more than 200 premier restaurants, hotels and resorts who helped contribute $55 million in annual sales last year. "We are very excited about joining the nation's leading foodservice distributor," said Desert Meats CEO Mr. Unruh.
Southern Highlands has received approval to build a 2,400-room resort hotel on St. Rose Parkway and I-15. It is one of at least nine casino and high-rise projects expected to be built within the area.

Farewell mate!

Don't miss out on the latest - who's in, who's out, what's moving, what's not. Go to the Eye On Vegas for Tuesday, February 28, 2006