"The Eye on Vegas reads so fast and furious,
I have to downshift my engines or I crash!"

Cherry About to Blossom - An Eye on Vegas Sneak Peek
"What I'm doing at Cherry is the future for Las Vegas clubs," Rande Gerber told Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine in last month's exclusive interview and with a sneak peek of his newest nightlife entity under our belt, we can say he might just be right! Although still wearing the finishing touches of the construction process, you can tell Cherry is going to be something special. Cherry has two main components; a slick and sexy nightclub environment inside with a dedicated long, rectangular pool deck and accompaniments outside. Inside, the outlet is designed as a nightclub, intimate and cozy yet sleek and sexy. The tunnel entranceway is definitely reminiscent of that at Rain Nightclub (Palms) but with LED lighting and a more open staging area it will play more of an impressive role. Wood tones mesh with plush red VIP pods, carved leather furniture and large silver caged bottle service tables. Red neon tribal designs serve as crown moldings along the ceiling and additional bottle service tables encircle the wooden dance floor. With each new club opening we see technology playing a larger role, Cherry is no different. The domed ceiling of the club incorporates over 2000 LED lights that General Manager Daryl Margolis promises, "it's like no other lighting system in the city." Other technological touches include small video screens dotting the walls and chandeliers that double as video projection screens, seriously!

Moving outdoors at Cherry offers the same promise. The back wall of the nightclub can be totally removed to offer up an easy transition from inside to out. The comfortable deck offers eight cherry-wood cabana's holding residence on one side of the pool, while ten day beds line the other side. The Cherry pool is raised to overlook the gorgeous circular, palm tree heavy Red Rock pool. "We are going to focus on Saturdays by the pool for now," adds Margolis who is wisely focusing on establishing a base of business rather than going head-to-head with the popular Rehab pool promotion that has ruled Sunday afternoons for two years now.

Margolis, who made the move from Whiskey to oversee Cherry, will be joined on the management team by Peter Nehen. One of the industry's favorite barmen, Nehen joins the Cherry team via Spearmint Rhino. Lastly, Margolis' departure from Whiskey allowed for the promotion of Mason Thibodeau who takes over the GM duties in Green Valley.

With the closure of near-by Plush at the JW Marriott, Cherry becomes Summerlin's sole nightlife option. With a beautiful room in a gorgeous property that will see a ton of foot traffic Cherry will not be bound down with the limitations that Plush was. We are of the opinion that Summerlinians only need somewhere to rock and rock it they will. With next months opening of Cherry, they will now have that place. Oh, and don't worry, we haven't ruined all the fun, there are still plenty of little hooks we promised we would keep secret. The coed bathrooms for one, lets just say they MUST be seen to be believed.

Now would also seem the appropriate time to announce that Midnight Oil, Cherry and Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine will be joining forces to host the next MAIN Event and the Industry Opening of Cherry on Wednesday, April 26th. Not only will we be introducing the industry to one of Vegas' hottest new venues, but we will also be using the event to say goodbye to one the industry's most beloved local women, the tall temptress and former Tabu Ultra Lounge General Manager, Sasha Michael, who is moving to New York City. Stay tuned for more information to follow in up-coming weeks!

Red Rock Will Indeed Rock - An Eye on Vegas Sneak Peek
You already knew this was coming. After our walk-through of Cherry we just had to peek inside the casino to see what was coming, we had heard far too many great things. As is usually the case, the buzz on the street is dead-on, Red Rock is amazing! As would be expected, Red Rock is drenched in red, copper and brown tones and is mix of modern elements with a very classic clean design. The property will host nine different restaurants including Salt Lick BBQ, one of Texas' more storied BBQ joints, T-Bones Chophouse and Lounge, the Feast Buffet and Grand Café. Forget about other Grand Café's in the Station Casinos family, the Red Rock coffee shop would not look out of place in Bellagio! The Rocks Lounge will serve as RR's home to live music. Already signed to perform is the wildly entertaining duo, Zowie Bowie, who have been converting followers by the masses in Scottsdale, Arizona. Unlike other live entertainment lounges in the city, Rocks is set-up with plush VIP booths to offer bottle service. Our two biggest 'wow' factors came at the hotel lobby and the Lucky Bar (Red Rock's grown up and pimped out version of the Drop Bar). The Lucky Bar is so darn cool; red glass separates the casino floor from the lounge, red alligator leather furniture, glittering 'icicles' hang from the ceiling in a spoke-like pattern surrounding a amazing centerpiece that can best be described as a 'faucet of frozen diamonds'. Plenty of other surprises abound on property and we don't want to ruin them all for you so we will leave it at that. Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa opens on Tuesday, April 18th.

On The Move
• Bon Voyage to Pat Ennis, he has accepted the Golf Pro position at the Ocean Breeze Golf & Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The longtime F&B'er is returning to his past life as a PGA pro after numerous years in Vegas with Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and most recently Silverton's Twin Creeks Steakhouse. As they say, daughters hide your mothers! Best of luck Pat, you will be missed.

• Stacy Hamilton has been named the new director of PR for the SKG firm. She will be replacing Lenora Kaplan who made a sudden departure last week.

Gaming Giants Eye Singapore
Several of Las Vegas' biggest gaming companies are currently in a bidding war for the rights to a multi-billion dollar gaming license that would put a casino property in Singapore's financial district. The four surviving bidders (MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Malaysia's Genting International) have until Wednesday to submit their final proposals to the government panel that will award the bid. MGM Mirage is said to be the frontrunner because of a relationship with Asian land owner Capitaland. With an estimated price tag of $3 billion, no matter who wins the bid, it looks to be one of the most expensive casino projects to date.

PURE Four O
On Tuesday, March 28 PURE Nightclub will be hosting the birthday celebration of LVFBM's very own publisher, Michael Politz. The evening will combine Politz' unique brand of madness coupled with the beautiful Hooters Calendar Girls and the Vegas Hotties. Who knows what will ensue, or if Politz will add another ex-wife to his resume! Feel free to come join the celebration and help push Politz into a mid-life crisis by singing Happy Birthday!

The star power that gathered at the hot-spot this weekend included former Los Angeles Laker 'Big Game' James Worthy who proved he's still got big game, holding court with 15 beauties until the doors closed. On Saturday night, Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas, headed to PURE to celebrate her birthday and she brought her discriminating palate with her. Yes, vodka was on the menu, but the songstress duck-duck-ducked the goose and requested Ketel One Citroen instead.

Student Body Election You got to hand it to the folks at Body English, their new 'Student Body English' promotion taking place on Sunday, April 2nd has the town abuzz. Eleven categories ranging from Most Talented to School Bully are offering locals a chance to vote for their favorite industry people. Well the toughest competition has to be for that of Class President (I mean seriously, that's a tough one) we were surprised to find one of the LVFBM family on the ballot where Bryan Bass has been nominated under the Most Likely to Win a Pulitzer category. We personally think his talents speaks for themselves and if your a fan of the Eye on Vegas or his articles in LVFBM, 944 Magazine and Casino Player Magazine then you would agree. You can vote for Bass and dozens of other nightlife personalities by clicking here to go to the ballot.

Still not convinced huh? You can read Bass' latest LVFBM article entitled 'Bass on Bass' where our super sleuth uncovers every chef's two favorite dirty words, Patagonian Toothfish. You can also read his latest 944 article where he features everyone's favorite Iron Chef, Kerry Simon in 'Simon Says'.

IT's Coming
How do you celebrate back-to-back-to-back World Club Awards for Best Lounge? How about throwing a sick, 3 year anniversary party and launching a new weekly promotion called 'IT'. Yeah, sounds about right! On Wednesday, April 19th the Eye on Vegas will join forces with Tabu Ultra Lounge to launch IT to the masses. We don't want to give out too many secrets just yet so stay tuned …

Congratulations to the team at Tabu Ultra Lounge for picking up their third consecutive Best Lounge disco globe at the World Club Awards in Miami, Florida last weekend.

Noble Juice
Two local Vegas operators found themselves on the forefront of the Tequila revolution, literally. The RoadRunner Saloon's first lady of operations, Bobbie Rihel, and Tony Ramieh, general manager (215/Eastern location), were recently in Guadalajara, Mexico touring the Casa Noble Tequila factory and seeing how one of the planet's finest libations is made firsthand. "The Mexican people believe tequila is a gift from the Gods," said Ramieh after tasting samples of the freshly made spirit, "and I would have to agree." Pictured above is Casa Noble's Vegas pitchman, 'Tequila' Tore' Kragerud, Pepe Hermosillo, owner of Casa Noble, and RoadRunner's Rihel.

The company's focus on tequila seems to be working as Summerlin's Agave, another branch of the RoadRunner family, recently won AOL CityGuide's award for Best Outdoor Drinks in Las Vegas.

Kane Comes Together
On Wednesday, March 29 Forty Deuce will host a special event to help raise money for an ill member of the family. The saxophone player for Ivan Kane's fantastic burlesque band is Michael Brown and his wife, Amanda, has been in a fight against cancer for over a year now. With the costs of her medication and medical treatment adding up, the beleaguered Browns are asking for assistance. The event will provide music and entertainment from 40D's signature burlesque show and a silent auction for various gift certificates donated from local businesses and Mandalay Bay restaurants. Entry for the event is by a min. donation of $10. "The funds we will raise on 'A Night for Amanda' will have a direct and valuable impact on her much-needed treatment," added the Forty Deuce organization.

Beard Goes BBQ
Mike Mills, owner of Memphis Championship Barbeque has been nominated for a James Beard Award for his first ever cookbook, Peace, Love and Barbeque. The book is a collection of Mills' award-winning recipes, photographs and stories from the legendary pit master. Good luck to Mills and co-author Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, his daughter.

Bracket Busters
How do you celebrate a 'Best Gentlemen's Club-Staff Pick' award from the RJ's Best of Las Vegas poll? If you're SCORES Las Vegas you throw the best damn march madness party in the city! On Saturday, April 1 (2P) and Monday, April 3 (5P), the team at SCORES will be turning up the heat as the craziness of college hoops nears a close. They are offering two-for-one drink specials, live entertainment, aerial shows, food from Chef Dennis Natoli's kitchen and of course, big screen b-ball action on SCORES' 24 plasma television sets! For table reservations call Shai Cohen at 702.812.7472.

Quick Bites
We can officially welcome the newest member of Hawaiian royalty to Las Vegas. Last Tuesday, MGM Grand's Kurt Umehara (a.k.a. the Coconut Kingpin) became the proud father of a bouncing baby girl, Kaila Bryana Umehara, who was born on-time and healthy at five pounds and 15 ounces. Congrat's to Umehara and the proud mother, Rosy Covarrubias!

Speaking of the 50th state, Vegas' undisputed home of the Hawaiian, the California Hotel & Casino, is in the planning stages of their ninth annual May Day Lei Day. The Polynesian festival will feature live music, cultural demonstrations, arts and crafts and hula girls from local Hawaiian and Tahitian schools. The three-day event starts May 5 and runs through the weekend. Tickets are currently on sale at the Player's Gold station at the California Hotel. Anyone want to get lei'd?

How does an International Man of Marketing celebrate his birthday? Well if you're OPM's Branden Powers you start off with a $1,300, 16-course dinner at Joel Robuchon at The Mansion with a gorgeous model gal pal before hitting up OPM Nightclub for a surprise party from Honcho Mike Goodwin. Attendee's included sports stars Joey Porter, Winy Wright and Adrian Wilson. Rumors have over three dozen bottles of high-end bubbles being popped in celebration!

It's confirmed, Diego, the excellent Mexican eatery at the MGM Grand, will be re-introducing Vida, their weekly Friday Latin Late Night event, on March 31.

From all accounts, the Hard Rock Hotel remains on the sales block. We heard one offer that was between $700 and $800 million, sounds about right don't you think?

The recently opened Luxor show, Hairspray, has two new veteran additions to the cast in Paul Vogt and Eddie Mekka. Vogt is theater vet who was on the sketch comedy show 'Mad TV' and Mekka is a Tony-nominated actor who is best known for his role Carmine "The Big Ragoo" Ragusa on the classic Laverne & Shirley.

On Thursday, March 30th Tao Nightclub will introduce their new Worship Thursday resident DJ, the phenomenal DJ Five. If you've danced to a hot beat in Vegas then chances are you have enjoyed DJ Five before. Venues he has rocked include the legendary Hip Hop Room at The Foundation Room's Godspeed Mondays, Rain Nightclub and ghostbar. He is also a member of DJ troupe, The Abe Froman Showmen

We're hooked, we just don't know if it's because of The Gallery or the gorgeous Eve Salvail working the 1&2's. Either way, we highly recommend checking out Salvail spinning in The Gallery at Empire Ballroom's Late Night Empire this weekend (Friday & Saturday). Well you're there, you my as well start warming up the Empire patio because it is going to rock all summer long. House Society mainstay and patio resident Keith Evans gets things going Friday night before handing things off to his equally skilled House Society cohort Carlos Sanchez on Saturday night.

Harrah's Las Vegas has announced that their newest dining outlet, Pennazzi and the Oyster Bar, will open on May 18. They promise it will offer classic Italian cuisine with a contemporary spin.

Our friend Andrew Firestone is back on TV, kinda. The Firestone heir who made network waves on 'The Bachelor' is back with an educational DVD on The Culture of Wine.

Pro athletes abound at JET this past weekend including His Royal Airness, Michael Jordan, former Minnesota North Star (a little throwback for you shinny fans) Dino Ciccarelli and Super Bowl Shuffle rapper Richard Dent. Did you know that the Super Bowl Shuffle rap song performed by the 1986 Chicago Bears actually went gold? It achieved that feat on February 2, 1986.

T.G.I. Friday's is set to open its first in-casino outlet at the Orleans Hotel & Casino on April 10. The restaurant will feature a revamped design to appeal to a new generation of customers. "Casinos are a phenomenon that attract and accommodate both families and the new generation of active adults. The Orleans is the ideal location for our first Friday's within a casino and we expect it to be one of our top-performing stores."

Congratulations to On Board Media who landed the in-house magazine for the up-coming Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino. If past work is any indication, Planet Hollywood Magazine should be top-notch because On Board really does great work making the best in-property mags in the biz.

We're not sure if Hooters' 60-person hot tub is the biggest in town. However, we do know it is the only HOT TUB with a swim-up bar. Allegedly, the Nippers Juice, served at the pool, which features four kinds of rum, is the kind of cocktail that makes you … uhmm … hooterish.

Has it really been four years already? The Rio's popular interactive dinner show 'Tony & Tina's Wedding' is celebrating their 1,500th performance this month!

Rain clouds be damned, the Light Group's WMC kick-off party at Mansion nightclub in Miami absolutely rocked the house last week. "I've never seen the whole Light crew going off like it did at Mansion," e-mailed one spy. Stars spotted at the party included tennis pros Andy Roddick and James Blake and Miami Dolphins Pro Bowler Jason Taylor.

The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art will present an exhibit of nearly 50 photographs from American legend Ansel Adams. The exhibit starts on May 3.

The Nevada Yacht Club (who knew!) is hosting the fourth annual Leukemia Cup Regatta on April 8 and 9 at Lake Mead. The weekend includes boat races, a live and silent auction, dinner, entertainment and an awards ceremony all to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For more information call 702.436.4220.

We know that the internet is a haven for randomness and people articulating that said randomness. We think we found the best example of random internet writings … ever. Click here and find out why sabermetrics will never be the same.

Spike TV is back for another foray into Las Vegas. They will be filming the second annual AutoRox award show at the Fremont Street Experience on April 7. Hosting the award show will be actor and hip hop star Ice Cube.

Look for the acclaimed DJ Skribble to set-up his turntables for some late night action at Seamless Adult Ultra Lounge on Friday, March 31. The famous MTV wheelman is bringing his thick portfolio of mash-up madness to after-hours aficionados starting at 4A at Seamless. It will also kick-start Seamless' promise to offer up headlining DJs every other Friday night. We know what you're thinking, mash-up setting the tone for after-hours? You got it, especially when it's of Skribble's house-infused variety

Tabu Ultra Lounge has announced the April line-up for their Tuesday night Open Decks promotion. The promotion, which opens up the Tabu DJ booth to aspiring residents and headliners alike, will feature Scott Stubbs (April 4), Chris Aurelius (April 11), Jason Lema (April 18) and Chicago's Rick Garcia (April 25).

Pet Peeve: Mean Spirited People
Irony: An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

And that's why we eat pizza on Fridays!
And remember ...tell them "Eye" sent you! michael@lvfbm.com

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