By Judy Thorburn


Exciting moves on the dance floor, celebrities on the Red Carpet, “suite” debuts and a new environment for a “Feast” were some of the recent “happenings” around Las Vegas.

On Saturday evening, December 16th, I headed over to the South Point Hotel and Casino (formerly known as the South Coast) to watch some of the best salsa dancers in the world compete in the finals of the 2nd Annual World Salsa Championship that will be internationally televised on ESPN in the near future. Salsa celebrity Albert Torres, the premiere producer of salsa music and dance events was the emcee of this competition that gathered together world-class dancers from over twenty countries including Sweden, Colombia, Mexico, Australia, Israel, Russia, Korea, Bulgaria, Holland, and the United States. But, it wouldn’t have been possible without Salsa Seven, which is comprised of a group of salsa lovers in charge of the competition. Salsa dancing showcased on TV shows such as “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance” might have caught the attention of viewers and reawakened the interest and love for this Latin based, dance art form, but you haven’t seen anything till you see these athletic dancers who have fine tuned their craft and taken salsa moves to another level with interpretive, lively choreography. These are dance floor artists who know how to perfectly incorporate elements such as colorful costumes, their joyful expressive faces, with fast and exquisite legwork consisting of remarkable spins, lifts and energy to create an exciting, sexy and dynamic performance that is guaranteed to take your breath away. The audience for the finals competition was filled with family, supporters, and dancer lovers from all over the globe who reacted to the performances with enthusiastic, well-deserved cheers and loud claps. But, as fabulous as all the dancers were, there had to be a winner in each category. Judging was broken down into four divisions: On-1 placed the emphasis on the first beat of the music; On-2 placed the emphasis on the second beat of the music; in Cabaret the dancers had to use either On-1 or On-2 style, but had to incorporate lifts and tricks; and the Team Division could use either style but had to utilize 3 or more couples. It must have been difficult to decide on who was the best, but in the end the following dancers walked away with the top prizes. On-1 Division winners were defending champions Abel and Zulema Torres, representing Mexico and U.S.A. On-2 Division winners were defending champions Oliver Pineda and Luda Kroiter from Australia. Winners of the Team Division were El Mulato Y Su Swing from Colombia, and last but certainly not least, winners of the Cabaret Division were Kelvin Hernandez and Licelott Maldonado representing Venezuela and Puerto Rico. If you want to see Salsa dancing as it is done best, with all the sexy, hot moves and amazing footwork; be sure to follow your local ESPN listings to see when it will air. One thing…when you watch it on TV, make sure you have plenty of room to move around. You may very well find yourself wanting to get up and dance. The rhythmic beat is contagious!

On the same evening as the Salsa Championship finals, rocker Vince Neil was spotted on the other side of town dining at Social House inside T.I. with his wife Lea before hosting a hot and sexy Harley Davidson Fashion Show at Tangerine Lounge and Nightclub with guest DJ, Samantha Ronson. After the fashion showcase was over and models cleared the runway, Neil got the crowd roaring by surprising club goers with a live performance of Motley Crews Girls, Girls Girls..

Vince Neil

On the evening of Tuesday, December 19, a Red Carpet Event was held at the Aladdin, future home of Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino to celebrate the Las Vegas release of “Rocky Balboa”, the final chapter of the Rocky film series. It took place right after a preview screening of the film, which took place inside the Brenden Theatres at the Palms Resort and Casino. As we all know, Rocky is all about a boxer, therefore as no surprise, a slew of boxing legends such as Tommy Hearns, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Gerry Cooney, Ken Norton, Aaron Pryor, Vito Antuofermo, Tim Witherspoon, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Emile Griffith, Iran Barkley, and Floyd Mayweather and others were on hand, as well as the film’s co-star, former two time heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, boxing promoter Lou DiBella, recording artist, D’Jon who has a new single on the “Rocky Balboa” soundtrack titled “Get Up” featuring Frank Stallone, plus Brenden Theatres owner Johnny Brenden, and other celebrities that are big fans of the fictional movie boxer. Actor/singer Frank Stallone (Sly’s brother), the current Miss America, Jennifer Berry, several upcoming Miss America contestants, singer Tom Jones, comedian Carrot Top, and actor David Hasselhoff, who will soon be appearing in the upcoming Las Vegas production of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “The Producers”, were among the notable arrivals. But the media, photographers and a huge crowd that gathered in the Center Bar on the casino level of the hotel were most anxious to see the writer/director and star of Rocky, himself, Sylvester Stallone who showed up with his stunning wife, former model Jennifer Flavin by his side.

I got a chance to talk briefly with Antonio Tarver who, in a role that does not require much of a stretch, plays the heavyweight champion and Rocky’s opponent. As for his big screen-acting debut, Tarver said, “He (Stallone) let me ad lib and trusted me with the character. A lot was natural… portraying a champion and remembering a lot from press conferences”. As for the future, since boxers don’t have a long career, he added, “I want to continue acting and learn the trade.” What kind of roles would he want to play? Only half kidding, the good-looking “acting” contender gave me a big smile and stated, “With a face like this, I want to be a leading man”. Only time (and talent) will tell. I didn’t get a chance to talk with Stallone, but as a film critic I did get to see the final Rocky flick during a preview screening a week prior to this event. To read my critique on Rocky Balboa check out my “The Flick Chick” movie review column or go on line at www.theflickchicks.com .


On December 20, The Signature at the MGM Grand opened its second of three 576-suite hotel towers featuring spacious junior (starting at $200), one bedroom (starting at $300) and two bedroom suites (starting at $510) that come with luxurious new amenities. Along with private balconies that come with most suites and provide a magnificent view of the valley, offerings include 300 thread count bed sheets, Jacuzzi tubs, flat screen TVs, wireless Internet service and state of the art kitchens and kitchenettes. Other amenities include a fitness center, lobby lounge, retail shopping and Starbucks in Tower 1 and convenient meeting space and a delicatessen in Tower 2. The planned opening for Tower 2 is May of 2007.

The Signature at the MGM Grand

On December 22nd, the Palace Station Hotel and Casino reopened their new, lower priced Feast Buffet that has been completely redesigned. The 340 seat room has a whole new look which combines modern features such as curvilinear silver and glass light fixtures with warm accents as orange mosaic glass tiles and granite countertops. Five live action food stations include American, Asian, Italian, bistro, Mexican and traditional BBQ. Prices are $5.99 for Breakfast, $6.99 for Lunch, $8.99 for Dinner or Weekend (Sat/Sun) Brunch. Boarding Pass members get discounts.

Upcoming “happenings” include:

On Friday December 29 from 6-9PM, popular designer Jennifer Siegel, widely known for recreating the portable home of the 21st century, will appear in person at Blankspace in Mandalay Place. Her appearance is part of the unique boutique’s monthly “Mojitos and Modernism” design series, which takes place on the last Friday of every month. For this event, Siegel will conduct an educational lecture on the popularity and importance of sustainable architecture and will be available to meet fans. For more information call (702) 632-9399.

Starting at 2PM on January 2, 2007, the MGM Mirage will offer the public the first views of the City Center’s stunning 28,970 square foot Residential Sales Pavilion, with upcoming housing offerings that will forever change the face of the strip. Visitors to the Pavilion will get a chance to see full scale models, unit locations, floor plans and a multitude of interior design options available for three of the four City Center developments that will house approximately 2,700 luxury residences: The Vdara Condo Hotel, Veer Towers and the Residences at Mandarin Oriental. Residences at the Harmon will be released later in 2007. However, anyone interested in living in these luxurious residences will be able to make a reservation. CityCenter is MGM Mirage’s $7 billion city within a city that will be located on the strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo Resorts. The address of the Residential Sales Pavilion is 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Illusionist Steve Wyrick recently announced that he will be opening his new multi million-dollar Steve Wyrick Entertainment Complex inside the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in early January. The complex will be home to the Steve Wyrick Theatre, Magiq Shoppe, and TRIQ Ultra Lounge. The 500-seat Steve Wyrick Theatre inside the 33,000 square foot level complex will feature daily 3PM performances from renowned ventriloquist Ronn Lucas, a 5PM performance by internationally recognized crooner Martin Nievera, a 7PM and 9PM show by master illusionist “Steve Wyrick: Real Magic”. “With the large custom-built stage, I’ll be introducing four new colossal illusions in addition to some favorites from previous shows,” says Wyrick. “The interaction and relationship I have with each audience member is very important to me. I’m confident that my new show, combined with the elements of this new mega-theatre, will allow the audience to relate to the show on a whole new level and offer each audience member a unique and exclusive entertainment experience.” At 10:30 the one man Broadway hit “Defending the Caveman” will be presented. Following that performance the entire complex is transformed into a four-level nightclub with its stage serving as a dance floor for TRIQ Ultra Lounge, where guests will be treated to complimentary seating inside the theater. Numerous VIP tables will showcase a personal stripper pole and plush lounge sectioned seating with the best views of the excitement on the floor.

Beginning January 9 and every Tuesday night thereafter, Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand is introducing “influence”, a night especially reserved for the restaurant and nightclub industries. The host for premiere night of January 9 will be WWE diva and model Candice Michelle with music spinning by local Las Vegas superstar DJ David Christian, and free cocktails served until midnight. Studio 54 is located within the MGM Grand and doors open at 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free for locals and ladies; the charge for men is $10 Tuesday through Thursday and $20 Friday and Saturday. Dress code will be enforced and guests must be at least 21 years of age. For information call (702) 891-7254.

The Salt Lake City based Reperatory Dance Theatre will be performing a Century of Dance on January 27 at 8 p.m. in the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the Community College of Southern Nevada. A guided tour through a 100-year legacy of dance, this one-night-only performance is an informative multi-media retrospective paying homage to the ingenuity, creativity and inventive spirit of legendary 20th century choreographers. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For reservations and information, contact the CCSN Box Office at 651-LIVE (5483). The CCSN Performing Arts Center is located at 3200 East Cheyenne Ave., one mile east of I-15 North.

Finally, if you haven’t yet decided on how to ring in the New Year here are a few options:

Party goers at Las Vegas’ hottest Latin flavored dance party Vida at Diego, MGM Grand’s trendy Mexican eatery, will enjoy a complimentary champagne toast, party favors and a traditional Mexican buffet while DJ Gil Barba spins the best in Reggaetón, Spanish Pop, Rock en Español and Cumbia beats. Tickets are $50 in advance and $75 at the door and can be purchased at any MGM Grand ticketing outlets. Call (702) 891-7777 for more information.

Playboy Cyber girl Cidney Carson hosts a wild and crazy evening at Coyote Ugly Saturday, December 30. And on Sunday December 31, The Real World Denver cast member Jenn Grijaiva counts down to 2007.

 

I’ll be back next time for what’s “happening” in and around Las Vegas.