Vegas Happenings 03-30-10

Ben & Jerry's 32nd Annual “Free Cone Day” Raises more than $2,500 for Local Charities

Ben & Jerry’s 32nd Annual “Free Cone Day,” held on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 was an overwhelming success. More than a whopping 10,500 cones (or approximately 490 gallons) were given away between the District at Green Valley Ranch, Galleria at Sunset, and for the first time, Sunset Station Hotel & Casino locations, Ben & Jerry’s in-kind donation to these three organizations is equivalent to approximately $37,000 for the one day event.

Rockhouse Celebrates "First Annual Anniversary of the Late Grand Opening Party From Last Year"

Rockhouse Bar and Nightclub celebrated its “First Annual Anniversary of the Late Grand Opening Party from Last Year,” on Thursday, March 25, with a rock and roll-themed bash. Local celebrities Anthony Cools, Angelica Bridges and the cast of FANTASY walked the electric blue carpet.


Las Vegas Strip Goes Dark for Earth Hour

From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night, March 27, major hotel casinos from the south end to the north end of the strip went dark in support of a global cause - raising awareness of climate change. The neon signs as well as the Luxor's sky high beam of light and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign were dimmed for the third annual Earth Hour.



Additional recent and upcoming “happenings” in and around Las Vegas include:

The Iowa Theater for The Performing Arts opened inside Hooters Casino Hotel on March 25, 2010. The new theater serves as the new home for Todd Paul’s “Fear and Laughing in Las Vegas” and “The Dirty Jokes Show”. This new space will allow Hooters to expand its current entertainment line up from four shows to five shows starting April 2nd. Through the end of April, Hooters Casino Hotel will celebrate the opening of its new comedy room with special ticket pricing to both shows. Tickets for Todd Paul’s “Fear and Laughing in Las Vegas” are only $8.95 each. See three great comedian’s in “The Dirty Joke Show” for only $12.50 per ticket. Ticket prices include one free drink!

The March 27 benefit concert featuring Mandy Patinkin at UNLV was canceled. It may be rescheduled at a future date.

International Queen of Burlesque Dita Von Teese will perform with MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris for a limited engagement beginning March 31. Her series of exclusive performances are at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on the following dates, Wednesday, March 31 though Wednesday April 7 (dark on Tuesday, April 6). A pair of tickets are $75. For $125 guests get a pair of tickets that includes a Meet and Greet pass (price does not include taxes and service fees).

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) will close 12+7: Artists and Architects of CityCenter, an exhibition of paintings, sculpture, drawings and architectural models by 12 of the contemporary art stars and seven of the master architects of CityCenter, on April 4.

On May 1, BGFA will debut Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form. Organized in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), Figuratively Speaking will present figurative works by such artists as Pierre-August Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Joseph Cornell, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Judith Shea, Bill Viola, Yoshitomo Nara and Vanessa Beecroft. The engaging exhibition will feature more than 30 paintings, photographs and sculpture along with video installations by 26 artists whose traditional and contemporary perspectives on figurative art helped to define the genre in the late 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries. Figuratively Speaking will be on view through January 9, 2011.Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for Nevada residents and seniors 65 and older, $10 for students, teachers and military with valid ID. Children 12 and younger are free

Nevada resident, Wayne Allyn Root, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party was a guest on Larry King Live, Monday, March 29. The show will air 6pm PT / 9pm.

The CSN Orchestra will perform a “pops” concert featuring music medleys from Disney and Muppet shows and other light orchestral music on Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m. in the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the Cheyenne Campus, located at 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. in North Las Vegas. The Outside in Jazz Trio (John Matteson-piano, Geoff Neuman-bass and Barry Farley-drums) is the featured guest for the concert. General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

In celebration of 30th anniversary of the Liberace Museum, patrons receive discounted admission through April 15, 2010. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65+ and students with a valid ID. Children age 12 and under are free. Admission includes a complimentary one-hour guided tour 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday if desired. The Liberace Museum is located at 1775 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas.

As a token of his appreciation, comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo is offering current and veteran U.S. Military personnel buy-one-get-one free tickets for all his shows and price levels with proof of U.S. Military ID. Tickets must be purchased in person at the Monte Carlo box office. Ticket prices begin at $49, not including tax and service fees.

Modern rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars will perform at The Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort on Friday, April 9, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. with special guests Neon Trees. Tickets are $30, plus any additional service fees.

The Golden Rainbow Organization has moved to a new home, conveniently relocating to 801 S. Rancho Dr., Suite B-1B, Las Vegas, NV 89106. The organization will present the yearly benefit show, Ribbon of Life on Sunday, June 13 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The show is produced and performed by members of the Las Vegas entertainment community.

Comedienne Joan Rivers performs at The Venetian Showroom stage for a series of engagements in 2010 : April 8-10, 15-17 and July 8-10, 15-17. Ticket prices are $45.75, $65.75 and $85.75 inclusive of tax and handling fees.

Modern rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars will perform at The Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort on Friday, April 9, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. with special guests Neon Trees.

Johnny Rivers will perform all of his greatest hits in concert at The Club inside Cannery Casino & Hotel on Saturday, April 10 at 8 p.m. Best known for his smooth and soulful voice, Rivers has sold over 30 million records and scored nine Top 10 hits and 17 Top 40 singles. Tickets are available now in four levels: Table for four $59.95, Gold $29.95, Prime $19.95, or Reserved $9.95.

Grammy Award winning jaz vocalist Steve Tyrell will return to the Golden Nugget for two limited engagements – April 13-16 and April 20-24 in the Gordie Brown Showroom. Gordie Brown Live will be dark April 3, as well as April 9-28.

Frank Sinatra Jr. and his 20-piece big band conducted by Terry Woodson will pay tribute to his legendary father and entertainment icon Frank Sinatra by performing his treasured hits in Sinatra Sings Sinatra at the Suncoast Showroom, April 9, 10 and 11.Tickets start from $29.95, plus tax. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

Singer/songwriter Alicia Keys, named one of Billboard’s Artists of the Decade, will bring her Freedom Tour to the Mandalay Bay Events Center Friday, April 9. The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and also will feature special guests Robin Thicke and Melanie Fiona. Tickets are priced at $130, $90 and $50, not including applicable service charges

Billed as the “Confucius of Comedy” by the New York Post, comedian Steven Wright brings his trademark wit, absurdist one-liners and monotone voice to The Orleans Showroom, April 10 and 11.Tickets start at $29.95, plus tax. Showtime is 8 p.m.

Sunday, April 11, 2010 at Congregation Ner Tamid, 9:30 a.m. 55 North Valley Verde Drive, Henderson,  Yael Bar-Tur, a reserve officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will share her first-hand account of working in the IDF Field Hospital providing aid and assistance to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Ms. Bar-Tur, a representative of the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, is a reserve officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and served on Israel’s medical team in Haiti following the devastating earthquake. This program is free of charge and open to the entire community. For information please contact Dana Yavitz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

After a 3 year absence, Gilley's, the country and western club which closed at the New Frontier in 2007 will reappear on the Strip when a new club incarnation opens on April 16 at Treasure Island. Covering 10,000 square feet of space, Gilley's will be situated in the space formerly occupied by Mist nightclub and the upscale Francesco's Italian Restaurant.

Recreating hits from one of rock music's most popular bands, Creedence Clearwater Revisited will perform classic hits such as “Proud Mary” and “Fortunate Son” at The Club inside Cannery Casino & Hotel on Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available now in three levels: Gold $44.95, Prime $34.95, or Reserved $19.95.

The Country Music Awards, honoring country music’s top talent, hosted by Reba McEntire for a record 12th time,will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. live ET/delayed PT on CBS. In addition, the Academy of Country Music will tape an all-star concert special, “ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn—The Last Rodeo” at the same location on Monday, April 19, to air at on CBS at a later date.



Celebrity sightings:

Sunday, March 21, The Canadian Olympic gold medal winning Women's bobsled team enjoyed brunch at Simon at Palms Place. Kallie and Heather brought their gold medals.

Wednesday night, March 24, Olympic snowboarder Shaun White was spotted celebrating at LAVO. Joined by friends the gold medal winner, who is currently on the cover of Rolling Stone, took over a table on the dance floor for Label Junkie Wednesday.

Thursday, March 25, Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley celebrated his 30th birthday with friends at TAO’s Worship Thursday. At the end of dinner he was surprised with a cake resembling his favorite liquor, Jack Daniels.


Whibley and friends were spotted lunching earlier in the day at Dos Caminos.

Professional snowboarder Shaun White spotted with three male friends at the new HRH Tower at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Also spotted at TAO on Thursday was Julius Peppers, who was celebrating signing a six year contract worth $91.5 million with the Chicago Bears. The defensive end was joined by his girlfriend and a few other friends.

Playboy Playmate Laura Croft, along with Las Vegas based cosmetics company Rain Cosmetics owners Rain Andreani and Lori Montoya, judged the Fourth Annual Battle of the Brushes competition inside Blush Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. The theme for this year’s event was “I’m a Barbie Girl”. In the end, it was reigning champion Natasha Chamberlin from Color Salon who took home the winning prize for her Lady Gaga Barbie. Janessa Aguirre from Eleven Spa Vegas came in second place.

Friday, March 26...

legendary boxer Lennox Lewis seen having lunch at Pink Taco inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Amy Davidson from 8 Simple Rules was spotted dining at TAO Asian Bistro with a group of girlfriends, before hitting the nightclub.

At LAVO, Sum 41 Rocker Deryck Whibley continued his birthday celebration with a dinner before adjourning to the nightclub.

Damon and Shawn Wayans were also spotted in the nightclub at LAVO.

Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerlovskiy hosted a scintillating evening at Tabú Ultra Lounge at the MGM Grand. Chmerlovskiy showed up at Tabú without his dancing partner (and reported love interest), ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. He was joined by some of Vegas’ top notch dancers from Le Reve at Wynn Las Vegas.


R&B hearthrob, Jay Sean, celebrated his 27th birthday at Eva Longoria Parker's luxurious new Las Vegas nightclub, Eve, in Crystals at CityCenter. The packed crowd cheered loudly when the handsome singer from the UK hit the stage to perform two of his hit songs, "Down" and "Do You Remember."


Befitting of a superstar, his red velvet birthday cake was an oversized replica of his favorite Dolce & Gabbana sneakers weighing in at 65 total pounds with 14 pounds of frosting.


Prior to walking the red carpet, Sean's group of 11 friends celebrated his birthday dinner at Parker's celebrated steakhouse, Beso.

Also at Eve was singer Pharaoh Jackson.

Saturday March 27...

In the afternoon Kendra Baskett, the former Girls Next Door beauty and her hunky husband Hank Baskett, Philadelphia Eagles superstar wide receiver stopped by WET REPUBLIC at the MGM Grand to host a poolside bash. Also joining Kendra poolside were Peepshow cast members Holly Madison and Josh Strickland. Later in the evening, Kendra, Hank and Holly had dinner at Strip House.


Hank also took some time to chill at WET REPUBLIC with his new Philadelphia Eagles teammates, safety Quintin Mikell and line backer Chris Gocong.

Adult film actress Tera Patrick seen having drinks in the lounge at Strip House at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Following his performance at the Palms Casino Resort as the opening act for Jay-Z., Grammy® nominated artist Trey Songz hosted at Eva Longoria Parker’s Eve nightclub (situated directly above Longoria Parker’s celebrated steakhouse, Beso, at Crystals at CityCenter). Songz hand-selected a few fans to join him and his friends in his VIP area. Songz celebrated with a cigar and gigantic champagne cake commemorating the success of his tour.

Trey Songz
Photo credit: David Becker, WireImage



Trey Songz
Photo credit: David Becker, WireImage

Jay Z performed in front of a sold-out crowd inside the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort. Special guests were Young Jeezy and Trey Songz. Football player, Ndamukong Suh & The New York Knicks David Lee & Tracy McGrady and (separately)Marlon Wayons attended the concert.


At 4 a.m. Jay Z and Beyonce were having fun in the Mint High Roller gaming lounge inside the Palms Casino resort. They stayed in a two-story sky villa inside the Fantasy tower.

After his concert Jay Z hosted an evening at TAO nightclub. He arrived with wife Beyonce, who looked stunning in a skin tight, gold sequin dress and hair pulled into a tight ponytail. Joined by an large group including tour mate Young Jeezy and NFL pro Larry Johnson, the group took over TAO’s private dining room for a post concert celebratory dinner.


Following dinner Jay Z and crew arrived in the packed nightclub, taking over several tables on the dance floor.

Shawn and Damon Wayans were spotted at the table next to Jay Z and sports stars including NFL players Melvin Fowler, Steven Jackson, Dwight Freeney and Fred Smoot along with Tracy McGrady and Al Harrington from the NBA also filled up tables at TAO. Ndamukong Suh, the projected number one draft pick of the NFL was also spotted entering the club. Rapper Jay Sean hit TAO after dining with friends at LAVO earlier in the evening, and TAO regular David Space was seen dining at the Asian bistro before his show.

Actor and comedian Bob Saget dined at LAVO with friends before heading up to LAVO’s nightclub. Also at LAVO, Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory and Amy Davidson, who played Kaley’s sister on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules – celebrating a friend’s bachelorette party.

Sum 41 rocker Deryck Whibley, who celebrated his birthday over the weekend at TAO and LAVO, wrapped up the party taking in some sun at Azure.

Marlon Wayans had dinner at Simon at Palms Place.


St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson also had dinner at Simon at Palms Place.


World renowned celebrity mix master DJ Skribble joined forces with legendary (shirtless) Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro for a night of unforgettable mash-ups, a blend of live guitar, hip hop beats and rock-electro remixes inside Studio 54 at the MGM Grandduring the newly launched weekly Saturday night production, Freak Show. At the end of the night Skribble said, “Playing with Dave is always amazing!! But if I could put together my dream team, I would have me, DJ Aero, Dave and Tommy Lee all on stage together working the crowd.”


Model and socialite Caroline D’Amore took over the turntables of Blush Boutique Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. The Sorority Row actress arrived at the venue shortly after Midnight after dining at Society Café Encore. D’Amore immediately took to the turntables playing an eclectic mix of chart-topping tunes and some sexy House music.


Vampire Dairies starlet Kayla Ewell partied with her friends at Tabú Ultra Lounge at the MGM Grand.


Actor John Cusack, joined by two male companions, was spotted sitting ringside at Golden Boy’s “Boxing After Dark” fight at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Sunday night March 28...

John Cusack was again spotted...this time dining at LAVO Italian Restaurant with his friends.

Also spotted dining at LAVO was rapper Young Jeezy and a female friend enjoying a romantic dinner in large corner booth.


Monday, March 29, actor Jim Belushi spotted enjoying dinner inside Strip House at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.