STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz may launch its next-generation A- and B-Class compacts in the U.S. in 2012 as part of a broader strategy to bolster its small-car portfolio in North America.

The plan has been under consideration for more than a year, and this week, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the company plans to sell one or more of its new compacts in the U.S. The new A- and B-Class lineup will be introduced in Europe in late 2011.

The smaller Mercedes models would compete against such European rivals as the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series.

The automaker also will decide in the next two months whether to shift some production of the C-Class sedan to its U.S. plant in Vance, Alabama, according to Automotive News. The industry journal is also reporting that a redesigned C-Class is due in 2013.

Mercedes is reshaping its small-car plans for North America even as U.S. sales of the Smart Fortwo subcompact have fallen well below expectations.

Smart sales totaled only 661 units in October, down more than 70 percent from October 2008 and the lowest for any month since the car made its U.S. debut. For the first time, Smart is offering cut-rate financing on the car in the hope of boosting demand.

The owner of the Privé and Living Room nightclubs at the Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday in Florida.

Two cases to restructure the clubs’ finances were filed in Miami, by Privé Vegas LLC and PVPH LLC.

Court papers indicate the owner of the clubs intends to keep them open; and Privé promoted on Twitter and Facebook an event for Thursday night launching “La Rumba Thursdays.”

The bankruptcy filings didn’t disclose if they are related to investigations of illegal activity at the clubs this year by state and local regulators. The clubs were temporarily closed this summer by Clark County because of ordinance violations.

Judge A. Jay Cristol — the same judge presiding over the Fontainebleau Las Vegas bankruptcy case — on Thursday approved a routine motion that the 114 Privé employees and independent contractors receive their wages and benefits.

But Cristol did not approve a request that an “insider” receive $13,000, according to hand-written notes on the order.

“The debtor’s timely payment of employee compensation and benefits, including those that accrued pre-(bankruptcy) petition, is critical to maintain their workforce and business operations to enable a seamless transition into Chapter 11,” attorneys for Privé said in a court filing.

Among the largest creditors listed in the Privé filing are Planet Hollywood operator OpBiz LLC, with a disputed claim of about $690,000; ADT Construction Group Inc. of Las Vegas, with a disputed claim of $1.6 million; Sun City Electric of Las Vegas, with a disputed claim of about $844,000; Midwest Drywall of Las Vegas, with a disputed claim of about $527,000; and the Las Vegas law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins, owed about $435,000.

In total, Privé’s filing estimated it has up to 99 creditors, assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities of $1 million to $10 million.

PVPH listed just one creditor, OpBiz, with a disputed claim of $506,000.

PVPH has no employees and is an entity created to be the named tenant on the lease for the clubs, though that lease has been assigned to Privé, Privé attorneys said in court papers.

Privé managers this summer said they were working to pay back Planet Hollywood for a $500,000 fine imposed on Planet Hollywood by the state Gaming Control Board over illegal activities at the clubs including prostitution, underage drinking and drug use. Clark County investigators also reported finding lewd and topless behavior at the clubs.

Chef Joël Robuchon: “Chef of the Century” Redefines French Cuisine

Classic French cuisine–straight from the kitchens of the educated, working-class bourgeoisie–is known around the world for its complex mix of flavors and heavy sauces. In the 1960s, nouvelle cuisine changed all that. It was up to Chef Joël Robuchon–known to culinary students as the “Chef of the Century”–to rescue classic French cooking while embracing the simplicity of nouvelle cuisine.

Getting to Know Chef Robuchon

The New York Times bio for Joël Robuchon starts off this way: “Long praised for the way in which he intensifies the essence of a dish–he often pays more attention to accentuating two or three flavors than creating unusual combinations–Joël Robuchon has for a quarter century been on the short list of renowned chefs.”

That’s putting it mildly. At age 28, Robuchon received the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Outstanding French Craftsman) award and three years later received the award again. In 1984, he was the youngest chef ever to own a three-star restaurant. In 1990, the influential French restaurant guide Gault Millau named 44-year-old Robuchon the “Chef of the Century,” and in 2006 Bon Appetit named him “Chef of the Year.” Robuchon is a permanent member of the Académie Culinaire de France and owns 19 restaurants worldwide, most of them Michelin-starred.

Redefining French Cuisine

Robuchon used his relentless drive for perfection to reinvigorate French cuisine. Classic French cooking had been rich and heavy; then, in the 1960s, nouvelle cuisine began emphasizing the taste of individual ingredients but also leaned toward minuscule, over-designed presentations. Robuchon combined the best of both styles to create fresh, simple, satisfying food. SmartMoney.com says, “Not for him the flash and dash of bitey flavors and food done up to resemble something it isn’t. Robuchon is all about making it look and feel natural, turning simple food into something luxurious.”

“Turning simple food into something luxurious”–that’s the burning desire of culinary students around the world.” Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon, still going strong at age 63, shows how it’s done.

Sources
Fleury Michon Groupe
Joël Robuchon
New York Times

Some people watch Eyes Wide Shut and decry the dark vision of depravity and alienation.

But you always thought the parties looked like a good time.

Welcome to Voyeur, a lavish new nightspot suggesting that highbrow elegance and a bit of S&M are not mutually exclusive. Gotta say, you couldn’t agree more.

Behind dank casement windows salvaged from the original New York Times building, there awaits a dark lounge filled with corset-backed chairs and antique sofas made from bounced-against headboards. Lithe women fuss with their lingerie behind glass, maybe, or they really enjoy the sax from the stage. (You might also see a beauty doing stretches on the trapeze net above you—she must be hitting the gym later.)

Once settled at your table, they’ll happily mix your drinks tableside—in shot or martini form—with fresh juice concoctions like Watermelon-Jalapeno and White Peach-Sage. You probably already had dinner, but if you want to fuel up for the dance floor in the back, you can wave over some Crispy Shrimp Rolls and Fontina-Chorizo Grilled-Cheese Sandwiches.

And far in the back, past the photo booth, apothecary bar and walls plastered in contact sheets from an illicit Mexico photo shoot, there’s a private VIP room with a separate entrance and a giant chaise that could comfortably hold you and 10 beauties who appreciate furniture with well-placed handles…

And anybody else who likes to watch.

Voyeur
7969 Santa Monica Blvd
(W. of Hayworth)
West Hollywood, CA 90046
310-255-1110
official website

Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian and Palazzo is the largest spa in town, offering more than 80 treatment rooms and some of the most extensive and extraordinary services available.

The Venetian

The lobby of the two-story Canyon Ranch SpaClub is bright and sunny and features a full-service salon, the Canyon Ranch Café , the spa check-in desk and access to the hotel’s pool.

The entire bottom floor of the spa is covered by the 21,000-square-foot fitness center, which includes extensive cardio equipment, weights, a Pilates studio, a 40-foot rock climbing wall and several classrooms offering everything from yoga and spinning to salsa dancing and meditation. Lecture rooms offer classes on topics such as nutrition, wellness and metabolism.

Canyon Ranch also has a wellness center that offers services you wouldn’t normally find at a spa including physical therapy, acupuncture and a nutritionist.

The spa offers separate men’s and women’s areas with steam, sauna, hot tubs and relaxation areas where guests wait for their treatments.

The treatment menu at Canyon Ranch is so extensive it might be hard to decide what to indulge in. There are a variety of scrubs, wraps, massages, baths, facials and more.

One of the spa’s signature treatments is the Canyon Ranch Mango Sugar Glo, a body scrub derived from natural sugars, jojoba esters and beta carotene. The treatment includes a light exfoliation, immersion in a hydrotherapy tub and an application of moisturizer.

One of the most popular services is the Ultra Nourishing Cocoon Wrap, which uses Pure Fiji’s milk and honey products. The first part of the treatment includes a massage, a milk and honey scrub and a rain shower rinse. After therapist slathers on a milk and honey moisturizing mask, relax one of the spa’s extremely relaxing and warm soft-pack beds, which cradles you as you experience the weightless sensation of floating. Guests leave with incredibly smooth, baby-soft skin. Guests receiving Ultra Nourishing Cocoon Wrap also leave with a delicious, replenishing coconut water.

By far the most unusual treatment room at Canyon Ranch is the Middle East-inspired Rasul chamber — a beehive-shaped tiled chamber with heated seats where one or two people are coated in therapeutic muds and sent into the chamber for an extensive herbal steam treatment, under a faux starlit sky from which rains fall, signaling the end of the treatment.

If massage is more your style, go for the ashiatsu treatment — a deep compression massage in which the therapist holds on to overhead bars and uses his or her feet to massage and stimulate the body’s lymphatic system.
Canyon Ranch can be a little tricky to find, but it’s easiest to park or valet in the hotel garage. From the garage walkway, turn right into the Grand Canal Shoppes’ food court and take an immediate right past the food court. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and enjoy!

With the extension of the spa on the Palazzo side, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub offers even more amenities, including ultra-spacious relaxation areas and plenty of wet spa facilities.

While the Palazzo and Venetian offer the same body treatments, the Palazzo features the Aquavana, an area that includes a variety of wet spa elements. The Aquavana includes an Herbal Laconium, a warm, ceramic-tiled room with individual heated seating thrones. For the ideal cool down, the Igloo offers crisp, cool air and three Arctic Mist experiences -- menthol, mint or eucalyptus. But be careful! Though refreshing, the cooling mist might be a little shocking at first.

For more exotic scents, choose from Cool Fog, Tropical Rain or Caribbean Storm within the invigorating Experimental Rain Showers. To make the experience even more fun and unique, these showers also feature color-changing lighting effects and thunder sounds. In addtion, the Aquavana offers water plunges (where you can control the temperature), heated lounge chairs, an aromatherapy steam room and a sauna.

Not sure what to do or visit first? The spa provides an Aquavana pamphlet with different combinations suitable for specific body needs.

Adorned with soft blues and greens, the women’s relaxation room provides several couches and nooks to stretch out and unwind. Grab a magazine and treat yourself to refreshing tea and fruit before your service.

For a more earthy experience, the co-ed relaxation area is also an option. Featuring high ceilings, eye-pleasing earth tones, wicker accents and sounds of trickling water, you’ll truly feel like you’re in the middle of nature.

If you’ve worked up an appetite before or after your spa service, Palazzo offers Canyon Ranch Grill.