Mr. Glitterati

A wise man (Groucho Marx) once decreed he wouldn’t join any club that would have him as a member.

But if we’re talking about a club that’s actually a members-only rum bar—and membership is just $20 a year—well, in this case you’ll have to respectfully disagree. Introducing Caña Rum Bar at the Doheny, soft-opening tomorrow.

You’ve likely heard all the stories about the Doheny, the private bar from Cedd Moses (Seven Grand, Tony’s, Las Perlas) accessed through a covert curtain deep inside a random Downtown parking lot—and whether or not you coughed up four figures for a membership, you’ve probably sampled the cocktail mastery somehow. (You have your ways.)

Well, the new incarnation is a lot like that, but the makeover includes some new chandeliers and captain’s chairs, a much more reasonable $20-per-annum price tag for membership… and a whole lot of rum.

We’re talking rum in daiquiris, rum in flights and enough Caña Punch (pictured) for you and seven friends. There’s Cuban rum, English-style rum (it’s more full-bodied and distilled from molasses, not sugarcane) and Haitian rum, aged in French oak. (This month’s inaugural membership fees go entirely to Haiti relief.)

And if you’re in the mood for some dessert—by which we mean cigars—they’ll gladly suggest something that pairs well with your order.

It could be the perfect cure for the green-beer hangover…

Ron “Mr. Glitterati” Jones has announced Moon, at The Palms Resort and Casino, will host his fabulous birthday party in Las Vegas Sunday March 7th, 2010.

In addition to being his first event of the year, this party will serve as only the beginning as Jones plans to execute a launch party for Defy Earth at The Palms as well. Defy Earth is Jones’ plan to execute 12 years of consecutive global challenges to raise awareness of Bipolar Disorder. The planned adventures span no less than three continents and numerous countries.

Celebrities, friends, and dignitaries alike will join Jones to celebrate – Palms style – in Ghostbar located atop the Palms Fantasy Tower in Las Vegas. Expect another night of madness as Mr. Glitterati and friends celebrate to the sounds of DJ Miguel Miggs, spinning a live set. Migs, also known as the “PetalPusher” is a guarantee of deep house, consider it “House Head” Nirvana. There is even an after-party scheduled to begin after the festivities at Ghostbar, however those details are presently unavailable. Guests not local to Las Vegas will receive perks including but not limited to special room rates at Palms properties spanning the weekend of March 5th through 8th.

Moreover Jones noted this event couldn’t have been possible without the help of Jimmy Aston of the N9NE Group. Aston, a Texas native, has been a Las Vegas resident for the last 18 years and has been a “Good Shepherd” steering this event to reality. Aston was also honored as one of the 32 Most Beautiful People in Las Vegas in 2008 by Jack Colton.

Ron “Mr. Glitterati” Jones said, “This year’s birthday party is going to be epic. We’re creating a celebration that will be like none other before as we have never hosted an event for me specifically. I thought it was time to share the sexiness and glamour of my life with all of my friends and family in Vegas. We chose March 7th as my birthday will begin at the stroke of midnight.”
“I would also like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to Jimmy Aston, Jovan Andow, Jon Grey, The Palms, and The Maloof Family for making these things possible.” Jones added.

This used to be a rock and roll town.

Elvis made it his own. The Killers came from around here. And in certain rarefied corners (like the Palomino Club), you can still hear “Cherry Pie” every hour on the hour.

But we’ve got good news: rock’s coming back to the Strip. And it’s bringing showgirls and whiskey.

Introducing Smokin’ Hot Aces, your new destination for Stripside rock and roll debauchery, opening December 28 in the Venetian.

Step inside the door and you’ll see a detailed re-creation of Poison’s tour bus circa ‘88—or at least, that’s the way you imagined it. There’s a jukebox pumping out Kiss, and leather VIP booths where you can order up a 48-ounce dry-ice cocktail that’s basically a smoke machine in a glass. But first, you have to make it past the six-foot-tall light-up slot machine that greets you as you step inside—though sadly, it’s nonfunctional.

As for your evening’s headliners, you can’t miss them: a troupe of scantily clad go-go dancers performing an interpretive dance to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” on a Crazy Horse-style platform planted in the middle of the room. Stop by on the right night (including New Year’s Eve) and you’ll find a few rock stars in training on the same stage doing their best impression of the biggest hard rock band in the world.

Otherwise, you’ll have to make do with the go-go dancers.

Smokin’ Hot Aces
at the Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-541-8700

Inspired by Kubrick’s famous ceremony scene of passion in the movie “Eyes Wide Shut”, the Swiss Andrej Lorenc organizes Castles Events in the same vein. He rents castles and invites selected members of his club to spend a night of fantasies: garters, black underwear, wasp-waisted corsets, capes and Venetian masks are compulsory. Drink Champagne, feast your eyes on skin, dance to the sounds of well-known dj’s, and give in to your erotic–or perhaps sexual–desires. Sexiness is also a prerequisite. Teased? Basically the parties are scheduled four times per year, mostly in Switzerland.

Dance and celebrate the sensual in a centuries’ old, mystical ambience. Enjoy culinary delicacies surrounded by stimulating music and distinguished performances.

Specially selected guests and high carat DJs create a world of tantalising and enthralling eroticism. Let the festivities carry you away. Castle Events are not just simple parties. They are journeys to a land of sensuality, the universe of your fantasies and an atmosphere of kings.

Dreams have a touch of the surreal and that touch is what we try to cultivate at our parties. This is why Venetian masks are an integral part of the events. They lend a magical, unconstrained flair to the evening, where nothing is a must, but certain things may happen. Just like in fantasy.

Castleevents is not a dating club. Castleevents provides a setting for people who would like to experience sensual parties. This is why they ensure that the ratio of men to women at their events is 1:1. This even ratio is not the result of hired staff, but is the outcome of a specific selection process, the sole purpose of which is to bring together like-minded individuals.

Dreams are private and fantasy is intimate. Consequently they require absolute seriousness and discretion in advance. This allows them to guarantee the same.

CastleEvents
Official Site

Diddy will be part of Vanity nightclub’s kick off celebration

Sean “Diddy” Combs is about to open a new nightclub in Las Vegas.

Well, almost: He’s going to help open one.

“(The) Hard Rock is opening a club and I’m supposed to be opening up that new club for them,” he told the Las Vegas Weekly on Saturday afternoon during an exclusive interview at the Paris Hotel and Casino.

“I’m opening up the club so, you know, that’s pretty big in itself,” he said.

The new nightspot, Vanity, is set to open on New Year’s Eve.

Still, the rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy won’t necessarily be at the Hard Rock when the ball drops on 2010.

Instead, he said he is scheduled to host a day or two after the grand opening celebration on or around Jan. 2.

Still, he may very well be there on NYE.

Maybe.

“I may be out here; I may be shooting a television special,” he teased.

Will it be a Vegas-based portion of MTV’s New Years Eve coverage? Will he ring in 2010 live on E!, or will it be part of something else altogether? He declined to say.

“I can’t give you any more details, that’s breaking news,” he smiled.

Still, it’s pretty safe to say Diddy is planning to party somewhere in Las Vegas on Dec. 31.

The hip-hop heavyweight is no stranger to the Las Vegas club scene and likely has a litany of lucrative hosting offers on the table for New Years Eve.

“I’m the black Sinatra,” he said. “I’m supposed to be out here.”

It wasn’t always this way for the rapper/actor/producer/fashion designer/fragrance developer/father/vodka czar.

“I used to come to Vegas maybe once every other year,” he said. “I’ve been out here already four times this year … This is the most I’ve been out here.”

In the modern day Sinatra’s Rat Pack: “Jay-Z, Jamie Foxx, Tyrese (Gibson), (and) Ashton Kutcher.”

The group will get together later this week, in New York, for Diddy’s birthday party.

The superstar turned 40-years-old on Nov. 4.

By now, you know what to expect from a gentleman’s club: dimly lit corners, a champagne room or two and lots and lots of skin. In other words, it’s ripe for a sea change. All we need is a visionary bold enough to take on the industry from the ground up. And we may have found the first candidate…

Welcome to the Velvet Lion, a revolutionary new take on the gentleman’s club.

Helmed by Tony Verdugo—the man behind legendary Vegas late-night spot Drai’s—the Lion is taking a page (and a few hosts and promoters) from the nightlife industry. The result is something like Body English, just with the emphasis on “body”…and much more akin to the treatment you’re used to at clubs. We’re told this means no inflated door prices and a general ethos of “quality over quantity,” which we guess means they’ve loosened the usual restrictions on cup size.

Throw in a few plush couches, bottle service that doesn’t break the bank and the most body paint this side of Cirque du Soleil, and you’ve got a potentially revolutionary spot. Of course, Verdugo is the ambitious type, so he’s thinking even bigger: The Lion’s stated goal is to put the first topless club in a casino in the next three years.

But they’ll have to reinvent the strip before they reinvent the Strip.

Velvet Lion
3750 S. Valley View Blvd
(between Twain and Viking)
West of Strip
Las Vegas, NV 89103
888-702-3336
official website

Share

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.

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

So Halloween is coming. And dark changes are afoot.

Instead of churches, you’ve lately been uncovering tequila shrines. And temples of collagen terrine. And now, water shall turn into vodka.

Introducing an otherworldly new pop-up nightclub in a stunning downtown church—Pandora by Night Vision takes over St. Vibiana’s cathedral this week.

For just a few nights, opening Pandora’s box (by which we mean the front door) means you’ll be entering a late-1800s holy land…that’s been transformed into an empire of fog, candelabras, DJs and VIP sections where the altar and confessionals used to be. Depending on the night you choose to douse yourself in holy water and attend, you might find an interactive vampire wedding (Friday), a jazz band (also Friday) or an open bar (Friday and Saturday).

The inspiration for all this after-dark debauchery—aside from the dark beyond, obviously—is Vegas. (We’ll leave it to you to discern the difference.) And after this introductory series of blowouts, you can expect to see this pop-up club pop up elsewhere throughout the country.

Spread the word.

Note: Pandora, open October 27-31, 323-512-8400, tickets here.

Gentlemen’s clubs have a long, proud history of innovation, from the earth-shattering invention of the “Live Nude Girls!” slogan to the brave young women who gave their lives attempting the first Helicopter. Luckily, that spark of genius remains alive and well today, and it’s about to change everything one more time.

We give you the first free lap dance, now being hatched at the soft-open den of iniquity (slash research lab) known as Lollypop’s with every second drink.

The spot itself is a modern update to the refined establishments you know so well, nestled in the former Mile High Club space with a catwalk-and-private-room setup that should be pleasantly familiar. But around the time you finish your second drink, you may notice a comely young dancer approaching you with a decidedly come-hither stare, and leading you to a more secluded corner for a little quality time on the house. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s the future.

Of course, man does not live by private dances alone, so the folks behind the one-way glass have thrown in a few curveballs to keep your attention, like regular afterhours lingerie parties and the odd visits from burlesque troupes. If you want something even more spectacular (and, compared to a burlesque show, that’s a tall order), stop by for the grand opening on Halloween: to mark the occasion, a motorcycle-riding daredevil will jump over the building, Knievel-style.

Fortunately, he’ll be fully clothed.