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Sunday, September 21, 2014 NEWEST - PRIOR ISSUE - ARCHIVES

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NEW GAY LIAISON NIGHTCLUB OPENS AT BALLY'S!

Jackie Brett
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Liaison Nightclub, the new LGBT nightlife venue created by Victor Drai, opened at Bally's last Saturday with Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox from the hit television series, “Orange Is The New Black.” The 7,000-square-foot nightclub features dark finishes of gold and black with an opulent design showcasing an abundance of mirrors and Venetian-style chandeliers. Liaison offers two club rooms, two DJs, multiple bars, stage and plenty of space for surprise performances.

Liason, Bally's opening night promo

BELLAGIO FOUNTAINS UNVEIL EXCLUSIVE TIËSTO THREE-SONG MEDLEY

Last week, world-renowned DJ/producer Tiësto added to the iconic Fountains of Bellagio with a brand new medley of three songs off his new album, “A Town Called Paradise.” “Footprints,” “Rocky” and “Red Lights” that now serve as the soundtrack to the newest choreographed free show by original fountain creators WET. The medley is the first compilation created specifically for the Fountains and the only show set to electronic dance music and the first time a composer has collaborated with WET.

Bellagio Fountain

The Fountains of Bellagio is complimentary with daily performances rotating more than 30 songs. The daily schedule is every 30 minutes until 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes after that. Sunday is every 15 minutes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then every 30 minutes.

LADY ANTEBELLUM, DAVID NAIL, MADDIE & TAE PERFORM DOWNTOWN

The new Downtown Las Vegas Events Center(DLV) will celebrate the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) on Friday, Dec. 5 with a special concert featuring seven-time Grammy award-winning group Lady Antebellum, hit solo artist David Nail and breakout female duo Maddie & Tae. Lady Antebellum recently tipped the charts with “Bartender,” which is the lead single off their upcoming fifth studio album “747” coming out Sept. 30. Tickets are $35 and $50.

Lady Antebellum, David Nail, Maddie and Tae

FREE SHOW AT VENETIAN FOR PEOPLE NAMED GEORGIA

“GEORGIA ON MY MIND: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles” is running at The Venetian® through Oct. 29 and featuring an all-star cast: Emmy award-winner Clint Holmes; 10-time Grammy award-winning vocal group TAKE 6; six-time Grammy nominee and DownBeat Vocalist of the Year Nnenna Freelon; and Stella Gospel Award and Grammy award-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum. The fabulous upbeat show also introduces the Las Vegas Mass Choir and showcases the Las Vegas All-Star Big Band.

Georgia On My Mind - Take 6 with Clint Holmes and Nnenna Freelon

The show revolves around Charles' immense catalog of hits spanning gospel, blues, jazz, Broadway and country. Just a few of the tunes include: “What'd I Say,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “I've Got a Woman,” “Busted” and “Mess Around.”

For people named Georgia, they can receive a free ticket to the show at the Box Office. Tickets start at $82.50.

MATT KAZAM ENLIGHTENS WITH ‘40 IS NOT THE NEW 20‘ SHOW AT RIVIERA

Veteran comedian Matt Kazam takes over the stage at the Riviera Comedy Club with his truly captivating one-man 70-minute show “40 Is Not The New 20.” This is a highly recommended show. Kazam mesmerizes and holds an audience captive with his immense likability, tremendous comedic timing and overall spirit. He manages to appeal to many different generations making us laugh at each one while embracing the gaps. Kazam puts the notion that 40 is the new 20 on trial and breaks down the concept into categories such as technology, the media, politics, relationships, priories and how our bodies change over the years. Kazam has lost 125 pounds by juicing and going vegan.

Matt kazam '40 Is Not The new 20'

Kazam was inspired to go into comedy when his parents brought him to Las Vega when he was 10 years old and he saw Joan Rivers and Shecky Greene at the Riviera. Now he has more than 6,000 stand-up performances in 45 states under his belt and several television appearances. He's performing his show Monday through Saturday at 10 p.m. Tickets are $40 and worth it.

BELLAGIO GALLERY OF FINE ART OFFERS ART HONORS MUSEUM DAY

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) will host its annual free admission day Saturday, Oct. 4 in honor of “Smithsonian” magazine's Annual Museum Day, which offers complimentary entry to designated museums and cultural institutions across the country. BGFA's current show running through Oct. 17 is “Painting Women,” a powerful exhibition showcasing 34 paintings spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, revealing the story of women artists, their activism and artistic achievements. For admission, visit bellagio.com/attractions/museum-day.aspx to download a complimentary ticket.

Bellagio Gallery of Fine art - Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, Portrait of a Young Woman

RÍ RÁ'S 16-DAY CONCERT ATTEMPTS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

Rí Rá Las Vegas inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place will host a 16 day nonstop live music attempt to break the “Longest Concert by Multiple Artists” Guinness World Record now held by AJ's Music Café in Ferndale, Mich., where a concert that began on March 19, 2011, lasted 360 hours, ending on April 3.

The concert will kick off at 1 p.m. with music playing for more than 16 days straight with at most a 25-second break between songs and a five-minute break between sets. The challenge featuring many musical styles will be guided by Irish musician Dave Browne, a Guinness World Record holder for marathon guitar playing, a record he broke at Temple Bar in Dublin in June 2011 when he played guitar for 114 hours and six minutes straight. Many popular bands and musicians will fly in from Ireland to support the attempt including Liam Reilly of renowned Irish rock band Bagatelle and the founder of the legendary Wolfe Tones.

The event will also be a fundraiser for the Southern Nevada Affiliate of Susan G. Komen®.

WESTGATE OPENS NEIL DIAMOND AND PURPLE REIGN TRIBUTE SHOWS

Westgate (formerly Hilton and LVH) will be debuting two new entertainment offerings in the Shimmer Cabaret. “Neil Diamond: The Tribute” starring Rob Garrett as the “King of Diamonds” and the K.O.D. Band will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 24 and a revamped “Purple Reign: THE Prince Tribute Show” starring Jason Tenner will open Wednesday, Oct. 1. Both shows add to the already existing show “The King” starring Trent Carlini seen nightly except Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Purple Reign

Garrett has been performing as Neil Diamond for more than 20 years. His show will be Wednesday-Sunday at 8:30 p.m., dark Monday and Tuesday. Tickets start at $45.

Tenner has been depicting “The Artist” for nearly 20 years and has been a musical guest on “Late Show with David Letterman.” His shows are Wednesday-Friday and Sunday at 10:15 p.m. Tickets start at $49.

FAMILY-OWNED TOWER OF JEWELS COMMEMORATES 50 YEARS

Last week, Nevada's largest family-owned manufacturing jeweler, Tower of Jewels, led by Jack Weinstein celebrated its 50-year anniversary with Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman presenting the “Tower of Jewels Day” proclamation at the business' 20,000-square-foot Manufacturing & Design Center at 896 E. Sahara Ave. Weinstein opened his first location in 1964 on Fremont Street. Daughter Polly Weinstein is director of marketing and founder of The Jeweler's Daughter jewelry line.

Tower of Jewels Day - 50 Year Anniversary

HARD ROCK CAFE LAUNCHES ‘ROUGH & BOOZE - A DRAG BRUNCH‘

Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise will debut its last Sunday of the month “Rouge & Booze - A Drag Brunch” on Sept. 28. Local queen Kitty Litter and her girls will entertain at 11 a.m. while guests sip bottomless mimosas and dine from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. for $20.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

‘LIPSHTICK‘ WILL FEATURE COMEDY DUO SARA SCHAEFER - NIKKI GLASER

“Lipshtick - The Perfect Shade Of Stand Up” continues at The Venetian with the best female comedians in the business. Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer from MTV's late night show “Nikki & Sara Live” will co-headline on Saturday, Sept. 27. Tickets range from $37.50 to $77.50.

Nikki Glaser

Schaefer is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian and writer based in Los Angeles. She won two Emmy awards for her work as the head blogger for “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Glaser has performed stand up on “The Tonight Show,” “CONAN,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and hosted her own Comedy Central half-hour stand-up special.

Sara Schaefer

TUFF-N-UFF HOLDS 5TH KNOCKOUT CANCER FOR CANDLELIGHTERS KIDS

Now in its fifth year, Tuff-N-Uff, the nation's premier amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, will hold its “Round 5: Knockout Cancer for Candlelighters Kids” event Friday, Oct. 3 at Texas Station at 6 p.m. This charity event features a night of amazing fights including new this year kickboxing and jiu jitsu and a charity raffle. Tickets start at $25, visit candlelightersnv.org or any Station Casino box office.

VEGAS NOTES

Pia Zadora's Friday and Saturday evening performances at “Pia's Place” inside Piero's Italian Cuisine have been canceled until further notice since the songstress is recovering from an accident.

The sixth annual Oktoberfest celebration downtown at Centennial Plaza will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 2 to 9 p.m. at 401 S. Fourth Street on the Historic Fifth Street School campus. The outdoor event will have German food, beers, music by the all-female Oompoporama band, activities and dancing and be free and open to the public. For information, visit www.artslasvegas.org or www.germanamericanclubnv.com/.

Oompoporama Band - Oktoberfest

Kristen Hertzenberg, best known for her role as Christine in the Las Vegas production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's “Phantom of the Opera,” will perform at Cabaret Jazz with an eight-piece band and her personal show “Spellbound” at The Smith Center on Saturday, Sept. 27 to do two shows at 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $29-$45.

Kristen Hertzenberg

The second Miss Asian Las Vegas Pageant, the city's premier beauty and culture pageant for Asian-American women, will be held inside The Palazzo Theatre at The Palazzo on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $28, visit venetian.com/missasianlasvegas. For information, visit MissAsianLasVegas.com.

On National Coffee Day, Monday, Sept. 29, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® will be giving away small brewed coffee all-day long at its 10 neighborhood Las Vegas locations.

UFC star Joe “One Bad Mofo” Soto will host a fight night viewing party for the UFC 178: Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson versus Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso at The Sports Bar at Crazy Horse III on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m.

Wet‘n'Wild Las Vegas, which will close the season on Sept. 28, was the official host site with 71 participants helping set the recent record for The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL). Officially the largest simultaneous global swim lesson for the fifth time with 36,564 people from 22 countries was certified by Guinness World Record™.

The National Atomic Testing Museum is hosting a ‘Secret Planes of Area 51” model making event for children from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 27 in the Rogers Auditorium. Visitors can learn about Cold War history and children will be able to build model planes that they can take home with them. Cost is $10. For information contact, call 702-794-5144.

BRIAN ‘PACO’ ALVAREZ IS CURATOR FOR FIRST FRIDAY'S 12TH ANNIVERSARY

In celebration of the 12th anniversary of First Friday Las Vegas, event organizers have named Las Vegas cultural icon and corporate historian for Zappos.com Brian “Paco” Alvarez as a special curator for “Time, Mythology and 12” on Friday, Oct. 3. Alvarez is responsible for choosing the artists represented on the main art thoroughfare at First Friday, Casino Center between Colorado and Charleston. To commemorate the 12th anniversary, Alvarez has invited back 12 popular artists who showed at First Friday in the early years and have sustainable artist careers as artists in the local community. These established artists will be paired with emerging artists.

FIRST FRIDAY LAS VEGAS OPENS 2015 THEMES IDEAS TO THE PUBLIC

First Friday organizers are turning nine of the 12 themes in 2015 over to the people. Beginning at “Time, Mythology and 12” on Friday, Oct. 3, Las Vegans can submit theme ideas through Nov. 16 for First Friday Las Vegas. The first three themes of the New Year were already preselected and they are: Reflection in January; Carnivale in February; and O'Fortuna in March. The remaining nine months are all open for input.

Guidelines for First Friday Las Vegas themes include: concepts must be artistic, creative, metaphorical or witty; themes can be an important aspect of life such as wisdom, respect or freedom; themes can include elements of story, myth, fantasy or lore, like Rite of Spring, Fantasia or Wonderland; clever turns of phrase are good, such as antARTica, enLIGHTen; themes should tie into specific art forms including poetry, music, painting, sculpture; and themes must be non-secular.

Theme idea entries can be submitted in person at the First Friday on Oct. 3 at the check-in tent on Colorado between Main and Casino Center or emailed to themes @ firstfridaylasvegas.com. All entries are the property of First Friday Las Vegas, there will be no compensation, and entries must include name, phone number and email.

GHOSTBAR DAYCLUB AT PALMS LAUNCHES WINTER DAYLIFE SCENE

Las Vegas' premier afternoon winter bash, Ghostbar Dayclub (GBDC), best known for its daytime debauchery and over-the-top themed costume events will return to Ghostbar inside the Palms every Saturday at 1 p.m. starting Saturday, Oct. 18. At the GBDC season launch party, guests will be treated to a complimentary champagne open bar from 1 to 2 p.m.

Ghostbar at the Palms

Upcoming party themes include: “Day of the Killer Costumes” - Saturday, Nov. 1 with a “Best Costume” contest for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes; Va-Va-Va-Vroom SEMA Takeover - Saturday, Nov. 8 hosted by famed car models; and DJ AcE (Trey Smith) Birthday Celebration - Saturday, Nov. 15.

VENETIAN® - PALAZZO® HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS PINNACLE AWARDS

The Venetian and The Palazzo have been named a Pinnacle Award winner by “Successful Meetings” magazine marking the 14th year as recipients of the prestigious award. The properties received notable honors, including: Top 5 Best Convention Center Hotel; Top 5 Best Gaming Hotel; and Hotel & Resort - Southwest Region.

With more than 2.25 million square feet of flexible convention space, The Venetian and Palazzo Congress Center (and adjoining Sands Expo) is one of the largest and greenest hotel-based convention centers on Planet Earth. The facility features 298 meeting, conference and boardrooms, including the 85,000-square-foot Venetian Ballroom, one of the nation's largest pillar less ballrooms. The adjoining (and newly renovated) Sands Expo offers 1.9 million square feet of meeting and exposition show space.

FUNDRAISER DINNERS HELP THE COMMUNITY

Five Recipients Honored At LVHA Awards Dinner Sept. 23

The Las Vegas Hospitality Association (LVHA) is honoring Las Vegas hospitality leaders at the 2014 Distinction Awards scholarship fundraiser dinner on Sept. 23. The five tourism industry recipients being honored at an “inspire”-themed awards dinner include: Jackie Gaughan and Family - Legacy Award; MGM Resorts International - Business of the Year; Danielle Babilino, Senior Vice President of Sales, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore - Industry Leader Award; Alan Waxler, President and CEO, AWG Destination Services, LLC - Spirit Award; and Ericka Aviles, Business Marketing Manager, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority - Rising Star.

Shortbread is Chosen Cookie for 2014 Dessert Before Dinner Gala

Last week a 6x8 foot wall of Girl Scout cookie boxes came down at the Bella Luce Terrace at Caesars Palace to reveal the Shortbread Girl Scout cookie as this year's chosen cookie for the 2014 Dessert Before Dinner Gala being held Saturday, Sept. 27. Girl Scouts led the demolition with the help of The Mirage headliner celebrity, Terry Fator.

Girl Scouts unveiling the Shortbread Cookie

CHATEAU NIGHTCLUB HOSTS OPEN CASTING CALL FOR MISS NEVADA USA

Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop at Paris will host an official casting call to crown the first Miss Chateau USA on Wednesday, Oct. 1, who will go on to compete at the Miss Nevada USA pageant on Sunday, Nov. 23. Prospective contestants will compete in a runway walking competition and be judged for beauty, poise and personality. In addition to representing the nightclub at the Miss Nevada USA pageant, the winner will get a free entry to Miss Nevada USA pageant sponsored by Chateau. To compete in the Miss Chateau USA competition, send a resume and head shot to tara.woodall @ wickedcreative.com. For requirements, visit http://new.missnevadausa.com/apply/.


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