It was a triple-birthday-cake celebration for Mindfreak magician Criss Angel as he partied till dawn this morning. In an extraordinary highlight Criss threw several thousand dollars worth of $100 bills to the crowds. As he made it “rain” he yelled: “It maybe my birthday but I want to give you the money so you can go buy a gift for someone you love—because that’s what the season is all about. Giving and sharing to those you love. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday everybody!”

As promised here’s our Luxe Life exclusive album of his birthday photos from last nights (WED) and today’s pre-dawn (THURS) galas at both the new Cathouse Loungerie and the hot LAX nightclub in the Luxor resort-casino.

His first cake was at the ‘soft’ preview opening of the brand new Cathouse restaurant and loungerie, which officially has its grand opening on December 29.

Two of the sexy sassy Cathouse servers in Santa suits presented him with a dark chocolate cake in the shape of the Luxor pyramid complete with his logo emblazoned in white chocolate. Palms tycoon George Maloof attended the charity Autism fundraiser organized by Armcharms founder Tiffany Masters who persuaded rocker Dave Navarro to autograph one of his guitars to auction. Former Miss Nevada USA, Katie Rees was one of the models in a Jackie O’Nasty barely-there lingerie show.

Criss then went to his penthouse suite at the Luxor for a private party- and a 2nd cake—with magician friends from all over the country along with the topless beauties from the Fantasy cabaret revue at the Luxor, Billy and Dusty from ZZTop, actress Raven Simone who was a long-time neighbor of his on Long Island, New York and the cast of Thunder from Down Under and Pure Management Group partners Robert Frey and Steve Davidovici. Criss filmed highlights of the parties, which will be included in his A&E cable TV series.

Then finally at 1:15 a.m. this morning he began his 3rd celebration of the night at his official party in the new hot LAX nightclub. Yet another birthday cake was marched on with sparklers ablaze by the stunning servers at the nightclub.

The DJ had the entire jam-packed crowd singing “Happy Birthday” to Criss. Then the surprise of the night: the magician decided to throw $100 bills at fans and guests packed on the dance floor in a stunt known as “making it rain”.

With a fistful of bills running into the several thou$and$ Criss screamed into the mike: “Go buy a gift for someone you love- thank you for coming to my birthday and making my life and birthday so incredible.”

Also attending were “the long and the short of it”—the world’s tallest man measuring 7′ 8″ high and weighing 500 lbs and one of the world’s shortest men. Both are friends of Criss—and I am sworn to secrecy as to why they were there but suffice to say they are featured in a very unique way on this upcoming 4th season of Mindfreak! Just believe!

Before I left this morning’s festivities so we could post this really up-to-the-minute edition of Luxe Life Criss told me: “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. It’s so incredible to have so many fans turn up to party with me. What a birthday what a year. It was only right that I shared some of its success with them. I got so many gifts from family, friends and fans I just had to come up with something for the many people who came to the party.”

With its previously unattainable luxury, it might well be the ultimate airborne adventure of drinking French champagne while floating down the Strip. Another “only in Vegas” out-of-this world experience.

The kingly KRUG champagne company plans to give eight guests at a time rides with a flight commander and waiter in an arctic-white basket suspended from a giant white orb balloon. I’m told the balloonists will not only be served a three-course lunch in the customized five-compartment bespoke basket (upholstered in plush leather), but also glasses of the exclusive gold Krug Grande Cuvee.

Contemporary food artist Marc Bretillot, who has worked with the three-star Michelin chefs of France, has created a pre-flight ground menu and, once airborne, serves a vegetable appetizer followed by a duck dish—packed in such a way that its feathers fly away when opened—plus an airy dessert of milk mousse with a meringue halo!

Each “flyer” will be given two hand-stitched soft leather totes. One pouch holds the three-tier luncheon canteen modeled after a classic Indian Tiffin box, and the other contains Krug flutes and the silver cutlery. The waiter serves Krug to all from his white leather iced-satchels! The balloon in Vegas is to create a similar experience to the secret underground entrance private Krug Rooms at London’s Dorchester Hotel, Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland. If the champagne company puts a Krug Room somewhere secretly in New York, plans for one here in Vegas have already been discussed!

The world’s first balloon was launched at the Palace of Versailles in Paris in 1783 and it has been a French tradition ever since. In 1843, when Joseph Krug founded the champagne house, and now six generations onward, Oliver Krug continues the luxurious tradition. The newest balloon left Paris in October and is sailing the skies of Japan and Hong Kong before arriving here in Vegas early New Year. The balloon will return to Europe next summer. Krug was the champagne of choice for famed designer Chanel and my all-time hero, Sir Winston Churchill. I sense somebody’s “champagne wishes” will soon be coming true!

It’s one of the most unusual marketing ploys to unveil a new Vegas resort, but Rob Goldstein, president of the Venetian and the new Palazzo, decided to showcase an exact floral replica on a float in the 119th annual Tournament of Roses parade.

The legendary January 1 Pasadena parade will be broadcast across North America to an audience of some 40-million viewers and another one million along the near six-mile route. It’s perfect timing for the new resort’s soft opening that weekend and the official grand opening on January 19 with Diana Ross.

By coincidence, starchef Emeril Lagasse will be the parade’s grand marshal and he will be opening his new Table 10 restaurant at the Palazzo to join his Delmonico’s restaurant at the Venetian.

“It’s an American tradition and it’s a great idea for us to be a part of it,” said Goldstein.

The 62-foot long float “Viva Italia” will be the lead vehicle serving also as a stage for the ceremonies themed this year as “Passport to the World.” No word yet if the floral float will be seen live in Vegas at the gala opening after its stay in the Pasadena park where another 70,000 visitors a day will see it.

Pageant princess Tara Connor, who won the Miss USA 2006 title, hit stylish sushi spot Social House in the TI to celebrate her birthday. She enjoyed rock shrimp tempura and delectable desserts, while at a nearby table UFC welterweight star Dan Henderson with friends selected the filet steaks and lobsters. Afterwards, gold-dressed Tara with eight of her friends in tow hit the PURE nightclub and joined Scary Spice singer Melanie Brown—from Dancing with the Stars—and her new hubby, Stephen Belafonte. Then the Vegas Pussycat Dolls presented Tara with a surprise birthday cake!

Joining in the party were country music superstars Big and Rich along with international soccer star Francisco Guillermo Ochoa.

Later, the Caesars Palace hot jet-set club rocked with another party with singer/songwriter Nikki Costa and actor Jon Greis.

The talented duo toasted the night with Patron shots and, pre-dawn, sipped on Grey Goose with Red Bull. Down at the sister LAX nightclub in the Luxor, Luxe Life discovered sexy WWE Diva finalist Taryn Terrell with fellow Playboy model Roxanne Dawn and actor Alfonso Ribeiro from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The trio had dined in the swanky Bird Cage lounge at Social House in the TI first with hot sake as the drink of choice. When they got to LAX they switched to Veuve Cliquot champagne!

Zany red-haired comic Carrot Top also held court in LAX after a dinner of Wagyu Steak and Pork Schnitzel at the adjoining hot celebrity Company American Bistro.

Congratulations are in order for comedic stage actor Kevin Burke because today he celebrates the 1,000th time he’s performed as the solo star in the Defending the Caveman show.

Local residents can celebrate the milestone with tickets reduced down to just $10 for the show at the downtown Golden Nugget.

Said Kevin: “Since 2003, I’ve been performing ‘Caveman’ from Hawaii to France and everywhere in-between,” said Burke. “I’m thrilled that my millennial performance will take place in my new home city of Las Vegas!”

Kevin, who has wanted to live and perform in Vegas since the age of 12, began his performing arts career as a backup drummer touring with different bands. Then as a comedian he toured the coast-to-coast club circuit for 15 years. His friend Rob Becker—who took three-years to write the unique one-man show during anthropology, prehistory, sociology and mythology studies—picked Kevin, and he’s starred in it ever since. Be sure to wish him congratulations before you laugh-out-loud!

All fall long the individual restaurant chefs of all the MGM hotel properties here have been competing for the Kitchen Challenge championship. When it wound-up with five-person teams from Prime at Bellagio going pot-to-pan against Joel Robuchon’s MGM L’Atelier, I was called in to “referee” the action in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where just days earlier Floyd Mayweather had knocked out Ricky Hatton. Our battle was just as crucial, but far less violent!

As MC overseeing the 45-minute clock, I tried hard to stump the chefs with a dreaded secret ingredient: broccoli. I just wish Luxe Life readers could see the masterpieces the geniuses came up with for that unloved vegetable. One chef on the Robuchon team actually created a bed of mint-flavored shredded broccoli to showcase a langoustine in fruit juice that was a crowd thriller. Prime struck back with a delicious florette broccoli and wild arugula salad. But it was the highly dangerous gamble that the Robuchon team played to feature a broccoli dessert that caught the judges’ attention. A broccoli dessert! Yep, a Broccoli panacotta in a duo of goat milk and yogurt with almond streusel and broccoli and nutmeg foam atop!

Both restaurants brought cheering squads to root for their chefs as they played out the “”Iron Chef” drama for hundreds of MGM employees as part of their annual Holiday party. The five judges included my food writer colleague here at Las Vegas Magazine, Grace Bascos, and Farmer Lee Jones who grows all the produce for MGM kitchens at his organic Ohio farm. There was no question that the MGM chefs from both hotels had excelled incredibly and proved once again just why Vegas is the premiere dining destination city in the US, easily rivaling the prized Parisian palaces. Finally in a very narrow vote of 317 to 323 points, Joel Robuchon’s team was declared this year’s winner!

*In overnight news from Wall Street Luxe Life learned this morning that hotel mogul Steve Wynn will open his Wynn Macau expansion on Monday, December 24 (one month earlier than planned). The expansion—to meet ever increasing demand from Asian customers—will include an additional 85 tables and 551 slots, bringing the total casino to 390 tables and 1,190 slots. It’s now an official go-ahead for the proposed $5-billion recreation of the famed New York Plaza Hotel on the Strip. Elad Group received approval from the Clark County Planning Commission for its project on the 34.5 acre site of the former New Frontier opposite the WYNN on the Strip. The Clark County Commissioners will now grant the approval documents on January 16 . The New York Plaza, which is set to open in 2012 will feature seven hotel towers and will include 4,100 rooms and 2,600 condominiums, in addition to a 175,900 sq ft. casino floor. The megacity is financed by an Israeli real-estate development company that owns the Plaza in New York. Be sure to read Luxe Life tomorrow (FRI) to find out all the other foreign investment money pouring in to acquire Vegas land and hotels.

*Be sure to watch The View tomorrow on ABC-TV daytime because there’ll be a special salute to the high-priced holiday treats that only Vegas could show off. Co-hosts Joy Behar and Sherry Sheppard will display the Macallan 50-year Scotch that’s served on the rocks at the Bellagio complete with a custom 2″ ice-cube. The cost? A mere $695 per glass! Ca-ching!

But it’s the $5,000 burger from Fleur des Lys celebrity chef Hubert Keller’s restaurant that has them all abuzz. Ca-ching! Whoopi Goldberg, who wasn’t in the taped segment, was so curious she came out to taste it and loved it so much she wound-up eating the rest of it!

*Racecar champion driver Alex Tagliani was so enthusiastic after watching Stomp Out Loud at the Planet Hollywood resort casino that after the show he asked to meet the cast face-to-face. After thanking them and asking questions as to how they made the amazing music from such an oddball extraordinary collection of everything from brooms to trashcans, he posed for a souvenir photo.

Alex is seen here with Donisha Brown, Ivan Delaforce, Alex Tagliani, Guillaume Carreira, Jim Holdridge, Michael Oakley (back row l to r) with Cammie Griffin, Rochelle Patterson, Jason Nious, Harmony Cost (front row l to r).

*MGM opened its first gaming property in the Chinese enclave of Macau—near Hong Kong—on Tuesday. The $1.27 million MGM Grand Macau is a joint venture with tycoon Pansy Ho and features 600 rooms, 375 gaming tables and 900 slot machines. MGM is already in talks with the Chinese government for a second gaming resort there on the Cotai Strip.

*Vegas crooner Brian Evans, who has opened for everybody from Jay Leno to Social Distortion, got to perform for presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain on a visit to Austin, Texas.

Brian, now recording his major label debut in Los Angeles, actually ran for the US Senate once in Hawaii where he also has a home. His career here began 10-years ago at the former Desert Inn which became the new WYNN resort.

*Famed vocalist and guitarist Dusty Hill from legendary band ZZ Top took time out to enjoy the sexy adult-topless beauties’ revue FANTASY at the Luxor.

No rest for incredible illusionist David Copperfield this holiday season. Not only does he have a long run starting this evening through January 16 at MGM Grand’s Hollywood theater, but in addition to his twice nightly shows he’s also going to do special performances twice in the afternoons for kids who normally couldn’t get to see his mastery of magic.

David will also do a special New Year’s Eve show with a midnight countdown and balloon drop… Boxing fans will enjoy the Holiday Fights treat set up at the Hard Rock tonight by my neighbor, Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum… I’ll MC the first annual Bartenders Ball at the Orleans—with the Yellow Brick Road band providing the music—for the salute to the boys and girls who keep those drinks a coming at all our nightclubs, ultra lounges, bars and restaurants on and off the Strip. It’s a worthy fundraiser for our local Lilli Claire Foundation, so join us from 9 p.m. till 2 a.m.

Overseas banks and foreign investors, including the Russians, are playing Monopoly for real in Vegas with plans for an incredible six boutique hotel complex already underway. Music mogul Jay Z puts a $20-million price tag on his new 40/40 club, plus Wayne Newton and Marie Osmond are home for the holidays with Season’s Greetings and Yuletide memories…

Get ready for our brand-new multi-media website with 24/7daily breaking news updates for all the luxury lifestyle secrets of Vegas, plus all the latest celebrity happenings. In January we’ll reveal all the exciting details of the February launch. Our weekly Luxe Life wrap-up is heard on the ABC radio network to 300 stations around the world.

When visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.

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