STRIP SCRIBBLES
*It’s official that superstar singer Mariah Carey will be hosting the TAO New Year’s Eve festivities at The Venetian. Mariah will also handle the midnight countdown. This now completes the Strips Dec 31/Jan 1 all-star lineup, with Mariah heading off competition from Jay Z and Beyonce at their new 40/40 Club in the new Palazzo, Paris and Nicky Hilton at LAX, Kanye West, Dave Navarro and Jaimie Pressley at the Palms, Pamela Anderson at PURE and Kevin Federline at Tangerine. In addition, just when you thought New Year’s holiday weekend couldn’t get any bigger, music mogul Jay-Z will perform at the Pearl in the Palms casino resort on December 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z has released eight consecutive multi-platinum albums. Remember his fiancée, Beyonce, stars next night in her own show at Mandalay Bay before they both then open their 40/40 Club at the Palazzo with a host of music superstars walking the red carpet with them.
Incidentally, congratulations are in order for TAO because the club was just named to the Forbes Traveler Top 10 list of world nightclubs—the only Vegas hotspot to be honored.
*Luxe Life finally got its hands on the photos of partying pop-princess Ashlee Simpson and Fall Out Boy star boyfriend, Pete Wentz.
Pete, who had just played the final stop on their “Young Wild Things” tour at the Joint in the Hard Rock, proudly pointed out to fans the cast around his foot. He had broken his ankle during a frenzied New Orleans concert. Even though he couldn’t dance up a storm in the Body English nightclub next door, he provided the music for one and played DJ with Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes for their fans. Over the mic, Pete yelled to the sold out crowd: “It pretty much sucks to end the year with a busted foot, but we’ve made so much money this year, who cares?” Ashlee stayed in the DJ booth with them for the entire set. Leading the applause for the trio at the turntables was Ryan Ross from Panic! At the Disco.
*Many of the hottest rodeo and country music stars in town for the National Finals Rodeo will spend the day with me competing in a Celebrity Poker tournament at the Hilton with over $50,000 at stake in prize money. I’ll MC the party and the card play for the TJ Martell charity fundraiser. We’re expecting such stars as Lee Greenwood, Charlie Pride, Rodney Carrington, Justin McBride, Tracy Byrd and veteran poker king Doyle Brunson. Come on down and say hello anytime after 11 a.m. today!
*Incidentally, Elena Jeanne Batman, one of two leads who plays “Carlotta” in Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian, sang the national anthem last night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
*The stars have certainly “discovered” the Playboy Club and MOON nightclub atop the roof of the Fantasy Tower at the Palms. Busty blonde Jenny McCarthy, who was Playboy magazine’s nude Playmate of the Year, even brought her dad along to party.
When she asked for the check after an hour of dancing with family and friends she was told, “it’s on George Maloof.” She still insisted giving the waitress a $200 tip and then went off to find the Palms owner, dragging him back into the club an hour later to party some more! Also there reveling in the bunny hutch fun were Alice in Chains rocker Jerry Cantrell, Anthrax rocker Ian Scott and poker prince Phil Helmuth.
Plain White Tees partied with nine girls at MOON nightclub after the Vegas Passport 4th year anniversary bash. Meantime, downstairs in the N9NE Steakhouse it was a Dancing with the Stars reunion with Mario Lopez and galpal Karina Smirnoff and Wayne Newton with wife, Kathleen.
Joining in the fun at separate tables were lovemates Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz, and Kid Rock went over to Wayne’s table for a cocktail chat!
*Visitors by the thousands are stopping to tour The Bellagio’s new amazing Holiday display, complete with penguins, Christmas tree and fairy lights.
Now neighboring chocolate chef to the stars, Jean-Philippe Maury has pushed his superb skills to the max and produced some amazing masterpieces made entirely from chocolate.
His Santa-clad in a snazzy suit of sugar icing weighs 230 lbs of dark chocolate! It took Jean-Philippe and his culinary team one entire month to create their seasonal scene which boats the five-foot high Santa in his favorite chair, surrounded by hand-detailed Christmas gifts with fondant bows. The edible art piece is center stage at Jean Philippe’s Patisserie in the Bellagio and will remain on display through New Year’s Day when I plan to be first in line to start nibbling!
*Starchef Wolfgang Puck revolutionized Las Vegas dining in the early 1990s and is now taking steps to revolutionize lunchtime meals for some of his youngest fans—students from our Clark County School District. Today at his LUPO restaurant in Mandalay Bay, some 20 local 4th graders from four Vegas elementary schools will work together to prepare healthy lunchtime dishes. Wolfgang will discuss the importance of using all-natural, organic and humanely treated ingredients to create tasty and nutritious lunchroom dishes.
“I want to be responsible for food on a broader movement,” said Chef Puck. “To teach parents that eating healthy can taste great and is better for you.” School district officials hope to encourage parents to send their kids off to school with better nutritional lunches and also plan to overhaul school meals to reflect Wolf’s food philosophies.