Vegas Popular

Using words such as "most respected" and "most recognized" when describing a trade show is acceptable when it comes to the Consumer Electronics Show, winding up its 40th anniversary here in Vegas today. Yet, the adult entertainment industry claims the same about itself, because it has grown to an annual $12.6 billion business and tomorrow, just like the Oscars and the Grammys, gold statuettes will be awarded in 116 sex categories to the industry's top stars and producers!

Yes, X-rated entertainment has gone completely mainstream and this year, for the first time, fans themselves will be able to attend the 24th Annual AVN Awards show being hosted at Mandalay Bay by three-time AVN Award winner Jessica Drake of Wicked Pictures and comedian Jim Norton.

Says AVN President Paul Fishbein: "This is the only show of its kind to recognize entertainment professionals in the adult industry. We are thrilled to open it up to the general public. Our fans are fiercely loyal and as demand grew for tickets every year we just had to find a larger center with more seats." So, it's goodbye Venetian ballrooms and hello Mandalay Bay Events Center. "The move is an important one as it signals the evolution of the adult entertainment industry into mainstream," Paul concluded. Believe it or not but the press corps covering the event numbers over 1,000 from as far away as Europe and including both the prestigious New York and Los Angeles Times. All a far cry from the original awards back in the early 80's when just 20 people first gathered!!


I stood with eyes wide open last year on the AVN red carpet watching the crazed scenes with more than 2,500 actress-models from all over the world. AVN Execs told me then it was double the previous year's turnout, so I can only guess it will be madness and mayhem again tomorrow. The fans were as outrageous as the skimpy, near-zero clothes on the sex starlets. Call it the barrage of the bold, the brazen, the buxom, the bountiful and the bodacious. Some fans even mounted cameras atop broom poles so they could shoot high over the fans packed six-deep in front of them lined along the 1/4 mile-long walkway of siliconed, leggy ladies. The video vixens tottered on towering stiletto heels in see-through tops plunging down to their navels just about meeting the sky-hi, thigh-hi slit skirts or the band-aid styled 4" mini-skirts with lacy lingerie and seamed stockings on full sensual show. To say you've never quite seen anything like it on earth ever before is still an understatement of description and since each year the platinum busty bosomed blondes always go one better its easy to imagine this year's feast of flesh!


Click here for our Wednesday Luxe Life coverage for your calendar of X-rated, porn-star events taking place tonight and tomorrow. You get a slight idea how mainstream this has all become when you consider the fine line merged between rockers and porn-stars. Fighter Tito Ortiz is nearly-engaged to Jenna Jameson, the world's largest X-rated actress; rocker Evan Seinfeld from heavy rock band Biohazard is married to adult actress Tera Patrick and added to tonight's royal nightclub battle is Dave Navarro with his Arm Charm girls hosting an Adult Expo party at the Scores topless men's cabaret nightclub.


Also, 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel will be joined by rock stars Gene Simmons and Navarro for special appearances during the awards show. And Zany red-headed comedian Carrot Top, who appears nightly at the Luxor, has agreed to "close" the AVN Awards show as "special guest," with specially-written comedy material.

In addition to Wednesday's calendar lineup, LIGHT nightclub at Bellagio isn't missing out on the Xcitement. Actress, screenwriter and director, busty blonde Stormy Daniels of Wicked Pictures, who was best new starlet in 2004, hosts a special party. Next door at JET, best new 2007 starlet nominee Gina Lynn has been added to the Strip Las Vegas Magazine's one year anniversary party with infamous Ron Jeremy -- now of 'Fame Games' notoriety too!!!


Warning: all of these events are not for the faint of heart or the prude amongst us. This is the wild, wanton west as we go under the Supreme Sensual Sea of Sex and Silicone. But I promise you we'll come up in time -- maybe gasping for air -- on Monday with the full up-close and Xtremely personal, 44 Double DDeluxe decadent and dangerously delicious details!

PARTY POWER

All week we've had stars and celebrities in town for the Consumer Electronics Show, and even Bill Gates himself hit LIGHT for some house music moments. But, it was at PURE in Caesars that the best all-star turnout took place: Ultimate Fighting Championship rivals Forest Griffin and Keith Jurdain fortunately had separate tables, but if there'd been trouble, boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, sitting between them with actress Meagan Good, could have held them at bay! Inside the Pussycat Dolls lounge was burlesque performer Dita Von Teese (below), newly split from rocker hubby Marilyn Manson, joining with the totally opposite Wayne Newton (below.) And in ultimate contrast, Tiny Kiss hosting a private birthday party and doing a special solo performance among the 1,000 balloons one loving wife bought in for her husband. YES, Dita wound up stripping down to her scanties and stockings in the Pussycat Doll oversized champagne glass!

STRIP SCRIBBLES
For the fifth time 'Oceans 13' movie cameras returned here for scenes for the June 8 movie release. Andy Garcia, who plays a casino head-honcho was back for final pickup shots. ... Camera crews from as far away as Ireland and Australia were filming at the 40th annual Consumer Electronics show this week here. ... Donald Trump's gorgeous daughter Ivanka posed for Vogue and our pals at Vegas Magazine for cover-photo layouts at the new Trump International condotel being built alongside Fashion Show Mall near the shuttered Stardust. Brothers Eric and Donald Jr. are part of the local Vegas Magazine shoot.

CINEVEGAS SCREENING SERIES
Funny-voiced comedy actor Bob Goldthwaite will host two screenings of his 'Sleeping Dogs Lie' movie tonight at the Tropicana Cinemas. He'll introduce the movie at both sessions and then do an audience Q&A session as a kickoff to a screening series of independent underground, foreign and documentary films CineVegas Film Festival is bringing to our city. Next Friday it will be the raw and original 'Come Early Morning,' which stars Ashley Judd searching for love. For now though we'll focus our energies on this weekend's other activities around town that we affectionately refer to as ROBIN'S ROYAL RUNDOWN:

FRIDAY, JAN. 12
* For the 2nd consecutive weekend, Jay Leno will commute back and forth via private jet to do his standup comedy monologs ripped from today's headlines at the Mirage tonight and tomorrow.

* It will be "Some Enchanted Evening" when 40-year-singing veteran Art Garfunkell takes the bridge over troubled waters into the Hilton. Although there have been a few reunions, hard to believe it was back in 1970 that he and Paul Simon broke up!

* My favorite comedy impressionist Rich Little brilliantly brings his many voices of the stars and presidents to the Suncoast through Sunday night.

* Despite the cerebral palsy battle Josh Blue fights daily, he won NBC's 'Last Comic Standing' and now he brings his unique attitude and personality to the House of Blues.

* See our lead story for all the porn-star parties battling it out around town tonight and tomorrow.

SATURDAY, JAN. 13
* With eight platinum and gold records to her credit, Joan Jett ranks right there as the female version of Jagger and Idol and she's the Sinner with the Blackhearts at the Tropicana's Tiffany Theater.

* It's a sell-out for Incubus, with Albert Hammond Jr., at the Hard Rock as they promote their 5th album 'Light Grenades' in 15 years of concerts.

* It ain't your normal pre-Sunday gospel gathering when Reverend Horton Heat preaches some rock and roll verses at the House of Blues.

* Stomp your cowboy boot heels to the R&B groove of Johnny Gill at Boulder Station.

* Sexy Tara Gerard (Paradise Hotel and MTV's Life as a Model) will pour the shots and jump the bar to join the Coyote Ugly dancers at their NY-NY hotel casino nightspot.

* Some 70 giant air balloons and 25 cartoon-character-shaped inflatables will float above the Sam Boyd Stadium today and tomorrow for the annual Red White and Blue Balloon Festival Admission is free, but make a donation for the service folks at our Nellis Air Force Base serving overseas.

* As above in our lead story the AVN Awards Show with its 100+ sex categories throws a sizzling red-carpet spectacular at Mandalay Bay and is followed by the Wicked Pictures After Party at PURE in Caesars Palace.

SUNDAY, JAN. 14
* The Party's Just begun for the kids who adore Sabrina Bryan, Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon, who are better known as The Cheetah Girls and they're concretizing at Thomas & Mack to promote their 2nd album; the soundtrack to the Disney Channel's original movie.

* Tonight is the 2nd episode of our laugh-riot train wreck entertainment 'Surreal Life Fame Games' on VH1, and our Luxe Life creative whiz Fat Tony will have his own observations right here on Monday, complete with candid behind the scenes comments from yours truly as the celebreality program's circus ringmaster and game show host.

MONDAY'S TEASE
A parade of platinum pulchritude from the porn princesses on their awards show red carpet. I promise more photos than words!! And Tuesday, adult entertainer, actress Sunset Thomas hands Luxe Life her personal diary of a day at the Adult Video Expo. Caution it's a triple X-rated edition. But then later in the week, THE ULTIMATE EXCLUSIVE: our meeting with pop-superstar Christina Aguilera, comedian Robin Williams and the magnificent Bette Midler talking for the first time ever anywhere about her possible upcoming Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, taking over from Celine Dion when the Canadian songbird says farewell December 15.

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