08.24.10

MISS MEXICO RULES THE UNIVERSE


Viva la raza! (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

This is conclusive proof that South and Latin America have some fine-ass women. The last 10 Miss Universes? Puerto Rico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico again, Venezuela back-to-back and now, Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete. It’s enough to make us want to update our passport and move down south.

After Navarrete was crowned at Mandalay Bay by judges including Bret Michaels — in his finest, formal bandanna — the afterparty moved to LAX at Luxor. Today’s Natalie Morales was in on the action with judges Chazz Palminteri and Criss Angel, plus The Roots, who Jimmy Fallon must have let out of his basement for a day. Other judges at the pageant were Chyna Phillips, skater Evan Lysacek, Jane Seymour, Niki Taylor, Sheeila E., Tamron Hall and Billy Baldwin, greatest of all the Baldwins.

By Jason Scavone

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08.17.10

TELEMUNDO Y MISS UNIVERSE


Miss USA contestants by day, South American superteam of crimefighters by night. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Telemundo went for the ethnic flair yesterday when it brought out the Hispanic Miss Universe contestants to Border Grill at Mandalay Bay for a little meet-and-greet with on-air talent Monica Noguera and Jorge Bernal. That’s all well and good, but Telemundo of all stations couldn’t figure out to put these girls in something a little more flashy? We’ve seen their shows and we’re pretty sure modesty isn’t their bag.

By Jason Scavone

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08.10.10

PAD LAUNCHES


Don’t worry, there are plenty of Bachelor spin-offs in the sea. (Photos by Brenton Ho)

Juan Barbieri and Michele Kujawa — castoffs from Jillian Harris (Bachelorette Season 5) and Jake Pavelka (Bachelor Season 14) respectively — watched the premiere of their new show Bachelor Pad at Hussong’s Cantina last night.

The two of them were bounced and voted off the Pad in the first episode, but did start dating after the show. It cost them their chance at the $250,000 prize, but may have saved them a season of reality TV embarrassment. Not that being on The Wings of Love wasn’t already bad enough.

By Jason Scavone

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08.9.10

PAD PLAYERS WATCHING AT HUSSONG’S


This can only end well.

Third-generation reality show Bachelor Pad — the love child of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette — is premiering tonight, and sources tell us two of the contestants will be watching the first episode tonight at Hussong’s Cantina. The show is there at 8 p.m. and the contestants, who are friends of one of the owners, will get there around 6:30 p.m. It’s going to be fun when half the kids in the kindergarten class of 2040 have mommies and daddies who met on reality dating shows.

By Jason Scavone

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07.30.10

0730FRI: THE ROUNDUP


Badfish from Ann Arbor, Mich., you’re on with Sublime with Jim Rome.

It’s been a long time and almost a lawsuit later, but Sublime is back on stage tonight at the Mandalay Bay Beach. Or rather, Sublime with Rome. That’s singer Rome Ramirez teaming up with former Sublime bassist and drummer Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh. Not to be confused with the sports-talk radio/surfer-stoner rock mashup Sublime with Jim Rome. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

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07.19.10

RIHANNA EXITS THUNDERDOME FOR SHOW


Christmas ornaments as jewelry will be the new big thing. (Photo by Hew Burney. Additional photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

In order to protect herself, Rihanna has seen fit to employ an army of face-painted, shirtless men in Prussian helmets holding hot pink guns and driving the occasional hot pink tank. If Chris Brown ever tries to come near her during a Pride Parade, he won’t even get within 80 yards.

After her show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday night, RiRi turned up at Surrender with a crew of 20, where she took over a bungalow by the pool from around 1:30 to 3 a.m. She was also recording at the Studio at the Palms earlier in the day when she called over to N9NE Steakhouse to have dinner delivered for herself and her crew.

Rihanna stayed at the HRH Tower and was spotted hanging out at the Beach Club with boyfriend Matt Kemp of the Dodgers. On Friday, she rolled into Vanity around 2 a.m. for a friend’s birthday celebration. The crew popped Champagne, but left before the club closed down.

By Jason Scavone

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07.19.10

KE$HA RULES EVERYTHING AROUND YOU


Get the money, dolla dolla bill y’all. (Photos by Erik Kabik. Additional photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

There was a double dip of Ke$ha Saturday at Mandalay Bay, when the girl with the overly punctuated name teed up Moorea Beach Club in the afternoon before opening for Rihanna that night at Manalay Bay Events Center.

She gathered up her strength in a pavilion before emerging to do “Tik Tok” and “Blah Blah Blah.” It furthers her mission of making sure “Tik Tok” can be heard coming from every speaker in Las Vegas for no fewer than four hours a day. She’s pretty close. Once she can land the safety announcement speakers at the top of the Stratosphere, she’ll be all the way there.

Ke$ha also had two dude back-up dancers with her in short-shorts, and they came in wearing animal heads. It may have been even goofier than it sounds.

By Jason Scavone

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07.6.10

KENDRA HAS ADVICE AT MOOREA


Her financial advice was, ‘Put $10 a week away in a Christmas Club. Also, earn royalties on a sex tape.’ (Photos by Ethan Miller)

Kendra Wilkinson led the way on Moorea Beach Club’s new celebu-push on Saturday, taking over a cabana with a private pool. She did manage to dispense some weight loss advice, telling fans, “Whether it’s a hard core workout or a walk around the block, just get out there and do it!” We assume by “it,” she means, “film a sex tape and then pretend you’re not behind it getting released.” It’s great cardio.

By Jason Scavone

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06.15.10

WICKED STICKY CLOWNS

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They used Diet Faygo. For the calorie-conscious juggalo. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

The Insane Clown Posse took time out of their busy schedule of face painting for children, writing stern letters to Eminem and, we don’t know, writing songs about a trapeze possessed by the devil, to stop at the House of Blues inside Mandlay Bay Friday night.

Turns out Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope aren’t just mad at scientists, apparently they’re not too fond of working press, either. They started hosing down the crowd with Faygo a minute into the show, chasing away photogs who didn’t want to spend the rest of the night scraping high fructose corn syrup out of their lenses. Fucking cameras, how do they work?

This is like the one time a bunch of Slipknot fans would’ve come in useful. Well, other than when you need your groceries bagged, we mean.

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By Jason Scavone

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05.23.10

0523SUN: THE ROUNDUP

Om
YEAH, SON. GET CRAZY, WE GOT SOME MEDITATION UP IN THIS PIECE.

A little something to wind you all the way down before you resume the workweek? Done. The Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay launches OM Sundays, their new weekly jungle/drum and bass night. They’re starting with the Konkrete Jungle takeover for their Liquid Drum and Bass Sessions featuring Calculon , Keith Remington, Madam F!lth, Prime Mover, Budda and Specialist. If more DJs named themselves after Futurama characters, we’d probably never leave clubs. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

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