We’ll Believe It When We See It
When socialite Paris Hilton arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to film the Middle Eastern version of her reality TV series, “Paris Hilton's My New BFF,” she quickly made a splash on the nightclub scene. First, Dubai club BED promoted and sold tickets to a party by claiming Hilton would attend, prompting a response from the hotel heiress that she “will be doing appearances during my stay here, but they are booked through my agents. So don't believe these people, I am not going to this club and never approved this appearance.” She then announced that she had fallen so in love with Dubai that she will spend some of her two weeks there scouting locations for a new hotel and/or nightclub project. Considering we’ve heard her boast about nightclub plans and projects in places ranging from Las Vegas, Florida and London before, and none of them have materialized, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Power to the People
New York City bar and club owners are organizing a movement to support politicians who support nightlife in the Big Apple. This past Monday, the New York Nightlife Association (NYNA) helped bring together a group of politicians including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council members David Yassky and Eric Gioia and a who’s who of club owners, celebrities and nightlife personalities to create the Nightlife Preservation Community. Its main purpose is to take advantage of nightclubs’ massive marketing databases in order to get information to voters and indicate which candidates are more welcoming and supporting of nightclubs as a draw to the city. “At some point we needed to broaden our message from nightclubs to night life,” says Robert Bookman, an attorney who represents the NYNA.
Nightclub Cardio
Club Pravada in Houston is helping patrons get in shape while dancing to nightclub beats. Every Tuesday night, the club brings in a DJ and a dance instructor for a crowd of nearly 100 patrons to get their heart rate pumping with a mix of dance styles and cardio routines. The club keeps the alcohol in the storeroom, instead selling water and energy drinks to club-goers. The concept is the brainchild of Jennifer Brugh, who created the nightclub cardio class because her friends were complaining of being burnt out from the same old cardio routines. “Obesity has become such an issue in this country,” Brugh commented, “I just wanted to get people up and moving toward a healthier life.”
Off the Ice
The National Hockey League hosted its season-capping awards show at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas last week, the first time the show had been hosted outside of Canada. During the visit, some of the league’s bigger stars were fixtures on the nightlife scene. League MVP and Washington Capitals wunderkind Alex Ovechkin made a splash by showing up for a LAVO Nightclub (Palazzo) fashion show wearing flip-flops. The next night, this time in a suit, he was escorted to the league’s private poolside after-party by a sizzling cocktail server from XS Nightclub. A laundry list of stars also made TAO Nightclub an unofficial hotspot following the award show, including Detroit Red Wings players Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom; Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane; the Philadelphia Flyers’ Mike Richards; and Ovechkin’s teammates Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.
New Ordinances in Kansas
The city council in Wichita, Kan., unanimously passed a new nightclub ordinance in an attempt to stem violent incidents and complaints from residents living near nightclubs. The new laws state that all establishments must be closed by 2 a.m., all newly licensed bars and clubs must reside at least 300 feet from homes, churches and schools, and owners will be forced to provide unrestricted and immediate access to city inspectors upon request. Two other proposed changes were temporarily shelved for further investigation, including a law that would prohibit live music outdoors after 11 p.m. and a provision that 50 percent of a venue’s revenue must come from food sales in order to let in customers under the age of 21.