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Avalon’s weekly Saturday night club event featuring the best in underground dance music!

Avalon Hollywood, formerly the historic Palace theatre, exudes a unique mix of classic ‘tinsel town’ history with cutting-edge contemporary, while maintaining the style and soul of a venue witness to legendary performances that spanned decades, from Judy Garland to Prince, The Beatles to Snoop Dogg, and Frank Sinatra to Nirvana. With its state-of the art lighting & sound systems, Avalon Hollywood is ideal for live concerts, awards show, film shoots, fashion shows, & film screenings. Its prime location next to the Arclight theatre and Cinerama Dome puts Avalon Hollywood as the perfect spot for Hollywood film premiere parties.

Directly adjacent to the high-energy Avalon lives the slightly surreal oasis The Bardot. Conceived as an old school exclusive club, and designed in the culture clash aesthetic of late sixties, tasteful but eccentric European expat in Morocco, Bardot is the perfect venue for all private parties, after parties  & VIP events.

As one enters through a private entrance and ascends the vibrant blue stairs directly into the heart of the club, one will find a stunning open air patio with a slightly decayed Moorish style. Bardot’s stunning beauty & unique style make it a one-of-a-kind venue.

Hollywood’s Massive New Nightspot
Come out & play (house).
By Lina Lecaro
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

COME OUT & PLAY(HOUSE)
Another multimillion-dollar mega-club venue out to devour Hollywood? It’s hard not to be a bit incredulous when the buzz starts to build about and around yet another swanky haven of dance music–driven hedonism, especially when its locale is where we’ve seen so many “hot spots” ignite, smolder and quickly burn out. But something about the Playhouse, which transformed the old Fox Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard near Wilcox, suggests that this room will be different. There are the names behind the place for one: Elie Samaha (L.A.’s legendary Roxbury and, more recently, The Green Door) and Rob Vinokur (Crobar NYC, Miami’s Goddess). Then there are the insiders who’ve joined their Muse Lifestyle Group, namely L.A. nightlife heavy Rick Calamaro, best known for his work with enduring club venues like Ivar, Holly’s and Nacional (which he still owns), not to mention the sexy soiree Grandville, one of the first to mesh girlie eye candy with a dance club environs back in the day. A-list wrangler/party girl Allison Melnick, who celebrated her birthday during the soft opening a couple Thursdays ago, is also part of the team.

Calamaro tells us the philosophy behind this impressive venue is different than most in the area: All events are in-house. What that means is you won’t find “outside” promoters throwing parties and leaving once they die out, thereby killing the venue. Rather, friends and former allies from the club world will join the family to help get bodies inside. It sure seems to be working so far . maybe too well. Thursday’s opening night, featuring DJ Vice (who’ll be that eve’s resident), saw lines for blocks and a visit by the fire marshal. It was equally chaotic at the door last Friday, when we stopped by the debut of Dirty SexyHouse, which we got multiple e-mail invites for from the likes of BoxEight’s Micheal Utsinger, JoeJoe Promotions and Club Giant. Met even more hosts that night, many holding court at bottle service tables surrounded by requisite busty babes. The overpay-to-sit-and-sip aspect ain’t Nightranger’s (DD) cup of tea, but the floor was more fun anyway; an electric and attractive meld of movers and shakers. Still, it was the space itself that was most ogle-worthy.

THE DREAM TEAM IS IN THE HOUSE
The Playroom ain’t playin’ when it comes to competing with Vegas and Miami club spectacle. “This is the first big production-based club in L.A.,” Vinokur told us as we looked down on the house action with him and Samaha from the lighting booth above it all, Friday. It’s kaleidoscopic for sure. Orbs protruding from the wall change hues to the music as an LCD screen flashes in shapes and designs behind the DJ on stage, which is bordered by another bar and a sunken dance floor. There’s also a bar in the middle of the room, above which the club’s slew of servers do double duty as cirque performers, flying through the air on hoops and ropes. It’s telling that even nightlife biggies like Brent Bolthouse (an old cohort of Samaha’s from the Roxbury days), Pantera Sarah and Grace Fernandez have joined this circus: The trio has come together for Saturdays (Brent even deejays the VIP room). With that one, plus a live music night from Nic and Cisco Adler called Banger & Mash (coming Wednesdays in August), we’ll be back to Play and re-play, fo’ sho’.

STOMP ALL NIGHT
After the sensory assault of a club like the Playroom, a slightly more relaxed room like Bardot above Avalon was in order. Bardot Fridays, hosted by Rich Royal, GracieCakes, Jason Scoppa and Alexi Yulish, boasts good times and good tunes, not to mention sophisticated atmosphere and stylish garb. (Too bad the club is so darn strict about photo-taking, or we’d have more to show you in our online slideshow this week.) Capping off Friday’s Tinseltown treadin’, we stomped back to good ol’ Cahuenga (despite signs all down the boulevard asking clubbers to take taxis, the traffic kept us on foot, even in killer heels). ApolloStaar had the Beauty Bar’s floor a hot mess with his new night Sex Dwarf, and let’s just say the dudes there were anything but dwarf-ish. The girls were sexy, though. Staar, by the way, recently guest deejayed at “Rock ’n’ Roll Discoteque” at H’Wood (formerly Diamond Dogs, now soldiering on sans high profile ex-host Bryan Rabin on Thursdays); from what we hear, that one’s gone from arty mixed mash to model/celeb bash. Ryan Seacrest and Lindsay Lohan were there recently, and the latter even badgered Staar to play some electro remix she brought on CD, interrupting a rockin’ set. (Typical.) And in more small-world club news: Aforementioned Rich Royal is currently doing a new night with Discoteque’s Kelly Cole and Ian Cripps, called Electric Wednesdays at Crown Bar. Let’s hope that trifecta proves less tempestuous than the Dogs’ one did.

Information from: LA Weekly

10 Things to Do This Weekend for Under $10
By Jennifer Maerz
Friday, July 31, 2009

Being cheap never means being boring in this city. To wit:

L.O.W.’s Outdoor BBQ & Pool Party @ Bambuddha Lounge (Friday)
We don’t want to hear that it hasn’t felt like summer this week. Come Friday, Look Out Weekend is bringing a bathing suit-able bash to Bambuddha Lounge with a free poolside party and BBQ (and open bar, for the first hour). Music from White Girl Lust, Swayzee, and Phillie Ocean. (4 p.m. until 10 p.m.)

Retro Dance Nights @ The Knockout (Friday and Saturday)
If you like DJs who move backward in time, this weekend you can choose your era for Knockout kicks. On Friday night, the bar gets its ’60s fix with Teenage Dance Craze Party, featuring DJs Sergio Iglesias, Russell Quan, and DX the Funky Gran Pa (10 p.m., $3). On Saturday, things time travel forward three decades from Dance Craze into the ’90s for Debaser, a club that celebrates the decade when college rock first became king and loggers had a hard time shopping for flannels in thirft stores. (Doors at 9 p.m. Free entry w/ flannel before 11; otherwise $5)

Pretty in Pink @ Dolores Park (Saturday)
Put the words “Molly Ringwald” and “Dolores Park” in the same sentence and you’re gonna need to plant your picnic flag hours early. This week’s free movie in the Mission is Pretty in Pink, the film that helped inspire decades of indie chick pouting. We’d advise bringing a bottle of rose for the occasion, of course. (8:30 p.m.)

Birth of Cool @ Coda (Saturday)
The idea behind the new Mission jazz club Coda is to keep prices reasonable and live acts local. Tonight is the opening party for the supperclub (formerly Levende Lounge) and they’re
making the door price extra-affordable: entrance is free. The venue is kicking off with high-caliber talent too: Saturday’s “Birth of Cool” event celebrates the music of Miles Davis with the Jazz Mafia All Stars featuring Adam Theis, Marcus Shelby, and more. (10 p.m.)

[Kontrol] Presents Mike Huckaby @ the Endup (Saturday)
You like minimal techno at a minimal price? [Kontrol]’s monthly party hits the Endup on Saturday with “The New Sound of Detroit” featuring Mike Huckaby. The Motor City house and techno producer crafts jazzy soundscapes cooked down to the basics of a good beat. He’ll be joined here by fellow Detroiter Luke Hess and Berlin’s Shaun Reeves. Early birds catch the free admission: get to the club before 11 and get in free (otherwise it’s $15). Doors at 10 p.m.

(The Last) Club Feral @ Thee Parkside (Saturday)
“For the past two years or so, Club Feral has walked a crooked line: part rock show, part dance party, part wacky cabaret, and all hella gay. The monthly music showcase provided the queer scene with a low-dough antidote to glittery new Castro bars, with entertainment favoring scruffy homocore bands and no-budget freakshows. That’s all soon to be in the past, however, as Feral ceases being a regular event after Saturday. Hunx & His Punx gives Feral an infectious send-off by mixing uptempo Pixy-Stix pop and garage rock with clap-and-sing-along choruses about cute boys and, um, cute boys. Shannon & the Clams, also on the bill, woo lovers and lonely hearts with their punked-up-to-get-down Motown soul shimmy.” John Graham (9 p.m., $5)

Asian Man Records 13-Year Anniversary @ Oakland Coliseum’s parking lot (Saturday)
The local label Asian Man Records celebrates another year of putting out records with a generator show in the furthest NW corner of the Oakland Coliseum parking lot starting at 4 p.m. and going until “we get kicked out.” In between you’ll hear from 10 different indie-pop and pop-punk bands, including Ready the Jet, Mike Park, For the Win, Atom Age, The Hot Toddies, and more. (Free)

Japandroids @ Hemlock (Sunday)
“Shouty and overblown, Vancouver guitar-drums duo Japandroids plows through some wicked garage-punk anthems on its breakthrough album, Post-Nothing. The record kickstarts terrifically with the Thin Lizzy-answering “The Boys Are Leaving Town,” the life-affirming “Young Hearts Spark Fire,” and the horny “Wet Hair.” Post-Nothing loses steam after that initial burst, but settles into a captivating drone for the last few songs, not unlike a summer that ends too soon.” Doug Wallen (9 p.m., $7)

The Great Muppet Caper @ The Red Vic (Sunday)
Nothing softens Sunday coming down like a bunch of Muppets caught up in a jewel heist. Roll out of bed just before 2 p.m. to check out one of four screenings of the classic Great Muppet Caper, where Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie try their hand at some SF Weekly-style investigative reporting (if they had a music editor on staff, I’m sure she’d dig Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem). ($7-$9)

Sunday Night Dodgeball @ Carolina St. (Sunday)
If that old grade school game of tagging weaklings with hard rubber balls didn’t leave too many scars, you can relive the sport of survival with Carolina Street Dodgeball. The group meets Sundays at 10 p.m. between 16th and 17th streets, flanked by warehouses. Bring courage, among other suggestions from their list. (Free)

Bonus: This one didn’t make the official list because it costs $10 to get in, but since we’re fans of standup, we have one event to tack on the end here. Chris Thayer was a funny dude in spite of himself at Soul Clap last Monday night (where we imagine the last thing he remembers is signing up for a dance contest and getting the number 18b). Turns out he’s a comedian in real life too. Tonight (Friday) he’s part of a comedy bill at the Dark Room that includes Trevor Hill, Kristee Ono, James Fluty, and Kevin Munroe. B.Y.O.B. and everyone gets just a little bit funnier.

Information from: SF Weekly

Prive nightclub to appeal liquor license denial, seek permit to stay open
By Arnold M. Knightly
Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Privé nightclub plans to file an appeal of its liquor license denial today with Clark County officials and appears to think it will be open this weekend despite a mandate to close by midnight tonight.

Privé nightclub, located at Planet Hollywood Resort, was denied a liquor license Thursday and ordered to cease operations by the county’s Business License Department for failing “to abide by the duties of a liquor licensee.”

While the club’s attorney and officials have remained silent, Planet Hollywood’s gaming attorney, Frank Schreck, said the club plans to file an appeal today and seek a temporary permit to remain open until an Aug. 4 hearing before the Clark County Commission.

Erik Pappa, Clark County’s director of public communications, said it would be up to Business License Director Jacqueline Holloway to decide whether to issue the nightclub a temporary permit.

Privé seems confident in its chances, though. A few hours after the county announced the club would have to close, Privé announced on the social networking Web site Twitter plans for a celebrity birthday party for this Friday.

Last week, at 8:07 p.m. Thursday, five hours after the county announced its decision, the club’s Twitter page posted: “Just booked 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub for Friday, July 31st. Come help her celebrate her Birthday.” An ad for the event is on the club’s Web site.

Privé is owned by the Opium Group, a Miami Beach, Fla.-based nightclub operator. The club operates on the mezzanine level of the Planet Hollywood Resort.

Privé’s ultralounge, the Living Room, which also is owned by the Opium Group, also was denied a liquor license and was ordered to cease all business operations by midnight this Thursday.

The county announced its decision a few hours after Planet Hollywood Resort officials agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for not properly overseeing activities at the nightclub.

The nightclub and lounge had been operating under temporary licenses while police investigated their suitability for licenses after being cited by the county for a series of code violations.

The county issued three citations stemming from a May 14, 2008, incident when security managers either stalled or interfered with inspections at the clubs.

Privé also was cited for allowing topless and lewd activity to take place on site.

The incident was listed in the state Gaming Control Board’s nine-count complaint against Planet Hollywood Resort filed by the state attorney general’s office on July 9.

Schreck said it was too early to discuss the resort’s continuing relationship with the nightclub, but he said Privé has cooperated with the casino operator after the investigation.

“Prive has been cooperative enough with us in terms of rewriting and drafting the lease and code of conduct and operational code,” he said. “Hopefully that will resolve a lot of these issues. … It’s too early. The smoke hasn’t cleared, yet.”

Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Knitting Factory Hollywood To Shut Its Doors
By Matheson Kamin
Friday July 27, 2009

The Knitting Factory Hollywood is closing its Hollywood location when the noted music venue’s 10-year lease runs out in October. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the company’s CEO Morgan Margolis said the all-ages venue is opting not to renew its lease at its current location. The Knitting Factory’s Bruce Duff says, “When we get more info — when exactly we’re closing, what our last show will be, and, most importantly, when and if we’re reopening in another location, we will of course let you know. Thanks, and to be sure, the ride isn’t over yet.” Contact Duff, 323-463-0204 x121, Duffkfla@aol.com. Visit http://la.knittingfactory.com for updates.

Information from: The Rock & Roll Report

Planet Hollywood agrees to pay $500,000 fine in NV
The Associated Press
Saturday, July 11, 2009

Planet Hollywood has agreed to pay a $750,000 fine to Nevada gaming regulators, admitting that resort officials were lax in policing illegal activity inside the Privé nightclub.

The Gaming Control Board has told the resort industry that properties need to control actions inside the nightclubs that traditionally lease space in casinos and are operated independently.

Planet Hollywood is the first hotel-casino to acknowledge it was at fault for the problems inside a nightclub that it doesn’t own.

“We didn’t execute proper supervision and we’re the message being sent to the rest of the industry,” gaming attorney Frank Schreck, who represents Planet Hollywood, said Friday.

Gaming authorities could be investigating as many as nine hotel-casinos about activities inside their nightclubs, which could lead to six-figure fines and other punishments.

Schreck, who represents several hotel-casinos and gaming companies, said he has advised clients they need to pay attention to what is happening inside their nightclubs.

“It can’t be ignored. The situation needs to be addressed,” Schreck said.

In April, the Gaming Control Board posted a stern letter of warning on its Web site, saying disciplinary action was being considered because of problems not only inside the nightclubs, but also at the properties’ ultra lounges and topless swimming pools.

The agency sent a similar warning letter in 2006. Gaming Control Board member Randy Sayre thought another missive was needed this year.

“I’m not going to write any more letters,” Sayre said Friday. “Having said that, I can indicate with great confidence that a few locations may not have gotten the message loudly and clearly. And these situations will be addressed.”

Sayre confirmed several hotel-casinos are under investigation by gaming authorities about activities inside their nightclubs and other venues.

“Some are more serious than others and we need to address whether or not these venues are conducting themselves under state and local ordinances,” Sayre said.

In an agreement with the Gaming Control Board that settled a nine-count complaint, Planet Hollywood agreed to pay $500,000 up front and another $250,000 in a year if changes are not made in the operation of the nightclub.

If no additional complaints are filed over the next 12 months, the $250,000 payment will be waived.

The Nevada Gaming Commission will vote on the settlement when it meets in Las Vegas on July 23.

“Planet Hollywood took this matter seriously,” Sayre said. “Sadly, they should have addressed some of these events sooner.”

The nine counts ranged from Privé employees removing drunk customers and dumping them in the casino unattended, or telling hotel security to remove them, to customers having to be hospitalized for drinking too much.

Privé employees and patrons were charged with physically and sexually assaulting customers.

The club reportedly admitted minors, who were then served alcohol.

Another count involved a Clark County Department of Business License citation for allowing topless and lewd activity. Privé reportedly failed to cooperate with the county.

Another count was based on the large increase in phone calls to emergency medical personnel and police since the club opened. The control board charged that prostitution increased around the club and the club did nothing to discourage the activity. Privé also hired people with criminal records.

Planet Hollywood admitted to all the allegations and admitted it didn’t maintain enough control.

Schreck said that aspect will change. He said the lease between Planet Hollywood and Privé has been rewritten. Planet Hollywood security officers, who formerly weren’t allowed to enter the club without a club employee, can now enter the club.

Also, Planet Hollywood can terminate the club’s lease if any of the conduct outlined in the nine counts continues.

“We’ve taken some pretty draconian steps to assert control,” Schreck said.

“Planet Hollywood wants to be a good corporate citizen and licensee. We stepped up to the plate and took responsibilities for the actions.”

Privé is operated by the Opium Group, a Miami-based nightclub company. A spokeswoman for Opium Group did not respond to phone calls or an e-mail message Friday.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Encore Nightclub’s Name at Center of Trademark Lawsuit
By Steve Green
Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A dispute has erupted over rights to the trademark “XS” — the name of a luxury nightclub at Steve Wynn’s Encore casino resort in Las Vegas.

Wynn Resorts Holdings LLC filed suit Monday against NYLO Hotels of Atlanta, an operator of boutique hotels, after NYLO asserted rights to the trademark and offered to let Wynn pay a licensing fee for use of the XS name at Encore.

“Wynn has spent a significant amount of time, resources and money in developing and promoting a restaurant, bar, nightclub and indoor and outdoor entertainment venue at Encore under the XS mark,” said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

“Wynn maintains that its use of the XS mark is lawful and does not infringe upon the rights of NYLO,” said the suit.

Correspondence between attorneys for Wynn and NYLO attached to the lawsuit indicates NYLO intends to offer services using the XS mark, and begin franchising on the mark, including in Las Vegas.

“Please note that although an ‘XS’ hotel has not yet opened, NYLO is extremely sensitive to the use of the ‘XS’ mark because of the time, resources, money and public discussions it has had concerning the brand,” said a May 28 letter to one of Wynn’s attorneys from NYLO attorney David Rogers.

Rogers indicated a willingness by NYLO to license the name to Wynn for use at the club. Encore describes it as a “decadent vibe” poolside nightclub.

A request for comment on the lawsuit was placed Tuesday with NYLO, which says it operates two boutique hotels in the Dallas area and a third in the Providence-Warwick, R.I., area.

Wynn’s suit was filed by attorneys Mark Tratos and Peter Ajemian of the Las Vegas law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Information from: Las Vegas Sun

Mayor’s Office Strikes Back at David Chiu In Memo On Nightclub Violence

By Peter Jamison
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice has sent a memo to Board of Supervisors President David Chiu asking him to back off efforts to set up a stricter nightclub permitting process, the latest volley in an intensifying intra-city feud over how to handle rising club violence.

The memo, dated June 19, was recently obtained by SF Weekly. It concerns legislation that would affect how the San Francisco Entertainment Commission — a seven-member board of political appointees who wield the crucial power to grant or revoke nightclub permits — does business. In it, Kevin Ryan, the fired U.S. attorney who now heads the mayor’s criminal justice office, upbraids Chiu for seeking to crack down too harshly on the commission’s laissez-faire approach to permitting.

“It is my opinion, as both a career law enforcement officer, and a life-long San Franciscan, that the late night activities outlined above do not substantively contribute to nightlife-related violence,” Ryan wrote. He continued, “Restricting night life in San Francisco could have downward effects on associated businesses — restaurants, bars, theaters and other activities which draw people into the city.”

Critics, including Chiu, have complained that the Entertainment Commission has been ineffective in curbing repeated outbreaks of violent crime at city clubs. (In fact, as we reported last week, two commissioners are co-owners of clubs that have been the subject of police complaints.) The legislation at hand would give the commission added powers to crack down on misbehaving clubs, but has stalled because the commission opposes Chiu’s amendments.

Ryan’s criticisms centered on Chiu’s suggestion that an undue increase in permits for late-night clubs or one-time late-night events — defined as an uptick of more than 15 percent in a given year — should trigger caps on further permits. Three of the memo’s eight pages were devoted to difficult-to-parse mathematical equations demonstrating that even a slight increase in the permits would trigger such a moratorium.

In a telephone interview, Chiu said the letter was the latest sign of lack of cooperation on addressing nightclub violence from the mayor’s office. He said the mayor’s criminal justice officials had agreed to meet with him, then “blew off” the meeting and began going after him in the press.

“To set up meetings, attack me in the press, blow off the meetings, and then send me a letter with several pages of bizarre mathematical formulas is not the best way to move forward,” Chiu said. “I think this letter continues to show that the MOCJ has just not been focused on the public safety, and has spent more time thinking about the interests of the late-night entertainment industry.”

Information from: SF Weekly

Remembering The Roxbury, Plus Playhouse Hosts BPM’s Biggest Bash
By Lina Lecaro
Friday, July 17, 2009

In this week’s Nightranger, we toddle around Hollywood’s newest super-club, Playhouse, a gorgeous mega-production-geared space opened by club impresarios Elie Samaha and Rob Vinokur.

Samaha, also a movie big-wig, is best known for famed ’90’s hotspot The Roxbury nightclub on the Sunset Strip, and during a chat with him at Playhouse, he revealed that a sequel to the 1998 club-themed classic, Night at the Roxbury, is in the works. Inspired by “The Roxbury Guys,” the beloved head-bobbing Saturday Night Live skit starring Chris Kattan and Will Farrell (before he became a box office giant), the film told the story of the Butabi brothers, two nightlife-loving fellas on a quest to get past the velvet ropes of Samaha’s venue. It seems funnier than ever, probably because the ubiquitousness of upscale club culture means everyone’s in on the joke these days (even if the joke’s on you, ’cause ya cant get in).

Information from: LA Weekly