On Feb. 28, filming begins at Caesars Palace for the annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

You have one last chance to enter this tournament for free!

PokerStars (make that PokerStars.net) offers a satellite just a couple hours from now. See, it pays to read us hourly.

Just sign up to the Round 1B tourney at 10 p.m. ET, and you could be on your way to 4 nights in Las Vegas, $1000 in cash, and a $20,000 buy-in entry to the 64-player Heads-Up championship (your travel would begin on Feb. 28, so make sure you’re available).

If you don’t win the satellite and can’t afford the $20,000 buy-in but happen to be in town, you can be a member of the audience, where you could win other prizes such as t-shirts, dinners, and have the chance to be on TV.

Just call (702) 866-1043.

In December, Crown Ltd., the Australian gaming company owned by legendary billionaire James Packer, purchased Cannery Casino Resorts (consisting of Cannery up in North Las Vegas, Rampart in Summerlin, and Nevada Palace in Henderson, which recently closed to undergo a transformation into Eastside Cannery) for $1.8 billion.

But did you know Crown has spread out its investments around Las Vegas?

They own an interest in the holding company for the former Wet ‘n Wild location on 27 acres south of Sahara. This was the space where they are or were expected to erect a $5 billion casino called Crown Las Vegas, hoped to be twice as tall as Stratosphere before the FAA ruled against and reduced to “only” 1,064 feet — still taller than any building in the U.S.

Crown has an interest in the $2.8 billion Fontainebleau hotel-casino, nestled between Riviera and the Crown Las Vegas land parcel.

And since Harrah’s and Station Casinos went private, Crown took interest in them as well… literally. They bought a $172 million stake (2.5 percent) in Harrah’s and $241 million stake (4.9 percent) in Station.

They say the purchases were for investment purposes only.

But what’s really going on?

With both private, no one but the inner sanctum will sink ships. But we suspect world domination. Or at least world casino domination.

Harrah’s (which some gamblers refer as the Evil Empire) already has a foothold on the majority of casinos in the U.S… no doubt with their mouth watering at the rapid growth of Macau. It can’t be easy sitting idly by while competitors MGM Mirage, Wynn, and Sands (which owns Venetian) present their newly gift-wrapped casinos to the Asian market.

Teaming with Crown would assist with that, while also allowing Crown to put its stamp on the United States gaming market.

Because why stop at a couple of local casinos?

‘Course, that’s all speculation.

Even Rita Rudner, named for five consecutive years as comedienne of the year, finds it hard to believe she’s reached the 2,000th performance of her comedy shows in Vegas.

“It doesn’t even feel like I have been married for 20 years and it doesn’t feel like it is my 2,000th show. It doesn’t feel like my daughter Molly is almost six. It doesn’t feel like all that time has gone by, but it has,” she told me. “I think it is Vegas itself that makes that happen. Vegas is such a busy place, things go faster and every time you look around there is a new hotel or restaurant and it just doesn’t stop. I am thrilled I made the move here.”

To celebrate, Rita tonight tapes her mile-marker show tonight at Harrah’s, and it will air as a PBS-TV special—first locally on March 17 and then nationally on the network in June. The mid-March date ties in with the release of her new book of comedy essays titled, “I Still Have It; I Just Can’t Remember Where I Put It.” It will be packaged with a DVD of the 2,000th show as a special offer for viewer pledges in the annual telethon fundraising drive.

Rita revealed that her contract at Harrah’s has been extended out to 2010 and told me that she hasn’t been asked by PBS to change her show or “clean it up” for TV, but it will have new fresh material she’s added specially. Luxe Life will have our full one-on-one exclusive chat with Rita early next week as she looks back at almost ten extraordinary years in Vegas—and why she might have to change her life yet again in 2010!

All of Vegas nightlife’s denizens are abuzz with the news yesterday of the IRS bust on Pure nightclub that Luxe Life reported on. Now comes even more startling financial nightlife tickertape news. Last Friday we told you all about Dubai and how the oil-rich kingdom’s sheiks were spending over $5-billion to buy into our MGM casino empire here, including a partnership in a new mega-property alongside Circus Circus with billionaire developer Sol Kerzner. We showed you the amazing ongoing building boom there in the Arab Emirates that’s turned the Persian Gulf land into the largest tourist destination of the Arab world outside of Egypt. Now the rulers have unveiled plans to build the world’s largest arch bridge. New York’s Fxfowle architects have designed it and claim 2,000 vehicles can cross its 12 lanes per hour in each direction!

Construction will start next month with completion set for 2012. It will stand 670 feet tall at its highest point!

Just as incredible is the fact, simultaneously, that they have snapped up a 50% interest in the LIGHT Group—one of our largest Vegas nightlife operations. Light owns the Bare topless pool at the Mirage, Jet nightclub in the Mirage and the new Bank nightclub in the Bellagio in addition to restaurant properties Fix and the Caramel Bar Lounge at the Bellagio, Stack at The Mirage, and Diablo’s Cantina at the Monte Carlo.

This week Light Group announced a new steakhouse, Brand, at the Monte Carlo, and a new Japanese Yellowtail Sushi restaurant at the Bellagio. That’s in addition to the environmentally green Harmon Hotel being built inside the MGM City Center complex. How all of this alcohol sits with teetotalling Islamic rulings is not clear to some people!

Light owner and founder Andrew Sasson confirmed the 50% acquisition by Zabeel Investments of Dubai, owned by Sheikh Mohammad al-Maktoum, one of the sons of the kingdom’s ruler and heir-apparent to its fortunes. The Sheikh wants to expand the Light and Harmon Hotel across the globe.

With over 1,900 performances and two million guests, Mamma Mia at Mandalay Bay has set the benchmark for Broadway musicals in the desert! To celebrate its 5th magical milestone anniversary the producers told the cast it’s being extended right through to January next year (2009) instead of folding its tent in August. That will take it to a record breaking 2,300 performances! Congratulations to all involved.

It’s a bigger phenomenon when factored on a global basis. Over 30-million people have seen it worldwide and it has brought in over $2-billion in worldwide box-office sales. This summer Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the movie version with Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. Not bad for 20 fun songs from a 70’s Swedish group, ABBA, that technically broke-up and retired after their run through the pop charts. However, it’s the disco ball and shimmering spandex married up with the infectious melodies of “Dancing Queen” and “Our Last Summer” that has crowds still dancing in the aisles! Even I had a Spandex moment!

The Vegas cast, led by Carol Linnea Johnson, Robin Baxter and Vicki Von Tassel celebrated the anniversary with a party at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blue’s theater, where a giant cake was rolled on-stage for the celebration. Actress Tina Walsh, who used to play the leading role of “Donna Sheridan” and is now starring in Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian, stopped by to offer her congratulations.

It was also interesting to note that actor Victor Wallace has been there from day one when he played the character of “Sky” who is set to marry mischievous “Sophie,” and now has grown up to play her possible father, “Sam Carmichael.”

I asked Tina and Carol if they could explain the real reasoning behind the show’s extraordinary success. After much discussion between themselves they said it wasn’t just the pop sing-along music but that, “the story touches hearts on so many different levels for so many different people who have experienced all of the musical’s emotions of the good and the bad of love with its happiness and its frustrations.”

So now you know. If you haven’t seen it yet—run, don’t walk, to do so!

It was a night I’d never seen before in Vegas, and it belonged to the ink-stained tattoo-loving artists and rockers who all love and think ink. Tattooed rockers such as Dave Navarro, Tommy Lee and Spiderz’ front-man Evan Seinfeld with porn-princess gal-pal Tera Patrick joined with rappers Lordz of Brooklyn, the appropriately named Tattooed Millionaires and the tattooed porn-prom-girls of Burning Angels, to pay homage to world-renowned artist Mario Barth.

He, along with wife Carol and their three-year-old son Tyler, opened their sixth worldwide store and their first in Vegas as part of the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

“Vegas has now become the tattoo capitol of the world,” he told me. “Instead of it just being a blue-collar fad, it has spread to every white-collar industry person. It’s become acceptable now that people know it’s not only on a person who may have jumped from a cell. Tattooing is no different than any other form of makeup except it’s permanent. It’s a human thing to want to be individual. Look around and you will see both animals and humans with different markings. Tattooing only reflects that to make people different from one another.”

Mario told me he did his first tattoo art when he was just 12 and he has worked himself to the status of “tattoo royalty.”

“Tattooing has been my art, my business and life-force for over 20-years. Opening in Vegas is a dream come true. We are more than a studio. I have great reverence for the masters of this ancient art form and that’s reflected in our staff and the atmosphere and artifacts exclusive to us.”

Check out Ben Lattanzio’s incredible custom-made guitars from fins of antique automobiles and all beautifully mounted in stunning cases. Starlight Tattoo offers three rare different styles—traditional hand-tool Japanese, traditional hand-tool Samoan and the modern techniques of Western-style. A monk tattooist flew in from Thailand for the ceremonial opening tattoos. I watched in amazement as one man underwent a full body art tattooing!

“An artist gets the same thrill when he works on a canvas, except with my art there is no room for error. If Picasso did wrong you could put his canvas in the closet. If I did wrong you’d be walking around with it forever, so I can’t ever make a mistake,” he continued.

Mario pointed out he was the first in the nation to utilize sterile ink, and emphasized the need for people who want tattoos to thoroughly research their potential artist.

“There maybe 10,000 artists in the USA, of which 98% are only just OK and 2% are incredibly good.”

I met up on the red carpet with Lorenzo Lamas’ former wife, blonde bombshell TV personality Shauna Sand, who told me she has nine different tattoos on her body, including their pre-divorce wedding band still inked on her fourth finger.

She also pulled down a little of her teeny-weeny miniskirt to show me the French fleur de Lys symbol tattooed strategically just above her tiny tush!

“I studied in France for several years and speak French fluently, so I always wanted to remember my happy days there,” she explained.

Just when I thought I couldn’t be shocked, stunned or surprised any more, I discovered that the night’s entertainment featured tattooed male acrobats suspended by meat hooks pierced through their shoulder flesh.

But it was the chatty fellow I met with tiny metallic horns screwed into his forehead and chin that really flummoxed me. I asked him what happens when he goes through the TSA screening device at the airport, and he showed me—by simply unscrewing them! The thread was recessed in his skin, and he proudly told me, “I take them out every night, too so I get a good night’s sleep!”

I promptly went to the nearest bar for a good strong shot of Patron! And then another! I might wear Spandex for the fun of it, but you can bet your last dollar the metal thing is something you won’t catch me ever doing!

*For a moment it looked as if Britain’s Cher look-alike, Joanna Berns would be playing opposite the real Cher when she starts her Caesars Palace run in May. But Joanna was KO’d at the last minute by Dusty Springfield look-alike, Katy Setterfield in a BBC-TV contest in London.

First prize was a three-month run at the Strip’s Imperial palace showroom. So now Katy, who also beat out Lionel Richie and Frank Sinatra look-alikes, will perform the Legends in Concert tribute show as Dusty. Trouble with the judge’s vote is that there can’t be that many Vegas visitors who know the British pop singer…

*Congratulations to gorgeous sexy songbird Toni Braxton, our Flamingo headliner, on yet another extension of her contract through now until at least the end of August this summer. That’s now 25-months and counting, if my memory serves right!

*Now that Lance Burton has resumed his Master Magician show at the re-opened Monte Carlo (another 1,200 renovated rooms open today), he’s set his next TV special for broadcast in Germany on May 12. Lance sent free tickets for his re-opening to all the firefighters, police officers and medics who fought the hotel’s rooftop blaze back in January.

*The tallying of the fundraising by the Miss America beauty queens for their adopted Children’s Miracle Network has been completed—Miss Massachusetts, Valerie Amaral has won a $5,000 scholarship as Miss Miracle Maker 2008 for raising the highest amount in donations.

Miss South Carolina and Miss Louisiana were also scholarship winners in the $1-million fundraising program announced during the pageant held here at Planet Hollywood last month. It’s the first time in the 86-year history of the Miss America Organization that they have adopted such a program. The Children’s Miracle Network treats 17-million ill children every year at the 170 member hospitals.

*There are two very important events I want to strongly recommend you mark on your weekend diary as “must see-must do.”

First: My pal Tony Curtis will regale you with personal stories about Marilyn Monroe and the making of their movie, Some Like It Hot when he screens it tonight and tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Theater of the Family Music Center on West Sahara. Tony promises he’ll host a Q&A session, talk about the film set and the costumes and sell autographed reproductions of his original Marilyn Monroe painting, with part of the proceeds going to benefit he and his wife’s Shiloh Charitable Trust.

Secondly: 80th Annual Academy Awards take place Sunday in Hollywood, but you can experience the magic and excitement of Oscar Night right here at the Planet Hollywood Resort casino when the officially sanctioned Arthritis Foundation throws its gala dinner and live direct telecast. The glam-gowned cocktail reception starts at 4 p.m. with a silent auction followed by dinner. Call 702-367-1626 to reserve your place.

Siegfried and Roy will serve as Honorary Chairs while my friend, long-time KTNV-TV 13 Anchor Cathy Ray, will be honored with the Community Health Award. John Daly and Nina Radetich will serve as Masters of Ceremonies.

Each guest will receive the same official program distributed to guests seated at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood, California, as well as the 80th Academy Awards commemorative posters designed by the Academy’s official artists. It’s the 13th consecutive year that the Vegas party has been officially sanctioned by the Academy to benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

Now for all the other Luxe Life award-winning weekend highlights in what we refer to affectionately around here as the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN:

FRIDAY:
*You don’t often get to see the shapely curvy topless sexy dancers of the Crazy Horse anywhere else other than their own club stage inside the MGM. Tonight they step out in the high-heeled boots and outrageous outfits to host at the new LAX nightclub in the Luxor.

*Grammy-nominated Canadian-born singing sensation Gino Vannelli has a TWO-night special engagement at the Flamingo, reprising such soul-tugging sexy-pop hits as “I Just Wanna Stop” and “Venus Envy” in his three-octave vocal range.

*It’s a perfect rock ‘n’ roll number, so go ahead and dial up 311 at The Joint in the Hard Rock.

*Our favorite singing ventriloquist Terry Fator throws in comedy with his crazy characters for good measure. He doesn’t move his lips at the Hilton for three nights, but his audiences move theirs to laugh out loud!

*Long-time singing veterans The Osmond Brothers, who first found fame back in 1970 on the Andy Williams show, travel over from their Branson theater to perform for three nights up at the Suncoast. They’re still Utah’s first family of music.

SATURDAY:
*Sarcastic, savage, razor-edged comedienne Sarah Silverman will slice and dice with two standup comedy shows in The Joint at the Hard Rock. Beware the acid tongue lashing while others roar out loud!

*Pop sensation Ashlee Simpson celebrates the release of her new “Outta My Head” single at LAX in the Luxor where she’ll perform live without those wretched Saturday Night Live track malfunctions. Lets see if inseparable boyfriend Pete Wentz is locked onto her arms!

*They’ll knock you dead—Slaughter plays the Sunset Station, producing their expected whole-scale ear-splitting sounds.

*The American Volleyball Players will be stretching and sweating at the net with their Hot Winter Nights at the Orleans Arena, but afterwards they will be cooling down while hosting their official after-party at the new Blush boutique nightclub in the Wynn. It’s the conclusion of their first-ever indoor arena tour, which began in Oklahoma in mid-January. Over 200 tons of sand will turn the Orleans into a winter beach. Top AVP players Elaine Youngs, Nicole Branagh, Jenny Johnson-Jordan and April Ross will compete on the women’s side, while Las Vegas native Casey Jennings, Todd Rogers, Mike Lambert and Sean Rosenthal will vie for the men’s title.

*Gorgeous stunner Maggie Rizer, a Victoria’s Secret angel, hosts Supermodel Saturday at the new Prive nightclub in Planet Hollywood.

SUNDAY:
*It’s “double your pleasure” at the Palms when King Britt entertains at the Playboy Club and Felix Da Housecat spins upstairs at Moon. One ticket covers you for both venues!

We’ve got the BIG secret, startling story of a Vegas star’s amazing two-month, 47-pound weight loss, and also the full sexy sassy photo-report of the beautiful dancers from Crazy Horse at play in the LAX nightclub, plus Sunday’s Academy Award Oscar party at Planet Hollywood. Later in the week, Siegfried & Roy prep their return to magic, and our full one-on-one sit-down interview with Harrah’s headliner Rita Rudner.

Get ready for our brand-new multi-media website with daily 24/7 breaking news updates for all the luxury lifestyle secrets of Vegas, plus all the latest celebrity happenings. Later this month we’ll reveal all the exciting details of the March launch. Our weekly Luxe Life wrap-up is heard on the ABC radio network to 300 stations around the world.

When visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of Vegas Luxe Life and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.

VEGAS—THE ONLY PLACE TO PLAY!

A quick look at the news behind Sin City’s nightclubs:
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Pure Offices Raided By IRS
In a surprise move, the IRS invaded the offices of the Pure Management Group on Wednesday (Feb 20) in an onsite investigation into the club’s finances and reported tax evasion tied to unreported […]