I got back to Las Vegas (after a lovely couple of weeks with the fam, in Hawaii), late on Saturday, December 28th – just in time for the grand opening of The Chelsea, where mega-star Bruno Mars was kicking-off his new residency, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the next night.

My date dropped-out (no sitter), and the always charming Todd-Avery Lenahan chivalrously stepped-in, at the eleventh hour. We supped at Scarpetta (I had Chef Scott Conant’s famous spaghetti, natch); then strolled over to The Chelsea. The décor was perfect for such a venue – I’ll describe it as British Train-Station Chic – and works as a terrific palate against which any act will be displayed most flatteringly. There is an abundance of bars with any number of lounge-y settings and seating vignettes where you and your friends can hang and listen to the music without being in your assigned seats (tip: it’s all about sitting in the Gallery).

I’ll be the first to admit that I was not the biggest Bruno Mars fan, going into this show; but he proved to be an entertainer of the first order, a really fantastic showman (his father was one of the original members of Hawaii’s famed Society of Seven). In addition to a handful of his own hits and chart-toppers, Mars and his merry band of funksters (the Hooligans; and FYI the horn trio ruled!) performed covers of songs that pinged all over the place – on the one hand the ‘90s era New Jack stylings of Bell Biv DeVoe (“Poison”) and Montell Jordan (“This Is How We Do It”), the classic funk of Prince (“Sexy M.F.”), the girl-group goodness of TLC (“Waterfalls”), and the King of Pop at his most rock-influenced (“Dirty Diana”); and on the other a smattering of rock through the decades, including the ‘70s (Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”), ‘80s (The Outfield’s “Your Love”), and ‘90s (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”).*

At the end of the night, everyone was on their feet, applauding madly.

On New Year’s Eve Eve, I stayed home, ate leftovers, and recharged my batteries.

On New Year’s Eve, it was my turn to tag-along with Mr. Lenahan. First, we decided as we were walking in to Caesars Palace, that we were a bit peckish, so we decided that we’d try to grab a bite at Spago. Thanks to Carlos et al., for finding me a good table, as a walk-in, after 9pm, on New Year’s Eve, without even batting a lash! Then, it was off to FIZZ Las Vegas, where I was delighted to be present when pop-music’s most fabulous “Firework” herself, Katy Perry, was presented with a 6L bottle of Dom Pérignon (with which she goofily posed for boyfriend John Mayer’s lens) and asked her guests “So, who wants to help me drink this $40,000 bottle of Champagne?”

I had a lovely moment, with Miss Katy, by the DJ booth; and she was as sweet as you could want, giggling at my goofy joke, telling a funny anecdote about her experience with a mutual friend (the legendary make-up artist, Kabuki, who was responsible for Perry’s alien-transformation, in her video for “E.T.”), and graciously accepting of my compliment. Werk, Mama!

And as for John Mayer, I’ve always been intrigued by his sway over beautiful women; but in person, it was obvious, immediately. The guy is charming, sexy, and a great dancer, to boot! So, here’s to Katy and John; and here’s to you!

Happy 2014, y’all!

New Year's Weekend 2014

Get into it!

*Editor’s Note: Yes, I know Led Zeppelin recorded “Whole Lotta Love” (and the rest of Led Zeppelin II) in May’69, and released it in November of the same year; but saying “the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s…” just works better, n’est-ce pas?