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At the time of writing this piece there is only 11 weeks until Christmas and 12 weeks until the most overrated party of the year, New Year Eve!
I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone already, it only seems like yesterday when I was dressed like a goblin for last year’s Halloween monster ball and here is it again, my fake blood and my elf hat are being dusted off ready again.
Halloween in my opinion has to be the best party of the year. It always amused me when we hold a really exclusive party and everyone is dressed up in blood and has fake guts coming out there faces and yet they are still being denied entry for wearing shoes!
Aside from this there is a real atmosphere and less pretentiousness (once you make it past the velvet rope!) when you have a bogey stuck to your cheek and everyone just gets together and has a good time like the olden days.
Fancy dress parties are hard to come by these days and very rarely do I get invited to one, I suppose the king of fancy dress parties goes to Philip Sallon who to this day holds the most flamboyant parties even Elton John would feel out of place at. I have been fortunate to attend some of these parties and the theme I have been informed of have included: Illegal Immigrant, Bad Taste, Blue and dictators!
I suppose the reality is certain clubs have an “image” to maintain but if it were up to me everyone could party as a chicken if they wanted too.
I have been busy partying with various celebs right through alphabet from A-list to Z-list this month namely Usher being the main man where I caught up with him after his X-factor performance at Boujis on Sunday. He is in town with Kanye West and P-Diddy will be down at the end of the month after performing in Glasgow.
Most fun though has to go to Brian and JJ from Big Brother who turned No5 Cavendish Square into a rave wearing big luminous specs and ordering massive bottles of Moet! I am also organizing Ben from this year’s Big Brother (the really posh one!) who will be holding his very own flamboyant eccentric party at the club towards the end of the month so watch this space, this could very well be the opportunity for me to get dressed up I have been waiting for! Be sure to not find any pictures in upcoming issues however...
If anyone is holding a fancy dress party this month then please send me all your pictures and I will try and feature you in next month’s issue for the best outfit!
Watch out world, here comes the male equivalent of every single Loose Women presenter out on the lash (and he doesn't even drink) - Louie Spence of Sky One's 'Pineapple Dance Studios' fame (who you may also recognise from his recurring cameo role on Harry Hill)...Her manicure was flawless and she was showcasing the type of beautiful jewellery that only the famous are privy to.
But as far as celebrity hotspot Mahiki is concerned, Claire Sweeney just doesn't cut the mustard.
Outraged: Sweeney appeared to launch into a rant to her companion after she was rejected by door staff of London club Mahiki
Because as she got to the door of the London nightclub, instead of being welcomed inside and given the VIP treatment, she was turned away and had to retreat to her taxi.
And the 39-year-old ex-Brookside actress was clearly not amused by the rejection.
Gesturing while talking to her companion, Sweeney appeared to be furious the night wasn't going to plan.
Unbelievable: The Loose Woman marched back to her taxi in disbelief to make other plans
Meanwhile, a worse-for-wear looking Jack Tweed strolled up to the door with a friend and by the looks of things has a marvellous evening in the club, frequented by Princes William and Harry.
In a pale blue denim shirt, beige trousers and white Converse trainers, the 23-year-old widower of reality star Jade Goody had evidently made less effort with his appearance than Sweeney.
Come on in: Jack Tweed and a friend spent the night enjoying all that the celebrity hotspot has to offer
However, the door staff clearly favoured Tweed's calibre of celebrity over the presenter's - a decision he must have been pleased about.
Leaving the club in a taxi, he looked tired out and ready for bed.
Let's hope Sweeney found somewhere else to go that gave her the type of welcome Mahiki gave Tweed.
Worse for wear: Leaving in a taxi the widower of reality star Jade Goody appeared to be ready for bed
Bottle Pirates—breeds of women who have been draining men’s booze for years, bouncing from city to city, table to table, Grey Goose to Red Bull. In these tough economic times, it is important to be able to identify the many different types of Bottle Pirates one might encounter in the uncharted nightlife seas. Not all women out at bars are in search of your bottle, but here are the 11 most common types of Bottle Pirates to keep an eye out for.
1: Captain Hooker
Don’t be fooled by the flirting, dirty dancing and constant giggling at your lame jokes; the only way you’ll be getting any from a Captain Hooker is by stopping at the ATM on your way home from the club. This industrious breed of Bottle Pirates can travel in groups or “work” solo. Captain Hookers can be found around the world, but seem to flock to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Los Angeles and Craigslist.
2: Table Wench
Sometimes your server can be the biggest Bottle Pirate of all. An anonymous Table Wench told us, “I used to work in a very popular club in NYC, where we were instructed to ask our big spenders [suckers] for a glass of champagne, after popping a bottle of Dom. Then we would go back to the kitchen and pour it out before returning for a refill. Before the night was done, we could tack on at least two or three more bottles to the tab.” The Table Wench appears to be on your team, but just like that mandatory 25 percent gratuity, she’s an unwelcome end-of-the-night surprise.
3: Treasure Hunters
The Treasure Hunters—girls who drink with you just trying to figure out your net worth, avoiding guys who have cheaper bottles on the table. Treasure Hunters can be easily fooled into thinking you’re rich in the beginning, but usually put it all together when you leave the club in your ‘99 Isuzu Amigo.
4: Scally Hag
The cougar of Bottle Pirates, the Scally Hag has been in rough seas for a long time. Scally Hags like to hang at hotel bars/clubs (and usually travel in packs) but may venture out in a quest for eternal youth. They like the finer things in life—like fine wine, expensive glasses of champagne and Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds perfume.
5: Jolly Rogers
Yes, guys can be Bottle Pirates, too. A Jolly Roger is a guy who is always happy and very chatty (probably because he’s draining your drinks). He hangs at your table so comfortably that everyone just assumes that he’s friends with someone else at the table. The biggest problem with Jolly Roger Bottle Pirates? They have a big thirst and a small bank roll. How do I know this? I’m a recovering Jolly Roger myself.
6: Land Ho!
A Land Ho! is a traveler, going from table to table constantly looking to discover new groups to swipe drinks from. They are easy to identify, as they will usually show up to your table with a drink already in hand. Some clubs use different glassware at the tables than at the bar, so be on the lookout for familiar-looking cups and avoid refilling them.
7: Captain Jackoff Sparrow
Far too often, tables are placed very close together at nightclubs. Even worse, clubs will sometimes place two groups of people at the same table (separated by only a bucket of ice). Captain Jackoff Sparrows are the juiced-up guys spilling themselves—and their hair gel—into your space. They are easily “confused,” leading them to “accidentally” pour themselves drinks from your bottle, or crush your cans of red bull on their heads in caveman-like fashion.
8: Black Beard
So you invite some good-looking girls to your table. Cool, right? Next thing you know, you have two cute girls and their friends Paul, Chet, Derek, Joe, Steve, Joey, Ralph and Mike all enjoying your bottle of Kettle One. The Black Beard girls are usually very comfortable around guys, which is why they’re tagging along with 20 dudes instead of a gaggle of girls.
9: Penny-less Pillagers
They come out with zero cash, no credit cards and not even so much as cab fare. Nothing like a girl drinking on your tab all night, then asking for $15 to get home or pay the valet. Why have a purse with nothing in it? I wouldn’t go out with my wallet only full of Chapstick and gum.
10: Bottle Buccaneers
If you only ordered two bottles of vodka, then why does your bill include 10 cans of sugar-free Red Bull, a round of fruity drinks, a bottle of champagne and bottles of water? Blame the Bottle Buccaneers. They hang around just long enough to fool your server into thinking they’re authorized to add to your tab. If you see something fishy on your table (like a round of Sex and the City shots), then you’ve been the victim of a Bottle Buccaneer.
11: Bottle Pirates of The Carribean
These are locals who live in popular vacation destinations and suckle on the tourist teet. Heading down to Cabo with the boys? Watch out for the overly tan girls who seem to be friends (or cousins) with your server. They have home field advantage, a high tolerance for tequila and probably a husband at home with 17 kids.
Audrina Partridge Hosts Amika Nightclub EXCLUSIVELY for VELVET PR MEMBERS!
Yes that's right, Audina from US smash hit TV show The Hills will be joining Velvet PR along with a the rest of the cast for a one of exclusive event at 3 time winner of best club in London! Amika Nightclub.
Last night the rnb-soul singer Macy Gray was at Aura Mayfair Club here in London. She had to perform her new single but she went in the dj booth and spent an hour and a half spinning some good old hip hop. Not really good skills on the two turntables but she kept the crowd moving.
A playboy fraudster who conned banks out of £1.6million running a credit card cloning factory has been jailed for five years.
When fraud squad detectives battered down his door, Eamon Zada, panicked and tossed hundreds of credit cards out of his fifth-floor window.
The 27-year-old had enjoyed huge spending sprees with the stolen cash, racking up a £140,000 nightclub bill and buying the world's most expensive phone.
On his arrest he told detectives: 'I've had enough' and owned up to his role in the huge scam.
When police searched his Notting Hill flat they found a highly sophisticated device which intercepts credit card details from phones.
It is only the second time the gadget has been found in Britain.
Judge Gregory Stone told Zada at Southwark Crown Court: 'This is a bad case of dishonesty. This was a credit card finishing factory involving very sophisticated equipment to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
'You very much enjoyed the fruits of this criminal activity.' Southwark Crown Court heard police raided Zada's council flat following a tip-off.
Robert Povall, prosecuting said: 'He had four metal locks on a metal framed door. It took the police several minutes to ram their way inside.
'Zada was throwing credit cards out of the window and desperately trying to put others into a shredding machine.'
Police searched his flat to find 300 cards and the details of another 3,000 on his Apple Mac - which was also paid for by the cloned cards.
Mr Povall went on: 'Overall, the loss to banking institutions was £1.64m, with American Express losing £1.3m.
'This money was used to fund his lifestyle with holidays, hiring cars, visits to the Ivy, Halfords, Curry's and on one night spending £140,000 at Amika nightclub in Kensington.
'When he was arrested he was wearing a £4,000 Rolex. He also used the cards to buy a Vertu phone for £4,900.'
Detectives found pictures of Zada and his friends swigging Cristal Champagne and smoking cigars.
One snap was called: 'Big in the game.' Other pictures showed the decadent conman pouring bubbly on the floor.
He used high-tech contraptions that his team would stick underneath cash registers across London.
Once the details had been returned to him, Zada used the numbers to make new cards.
Defending him, Robert Berg told the court that Zada aspired to the easy criminal lifestyle.
He said: 'Although he did not go into this venture blindly, there is no doubt he had been attracted by the sort of lifestyle he had seen other more sophisticated criminals lead.
'They had been able to amuse themselves in any way they wanted with unauthorised credit cards. It became a way of life for him against a bland, unskilled background.
'He is taking the rap for other people who were more deeply and extensively involved than he was.
'An operation of this degree of sophistication would have involved several other people.
'He was tempted by the spoils of crime but he has learnt that the fruits of dishonesty are short term and result in prison.'
Zada, of Grenfell Road, Notting Hill, west London, admitted conspiracy to steal between January 1 and June 16. He was sentenced on Friday.
He has previous convictions for fraud after he and a group of friends went on a £25,000 spending free with cloned cards in Stafford.
A group of investment bankers who correctly bet on the outcome of the election celebrated a huge payout by running up a £60,000 bar bill.
The six men went to Merah nightclub in Fitzrovia on Friday night and asked for the most expensive bottle of champagne, which happened to be a Methuselah of vintage Cristal at £36,000. The six-litre bottle is the equivalent size of eight regular bottles.
A source at the nightclub said: "They had made a small fortune on the outcome of the election, correctly guessing the results in constituencies over quite a large spread.
"When the Methuselah was delivered to their table, the music was stopped and the group were chanting, 'Down with Brown, down with Brown'." They followed it up with a Jeroboam of Cristal at £5,000 and a Methuselah of Dom Perignon, which was £9,000.
Bottles of vodka, beers and shots brought the bill to just over £52,000, with a service charge of nearly £8,000 bringing the grand total to £60,117.40.
The source added: "Needless to say, their spending attracted quite a few girls who helped them through all the drinks. They were very popular boys by the time they called it a night at 3am.
"The guys were in their mid-forties and had come straight from work as they still had their suits on.
"When their champagne arrived the whole club stood still - each bottle was delivered to the table with sparklers sticking out of the top. They were surrounded by about 20 women all night.
"They were cheering and shouting throughout their evening and told staff they had guessed the outcome of the election to within a seat. They did not reveal how much they had won, but said their £60,000 bill 'wouldn't even touch the sides'."
The World's most expensive christmas cocktail is being launched today at a notorious, London A-list hang-out.
"Flawless", at £35,000 for a glass, promises to break the bank for all but the uber-rich, which some feel is a snub to the rest of us as economists panic over the credit crunch.
The Movida nightclub, which has hosted celebs including Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Jordan and Peter Andre, has already taken a few orders for the drink.
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The Movida nightclub is launching the world's most expensive christmas cocktail
Ingredients in the costly cocktail include a large measure of Louis XII cognac, half a bottle of Cristal Rose champagne, some brown sugar, angostura bitters and a few flakes of 24-carat edible gold leaf, according to The Guardian.
But the real extravagance is an 11-carat white diamond ring - which can be found at the bottom of the glass.
And customers buying the exorbitant cocktail won't go unnoticed. Two security guards will be on watch as the drink is prepared and watch over the client's table until the last sip.
"They're definitely paying for the show as well," said Ed Rollason, the bar's manager.
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The A-list bar claims to be in the top 5 in the world for sales of Crystal champagne
A property developer, who is among the first to order the drink, says it's a christmas present for his girlfriend.
"I just thought it would be a nice thing to do for her. She has so many other things."
Asked if he doesn't have anything better to do with £35,000, he said: "It's about the same as a holiday, isn't it?"
Movida is known for it's extravagance. It claims to be the "world's biggest supplier of Don Perignon" and boasts sailing "effortlessly into the Top 5 in the world for their sales of Crystal champagne."
Less than a quarter of workers could afford the fancy beverage, even if they saved every penny for a year.
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The Movida has hosted private parties for celebs including Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Jordan and Peter Andre
Many received the news as further proof of the irresponsibility of the super-rich.
Labour MP Sion Simon said: "It's like sticking two fingers up at the rest of society.
"You might as well set fire to your money in front of those less well-off.
"It's a very deliberate way of saying 'We are not part of the same country as you.'"
Social commentator Peter York agreed: "It is so gauche, so crashingly crass, that everyone else will see the buyers as barely literate, as one step up from a potato.
"It will be one of those things that unite both the middle class and the old rich in a belief that the super-rich come out of some kind of primeval ooze."
22-year-old Gregory Barnard was having a pretty sweet night with his bros at the Times Square nightclub Arena (pictured) one night over the summer. Fresh out of NYU, the kid spent the evening enjoying a reasonably priced $350 dollar bottle of vodka, watching the club’s far-out video projections, and allegedly getting a beatdown from bouncers for not buying enough booze!
According to Barnard, it all started when the time came to settle the tab and his server seriously harshed the vibe with news of Arena’s 3 bottle minimum, which left her no choice but to charge him an extra $700 bucks for two unordered bottles. When Barnard refused, a series of events unfolded that truly capture the essence of the New York nightclub experience:
After running Barnard’s credit card several times, the waitress claimed it was denied. A bouncer threw him to the floor and held him down while two other bouncers punched and kicked him, he said.So the bouncers dragged him back to the club and held him until the police arrived to arrest him for “theft of services” – a charge which was later dropped. Oh, what a night. Now Barnard is suing Arena for $2 million dollars; he filed suit last week in Manhattan Supreme Court. Forbes has said that New York City has some of the most expensive bottle service in the country. And what’s your worst nightclub bouncer experience – maybe we can get a class action going!They then picked Barnard up and walked him two blocks to an ATM for more money, but the bank had frozen his card because the waitress had already charged $1,400 on it, swiping the card at least nine times, he said.
The Melchizedek - equivalent to 40 standard bottles - stands four feet tall and is worth £4,000.
