What is it?

Clubbing sunglasses are real sunglass wear, but its lenses are of a lighter colour, often gradient, a bit darker toward the top. These products were made with a party style in mind to compliment your night celebration outfit. Since the idea is not really to protect you from the sun, these often come with a lens of some bright color such as yellow, pink, blue, purple etc.

What’s fun about them?

Well, there are lots of fun factors. One would be the look. You may not have had time to put on a fancy makeup, especially given the busy work schedule in the end of year. These shades will hide your imperfections.

When you wear such a beautiful accessory you can devote less attention to clothing. Clubbing shades will attract so much attention that what you wear will be less of a factor.

Do they have UV protection?

Yes. High quality clubbing shades do have 100% UV protection. You absolutely can wear them to protect your eyes from the sun. You will find them much more comfortable during sunset or during the non-shiny days as compared to your full blown dark sunglasses. Sun may not be shining bright, but it still produces UV harmful to your eyes and skin, so these glasses will be an amazing alternative.

Where to buy them

You can get them in high end optical boutiques often found in malls. Since you don’t need to worry so much about them fit perfectly good place could also be optical websites. We recommend EyeInform – online eyewear boutique. Here are some examples from their website:

Clubbing Sunglasses for Men:

• GUCCI 1627
• GUCCI 1798/N
• Dior CINQUANTE 2
• Bvlgari BV5015

Clubbing Sunglasses for Ladies:

• GUCCI 2846
• GUCCI 3059
• GUCCI 3110
• GUCCI 3129
• Dior Very Dior
• DIOR INDINIGHT 2

amsterdam bicycle club toronto

Ok, perhaps it’s just me travelling so much, but I love theme bars. When venue owners show their creativity in décor, of course in addition to creativity in food and drink menu, this just gives another reason to go there and be truly entertained. Why not have more fun? Why…

Here is my list:

Pravda Vodka Bar has been around for a few years and was inspired by Red Square in Las Vegas. Their theme is what I call Russian Communistic Eclecticism. You will find lots of red color, some rifles, some matryoshkas and of course Lenin as a part of the décor. All of this creates an atmosphere that simply makes your reach for a vodka shot and some caviar – yes, they have lots of this on the menu. When trying to get in however, make sure you plan ahead of time – I have made two attempts and every time failed due to extremely long lines and both times crossed the street to the next featured bar – Marché

Marché is a whole mini cluster of European food kiosks and stands surrounded by crafty seating area. Walking by some of these kiosks that offer anything from Danish pies, to Italian pizzas to French soups and crepes, will make you feel that you are in Tuscan village market square or Paris busy quarter. For more sophisticated visitors there are a number of sit down restaurants part of the venue. There is Italian, Seafood and French options to satisfy any taste. One of the best theme resto bars in Toronto.

Amsterdam Bicycle Club’s theme is in its name. Creative décor features old fashioned bicycles, stained glass

pravda vodka bar toronto

chandeliers, and beautiful photos of Amsterdam, its surrounding towns, events and history of bicycles. Bar has opened in July 2010 and is a great fresh spot for stylish drinkers.

Tattoo Rock Parlour is not your ordinary rock club – it is a fancy, polished, theme nightclub featuring beautiful leather seating, gigantic photos of “may be you” and some “Adams Family” styled chairs. The word tattoo in the name actually has a direct meaning – you can get inked here while listening to a live band. Place is very clean and high scale, so don’t be shy bringing your business partner here.

Laide Bar uncovers a theme you would expect in Toronto – sex. To be more precise – getting laid. Theme is supported by very sincere naked body sculptures facing each other that stand so close together that it’s hard to walk by and not get touched by them. Some of the figures are actually touching themselves – ooh, ok I won’t elaborate anymore. Go there, see, experience and enjoy.

Cadillac Lounge has a theme devoted to stylish cars and Elvis. May be it’s because Elvis liked Cadillacs? Hm… who knows. Bar is famous for its patio, cozy interior and size – it’s very big. There is also a big real car hanging over the main entry, so you won’t miss it. This lounge is popular among local crowd of all different calibre – business, friend groups, birthday party celebrators.

If there are bars/pubs/lounges that didn’t make our list, please comment and I will gladly add them. Our criteria for this article were a distinctive narrow theme and creative décor that truly resembles that theme. So something like Irish bar won’t make a list, but something like “Titanic” would.

Mike, please tell us how did you start.

It all began when I was about 16. I was a dancer entering various local competitions. One of them was “American Bandstand”, 50-80s version of “So You Think You Can Dance”. I spent eight months on “Bandstand” as a spotlight dancer, six months on “Dance Party USA,” and on the others maybe a few months after. While having very active nightlife I got introduced to nightclub business and began assisting a local Washington nightclub owner. Part of my job was act as a VIP host for the artists and celebrities that performed at our venue.

So, you acted as a Promoter for a Washington club?

Yes. I organized promotions and created new ways to popularize our venue such as record release parties, listening parties, after-concert parties, music video locations, etc., many of these concepts were still new at that time in Washington.

When exactly did you officially open the agency?

In 1998. While promoting a club, I developed contacts and established friendships with most of the artists I met. As I was in contact with music stars I started to be approached by other venues who were interested in booking talent at their clubs and events throughout Maryland. I realized that my heart was in talent management and went to open Esterman Entertainment, a full service talent booking company. I began receiving calls from promoters and club owners like Angel Sanchez, Philip Neary and Kevin Novak outside Maryland to set up after-concert parties for artists performing in their cities. Now I work with club owners worldwide like Mike L. in London and Eddie Perez in Dubai.

Who were your first celebrity clients?

Roger Lodge of blind Date TV Show, Carmen Electra and Rob Base and EZ Rock to name a few…

My current celebrity list is long and growing.  I work with many artists such as Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, Antonio Sabato Jr., Tito Ortiz, Garth Brooks, Jessica Simpson, Don King, Paris Hilton, Carmen Electra, Mario Lopez. I also work on events and after parties for music artists like, POISON, Third Eyed Blind, 3 Doors Down, Lady GaGa, Jay Sean, Colby O’Donis, Alicia Keys, Usher, Nelly, Beyonce, Fabolous, P. Diddy, Vince Neil, LL Cool among others.

What are the types of events various types of celebrities commonly appear at, and what they are expected to do?

Music artists like events that promote their business. These include album release parties, concert promotions, music festival after parties etc. Music artists are often expected to perform when booked at events, play a song or a few. This makes a great win-win for both clubs and artists.

Models and movie stars are a fit for a wide range of appearances that span from meet & greet, conventions, health clubs, radio stations, nightclubs, autograph signings, hosting contests or promotional campaigns of their shows or movies to the public.

We hear sensations such as Paris Hilton being paid $350,000 for a few hour club appearance. Is it really that expensive to book a celebrity?

No, it is quite affordable for most of venues. It is true that the price can range anywhere from $500 to a few millions. It all depends on a celebrity profile, scale of the event and how many people are involved. Playboy models and reality TV stars are very affordable. There is a difference between a Playboy model and a Playboy Playmate though. You can get a model for about $500. A Playmate is about $1000. You can get reality stars, kids from MTV shows like The Real World and Laguna Beach or The Bachelor for about $1000.

When we are talking a private concert, say, Justin Timberlake, price can shoot over $2 million. But remember, a concert takes time to prepare, there is a back vocal and dance team attached in addition to full blown music entourage that comes on stage with the artist. Payoffs are also different. Private concert will typically get ticket sales, on occasion it is a corporate event and budget is allocated in advance.

What should a venue keep in mind when booking a celebrity?

Celebrities are very busy people, they work long schedules and often book 12 months ahead. Clubs should always keep this in mind as it will help them get right people and for the better price. As a part of booking arrangement a venue is expected to cover a flight, hotel, meals and ground transportation. If the celebrity is already going to be in your area, that’s a good way to save money on travel because you don’t have to pay for some of it. For example, many of the MTV Real World kids go around the country speaking at different colleges and like to pick up a nightclub appearance as well. Or a musician who is already performing a concert on Thursday may want to pick up a nightclub appearance on Friday. Then you don’t have to pay for airfare, just an extra hotel room night.

Knowing who will be in your area is often tricky. I list the ones I do know about on my Web site at www.Esterman.com. If it is a music star, you most likely can get their schedule off their website, or check the ticketmaster.com to see who is in your area during the dates you are working on to fill.

What is the process of booking a talent through you?

First, you tell me a few names you want to book. You can check my website for ideas. If a name you are interested in is not there, I can still contact them and make them an offer. The ones who are listed on my web site are actively looking to book these types of engagements, so it may be easier to get them as a result. If you don’t have names or ideas, you can tell me what kind of event you are doing or perhaps type of celebrity: film, model, music, reality TV and I will make a few recommendations.

So you choose a celebrity, tell me how much you’re willing to spend. Then, I make the offer to the celebrity, and if they’re available I draw up a contract and you put down a deposit. It’s that easy. Contract is more than just a bunch of legal terms, in fact, it’s nothing like that. It is a working schedule that spells out everything you need to know in advance about your actions, celebrity responsibilities and mine.

What happens if a star cancels? Has it ever happened?

When cancellations happen which are very rare, the purchaser gets their deposit refunded and a new date may be scheduled.

What is venue responsibility in area of security?

The purchaser always provides the security requested in each instance per the rider which usually includes only 1 personnel assign to them at the venue.

Besides the daily business is there anything new and unusual you are working on now?

I’m now in the process of expanding the scope of operations by venturing into new areas of branding and entertainment. I will be working with E! TV to produce its own TV show “The Real Life Entourage” type of program to highlight the daily grind that goes on behind the scene to make the end result possible to book any celebrity at any location worldwide.

You can see some of my past TV appearances here: http://www.youtube.com/estermanentertainmen

Another area of development is to provide in-house marketing and endorsements for clients and some Management roles with select clients where needed.

The highest paid celebrity appearance recorded in a nightclub industry was $350,000 paid to Lindsay Lohan by Pure Nightclub, Las Vegas. Although diva had to later repay the fee because party was cancelled due to scheduled rehab session, the fee was record breaking so far. Same club paid Paris Hilton $200,000 to celebrate her 24th birthday a few years ago. Britney Spears has also earned $350,000 for hosting a New Year’s Eve at the Pure, but this event was more than just appearance. Britney had to do more work than hang out, she gave speeches, made introductions and was expected to perform.

Another club famous for such promotion techniques is Tao Nightclub, Las Vegas. Records show $50,000 cash to Kim Kardashian and $110,000 to Pamela Anderson. Shore Club in Miami cashed $150,000 to Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz.

Why would a night venue pay such a high price for celebrity clubbing? Some clubs do state that they never pay celebs. Of course we do see photos of stars coming out of clubs posted on People, Yahoo and other websites and it is often the case that they just came to party along with everyone else. ­There is also a number of clubs owned by famous persona such as Viper Room, Los Angeles (owned by Jonny Depp), Eve, Las Vegas and Kiss, Los Angeles (both owned by Eva Longorina) where it is a given that occasionally you may spot a rightful owner who is there for a completely different reason.

There are instances, however, when clubs recruit a celebrity as part of a promotional effort to attract customers to a special event such as New Year or Prom Night. When marketing is done right, celebrities can generally account for substantial increases in business. In case of featured appearances, or so called “celeb nights”, a higher cover may be charged or much more people are expected to show up. If you do a simple math, with a cover fee of $40, all it’s needed is additional 250 people to break even on average celebrity cost. Visitors also tend to spend more on bottle service as mood is better and calibre of event is higher. Such marketing trick also becomes an instant PR as generated buzz lasts for weeks after party is over giving more credibility and fame to a club.

“Everyone pays celebrities to come to their clubs,” says Andrew Sasson, co-owner of Jet Las Vegas. “It’s all part of the marketing in this business. Anyone who tells you they don’t is lying. The question is: Do you pay with cash, or provide a jet, a meal, drinks and hotel rooms?”

As to Canadian clubs, most common to host celebrities are Muzik (David Beckham, Jude Law), The Fifth (Paris Hilton, Matt Damon) and Ultra (Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton, Lindsay Lohan).

The Wheat Sheaf Tavern (King & Bathurst) is known as Toronto’s oldest tavern (est. 1848). Even today the Wheat Sheaf’s interior still retains its charm. Its simple wooden tables and chairs create welcoming atmosphere and its simple menu is most likely not too different from 150 years ago. This tavern is hugely popular among tourists and locals and is believed to be the main drinking destination for soldiers of Fort York.

Bloor Annex area (Bloor St. & Spadina Ave.) of Toronto has more than one bar holding historical value. The Brunswick House has been established in 1876 and during the first 50 years attracted local working class. Nicknamed as “the Brunny”, this bar nowadays is a very popular among University of Toronto students due to its large menu and attractive prices. Although inside does not look like much, style and decor has maintained the history of The Brunswick House giving its visitors a feel of 19th century Toronto’s social life.

Just few buildings away from the Brunny the Paupers Pub stands as one of the most beautiful pubs in Toronto. Pub itself is relatively young, but it occupies one of the oldest buildings on the street. First built in 1914 for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce the building holds its original architecture and impresses with exterior richness. Pub takes all three floors that uniquely retain all internal bank structure with its brass posts, teller platforms and lights.

Murphy’s Law in the Beaches area is also a transformed bank. It is believed to once be a Canadian Bank of Commerce, although only a few records surfaced when we did this research. Murphy’s Law is a traditional Irish Pub that delivers the story of the largest ethnic population of the 19th century Toronto that was formed as a result of the Great Irish Famine escape and immigration to Canada.

Clinton’s Tavern located in Toronto Entertainment District opened its doors in 1937. This pre-war establishment was once divided in two distinct areas – upper for “members only” and lower for everyone else willing to spare a change for a drink. Clinton’s Tavern was reborn in 1985 to become a fully blown dancing and live music venue. According to our research Clinton’s is the oldest night club in Toronto.

We decided that there are enough people who want to take advantage of this concept and socialize on the topic of nightlife. When doing our research we also discovered that there are no social networks for professionals operating in a night life industry. So we decided to build UtoldUs. It was very expensive to build and when we were done, it was most natural to invite our best friends to join first. To our great surprise 90% of them didn’t join. Even after multiple invites they still didn’t join. In the meanwhile many of these friends were joining other niche social networks that their friends didn’t built and they were inviting us! Did this hurt? Yes it did. If you were to spend 8 months to build a store, let everyone know about it and then your best friends would never visit you, would it hurt?

We quickly learnt that people who were responding to invites or just finding UtoldUs on the Internet and joining were people who we had no personal relationships with at all. The least we knew the people, the more likely they joined. We also learnt that if we get mad on our friends for not joining we will have no friends. Perhaps it is just a simple human nature. Many of us have friends who own their own stores and service businesses but we still give business to their competitors because they suit our needs more.

We are quite curious and would love to hear your experiences with other social networks. It is still a new trend and it will take a while for it to become as established in everyone’s mind as blogs are today.

UtoldUs Andrew Cole at Horseshoe Tavern

best quality music and meet anyone from your old weirdo neighbour to Paris Hilton (and yes she was there too) disregarding who is playing. This is the place where people come primarily to listen to performing bands as oppose to regular hanging out and drinking. Although drinking at Horseshoe is also wonderful. This tradition emerged through the years, perhaps because people who came in to hang out were so captivated by music on stage that they came out as listeners.

Horseshoe Tavern is known for promoting new talents. We visited a new talent event recently and would like to help the Tavern in this great mission and cover some of the bands in this blog.

Andrew Cole is a Canadian singer and a music songwriter. At the Horseshoe Andrew delivered his incredible talent through songs out of his new album “Why We Wonder”. As far as music identity is concerned, depending on the song, you’d place him anywhere between rock, folk, country and mix of three blended with electric sound. His magnetic voice delivers self written songs that have very deep meaning and capture the audience from the first seconds. Andrew is a rising star, now in a team of a professional manager, without any doubt will soon become a national star and we were very happy to hear his act at the Horseshoe.

UtoldUs Hot White Chocolate Horseshoe Tavern

Hot White Chocolate made their live performance debut at the Horseshoe with several rock songs. Band members B

Smith (lead vocals, guitar), Johnny Bodega (drums, percussion), Paul Joachim (guitars, keyboards) and Myles O’Brien (bass, backing vocals) immediately attracted the audience with very solid and energetic solos. The band’s memorable drums and guitars sounded like the band has been together for much longer than a year (band est. 2009). Don’t be humble Hot White Chocolate –  talent is wings!

The Black Devils Brigade is a Toronto rock and roll band has really raised the audience from their seats. Band members Jimmy,

UtoldUs Black Devils Brigade

Danny, Ted and Erik deliver rock with a unique blues accent, great solo and phenomenal energy. They had fun playing – we had fun drinking and drinking and drinking…

So … next time you go by Queens St & Spadina Ave in Toronto drop in to Horseshoe for a drink and who knows, maybe you will get lucky to get entertained by a great music talent.

The Who Concert in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, December 3, 1979 is considered the one of bloodiest concerts in the history of the US nightlife with the death toll of 11 people. Tragedy occurred due to the crowd rushing for seating after the doors were opened and stepping to death some of the fans. Interestingly, concert was still held and The Who notified about the disaster only after the concert was over.

Callejeros concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina took 194 lives when fire broke in the nightclub on December 30, 2004. Fire was initiated by pyrotechnic flare that organizers ordered to use as special effects. Out of 3000 people who attended 714 were reported as injured due to inability to exit the building on time. Most of the doors were tightly shut to control sneaking in without paying.

Damageplan concert in Alrosa Villa nightclub was by far most dramatic in the US nightlife history. On December 8, 2004 Darrell Abbott was shot while performing in front of 250 witnesses. Drama didn’t end on Durrell. After shooting lead guitarist of Damageplan, gunman opened fire on public shooting total of 3 more and injuring 7 before being taken down by a policeman.

Great White’s concert at The Station Nightclub in February 20, 2003 claimed 100 lives when, similar to Callejoros’s, fire ignited the building due to unsafe use of pyrotechnic. Out of total 460 people attended about half were injured in addition to deaths. When the fire broke in the middle of the Great White’s opening song most of the fans rushed through a main door unaware of other 3 side doors and blocked the exit.

The Free Altamont Rolling Stones Concert took place on December 6, 1969. Rolling Stones took responsibility for organization of the event and by virtue of creativity invited Hells Angels to be part of the security. Angels did their job and arguably saved Mick Jagger from assassination by stabbing one of the fans who drew a gun while standing right before the stage. Unusual violence in over 300,000 crowd during the concert resulted in 4 deaths. While compared to other events, Altamont Free Concert is not considered the most tragic, but is certainly the most talked about up until today.

While this article is about deadly concerts we must mention the absolute deadliest nightclub event that occurred at the Cocoanut Grove Club in Boston on November 28, 1942. During the regular nightclub activity a soldier was trying to put back a light bulb that he removed to get privacy kissing his girlfriend. Later when attempting to put a light bulb back in the dark, soldier lit a match that fell into a pot with artificial palm tree that in a just seconds put on fire surrounding decoration area and then entire nightclub. Event claimed 492 people thus entering the history as the most tragic in the night club industry.

Centrifuge (MGM Grand Hotel & Casino) – casual social bar that occasionally features dancing barmen. Place is located inside the hotel dividing MGM Grand and West Wing. While sitting inside perfectly round bar you will enjoy view onto the Lion Habitat and MGM’s Casino.

West Wing Bar (MGM Grand Hotel & Casino) – very red inside bar creates atmosphere of surreal and edgy time being where you will quickly forget why you even came there. Bar is great but only one comment – music during the day would be nice too.

Zuri (MGM Grand) is a great place to make a break from gambling and hardcore walking through the strip. While being a bar, this place has few snacks and is of a higher scale than Centrifuge. You will enjoy comfortable seating and walking wait staff.

Brand Lounge (Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino) is a stylish lounge overlooking Monte Carlo’s grand casino. Great place for casual, business and even formal, in Las Vegas terms, gatherings. Also the lounge is highly recommended for pre-party, pre-dinner drinks for only $3 per drink between 5-7 pm. In Las Vegas drinks are averaging $12, so Brand Lounge has certainly won our “favourite drinking hub” vote.

The Pub (Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino) is fun during day and night. It is not uncommon to see live performers at noon in this contemporary and very well designed pub. Very much in Monte Carlo style, beautiful and grand with creative beer barrel wall installation, pub also offers a variety of tasty food, burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.

The Deuce Lounge (Aria Hotel & Casino) is worth visiting as much as this newly built hotel that opened its doors in early 2010. As everything else in this 5 star hotel, Deuce Lounge provides modern, chic and sophisticated feel. With fantastic wood interior you will enjoy both business and casual meeting.

Union (Aria Hotel & Casino) very much like The Deuce Lounge, is a modern high class lounge with sophisticated menu and rich design. Spider net wooden panels make a statement and attract crowd to this lounge for a meal, drink or both.

City Bar (Aria Hotel & Casino) is busy day and night guaranteeing you fun drink and relaxation during the hottest Las Vegas day. Although prices may seem a bit high, remember it is a 5 star hotel… you won’t be disappointed by service and atmosphere.

Silk Road (Vdara Hotel & SPA) is a prime spot at the newly opened (2010) hotel Vdara adjacent to now reputable Aria. Its astounding design demonstrates fantasy and talent of the most unconstrained interior artists. Wavy panels and translucent light create a true Las Vegas feel that is worth exploring.

Bar Vdara (Vdara Hotel & SPA) is a busy spot even during the day. You will not be disappointed by modern, plant & aqua inspired design and friendly bar staff. Grab a martini or two in this bar and forget about any troubles. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, remember?

Sensi (Bellagio) is a resto-lounge that has put huge accent on food. Definitely a place to go for a formal dinner or just a good quality dinner. But, please, don’t limit yourself to food only. Wine, martini, cocktails are an absolute must in this fancy spot.

Yellowtail (Bellagio) is a Japanese Lounge for sake lowers. Like anything in Bellagio this place is chic with very good food and Japanese style drinks. If you get seats overlooking the fountain after 10 pm you can also expect unique entertainment of Bellagio Music Fountains show. Instead of standing in the crowd outside why not grab a drink at Yellowtail and enjoy the view in much comfortable way?

Are there any bars that we missed? Which ones are your favourites?

Ask yourself few questions first:

1. What qualities you would want your long term partner to have?
2. Why even have a long term partner?

Chances are some of the answers had something along the lines “It is important that he/she has common interests with me ” or “I need someone to spend good time with” or even “I would love to have someone I can have fun with”.

Now ask yourself the next question:

What may scare you off from meeting him/her again?

Chances are that you would put “He was too boring” or even  “She said she wants kids and get married”.

As you see it all comes down to how much fun you had. Fan factor is imperative in building relationships from zero. If you had fun with that person, how good looking or well educated or wealthy the other person is, all comes down in priorities. In fact way too often people end up together when they have completely different  build in mind when imagining their perfect partner. If you are trying to create a relationship during your first date try to avoid your problems, marriage, kids, future plans topics and concentrate on your hobbies, things you would love to do together, favourite food, music and interests.