Over this weekend, Blue Frog celebrated its grand opening in Macau's Venetian in a glitzy event that featured performances by Shaolin monks, Australian DJ Alex Taylor and Shanghai's very own Sugar Mama and the Cotton Club Band. Apparently, quite a number of people flew over from Shanghai for the event (too bad for us, we were never invited). In this video, Blue Frog looks a lot more like a club than anything else, and certainly......

Our Shanghai champions that went to the finals of the Cocktail World Cup held in Queenstown, New Zealand, have come back and done us proud! Unshaken by an itinerary that included some really extreme cocktail shaking via bungy-jumping, on top of a mountain and on a jet boat, Cross from Vault and Alex from Volar (together with Johnsen from Aria in Beijing) emerged fourth after Teams Vegas, New Zealand and England. Okay, so they weren't......

He's performed shows around the world from London to Los Angeles, from Vegas to Berlin and from Zurich to Tokyo. Earlier this year, world-class magician Marco Tempest, the Virtual Magician, was hired by Daihatsu for Auto Shanghai, apparently the world's second largest car fair. Watch him in this newly released video as he goes around Shanghai, rehearses for the big show and impresses the girls backstage. Pretty interesting stuff. At least we now know one......

Shaanxi official fired after mistresses revolt [Shanghai Daily] 11 angry mistresses have caused Pang Jiayu, 63, former top political adviser in Shaanxi Province, to lose his job. China pledges more support to Caribbean region [Xinhua] China plans to offer 4 billion yuan (US$530 million) in low-interest loans to Chinese firms in three years to encourage more investment in Caribbean regions. Western acts rock Beijing music fest [AFP] Thousands of Chinese music fans flocked to a......

Shanghaiist really needed a break and what better place to take that break than... the Venetian? I know what you're thinking: biggest casino in the world + gambling Chinese tourists = a big fat headache. Well, it wasn't that bad, really. The Venetian was fully booked over the weekend so we could only get one night at the Vegas transplant... which was quite enough for us. The casino is an exact replica of its Vegas......

The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort Hotel is finally open for business on Macau's Cotai, and can you believe our local Blue Frog is somewhere in that building? Las Vegas Sands claims the 10.5 million square foot Venetian — twice the size of the Las Vegas original — is the largest building in Asia. Sands' next casino in Asia -- which at US$3.6 billion will be one of the costliest casino-resorts ever -- will......

We just got word that Blue Frog will be opening a restaurant at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel on August 28th. From their press release: blue frog bar & grill is strategically located on the main casino level of The Venetian, which opens its doors on August 28. The stylish 6,500 sq ft, 200 seat venue, will offer all-day dining from breakfast, lunch and dinner to afternoon snacks, wines and cocktails. “While incorporating the classic elements of......

GDP grows 11.9% in second quarter China's annual economic growth surged to an 11- year high of 11.9 percent in the second quarter, cementing expectations for tighter policy to keep the world's fastest-growing major economy from overheating. Beijing also blistered ahead, growing at 12.1% in the same period. Vatican: Beijing bishop a ‘very good’ candidate Despite not being chosen by the pope, the new Beijing bishop is a “very good” candidate, the Vatican said Wednesday......

Even as 85-year-old Macau gambling mogul Stanley Ho is in hospital undergoing treatment for constipation and an injured rectum, the word is out that Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the world's biggest casino draw. Macau's 22 casinos raked in over US$7 billion last year while Las Vegas' 40 casinos lagged behind at US$6.6 billion. A few hours away, Singapore has also placed its bets on the gaming market. In 2005, the government lifted a......

Are you in the Chinese stock market? We're guessing the answer is no for most of you — by law, only Chinese nationals are allowed to purchase A Shares traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges. Well, sucks to be you (and us). We're missing out on a get-rich-quick opportunity of a lifetime, as millions of Chinese are swept up in stock trading mania. The International Herald Tribune reports: There is no exact Chinese translation......

While the rest of the world is wondering how George W. Bush will further fuck up Iraq and where Becks and Posh are going to settle in L.A., we came across a report about a concert event in Las Vegas: The two-day event — designed to serve as a showcase for Chinese bands in America and vice versa — will take place at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino Theatre of the Arts on February 13......

As most American Football fans know, and ESPECIALLY University of Michigan fans (GO BLUE!) there's a huge game this weekend when #1 ranked Ohio State takes on #2 Michigan in Columbus. Back in Americaland, they're calling it the came of the decade. It's. Gonna. Be. AWESOME. For those football greenhorns out there, it's exceedingly rare for two top ranked teams playing each other during the regular season -- these games are scheduled years in advance,......

It may be the pariah for self-respecting filmmakers (and film buffs) everywhere, but if it’s true that there’s no business like show business, then, the Oscars are anything but irrelevant. Case in point: The recent announcement that China will have not one, but two of its own submitted for consideration in the crapshoot otherwise known as the Best Foreign Film category. Of course, it never hurts when you’re able to find a loophole in the......

We first learned of Italian photographer Olivo Barbieri's work earlier this year. His unique aerial tilt-shift photos look great online -- and we can't wait to see them in person. Starting tomorrow (Monday) at Bund 18, you can view his "Site Specific" exhibit. From MOCA Cleveland: In site_specific_, his ongoing series of films and largescale stills, Italian artist Olivo Barbieri creates unusual aerial portrayals of various international cities. Filming from a helicopter with a tilt-shift......

If it weren't for our life as an -ist, we're not sure we'd ever leave our apartment. Fortunately, to fully -ist, one must seek out the new, the fresh, and the unknown. Brand new, or just new to us, that's what we're all about this week. Phillyist keeps it fresh by getting a new motto, learning to prioritize, and taking in an experimental indie rock show. Torontoist does their first post in franglais, gets ready......

Could big-time boxing be headed to China? If Hasim Rahman defeats your-favorite-and-ours Oleg Maskaev August 12 in Las Vegas, maybe. (Although we admit it's hard to call any heavyweight bout from the past 15 years or so "big time.") ESPN.com's Dan Raphael writes: [Promoter Bob] Arum told ESPN.com that he is talking to Showtime boxing boss Ken Hershman about holding a Rahman title defense Nov. 4 in Macau, a special administrative region of China located......

This unhealthy obsession with movies is going to stop soon ... but first, we just have to tell you what we just heard. Jackie Chan and Jet Li, together, in a time-travel kung fu story? You best believe it: Based on a classic Chinese legend, the story follows a teenager who gets transported to ancient China after he steals a mystical staff from a New York pawnshop.The youngster enlists the help of a motley crew......

Wild hare and boar can now be served in Shanghai restaurants. This follows the legalization of wild spotted deer earlier in the year. The Grand Hyatt in Pudong is one of the five restaurants in Shanghai that will offer the meats (if you don't count your neighborhood kebab guy who has been selling you "wild game" for years).Las Vegas is bracing for a Chinese invasion: "Chinese travelers love to shop and typically outspend guests from......

Remember back in late 2004 when plans for a Playboy "lifestyle club" in Shanghai were announced and then halted over the span of a couple days? Well, a look at the minutes from a recent Playboy conference call with investors shows there is still hope for the Bunnies to hop over the Huangpu: Melissa Otto (Analyst) I would like to get a little bit more color on the clubs they are rolling out for next......

More people should have listened to analyst Kelvin Tan of Las Vegas Sands, the Nevada-based hotel, gaming and retail corporation. When reports began appearing on various horse-racing websites at the end of October stating that Beijing Jockey Club had been awarded an unprecedented 12-month gambling license, Mr Tan swam against the tide, maintaining that the Chinese government would continue to restrict betting to table games in border casinos. Had his bearish stance been adopted earlier......

It's "rat breeding season" in Shanghai and the city is running a "rat sweep" campaign through November 11. "Businesses and residents will be able to get information about rats, how to control, catch and kill them, from their local health campaign office." Lovely.The first Miss Hooters China was crowned recently -- and there are three of them. "I can meet new friends, broaden my mind and have fun," said Zhou Shouya, one of the winners......

It was just over a year ago that Shanghaiist was with a company -- whose CEO is rumored to have been beaten-up by thugs at least once and possibly arrested for fraud by Chinese police -- that was commissioned to write up a business plan for a Chinese developer based in People's Square, looking to add a little amusement park gaudiness to the Square's collection of museums. The developer had been making frequent trips between......

The Crystal Method at Miami's 2005 Winter Conference music festival Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland met while working at a strip club in Las Vegas -- thankfully they were just the DJs! Better known as The Crystal Method, they moved to Los Angeles and made their fame mixing breakbeats into rock riffs. Their arrival in Shanghai later this week -- July 16 at La Fabrique -- follows an ascension over the last decade to......