2011 Nightlife Awards Party at Boogie Nights

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURES

Now in its third year, the Reader's Choice Nightlife Awards Party pays tribute to the best in after-dark entertainment as voted by readers of 'Atlantic City Weekly.'

By Ray Schweibert

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 27, 2011

Tiffany will present at the Nightlife Awards Party at Boogie Nights Thursday, Jan. 27, at Resorts Atlantic City.

Labeling the ACWeekly.com Reader’s Choice Nightlife Awards Party an eagerly anticipated annual event so soon after its inception may be a bit presumptuous, but the concept has surely generated a lot of positive response from the Atlantic City-area nightlife community since its 2009 start.

A key reason is that the celebration itself — again hosted by Resorts’ retro-chic nightclub Boogie Nights — is as much fun for those attending as it is gratifying for the recipients of the awards, who this year received about 3,000 votes cast online, or nearly double 2010’s total.

See the winners of the 2011 ACWeekly.com Reader's Choice Nightlife Awards here.

Equally amped-up is the evening’s entertainment slate, which this year will include the debut of an Atlantic City-themed song called “No Limit” that was created by Boogie Nights’ club owner Dave Pena and Jade Starling of the 1980s Philly-formed and South Jersey-based band Pretty Poison.

“[The song’s] a tribute to Atlantic City and Atlantic City nightlife, and it will be matched with a [90-second] video that will open up the nightlife awards party,” says Pena.

Additionally Pena, who is also the proprietor of Planet Rose Karaoke Bar & Cocktail Lounge in The Quarter at Tropicana, tabbed Tiffany — a chart-topping, 1980s teen pop sensation and now a 30-something, multi-genre singing star — to be among the award presenters, one night before her regularly scheduled gig at Boogie Nights (Fri. Jan. 28). Tiffany had two hits that reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts in 1987 — “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Could’ve Been,” and another that made No. 7 that same year, “I Saw Him Standing There.”

“Generally I prefer working with a band since there’s always some spontaneity happening musically with a band, but I also love club gigs because people have such an energy in a club,” Tiffany tells Atlantic City Weekly. “You’re working off the people and the energy a little more with a track [nightclub] gig, so it still opens that door to spontaneity a little bit.

“That’s why I will probably never get tired of singing ‘I Think We’re Alone Now,’ because — and this is going to sound sort of goofy — but once I start singing [the opening lyrics] ‘Children behave’ everyone starts going crazy and it brings such happiness to people, which I love. There’s something about that song that makes people feel good, and music is supposed to do that. It’s supposed to speak to your soul, and the memories that are attached to that song allow me to have a really good time with my fans. They usually do this dance that they’ve made up, and sometimes people get all dressed up like in the ’80s, which is part of the fun of it. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Among those joining Tiffany as award presenters are Philadelphia Daily News entertainment columnist Chuck Darrow, Atlantic City Weekly editor and co-creator of the Nightlife Awards Jeff Schwachter, and AC Weekly columnists David Spatz, Whitney Ullman and Raymond Tyler. There will be more than two dozen awards presented in categories including best dance club, best happy hour, best industry night, best wine/beer selections, best resident DJ, and best bartender.

“I’m really looking forward to Atlantic City,” adds Tiffany. “It’s been a while since I’ve been there. I plan to come in a little early, look around, maybe go to dinner and take in the city a bit.”

According to Resorts director of media communications Courtney Birmingham, the hotel-casino’s cocktail waitresses will be donned in their new 1920s-themed uniforms and passing out complimentary flutes of champagne. There will be special room rates and restaurant specials going on the night of the party, including, on a first-come first-served basis, a special room rate of $39. Call 1-800-772-9000 and use promo code ACAWARD.

“We’re also running a great late-night steak promotion at Breadsticks Cafe & Grill, which is a steak dinner usually priced at $20 for just $2.99,” says Birmingham. “It’s available from 11pm to 7am, so people could definitely give that a try after the nightlife awards.”

The ACWeekly.com Nightlife Awards Party had been invite-only during the past two years, but this year everyone in the hospitality industry — bartenders, cocktail servers, managers, dancers, DJs, performers, etc. — are welcome to attend. You must be at least age 21.

ACWeekly.com Reader’s Choice Nightlife Awards Party
Where: Boogie Nights at Resorts
When: Thursday, Jan. 27, starting 8pm
How Much: Free.

Three Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Tiffany:

1. Tiffany (full name Tiffany Renee Darwish) rose to iconic teen-queen stardom in the late 1980s, and one of her biggest competitors in the race to the top of the Billboard charts back then was Debbie Gibson. Recently the two — who never had an unfriendly relationship or a relationship of any sort over the years — will star together in a soon-to-debut Sci-Fi thriller called Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.

It comes out on Feb. 29 on the Sci-Fi Channel and there will actually be a huge premier in New York at the Ziegfeld Theater, which I’m over the moon about because it’s such a historical theater. I’m a huge sci-fi fan, and to be part of a movie with them is great.

[Gibson] was a blast [to work with]. I think this is the first time we’ve ever really been able to relax, take it all in, have fun, be ourselves and not really be in a situation where we’re competing. We’re working off of each other and we’re in this together, and who would have thought that pythons and gators would have unified us. [laughs].

We’ve never had any kind of relationship of any sort. There have been rumors that we hate each other. No. Music is a dog-eat-dog kind of world, and you’re always competing for that top spot, but we’ve never had unkind words. We’ve actually never really even talked before this movie.

But the two of us, when pulled aside, were just girls being girls, talking about the past, which never happened before. Now that it has, I’m happy to say we have this newfound friendship that I think will last for a long time.

She’s originally from Orange County, California, but is living in Nashville, Tennessee, and working on a country-blues album.

It’s insane how many talented people there are down here. It’s awesome as a performer to be amongst people where you can learn so much and shine, and establish so many lifelong friendships. People are very embracive of other artists, and I haven’t found that anyplace else than Nashville. Here people pick up a guitar and play music just for fun, or just because it’s a part of them. When people have dinner parties, everybody brings an instrument and is willing to sing along, whether they’re a recording artist or not. I love that. I love to sing, and not just when I’m on stage. I’m always showing off.

This is my second time living here [Nashville]. I moved here in the early ’90s and was here for about three years. I had to move back to California — real life happened — but as soon as I could get back I was all about it. I’m in the process of doing a new country-blues album, so I’m in the perfect place with great musicians. I’ve been working on this endeavor for about 10 years now, so I’m really excited to see it all coming full circle.

I have a nice home in the country, eight and a half acres. I also have eight dogs, so I need the space, but I love the lifestyle down here. It’s really laid back and I love the music scene.

She is a workaholic — and a shopaholic.

I’m a workaholic, which is part of the reason why I [moved] to the country because I need to take a breath and enjoy the day, and have everything in balance. Otherwise I would just go, go, go until I’d drop, and I don’t recommend that for anybody. It’s been a bad habit. I mean, it’s important to have a good work ethic, but you can burn yourself out, so being in the country allows me to relax on weekends and enjoy my home, and just literally sit back and be inspired and get ready for the next journey. It’s just a drive, and a need to keep busy. I’ve always wanted to do this since I was a little girl, so I’ve been lucky enough to have my dream come true. I’m a shopaholic as well, so sometimes I miss California and all the retail instant gratification you can get going down the 405 Freeway, where you can literally find anything.

When I go back to California it’s kind of over stimulation, whereas for me in Nashville I really love the warmth of the people, and the fact that you can sit down and get to know your neighbor, and it’s not strange to stay in during the weekend. You’re not looked at as an underachiever.

I’ve definitely lived, put it that way, and there’s still a lot of ground to cover. My son’s now in college and I’ve experienced a whole different thing since he’s out of the house. You’re sad at first, and then it’s like ‘It’s all about me again.’— RS