Tis the season to help those less fortunate than ourselves. There are numerous opportunities to give back to the community this holiday season. Here are a couple of excellent choices.
AC Weekly columnist Ray Tyler presents his 2nd Annual City Beat-Alternative Soul Toy and Warm Coat Drive. Tyler’s drive will be used to help both the Covenant House and the Atlantic County Youth Advocate Program. Says Tyler, “While you are out shopping please remember our drive. We are looking for new toys (not wrapped), portable CD players and board games. Many of the teens arrive at the Covenant House with nothing but the shirt on their backs, so the more immediate need is for personal hygiene kits (soap, lotion, tooth paste, etc.), as well as warm clothing (socks, sweat-shirts size large or bigger) and umbrellas (for job searching in rainy weather).”

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Tired of co-workers crowding around your cubicle when you’re trying to get something accomplished? Then you’d best not adorn your wall with the sixth annual Babes of Borgata calendar, which goes on sale this Friday, Nov. 28.
The 2009 calendar features 12 beautiful and stylish female Borgata associates in captivating photographs shot throughout Borgata and The Water Club, including Izakaya restaurant, Immersion Spa, and The Water Club’s residence suites and indoor pools. This year’s calendar was photographed by renowned Italian photographer Gian Andrea di Stefano. Over 100 Borgata associates auditioned to represent one of the 12 months.
“The competition was intense because there were so many gorgeous girls who tried out,” says Jamie Gadzia, the Water Club’s lobby ambassador and the 2009 Borgata calendar cover girl. “I just feel honored to be part of such a beautifully designed and photographed calendar.”
At $18.50, the 2009 calendar makes a great holiday gift. It can be purchased at the following Borgata retail stores: WHIM, Essentials in the Living Room, Borgata Collections, Borgata & Company, Cameo at The Water Club, and soon will be available online at www.shopborgata.com.
The official launch party for the calendar will take place Monday, Dec. 1, at mur.mur nightclub, with music provided by Las Vegas’ DJ Five. Doors open 10pm. (Pictured left: Calendar girl Natalia).

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The Showboat has added to the numerous Spa options at area casinos with the opening recently of Vive Day Spa & Salon, a full-service, premier spa dedicated to enhancing personal beauty and improving quality of life.
“Guests will experience an environment dedicated to making you feel and look your very best,” said Karen Worman, Assistant General Manager of the Showboat.

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According to Boyd Gaming Corporation, parent company of the Borgata in Atlantic City, the property’s president and chief operating officer Larry Mullin will step down from his post at the Borgata in January.

Boyd Gaming’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Rob Stillwell tells AC Weekly the company will take the next “few months” to figure out what to do with regard to replacing Mullin.

According to Stillwell, during the interim period, Bob Boughner will return to Atlantic City filling in for Mullin to “lead Borgata.” Boughner. who served as Borgata’s president and CEO until 2006, is still heading up Boyd’s Echelon project in Las Vegas.

An official announcement is expected later today with regard to where Mullin is headed. According to Stillwell, Mullin has accepted a job with the Australian Tabcorp Holdings gaming company.

Read more in this Star-Ledger article.

Well … the ultimate-madonna.com Web site has you covered. Image-wise that is. Click here to see shots from Madge’s Boardwalk Hall show this past Saturday in Atlantic City.

There was a funny coincidence regarding Madonna’s appearance this past weekend. The night before she took the stage at the Hall, there was a celebration of the music from the film Eddie and the Cruisers held at the Hard Rock Cafe at the Trump Taj Mahal.

The guest star was the film’s saxophonist Michael “Tunes” Antunes, who played along with the Billy Walton Band on a bunch of songs from the 25-year-old film, including a goose-bump inducing version of “Tender Years,” which “Tunes” notified the audience was written by his band (John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band) long before the film was made. (”Tunes” was a member of both the real John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band and played the saxman in the fictional band Eddie and the Cruisers for the 1983 movie.)

It was a moving night of music for all those who packed the Hard Rock. So, what’s the coincidence?

Antunes’ son Kevin is Madonna’s musical director and he was in Atlantic City on Saturday. As of Friday night, it appeared that “Tunes,” who drove down from Rhode Island for the gig, was not going to be seeing his son on stage with Madonna the next night. He told the Hard Rock audience he was heading back to New England Saturday morning for another gig in Boston.

For more from Madonna’s A.C. concert, check out this week’s issue.

Fans of the big guy in the red suit should hop on their reindeer-powered transportation and head for the Tropicana Saturday, Dec. 13, to enjoy the Running of the Santas® event. Grab your favorite Santa suit, beards, hats and be ready to run throughout the Tropicana for this one-day event that begins with registration and drink specials at the South Pole Firewaters from 4-5pm, then moves to Hooters from 5-6pm, both in the Marketplace. The run, lead by the Hooters girls, will begin at 6pm (simultaneously with 25 other cities), and the party continues at the North Pole a.k.a. A Dam Good Sports Bar in The Quarter from 6-9pm. The after party will take place at Planet Rose Karaoke Bar and Providence nightclub, both in The Quarter. Carmines restaurant will be offering dining specials from 4-10pm. A Sexiest Santa contest will be hosted in A Dam Good Sports Bar at 8:30pm.
A portion of the ticket sales, as well as all proceeds from a special Lemonade and Vodka drink, will go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
A special Running of the Santas room rate will be available for $125 with code TSANTA. Guests should contact 1-800-THE-TROP or visit our Web site to book rooms. Room rates are based on double occupancy and do not include taxes. For more information on the event or to sign up and purchase your $10 tickets for the Running of the Santas® at Tropicana, visit here.

It’s been 15 years in the making, but Axl Rose and his Slash-less Guns N Roses have finally released the band’s long-awaited album Chinese Democracy.

The album, which goes on sale Sunday exclusively at Best Buy (or online at iTunes), has been getting mixed reviews.

Venerable music writer Edna Gunderson of USA Today describes the album as being heavy “on synthesizers, samples and machined beats without abandoning metallic rock drama, especially in convulsive guitar wig-outs.”

You can hear the new songs at the band’s MySpace page.

This could be the biggest release of the holiday season and be a big boost for the still sagging major label record industry. A tour hasn’t been announced yet, so who knows if the GNR will make its way to Atlantic City in 2009?

Happy Ho! Ho! Ho! Holiday Season to everyone. I know I’m jumping the gun since Black Friday is a week away, but in these desperate economic times, everybody is jumping the gun to get us to fork over some cash for holiday goodies.
In the spirit of helping the economy — and because it sounds like a good family activity — here is a bulletin I’ve been passed along from the North Pole.
Santa Claus is coming to Gardner’s Basin on Saturday Dec. 6. There will be lots of fun for the whole gang with free munchies, including popcorn, cookies, hot chocolate and hot cider, candy canes and free gift-wrapping. The Basin restaurants will be offering specials, and the other merchants and crafters on hand will also be offering their wares at discounted prices. The festivities start at 3pm with Christmas caroling; Santa & his helpers arrive by fire truck at 5pm. Bring your camera since the big man will provide photo ops and greet everyone in his North Pole Chair. The Christmas Tree Lighting is at 5:30pm.

This weekend, on Saturday and Sunday at the Ocean City Music Pier, the annual Ocean City Holiday Craft Show (8th St. and the Boardwalk) will return with a whole new slate of crafters with their handmade crafts. Mary Janto, pictured, is the chief judge of the Christmas Spectacular show.

The chairperson of the Jersey Shore Artisans Guild, she and her committee inspects the work of every new exhibitor to be sure that everything for sale at the fair is handmade.

The fair runs both days from 10am-5pm. Parking is free. A $3 adult donation and all profits from booth rentals will be donated to feed the less fortunate for the holidays.

(Picture: Donald B. Kravitz for City of Ocean City)

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic gas prices throughout the state are at a three-year low.

According to prices recorded by AAA this morning, South Jersey counties were among those across the state with the cheapest regular gas, at $1.89 per gallon.

The state’s average gas price fell to $1.97 today, according to AAA. Prices could drop further after Thanksgiving, says AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman David Weinstein. Now that’s something to be thankful about.