ATLANTIC CITY — McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks, located at Harrah’s Atlantic City, hosted a remodeling and relaunching party on Oct. 16.

M & S surf-n-turf

“We’ve taken the property here in Atlantic City and converted it from a more non-contemporary style restaurant to the more contemporary-style restaurant you see today,” says Jay Twardowski McCormick & Schmick’s regional manager. “Our executive chef, Robert Rivera, came to us from an extensive culinary background and on our menu you’ll not only find our local fresh fish specialties for the day, we’ve also got a wide variety of side dishes, we’ve got steak and pasta dishes — pretty much anything your appetite might desire.”

McCormick & Schmick’s is open 365 days a year from noon-11pm Sunday through Thursday, and noon to midnight every Friday and Saturday.  Click the video below for more. — Carmella Shillito

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will receive the 75th annual Maxwell Award for College Player of the Year

ATLANTIC CITY — Based in Philadelphia, the Maxwell Football Club is the oldest club of its kind in the nation. It was started by Eagles co-founder and former NFL commissioner Bert Bell in 1937 to honor Robert “Tiny” Maxwell — a college football star at Swarthmore College who became a professional player, college coach and official, and sports editor of the bygone Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger before his death in a car accident in 1922.

The club was created to honor college football players and promote football safety, growing to include the professional game as its popularity grew, and branching out to recognize outstanding high school players both nationally and in the Philadelphia community.

Reports indicated that, in the late 1990s, the club struggled to maintain national prominence in the football community. When Ron Jaworski, the club’s president and the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback who piloted them to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1981, brought the club’s national banquet from Philly to Atlantic City in 2004, it breathed new life into the organization. Next Saturday’s 75th Anniversary of the Maxwell Awards promises to be another gala affair attracting some of the biggest names on the professional stage and brightest stars rising out of the collegiate and high school ranks.

The 75th Maxwell Awards return to Harrah’s Resort on Friday, March 2, beginning with a press conference to honor winners Friday morning, a 5pm cocktail reception at The Pool at Harrah’s, and the dinner/awards reception in Harrah’s ballroom. Tickets are available at $300 per person and $3,500 for a table of 12, and can be purchased by going here.
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You’re probably wondering “what’s the secret to getting 10 male college friends to sing together and do it without any discord or utter chaos?” Straight No Chaser is the answer. This sensational a cappella group creates a superb harmonized sound that no instrument is even needed (Get it? Straight, no chaser).

What started as a fun singing group for these college friends back at Indiana University in 1996 has now turned into something much larger than any of them anticipated. Today the group has a massive fan base, more than 31 million views on YouTube, numerous national TV appearances, and proven success selling out venues.

Recently, Straight No Chaser released All I Want For Christmas, a CD/ DVD box set bundling their two holiday albums, Holiday Spirits and Christmas Cheers, along with a never-before-commercially released live DVD, Live in New York: Holiday Edition.

This acclaimed a cappella group has certainly proven to be an unforgettable act so naturally Harrah’s Resort invited them back “by popular demand” to perform a return summer concert engagement starting June 27 and running through Sept. 4 at Harrah’s Concert Venue.

Their brand-new show entitled “Back to the Shore: Songs of the Decades and More” seems very fitting for their returning appearance to Harrah’s. Fans will be able to hear these remarkable vocalists play today’s chart toppers as well as the rockin’ oldies.

Shows are Saturday-Wednesday nights at 8pm. Ticket prices are: $26-$60. To purchase tickets, visit Harrah’s Box office or call Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420. — Alexandra Freedman

Cover Girl

The Pool at Harrah’s has made quite a name for itself with its celeb-hosted party nights. This Sunday for example, Valentine’s Day, Angelina from Jersey Shore makes an appearance. But The Pool has made a really noticeable score with Lindsay Lohan, who hosts a party Sat. Feb 20.

What’s that you say? Who cares about Lindsay? She is so 2009.

Au contraire. Lohan is as much a media magnate as ever, including her latest attempt at edginess — posing with a decided messianic feel on the cover of French magazine Purple Fashion. Plus there are new allegations about her relationship with DJ Sam Ronson (who just happens to be at mur.mur this Saturday Feb. 13) and some controversy over whether Lindsay gets lip injections. E! Online has a nice wrap-up of what’s new in Lindsay land in case you’ve fallen behind.

Anyway, we’re hoping her splash down at The Pool snaps us out of this snow funk we’re in.

Soupy Sales, one of the nation’s most beloved comedians who performed extensively in Atlantic City and the southern New Jersey area throughout his career, passed away Thursday, Oct. 22, in a New York City hospital. He was 83 years old.
Born Milton Supman in Franklinton, N.C., on Jan. 28, 1926, Sales began his comedy career doing children’s television programs in the 1950s. His surname was so often mispronounced as “Soupman” that his parents jokingly nicknamed his brothers “Hambone” and “Chickenbone,” and him as “Soupbone,” which was eventually shortened to Soupy. He was probably best known for his long-running kids show Lunch With Soupy Sales, where he originated what would become his calling card — the pie-throwing gag. He later hosted the Soupy Sales Show, which ran for 13 years in cities throughout the country and overseas. From 1968-’75 he was a regular panelist on the syndicated game show What’s My Line? and appeared on several other TV game shows. During the 1980s he hosted his own show on WNBC-AM in New York City. (more…)