When Todd Phillips told me that he had read my piece on his latest film The Hangover, I was surprised that it had found his eyes. “Of course,” he explained. “There is this big machine at Warner Bros., where they send you these media alerts. Even if some fucking fat kid in Tampa writes on his blog, it somehow gets across your desk. It can be very depressing.” But Phillips has no reason to feel down. His raunchy, R-rated comedy is getting the kind of positive press that no Hollywood publicity machine can buy, and rightfully so.

This Saturday, cities all around the world are participating in a little thing called "Earth Hour". From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, the lights are going out. Restaurants are serving by candlelight, hotels are creating entire packages around the event, and monuments like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Eiffel Tower will go dim for the 60-minute tribute to promoting awareness about climate change.

There's rumblings of the "B" word in Las Vegas. MGM Mirage, of the Bellagio, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand, is in danger of defaulting on their debts of $13.5 billion and filing Chapter 11. Other hotels are in similar predicaments, so this is the time to book hotel rooms in Vegas, as rates are dropping to unheard-of numbers at primo properties -- like $149 a night at the Four Seasons.

Elizabeth Blau, founder and CEO of Las Vegas restaurant consulting firm Elizabeth Blau & Associates, was recruited by Steve Wynn early in her career and has helped shape the Vegas restaurant landscape. She caught up with BlackBook about having the occasional truffle, getting hooked on Wii, and where the Vegas connoisseurs dwell.

What establishments do you like in Vegas? I love Blush. I love Tryst for more of the big night club, and I love The Bank at the Bellagio. I love Bartolotta at the Wynn, I love Nobu and Cut as well.

The creator of the Mediterranean masterwork menu at Lavo at the Palazzo in Vegas, chef Ludo Lefebvre on his rebel image, the year of the Aries, and succumbing to In-N-Out.

Where can you be found when kitchen duty is over? I like L’atelier de Joel Robuchon. The food is perfectly executed, and it is a comfortable environment. I also like Picasso at the Bellagio and Mix at the Mandalay. My other two current choices in Las Vegas are found off the Strip. First, Lotus of Siam. When you pull in to the parking lot, you will never expect the quality of food you are going to have. As soon as you open the door and see all of the press and the awards on the wall, you know that it's going to be a special experience. I really love that the chef is doing what she loves, and not worried about a fancy environment. No one eats the curtains and the plates, so does it really matter?

C’mon! Big money! Big money!

1. Aureole (Strip: South) - Nothing says “winner” like a $500 bottle of wine before dinner. Nothing says big winner like ordering a $1,000 bottle of wine with the appetizer.
2. Fred Leighton (Bellagio) - Because an 8-carat diamond ring is vulgar, but a 16-carat emerald, diamond and platinum art deco bracelet is not.
3. Pinball Hall of Fame (Off-Strip East) - Go ahead, buy that Kiss pinball machine. You’re on your own getting it home, though.

Suddenly everything in your suitcase seems so ... blah.

1. Barney’s New York (Shoppes at the Palazzo) - Quirky flagship store where the sculpture and décor are as fabulous as the clothes. An entire floor of handbags!
2. Bettie Page (Miracle Mile Shops) - If your idea of stunning is more Ava Gardner than Mischa Barton. Lace petticoat dresses and vintage-inspired lingerie.
3. Prada (Bellagio) - Their shop window compels women toward the craps tables in hopes of a big win. “Mama needs a new pair of shoes” has never had more meaning.

Jodi Myers, managing partner of The Bank nightclub at the Bellagio, on where her industry pals hang out in Vegas, her love of local poker legends, and how she climbed up the Sin City nightlife ladder.

Where do you go out? Honestly, I travel for my work, so I'm definitely always going to the new places and checking out the newest things. I went to the opening of Atlantis, and it was crazy! By far, Dubai is the most liberal place in the Middle East where they can go and relax a little bit, a kind of Vegas-by-the-sea.

It’s always good to do at least one thing on your trip that you can tell your boss about.

1. KA at MGM Grand (Strip: Central) - With martial-arts-inspired acrobatics, thundering music, and a set that rotates 360 degrees, KA is the least airy-fairy of the Cirque du Soleil offerings.
2. O at Bellagio (Strip: Central) - Cirque du Soleil performers + giant tanks of water = jaw-dropping acrobatics.
3. Tom Jones at MGM Grand (Strip: Central) - Come for the kitsch, stay for the charisma. There’s a reason he’s been doing this for 40 years.

Friday
Stay: Golden Nugget. Check in. Inside the hotel, there’s a Bond villain-worthy pool complex and newly renovated bars and restaurants. Outside the hotel, historic downtown Las Vegas.
3 p.m.: Brass Lounge. Enjoy a “Hello Vegas!” cocktail with a view.
4 p.m.: Nothing in your luggage glamorous enough? For ladies, try the Bettie Page store. Gentlemen can pick up slick threads from days gone by at Valentino’s Zoot Suit Connection.