944

With Thanksgiving a mere eight days away, it’s time to get in to the holiday spirit with a plethora of events. To start the weekend off right, there’s the Newport Beach Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament Thursday, November 19 at Newport Lexus. Benefiting the Boys & Girls Club and hosted by NFL Superbowl Champion Willie McGinest, the V.I.P. dinner begins at 6 p.m. with the tournament starting at 7 p.m. An array of ticket packages are available, from $50 to $300. For more information, visit www.jedweinsteinpresents.com/newport or call 212.353.4862.

Moving into Friday, it’s Masters of the Mix presented by 944 and Platino at Sevilla in Long Beach with DJ Nameless. Put simply, this is not an event to be missed and without a doubt 944 Orange County’s biggest event to date (yes, we are well aware that Long Beach is in LA County — it’s a moot point). With an incredible V.I.P. area and hosted Platino bar from 9 to 11 p.m. and $5 Platino specials for the rest of the evening, we suggest you wear your dancing shoes and get plenty of rest before stepping out for the night. If you don’t want to drive home, opt for the AVIA Hotel (www.aviahotels.com). To reserve $100 bottle service per bottle of Jose Cuervo Platino Tequila, e-mail VIPLB@Sevillanightclub.com.

You must also RSVP to this event; there are no exceptions: www.944.com/mixoc, and to check out the flash evite, go here:

www.944.com/mixmasters/invite_oc/

To top off those two days, opt for a wine auction. Spectrum Wine Auctions, the new wine auction division of Spectrum Group International, has scheduled its premiere live auction November 21 at 5:00 p.m. at The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. It will also be simulcast at Crown Wine Cellars — located 20 meters underground in a former munitions bunker — in Hong Kong at 9:00 a.m. local Hong Kong time on Sunday, November 22. For Spectrum Wine Auctions complete catalog, visit www.spectrumwine.com

And one last thing, tune in to www.artrocks247.com for Art Rocks! Talk Show tonight between 7 and 8 p.m.. I will be giving a sneak peak of what's going in the December Smart Luxury issue and talking about our Masters of the Mix event this Friday — my segment starts right 7 but you can also download the podcast if you miss it.

With holiday festivities thatrange from afternoon tea time to boating parades, The Balboa Bay Club &Resort is ready to keep spreading holiday cheer throughout Newport Beach. Afterfeeding guests with a traditional four-course feast, its holiday celebrationsand festivities will continue Decemeber 1 with the Holiday Lighting Ceremony.

Promptly at 6 p.m., 750,000twinkling lights will shimmer and sparkle, and the resort will shine like abeacon of holiday joy. Camp Pendleton’s 1st Marine Corps divisionband will play holiday melodies and Southern California Children’s Choir willsing the Christmas jingles that everyone know and love while hot beverages andChristmas cookies circulate to fill not only spirits, but also bellies withholiday glee.  

Just over two weeks after thelighting ceremony, the 101st annual Christmas boat parade withilluminated yachts, boats, kayaks and canoes commences. They will begin floating through theharbor on the 16th and will continue every night until the 20th.  For those who miss the boats, don’tworry, there’s a wide array of festivities to attend, including Christmas Eve,Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners, Santa Clause appearances, afternoon teas,an all American boys chorus and a New Year’s Eve gala. With all its holidaymerriment, The Balboa Beach Club & Resort is the place for holidayhappiness.

In case you haven't made a stop over at 944.com lately, we recently rolled out a soft relaunch. And while there are all kinds of new sections and outstanding things to go along with the classics folks know and love (hello Nightsites), I'm also excited to announce the debut of my new blog, The Mitchell Report. I'll be covering everything from the fashion/entertainment/lifestyle stories we pride ourselves on here, but other tidbits of info I come across on my daily journeys around the internet. So head on over to http://www.944.com/personalities and scroll on down to my awesome photo to get all the goodness on a daily basis.

D.B. Mitchell

Executive Editor

dbmitchell@944.com ;

It’s not often that design students get the opportunity to play out their future career goals in a professional environment. But students enrolled in College of Southern Nevada's electronic design and portfolio review classes taught by Dan McElhattan III, professional adjunct professor and owner of M3 advertising design were recently challenged to execute their own vision for a 944 cover image.

Drawing inspiration from November’s editorial theme of food, each student commissioned models, hired a photographer and styled and art-directed a photo shoot that he or she felt best represented 944’s image. The result: four finalists commended for their outstanding effort and awarded accolades from "Editor’s Choice” to “Class Favorite.” In a four part series, we introduce you to the finalists and showcase their outstanding designs.

Viet Dinh, 22

Dinh, a native of Vietnam, is creatively making his way into the vast field of design and illustration. He is currently majoring in graphic design and computer science at The College of Southern Nevada.  This versatile artist has accumulated an array of skills and styles, giving him the ability to adapt to the many different types of work. This young artists’ accomplishments, thus far, prove no less than amazing, and the sky is the limit.

Designed by world-class golf course architect Tom Fazio, the 36 holes of golf isn't the only thing that The Resort at Pelican Hill can brag about this Christmas season. Imagine feeling at home after a day of impressive swings at the course as you choose to relax among 22 treatment rooms and dip into a Roman-style bath with the season's signature scent of pomegranate body gelato at the resort spa. Not to mention the Coliseum pool in a perfect circle and surrounded by luxurious cabanas giving the whole get away experience.

Although everything is newly designed, The Resort at Pelican Hill likes to keep some things traditional. Vacation packages offer ocean-view bungalow rooms, suites or villas that each aspires to be a personal holiday home-away-from-home. The home-away-from home experience is perfect for families who want to get away to a beautifully decorated home, fully furnished with holiday décor, evening treats and any other requests.

To top it all off, The Resort at Pelican Hill brings us special menus from the five restaurants with outdoor options overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Fazio Golf Courses. Some holiday specials are the Renaissance Afternoon Tea Time, Holiday Hot Chocolate Menu, Champagne Cart and Tapas menu and the Holiday Caffe with festive holiday gelatos, pastries, desserts, and even special custom orders. With the view, golf, spa, dining, and holiday spirit the Pelican Hill Resort is nothing short of a memorable holiday vacation right on the top of the hill in Newport Coast.

22701 Pelican Hill Road South, Newport Coast | 800.820.6800 | www.pelicanhill.com