It’s official! Miss Virginia is the new Miss America. The Miss America pageant finale took place tonight (Jan. 30) at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas.

The big moment!

We nabbed the photo below of Miss Virginia at the welcome ceremony a few days ago. And if you’re keeping score at home, Miss California was the first runner up.

And the winner is...Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron.

Anything can happen in Vegas! Need proof?

The reigning Miss America, Katie Stam, got a surprise marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend, Brian Irk, at a gala on the eve of passing along her crown to a new Miss America. As if there were any doubt, Stam said “yes.”

Katie Stam, on what we suspect was the second most exciting night of her life.

Catch the finals of the Miss America pageant, hosted by Planet Hollywood, on TLC tonight (Jan. 30, 8:00 p.m. EST).

Krave Nightclub, Las Vegas’ largest gay/alternative nightclub, has filed for bankruptcy, but expects to stay open during a reorganization process.

Krave includes a nightclub, lounge and theater, and is located near the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Read more.

Former President Bill Clinton will speak at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Clinton will present a lecture, “Embracing Our Common Humanity.” Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 1. Learn more.

Bonus trivia: Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe, III.

Singer Matt Goss joined Caesars Palace VIPs, journalists and appreciative fans yesterday (Jan. 28) to officially announce his new run at Caesars Palace, set to start Mar. 12.

Goss performed a few numbers at the event, joined by his dancers dubbed “The Dirty Virgins,” as well as two sultry back-up singers. The sexy component of the performance (and the new show) should come as no surprise, since Matt Goss’ show is being produced by Robin Antin, creator of the famed Pussycat Dolls.

Matt Goss belts out a classic at the famed Caesars Palace fountains.

The new show will take place 10:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays in the hotel’s iconic Cleopatra’s Barge lounge, known around the world as a must-stop location for gamblers seeking good luck on their way to the Caesars Palace casino. (Vegas lore says touching the statue of Cleopatra that extends over the walkway in front of the lounge is good luck, but we won’t go into detail about what parts of the statue are most often touched. Use your imagination!)

The soon-to-be revamped lounge will be referred to as the “Gossy Room at Cleopatra’s Barge” in honor of Matt Goss’ new show.

Ladies, calm yourselves.

When asked about what changes might be made at Cleopatra’s Barge, Caesars Palace President Gary Selesner said a facelift will make it ”less Egyptian, more retro,” to suit Matt Goss’ throwback musical style.

We’ve got exclusive photos from the press conference at Caesars Palace, so take a look, and plan to see Matt Goss when his new show launches in March.

Goss just has that Vegas vibe, doesn't he?

Our unsolicited two cents: Aside from having a winning, soulful voice, we also found Matt Goss to be a completely gracious in person. After his appearance, he mingled with fans (many of whom had British accents, we should note, since Goss is HUGE in the U.K.) and accommodated every request for fan photos and autographs. Being a cool guy goes a long way toward success in any field of endeavor, so if this first impression of Matt Goss is any indication, Caesars Palace is going to have a standing-room-only hit on its hands.

Now for the photos!

In a way, it was a glimpse into the future. Barry Manilow took to the stage last week (Jan. 19) at Paris Las Vegas, performing for a swooning audience as part of a QVC segment featuring Manilow’s new album, “The Greatest Love Songs of All Time.”

Inside scoop: Manilow sold 2,000 albums by the second verse of his opening song!

Manilow’s performance, broadcast live on QVC from the Champagne Ballroom at Paris, included favorites like “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “You Made Me Love You,” “Where Do I Begin?” and the Carpenter classic, “We’ve Only Just Begun.”

You can catch this musical legend live at Paris Las Vegas starting Mar. 5. Find out more, and watch a special message from Manilow himself.

Night two of the Miss America preliminaries (Jan. 27), at Planet Hollywood, resulted in wins for Miss California, Kristy Cavinder, in the Talent category and Miss New York, Alyse Zwick in the Lifestyle & Fitness category.

We’ve got exclusive photos! (Note: They aren’t really exclusives, but we had you there for a second, didn’t we?)

Miss New York has inspired us to do a sit-up. Maybe two.

Miss California wowed the crowd with a “ballet en pointe” performance to the Slave Maiden Variation from “Le Corsaire,” a selection we’re pretty sure was meant to highlight our complete lack of knowledge about ballet.

Miss California had a leg up on the competition.

The Miss America Web site has a nifty database of all the 2010 contestants. Check it out, and learn more about the contestant from your state.

Root for your favorite competitor at the Miss America finals, Jan. 30 (8:00 EST). The event will be held at Planet Hollywood resort in Vegas and will be broadcast on TLC.

Paris Las Vegas has announced it will debut a distinctive new dining and retail establishment this fall, the Sugar Factory.

The 15,000-square-foot dining and retail complex will be launched in partnership with Sugar Factory, a company known for turning sweets into the latest designer accessories, especially with its signature “Couture Pops.” Couture Pops are lollipops with bejeweled, custom handles that can be paired a wide selection of flavors to create custom sweets.

Sugar Factory takes sweets up a notch. Or, oh, a trillion notches.

Couture Pops have been spotted on red carpets, in the hands of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears, at events in Miami, Los Angeles, New York City and Las Vegas.

In honor of her recent Circus Tour, Britney Spears "Tour Pops" are offered in Big Top, Ring of Fire, Baby Pink and Charmed styles.

The new venue, to be located at the entrance of Paris Las Vegas (where Ah Sin restaurant is currently located, expected to stay open until April, subject to change), will serve breakfast, lunch dinner and late-night options, including a variety of mouthwatering appetizers, oversized sandwiches, salads, pizzas and more.

As the name implies, Sugar Factory’s specialty will be a tempting dessert menu, featuring an assortment of freshly-baked waffles and crepes, childhood favorites and rich, gourmet chocolates flowing from large fondue fountains.

Kim Kardashian's "Couture Pops" come in Silver Rainbow and Champagne.

Sugar Factory’s retail side will offer thousands of nostalgic and contemporary candies, as well as a collection of fun merchandise like stylish t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, glassware and more. A number of new Sugar Factory items (teas, coffees, etc.) are in development and will make their debut at Paris Las Vegas.

As an added bit of seasonal magic, Sugar Factory will transform its Strip-front windows into floor-to-ceiling scenes reminiscent of the window displays on the streets of New York City.

Learn more about Sugar Factory.

As if you needed more proof Vegas rocks, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace has been named Billboard magazine’s “Venue of the Decade: 2000-2009.”

Of course, much of the success of the Colosseum is due to the stellar talent that graces its stage, including residents artists like Celine Dion, Elton John, Jerry Seinfeld, Bette Midler and Cher.

Bonus fact: The Colosseum is built so no seat is more than 120 feet from the stage.

Other entertainers who have helped make the Colosseum at Caesars Palace a world-class place for the best in entertainment include Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Carole King, Stevie Nicks and Chris Rock.

The award of “Best Venue” was ranked by gross sales compiled from box office scores from Dec. 1999 through Nov. 2009. Of course, we think it’s a winner for lots of other reasons, too. Best reason: It’s inside Caesars Palace Las Vegas!

The Colosseum won in the category of venues with a capacity of 5,000 or fewer. The complete list of award-winning venues can be found in the Billboard’s recent “Decade in Music” special issue.

Be a part of entertainment history, and catch a show at the Colosseum soon! Find information about upcoming shows.

There’s expected to be some big news coming from Caesars Palace and the Colosseum soon, so check back for all the latest scoop.

The original (1960 version) of “Ocean’s 11″ was filmed at the Flamingo Las Vegas. “Viva Las Vegas” was also filmed at the iconic resort.

The preliminary rounds of the Miss America pageant are in full swing at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas this week!

On the first night of the preliminaries (Jan. 26), Miss Virgina (Caressa Cameron) won in the talent category. Miss Puerto Rico (Mimi Pabon) took home the Lifestyle and Fitness prize.

Miss Virginia, left. Miss Puerto Rico, right.

The Miss America finale will be broadcast on Jan. 30 on TLC. Visit the official Miss America Web site for all the details.

Miss Puerto Rico owns the Lifestyle and Fitness competition.

See more photos from the welcome ceremony.

The Interwebs are abuzz with news that crooner Matt Goss has inked a deal with Caesars Palace Las Vegas for an “indefinite run” starting Mar. 12.

According to reports, Goss will perform at 10:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, in the “Gossy Room” at a revamped Cleopatra’s Barge at the world-famous resort. Read more.

Matt Goss and his signature lid.

Matt Goss is perhaps best known for his successful United Kingdom band, Bros. The group sold more than 16 million records worldwide. Their debut album, “Push,” went Platinum seven times. (That’s a lot.)

Bonus Matt Goss trivia: Among his many musical successes, Goss had a song included on the soundtrack for the movie, “Stuart Little.” The song was called “Lucky Day.”

Super extra bonus trivia? Goss has written a children’s book called “Bear Crimbo.” Check it out.

We already have a soft spot in our hearts for Matt Goss, because we just heard him sing this little ditty he did for a local news program. “Lovely Las Vegas” is right! Check back soon for more Matt Goss news.

Fremont Street was the site of Las Vegas’ first elevator. It was installed in the Apache Hotel in 1932.

Here’s some additional Vegas trivia: The next time you’re in an elevator in a Las Vegas hotel, take a peek at the number buttons. You’ll probably see some floors missing! For example, at Planet Hollywood, the numbers skip the fourth floor, and all the floor numbers in the 40s. Oh, and you typically won’t find a 13th floor in Vegas hotels either.

Why? Lots of people consider 13 an unlucky number, of course, and certain cultures feel the same way about 4 and numbers in the 40s. We do our best to accommodate here in Sin City!

Rio Vegas headliners Penn & Teller are heading up a team, “Penn & Teller Challenge,” for AIDS Walk Las Vegas, Apr. 25. Find out more.

Funny onstage, but serious about the fight against AIDS.

Penn and Teller are Grand Marshals of AIDS Walk Las Vegas this year. As such, they’re raising the bar. Join the Penn & Teller team, and the entertainers will match every dollar donated! Join here.

Last year, the AIDS Walk raised more than $550,000.

Adventurer and snake expert Donald Schultz’s time living with 100 snakes came to an end outside O’Sheas yesterday (Jan. 26). The Animal Planet star went about the daunting task of rounding up all the snakes he’d spent 10 days with in a custom-built glass enclosure. (See our previous posts here if you have no idea what we’re talking about.)

Schultz and one of the more cooperative snakes.

There was a lot of fanfare leading up to Schultz’s departure from the glass snake house, with a large crowd gathering, but there were still some details left to take care of. A little more footage for the Animal Planet film crew. Gathering some personal items (like books Schultz read during his time in the box). Oh, and snakes! Several had wedged themselves into various hard-to-reach parts of the glass enclosure. No worries, right?

Several snakes wrap themselves around one of the enclosure's cameras.

Schultz gingerly removed the snakes. Although we can’t be sure, because we spent most of the time covering our eyes. You know, because, well, our eyes were cold. It was 49-degrees out there on the Strip!

Drama! We love drama!

Let’s just say that Donald Schultz couldn’t leave the enclosure before he gave the crowd a moment to remember. Hint: Donald, you might want to pay attention to the end of the snake with the fangs. We’re just saying.

Yep. Full-on snake bite. Yikes.

Hey, we love an exclusive, but this wasn’t exactly a welcome scenario! Thankfully, the snake in question was a “rat snake,” according to Schultz, and wasn’t venomous. This was the third bite he’d gotten during his time in the box. Nothing life-threatening. Dude’s tough.

Disaster averted, Schultz emerged from the box at 8:00 p.m., and was greeted by a boisterous crowd, as well as cast members from Matsuri, a show at the Imperial Palace. The Japanese performers, decked out in elaborate costumes, ensured there was enough pomp for the circumstances.

Schultz seemed genuinely baffled by all the attention.

Taking advantage of his new-found freedom, Schultz roamed the Strip, chatting with fans and signing autographs.

Sorry, we've run out of clever captions. It happens.

Congratulations to Donald Schultz and his entire Animal Planet crew! Check out more exclusive photos below. Including this one, that should make the folks at Margaritaville really happy. Free plug!

Most patient snake guy in the world. By far.

Watch “Venom in Vegas” on Animal Planet on Feb. 9. Learn more.