So what's the news. Let's see - we'll do a quick tour of the town, shall we?

Business is booming at O'Malley's, the Irish pub run by that darling Rob Young. But Sinan Lu's twin nightspots - Sally's and the Blues & Jazz Bar, are a teeny-weeny bit empty these days for some reason. YY Club on Nanchang Lu, which has the most soothing and cool decor in the city, if you ask me, is also not hopping quite as much as it deserves to. I must give Kenny a helping hand by going there more to help draw some of my many fans in.

Over in the Holiday Inn area, the Charlie's Bar band continues to be my favorite cover band in town. In their charming Filipino way they manage to sound so American. Superstar nearby has closed, and Ms Lin the opera singer is no longer manageering the wonderfully-named Camera-la bar on Xinhua Lu. The Step Pub across the road from the Holiday Inn has given up live music for a while, but mein host David Wang has done some renovations to the recent renovations, and extended the bar. I like the tall, tall barstools he uses, except I think I may show off a little bit more of my charms than I intend when I sit on one of them!!

Speaking of legs, THE place to be seen in leotards these days is the new DD's health club, also near the Holiday Inn. They also have a very adventurous hair stylist who has dyed one of my friend's hair purple. It looks just disgustingly wonderful, and I'm considering having it done myself, including the eyebrows? Why not?!!

Leo's Sports Bar on Donghu Lu has gone the way of the Lemon bar across the street -- closed!! But the Ooedo Japanese restaurant next door has thankfully survived so far, albeit with a complete redecoration which saw the removal of those sunken Japanese tables which are such fun. Perfect for playing footsees.

Golden Harvest, the new bar on Xinzha Lu, has closed too, and the formidable Annie can once again be found at the Step Pub.

The most courageous nightlife move is the opening of a huge complex in the Gubei area - JJ Beerhouse, run by the folks that brought you the Moon Shanghai restaurants. It's in the Gubei Gym building on Longhua Xi Dao, and it's not just a beerhouse - there's a a western restaurant, a Chinese hotpot/grill room, a special place for Chinese soups, just like grandma used to make, a disco and bar, and a Chinese restaurant featuring a long catwalk for models to amuse us diners. The manager Mr Liang, in a wonderful black satin jacket, said he will have to pack the place out every night just to break even!! And if anyone can do it, it's him, darlings!!

The several Internet Cafe's which opened up around trown a few months ago are facing hard times too. They have discovered that people who are crazy enough to sit in front of a computer all evening probably own one themselves!!!

Babylon is too big to do too well, given the amont of competition around, and the word cavernous doesn't begin to do justice to the new German Beerhouse, Paulaner Brauhaus, on Fenyang Lu. Word is the cooks could do a better job than they do, and one person I spoke to claimed the beer there gave him a headache. I don't know how much store to put in that though - he's the beermeister at the Babylon Beerhouse! My music friends tell me that what Paulaner really needs is a good jazz band.

I received an invitation last week to join a new exclusive club called the American Club, which is going to be on top of a building at the south end of the Bund. It's not open yet, we'll have to wait and see whether it really materialises or not. Which reminds me -- what ever happened to that G's Club that everyone was talking about a couple of years ago? Hmmmm?