BRITNEY’S LAX ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA
Unanswered questions are now all that remain from pop-princess Britney Spear’s whirlwind visit to open the new LAX nightclub at the Luxor over the weekend:
Did she almost bail from showing up right down to the last minute?
Sources close to the singer say it was touch and go - right down to the moment she left late for the private jet -that she’d make it. She did, but - basically by the calendar - a day later than planned! Originally she was coming in early to relax at the Venus pool, get her hair and makeup done at the Caesars Palace salon of star stylist Michael Boychuck, dine at Social House and then walk the new club’s red carpet at 11 p.m. Instead, she turned all that down, caught a 10 p.m. private jet from LA and, partially due to air traffic control, landed shortly before midnight and arrived at 12:10 a.m.
Did she really earn a $250,000 payday for her brief appearance?
My rivals in the gossip-game swear that was the paycheck for the one minute long race down the red carpet in her creamy fedora straw hat with long blonde hair extensions apparently glued to it, as well as the nine words she shouted out over the mic (“How you guys feeling, let’s have a good night!”) and the three hours she spent in LAX and its super-exclusive speakeasy hideaway, Noir Bar! My sources at Pure Management Group say the fee was way less and closer to the $100,000 mark. It’s still a phenomenal sum of money that works out to about $25,000 an hour! But just her showing up brought out a slew of stars, and 10,000 partygoers lined up from 5 p.m. onwards trying to get into the new elegant nightspot as our incredible Luxe Life photo album shows.
What did alleged beaufriend Criss Angel whisper in her ears as he took off one of his necklaces and wrapped it around her neck before they sped away together from the VIP banquet by DJ AM’s altar-booth to the dark-as-night intimacy of the Noir Bar?
That will probably remain known only to those two people, but the magic words might be revealed if the twosome wind up doing an opening magical number at next Sunday’s Video Music Awards. However, I can tell you as an eyewitness that although they playfully sucked on the same red Tootsie Roll lollypop together with Brit pushing and pulling it out of his mouth, there were none of the anticipated public displays of kissing and cuddling.
What was that sparkling bling-bling on the fourth finger of her left hand?
It certainly wasn’t an engagement ring that sent some paparazzi went into frenzied overdrive breathlessly hoping for a quickie Vegas wedding! It was just one of her several sparklers she wears on the wedding finger from time to time. Again though, I can tell you that for some completely unknown reason she changed from the short white summer frock she arrived in to the long red dress of one of her three girlfriends and the gal-pal waltzed home in Brit’s white number!
Did she cross paths with ex-lover Justin Timberlake next door at Mandalay Bay, and did she spend the holiday weekend in Vegas with Mindfreak magician Criss Angel?
Even with Justin’s new gal Jessica Biel out of the Vegas night whirl, he and Brit did not connect, but the mystery about Criss and Brit’s “romance” deepens. Apart from the public LAX and Noir Bar huddles, they weren’t spotted anywhere together - and in fact, after a late breakfast the morning after, Brit and her gal-pals flew right back to L.A. for the rest of the weekend where she went toy shopping with her two young sons!
The Luxor had spent the last 30-days completely making-over a three bedroom suite on the top floor of the east tower for her stay. New carpets, furniture and wall-coverings were installed as the Egyptian décor was removed by decorator Helenka Snyder and MGM’s City Center design chief Scott Campbell. I learned it’s a “hotel room of the future,” where Phillips electronics installed all of its latest hi-tech gadgets and entertainment units. Nicky Hilton got a similar suite to stay in, and both will now go for $5,000 a night!
The BIG question remaining is if Britney will show up next Sunday for the opening “magical” number of the Video Music Awards at The Pearl in the Palms to perform her new single, “Gimme More” which starts out with her own “It’s Britney, Bitch” intro. Advance airplay on it - and four other tracks - is generating generally positive reviews in touting her new November 13 comeback album release.
There’s no doubt that the 26,000 square foot LUXury LAX pleasure palace, with its ornate and expensive plush decorations and chandeliers, is now the new no.1 celebrity playground in Vegas. Its cocktail servers are some of the most strikingly attractive bust-out babes ever to pop a champagne cork! Private VIP boxes go for $5000- and that’s before the tab for bottles!
Among the other celebrities partying there on opening night were Spamalot star John O’Hurley, boxer turning star-dancer Floyd Mayweather, comedian Carrot Top, rocker Dave Navarro, plus actor Wilmer Valderrama and Nicky Hilton - who are investors with Nick Lachey in the adjoining Company restaurant to open later next month - comedy kings Shawn and Damien Wayans, MTV stars Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado from the Hills with Desperate Housewife’s hunk Josh Henderson, and even Britney’s rival, Shar Jackson, who was Kevin Federline’s gal-pal and is mother of his two earlier children before Brit!!!
LAX’s grand opening weekend continued on the next evening with Nicky Hilton returning for the second consecutive night with birthday girl Jessica Meisels and her sister’s onetime boyfriend, Stavros Niarchos in the adjoining booth (FYI: Paris was away in Europe guest starring at an Enterprise convention) with Wilmer Valderama, who joined DJ Vice to spin in the altar-booth. Also there for the second night: Josh Henderson, Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado and Damien Wayans. Also at VIP tables were MTV “Wild ‘n Out” comic Nick Cannon who turned into an impromptu mc for the night, rap group Three 6 Mafia, turntable legend Grandmaster Flash and the unlikely and unexpected, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
On the third night it was three in a row for Nicky, Brody and Frankie, plus Stavros for his second consecutive night. Even Playboy cover girl Jenny McCarthy, who had hosted a hot party up at mother-ship PURE, came down afterwards to LAX for Grey Goose and Red Bulls as she waved to the crowds and watched rappers Too Short and Red Man join DJ Steve Aoki.
The potent PURE mega-management entertainment empire of Social House, Tangerine, LAX, PURE, Coyote Ugly, Venus Pool Club, Dick’s Last resort and Lucky Strike ruled Vegas for the end of summer holiday blow-out.
On Night no.2, Rocker Dave Navarro with new steady gal-pal Nicole Bennet dined on yellowtail jalapeno and Kobe beef sliders at TI’s Social House alongside Nicky Hilton, fiancé David Katzenberg and showman Jeff Beacher.
Also there, the now inseparable Brody Jenner, Josh Henderson and Frankie Delgado, who spent the earlier daytime hours tanning and swimming at the topless-optional Venus Pool Club in Caesars. Dave told me that he’d met Nicole about three months ago at a BARE topless pool birthday party when he and I had been chatting at the Mirage. Dave took the mic at Tangerine, but before ending his night he made the short hop from TI down to PURE at Caesars where he joined Cheryl Burke from Dancing with the Stars, actor Matthew Lawrence and Jenny McCarthy’s sister, Joanne.
Jenny chose Night no.3 to host her own shindig at PURE, and last night, by the time all the stars had sped home to Hollywood, everybody agreed it had been the biggest and best Labor Day party weekend ever in history!
I’m too exhausted to disagree – but somehow I know we’ll be saying the same again next weekend when the entire music industry of superstars, record moguls and platinum producers invades. LAX investor Christine Aguillera will host her own party there Saturday night to see her club for the first time. No wonder this morning’s figures indicate a staggering 40% room-rate increase over this time last year! Truly, Vegas is the world’s new nightclub capital!