Las Vegas Weekly

July 24, 2008 · 2:07 PM

Strip Scribbles: Love for Gibson; Chief Larry Johnson moves the chains on the Vegas club scene

By Robin Leach

Who's the Chief? Larry Johnson, shown here with a double-dose of fun-dom.

Photo: Drai's

* To celebrate his son’s 21st birthday, movie superstar Mel Gibson took his wife and seven children including the birthday boy, Louis to the late performance of the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show Love at The Mirage. For the entire run of the show, Mel held his young grandson in his arms -– who made nary a sound. Maybe a gurgle of appreciation?

* Kansas City Chiefs star Larry Johnson appears to have taken up residence in Sin City. Every day for the past 10 I’ve received a spywitness report of him at restaurants and nightclubs around town. He’s become a regular at Drai’s After Hours at center Strip in Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall, where our photographer snapped him with a beautiful pair of twins! Larry was also in fine form at Prive at Planet Hollywood, when G-Unit's Tony Yayo got on the mic to rap some of his biggest hits. He ordered up rounds and rounds of Patron and Grey Goose shots for his VIP booth. Larry also attended the weekly “Quack” party at the Palms Place pool where, as Luxe Life correctly predicted, comedy actor Jamie Foxx hosted the “Swim With the Ducks” shenanigans. Rio headliner magician Penn Jillette, Larry and Jamie all had separate tables for dinner at Iron Chef Kerry Simon’s new restaurant there on the sixth-floor deck, before the swim stunt started.

* America’s original disco, Studio 54 in the MGM Grand, turned into a “locker room hangout” for the biggest names in mixed martial arts. After their battles at UFC Fight Night, James “The Sandman” Irvin, Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Hermes Franca, and stars of UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, Jesse Taylor and CB Dollaway took it over to party the night away. Joining the group were fellow fighters Brad Blackburn, Brodie Farber, Dan “Hollywood” Henderson, Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, Dean Listner and Tim Credeur, another star featured on The Ultimate Fighter.

* Venetian and Palazzo parent company, Las Vegas Sands has dropped its plans to pursue a gaming license to operate a casino in Kansas. Although company officials partially blamed current economic conditions related to interest charges on borrowings it was changes to the Missouri gaming regulations that really forced the decision. No major Vegas casino operator is in the running any longer for the license.

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