Las Vegas Weekly

October 6, 2008 · 2:20 PM

Strip Scribbles: Celebrity sightings and tonight’s tips

By Robin Leach

*I'm delighted and happy to report there seems to have been a tremendous thaw in the icy relationship between star chef Bradley Ogden and his genius chef son, Bryan Ogden. No sooner did Luxe Life report last week -- click here for that story -- on the ugly friction between the two kitchen kings than Bradley jetted from his Caesars Palace fine-dining restaurant to junior’s newly opened Apple hotspot in Hollywood. I’m reliably told the father-son reconciliation began when dad sat on the patio dining area with friends and he led the cheering for Bryan when he came out of the kitchen to greet customers. Bryan was a partner-chef here at the Pure-managed Company American Bistro in the Luxor after he left his father’s restaurant. He gave Bradley a tour of the new celebrity-dazzled restaurant and lounge and the soon-to-open Pussycat Dolls club there. Many a feud has been forgotten and buried, as my hero Sir Winston Churchill often said, over a fine wine and a delicious dinner! Let's hope the healing stays solid.

*Buzz increases that pop-princess Britney Spears will be on hand for Randy Jackson’s “America Party” two-hour special to be broadcast live by CBS-TV from the Strip on New Year's Eve. The American Idol judge will serve as host and producer of the Planet Hollywood-based rock concert and retrospective look back at the year in music. (Over at the Mirage the rival FOX-TV network will satellite the live Robbie Knievel motorcycle jump over the new fiery volcano.) Congrats to Britney, by the way, as her new single "Womanizer" from her upcoming December album is released tomorrow on iTunes. All part of the new marketing strategies of record companies today!

*Jazz-salsa-rocker Carlos Santana confirmed during his MGM weekend concert that he’ll quit touring in another five years to become a minister with his own church on Maui in Hawaii. Currently on his 23-date "Live your Light" tour, Carlos, 61, says by the time he’s 67 he’ll be playing and preaching at the chapel. He told Rolling Stone: “I’m not sick of what I do but I find that God gave me the gift of communication even without my guitar and I have an ability to get people unstuck with certain sections of the Bible. I will work on what I really want to do, which is to be a minister like Little Richard. Carlos, currently dealing with the pain from his 34-year marriage to Deborah shattering, celebrates the launch of a new two-disc CD, "Multi Dimensional Warrior" on Oct. 14.

*Due to a right royal scheduling screw-up by several people, the hoped-for Robin Thicke concert this coming Friday at the House of Blues has had to be postponed. The new show date is now set in cement for Saturday, Nov. 8 so just hold onto your tickets safely. Through dad Alan Thicke, I’ve known young Robin since he was knee-high in shorts so I’m thrilled for his breakout stardom in his own right as a best-selling singer and songwriter. Kudos because he is really one helluva nice, solid guy in a crazy business!

*Twice in three days, music star Ray J was hanging out with Vegas nightclub king Victor Drai. First, Ray J was at Drai’s After Hours club in Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall at center-Strip with former boxing champ Mike Tyson and Miss Washington 2007, Elyse Umemoto, who finished second runner-up in this year’s Miss America pageant. Then Ray J joined rival boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley for a fun night at Victor’s Tryst nightspot inside the Wynn.

Victor is in final stages now of readying his new mega club XS due to open Dec. 31 at Steve Wynn’s new Encore resort tower.

*Star surveillance: After performing together and separately at the Danny Gans theater in the Mirage, comedy actors Ray Romano and Kevin James relaxed at the Jet nightclub steps away ... Kathy and Rick Hilton, proud parents of Paris and Nicky, took a break from their daughters with dinner a deux at the Tao Asian bistro in the Venetian. After feasting on Chilean sea bass and lobster wontons they headed upstairs to the Tao nightclub and took a VIP table on the dance floor alongside boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. He celebrated with a multi-magnum bottle of Moet Rose champagne, which the stunning server brought with sparklers … meantime Nicky’s godmother, top Hollywood designer Faye Resnick, looking simply stunning in a sexy black cocktail dress, dined with color king Michael Boychuck at the N9NE Steakhouse as she’s transforming his AMP salon there at the Palms. They shared New York Strip with lobster mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and the house Cabernet wine. It was 13 years to the day, ironically, that Faye had sat in a California courtroom and watched amazed as O.J.Simpson was acquitted of killing her best friend, Nicole Simpson. The same night the fallen Hall of Fame football star was found guilty in Vegas of kidnapping and burglary charges stemming from the “raid gone wrong” at the Palace Station ... Actress Mila Kunis, who gained famed on That 70's Show, dined with a large group of friends at Lavo in the Palazzo before celebrating a friend's birthday in the upper Lavo nightclub. She danced all night and stood on a banquette holding the Turkish brass towel rings as cupcake cones with sparklers were brought over and the entire club sang "Happy Birthday."

*Trying to name the restaurant with the best steak in town has to be a tough assignment -- we just have so many magnificent meat and potato joints. But online lifestyle guide Citysearch has bestowed its 2008 honor on Strip House at the Planet Hollywood resort casino. The new dining guide heaped praise on executive chef John Schenk’s tantalizing menu of prime cuts of beef and signature sides, plus commended the sensual ambiance, burlesque feel, and original 1900s studio black and white photographs that make up its décor.

Tonight's tip

Probably every girl in town has at least one item of BeBe clothing in her wardrobe -- and Jet nightclub in the Mirage salutes the BeBe line with an all-BeBe dress for success party. The best-dressed BeBe beauty wins $5,000 to spend at ... Bebe! Don’t think of wearing anything else! Over at Cathouse in the Luxor the ladies will vie for more cash -- or plastic -- in the form of cosmetic surgery as they battle to win ‘stamps of approval’ from the guys!

Tomorrow's tease

Another Luxe Life exclusive: Our day with Miss America Kirsten Haglund. We go shopping at the beautiful Barneys store in the Palazzo, backstage with Donny & Marie at the Flamingo and check up on next year’s pageant at Planet Hollywood, where the 52 new contestants will arrive in January. Intimate photo coverage and exclusive interviews -- only at Luxe Life.

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