Las Vegas Weekly

September 15, 2008 · 3 PM

Stars turn out for $1 million gala opening of Lavo

By Robin Leach

It was a 48-hour, $1 million marathon of Hollywood star maneuvers as they invaded Vegas for the gala weekend official opening of the new Lavo nightlife restaurant and boutique club at the Palazzo. It may well go down in the record books for being the most star-studded restaurant opening of all time!

Click here for last Thursday’s sneak peek preview of the Mediterranean and Moroccan-themed restaurant, lounge and nightclub. Click here for yesterday’s initial look at the stars as they partied -- almost all night long.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Amanda Beard

Photo: Scott Doctor

Amber Heard

Today as promised we’ve put together our souvenir photo album -- thanks to red carpet lens-aces Scott Doctor and Denise Truscello. The list of the Beautiful People is simply amazing and because there are so many star visitors it reads like the Beverley Hills telephone directory! I’ve simply put them into alphabetical order starting with their first names:

Alex Von Furstenberg, actresses Amanda Beard, Amber Heard and Angie Harmon, Anthony Mackie, Antonio Sabato Jr. (with Betsy Rue), Ashley Scott, supermodel Bar Rafaelli, rocker Benji Madden, star chef Bobby Flay, hip-hop mogul Busta Rhymes, Caridee English, Maxim model Cassandra Tan Chris Evans, Chris Lighty, choreographer Criss Judd, David Moscow, David Katzenberg, DJ Reach, DJ Vice, real-estate tycoon Don Sofer, singer Enrique Iglasias Jr., Eric Cubichee, actor George Hamilton, Greg Bello, Greg Bradshaw (Avroko), Jack Osbourne, actor comic Jamie Foxx, Sunset Tan’s Janelle Perry, showman Jeff Beacher, singer Jesse McCartney, beauty queen Katie Reese, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, Britney’s ex Kevin Federline, rock group Korn, Rock of Love’s Kristia Bonita, Lavo’s executive chef Ludo Lefebrve, dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Dancing With the Stars), supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg, singer-TV host Mario Lopez, ring announcer Michael Buffer (with wife, Christine), Michael St. Pierre, socialite Nicky Hilton, Paris Hilton, magician Penn (Penn & Teller), Ryan Reynolds, actress Shannen Doherty, rocker Slash (with wife, Perla), dancer Stacy Keibler (Dancing With the Stars) , Summer Altice, singer Taylor Dane, actor Taye Diggs, reigning Ms. Nevada Veronica Grabowski and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Angie Harmon

Photo: Scott Doctor

Ashley Scott

Photo: Scott Doctor

Bar Refaeli.

It was celebrity gridlock -- and hopefully I didn’t miss anybody. They hopped from dining table to dining table to play catch-up with old friends and fellow cast-mates. They feasted on fabulous foods from Italy, Spain and Morocco. They consumed champagne, wines and mojitas. The most important thing was that they all had a grand time and agreed Lavo was a totally new, different and unique addition to our platinum playground.

Believe it or not, many of them will be back again next weekend when the new Sushi Samba restaurant and Sugar Cane ultra lounge has its official opening -- also at the Palazzo.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Betsy Rue

Photo: Scott Doctor

Blue Man Group

Photo: Scott Doctor

CariDee English

My friend, George Hamilton told me: “I don’t know how but Vegas just keeps on topping itself with bigger and better. This new Lavo will be one sensational great hit.”

Paris looked radiant and glowing. She and Nicky had their hair done by Michael Boychuck’s salon staff at Color in Caesars Palace and AMP in the Palms. Paris wore a stunning yellow Betsey Johnson and told me she loved the new restaurant. After she broke away for a moment to find boyfriend Benji Madden by cell phone so they could link up at Lavo, we chatted about her upcoming month-long October trip to my old hometown of London.

“We’re filming the English version of my new search for a new best female friend show," Paris told me. “We’ve had so much fun looking for an American best friend we’re now going to see if I can find an English one. I’m looking forward to London for a month.” When she returns stateside Paris will team up with American Idol host Ryan Seacrest to develop yet another new TV series!

Incidentally Lavo’s chef extraordinaire, Ludo Lefebvre, who has moved to Vegas from Los Angeles, has an interesting story to tell about his wife, Krissy: not only did she appear in a sizzling Playboy magazine pictorial but she was one of the talented business moguls-in-waiting on Donald Trump’s Apprentice TV series.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Cassandra Tan

Photo: Scott Doctor

Jack Osbourne

Photo: Scott Doctor

Jack Osbourne

Photo: Scott Doctor

K-Fed

Final notebook jottings from the Lavo opening at the Palazzo: A pregnant Angie Harmon arrived glowing in a Stella McCartney dress and sky-high Christian Louboutin spiked shoes. Hubby Jason Sehorn kept a protective hand over her baby bump all night long … while fiancee Scarlet Johanson was an ocean away in South Africa, handsome Ryan Reynolds kept it to an all-boys night out ... singer Enrique Iglesias showed up with four blonde beauties, each one looking more like Anna Kournikova than the other … K-Fed danced to ex-wife Britney Spears' music and stayed a second night missing his son's birthday parties in L.A. so he promised to throw his own follow-up ones the next day … super-model Bar Rafaeli looked stunning in a Cavalli dress and had a grand time partying -- not at all phased by her breakup with Leonardo DiCaprio ... many of the stars rode the new Lavo-mobile Escalade back and forth between the owners’ other club, Tao in the Venetian ….Shannen Doherty summed it up for all the guests: “Everything these guys from Tao touch turns to gold.”

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Katie Rees.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Kevin Connolly

Photo: Scott Doctor

Mario Lopez

Photo: Scott Doctor

Nicky Hilton

Photo: Scott Doctor

Paris Hilton

Photo: Scott Doctor

If PMG is only giving this event one month, then so are we. Shannen Doherty hosts Aug. 5.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Slash, with wife Perla

Photo: Scott Doctor

Stacey Keibler

Photo: Scott Doctor

Summer Altice

Photo: Scott Doctor

Taye Diggs

Photo: Scott Doctor

Veronica Grabowski

Photo: Scott Doctor

will.i.am

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