Las Vegas Weekly

February 3, 2009 · 9:29 AM

Strip Scribbles: Usher hits the town while recording new album at the Palms

By Robin Leach

Usher is flanked by a friend and Mario Bath.

Photo: LAX

Superstar Usher has been a part-time Las Vegas resident the past few weeks while recording his new album at the recording studio in George Maloof’s Palms, and Grammy Award-winning singer-producer Jermaine Dupri has worked with him on at least one of the new tracks.

Usher has turned up at a number of nightspots in between laying down the tracks. In one break, he took Jermaine and other friends to LAX in the Luxor, where they palled up with Starlight Tattoo mogul Mario Barth. It was a champagne celebration as Usher and Jermaine ordered up Dom Perignon and also Patron tequila for shots! They had an onstage VIP banquette table and were showing all the right moves grooving to the sounds of DJ Hollywood.

*The gorgeous girls of the topless cabaret revue Fantasy turn up tonight on Oxygen, but they keep their bras on! It’s an episode of Bad Girls Club, and Fantasy producer Anita Mann had her lovely ladies teach a dance routine to the reality show contestants. It all began when the Bad Girls partied with the Thunder From Down Under hunks at Liquidity, where they ran into the Fantasy darlings. The bad girls gone good mastered the maneuvers and, dressed in pink plaid mini-skirts, performed the racy routine in the actual show at the Luxor. Oxygen’s cameras filmed the ribald results.

I’m not going to spoil the outcome, so you’ll have to tune in this evening to watch the hijinx for yourself! All their antics at Thunder, Liquidity and Fantasy are in the show. Anita told me: “The girls wound up doing a fantastic job thanks to our star choreographer Cris Judd. He turned them into Vegas showgirls in minutes. The girls were awestruck to meet and work with him. It was great Fantasy was chosen as the show to work with, and anything that we can do with reality shows is always so much fun.”

*Actress Laura Prepon of That ’70s Show turned up solo four months ago at the first anniversary party of Blush at the Wynn, having broken up with Chris Masterson after an eight-year relationship. That night, she met actor Scott Michael Foster, who also was solo -- and apparently they hit it off and have been dating ever since! The happy couple returned to the scene of the crime over the weekend to celebrate and posed for our contributing photographer Bryan Steffy.

*For a second consecutive night, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys partied up a storm at Carey Hart’s Wasted Space inside the Hard Rock Hotel. On night one, he partied with Jason Giambi and Sevendust’s John Connolly; on night two, he joined rapper-songwriter Everlast and E!’s Daily 10 cast Ben Lyons, Sal Masekela, Clinton Sparks and Catt Sadler, who host the regular weekend party there. Also in the crowd were professional surfer Brad Gerlach and soccer player Kobi Jones.

Tonight’s tip

Sir Elton John resumes his Red Piano engagement tonight at Caesars Palace in time for Valentine’s Day and the color of heart! … The Little River Band has two nights at the Star of the Desert Arena at Primm Valley. … Carey Hart presents a three-pack of rockers at Wasted Space with Day After and guests Opium Alibi and Solidify. … Comedian Allan Harvey has all the laughs lined up at the Improv in Harrah’s for a run through Sunday night, with Shayla Rivera and Frazer Smith as his supporting acts.

Tomorrow’s tease

It’s the ultimate pizza showdown as Vegas star entertainers toss the dough to create the valley’s best pie. … It’s up close with Snoop Dogg as he entertains the SIA Tradeshow’s closing day before it leaves for new convention quarters in Denver, plus a time-lapse look at the amazing $13 billion CityCenter at the heart of the Strip.

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