Las Vegas Weekly

January 26, 2009 · 9:32 AM

It’s an all-star turnout for Steve Wynn’s birthday bash

By Robin Leach

Robin Leach and Harry Connick Jr.

Photo: TVT

It was the most exclusive and private of Las Vegas birthday celebrations. Hotel tycoon Steve Wynn promised his 200 guests that there’d be no media and cameras as they celebrated his 67th birthday and the official opening of the Encore over the weekend. Steve kept his word -- for the first time, even we don’t have any photos!

It read like a Hollywood super agent’s top-secret Blackberry contact list. Legendary stars Angie Dickenson, Phyllis McGuire, Robert Wagner and Paul Anka joined Monty Python stars Eric Idle and John Cleese for the celebration. Don Johnson, American Idol’s Randy Jackson and Quincy Jones mixed with corporate chieftains Christie Hefner, Donald Trump, Lee Iacocca, Top Rank’s head honcho Bob Arum, CBS Chairman Les Moonves and his wife, Julie Chen, life coach Tony Robbins and infomercial king Ron Popeil.

Photo: Wynn Las Vegas

Director Brett Ratner and hotel mogul Steve Wynn.

The event reunited Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks multimillionaire owner Jerry Coangelo with sports broadcaster Al Michaels. Our pick for the odd couple of the night: President Clinton campaign chief and political commentator James Carville with Brett Ratner, the Hollywood director of Steve’s daring hotel rooftop commercials.

Since the Chairman of the Board is no longer with us, Steve obviously couldn’t have Frank Sinatra sing for the supper. Instead, he got the next best thing: The superstar crooner dubbed the successor to Ol’ Blue Eyes was Steve’s personal pick for his private concert. Super smooth Harry Connick Jr. attended with his Victoria’s Secret model-wife Jill Goodacre! (It’s not a new romance, folks: They’re proud parents of three daughters!)

Photo: TVT

Paul Anka at The Orleans.

Harry and Jill dined one evening with The Donald and his wife, Melania, celebrating their own wedding anniversary, and Steve, who was with Neil Diamond! Talk about a power table in the Sinatra restaurant at Encore. (Be sure to click back to Vegas DeLuxe this week for our feature on the Encore’s new chefs and restaurants.)

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