Las Vegas Weekly

May 4, 2009 · 11:32 AM

Photo Gallery: Las Vegas’ all-star weekend

By Robin Leach

John Mayer with the cast of Love at The Mirage.

Photo: Ana Dobrijevic

It was another celebrity-studded weekend in Sin City, one in which Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton wasn’t the only one seeing stars.

John Mayer learns to dance at Love

Pop superstar John Mayer had a guys’ night out to see The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil at The Mirage, but it didn’t stop him from dancing! John’s rumored new love interest Scheana Marie was nowhere to be seen when he showed up with his bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Steve Jordan and best pal Bob Maron, the vintage watch connoisseur. Sipping Dewar’s scotch whiskey with water, John said they were in town for only the night taking a much-needed break from recording studio sessions.

After the show, they went backstage to meet the cast, and John asked to learn some of the choreographed dance moves. The Walrus character (Hassan El Hajjam) showed him how to perform the upper-body waving technique. John’s group signed autographs and posed for photos, and John gave a signed copy of his CD Continuum to Love-struck acrobat Leisha Knight. He promised them all that there would be “new music real soon.” Glass artist Dale Chihuly also was at Love.

Sarah Brightman on the Strip

British operatic superstar Sarah Brightman brought her two nieces to Las Vegas with her producer Frank Petersen. First stop was Criss Angel’s magic show Believe at the Luxor, where she was seats away from comedian Howie Mandel treating his son Alex to the show, too. The soprano discovery of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber also took her nieces to the Terry Fator show at The Mirage and insisted on going backstage to get a photo of the singing impressionist ventriloquist with the kids.

Sarah raved about Terry’s show and even told her limo driver en route home to take his family to see it. By coincidence, the driver the next night took Terry’s manager to the airport and in the course of conversation discovered the connection. The driver said Sarah had talked about nothing other than Terry’s show while in his limo!

True Blood stars hit MGM pool and nightclubs

It was a lazy day at Wet Republic for True Blood cast members Kristin Bauer and Sam Trammell from the HBO hit series. The hot TV couple told friends it was Kristin’s first boxing match, and she was all wrapped up in the Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao festivities. Later, they hosted a party at Tabu in MGM and were joined by co-stars Stephen Moyer and Academy Award winner Anna Paquin. Also seen at Wet Republic was Howie, who was performing at the resort’s Hollywood Theater, and world welterweight champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, who was telling fans he hopes for a shot at fight winner Manny.

Jay-Z’s all-star turnout for his back-to-back parties

For two consecutive nights, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z threw big-fight parties in the nightclubs of neighbors Palazzo and The Venetian, and celebrities turned out for his big bashes.

Jay-Z first held court at Lavo, dining with a group of friends that included Kansas City Chiefs’ Larry Johnson. They feasted on chef Ralph Scamardella’s Italian menu at a table in the center of the dining room. Brian Baumgartner of The Office was at one adjoining table, while at the other was David Spade with his mom and friends enjoying chicken parmigiana. Nearby was Luke Perry and record producer Andre Harrell.

Upstairs in the nightclub, Jay-Z took a VIP table in front of the DJ booth. He drank Voss water and his own Ace of Spades Champagne. When Soulja Boy Tell ’Em’s “Turn My Swag On” began, he jumped up and got everybody to join in -- even making the DJ play the entire song and tipping the go-go dancers with $100 bills for their moves. Deal or No Deal stunner Claudia Jordan eventually joined the group.

The next night at sister restaurant Tao in The Venetian was packed with celebrities for dinner before Jay-Z’s upstairs nightclub party. Once again, David treated his mom to an early dinner before his standup comedy routine at the Wayne Brady Theater. Jay-Z, along with a group of his record label execs, dined on Tao favorites including sea bass satay and Kobe beef, matched with very expensive bottles of vintage 1989 Chateau Margaux. Sean “P.Diddy” Combs hosted at an adjoining table with a group including Cassie, Russell Brand and Holly Madison. Spywitnesses said there were numerous shots of Patron, plus Ciroc with lemonade and Dom Perignon Rose, and that Holly and Russell hit it off so well, they were “flirting with each other all night long.”

Also dining at Tao together were David Arquette, Balthazar Getty and Thomas Jane before they hit the nightclub. No post-fight party would be complete without boxing’s official voice: Michael Buffer treated his family to sushi and sashimi. Adrien Brody enjoyed dinner with ex-NFL star Michael Strahan, his fellow Fox football analyst Jay Glazer and Law & Order’s Anthony Anderson.

Upstairs in the nightclub, Peepshow star Mel B and husband Stephen Belafonte partied with Suge Knight, Khloe Kardashian, Cedric the Entertainer, Brian Baumgartner and Cleveland Browns player William McGinest. One photo by contributing photographer Denise Truscello made for an interesting six degrees of Eddie Murphy separation! Michael and Nicole Mitchell chatted away with Mel B and Stephen, and if you’re as good a gossip guru as yours truly, you’ll remember that Eddie was married to Nicole and finally ’fessed up to fathering a child with Mel B! When Dr. Dre’s “California Love” was played, P.Diddy jumped on the stage to sing along and was joined by David and Balthazar, as Adrien, trying to hide under a baseball cap, danced on a banquette with Jay-Z.

Power players pack the Palms

Playboy models and sports stars packed the Palms all weekend long, and several of them turned up in their robes and pajamas at chef Kerry Simon’s Sunday pajama brunch in his restaurant Simon at Palms Place. I enjoyed my wake-up coffee and bagels and nova with new Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist from March 2008, and we’ll have that interview here tomorrow. Elsewhere in Simon, some in pj’s and others in sweats, were Mario Lopez, Benji Madden, Kelly Monaco, Guy Savoy and Frank Marino.

Hugh Hefner had revealed Ida as his new $100,000 PMOY winner Saturday night. Hef, his new steady gal pal Crystal Harris, model actress Brande Roderick now on Celebrity Apprentice and NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia welcomed Ida into the VIP section at The Playboy Club after she’d been named the 50th anniversary PMOY. Dennis Rodman joined the group later. Also in The Playboy Club was Kato Kaelin, who played blackjack.

Dining downstairs at Nove Italiano in the Palms Fantasy Tower was UFC champ Chuck Liddell with eight guests, and at another table international DJ Paul Oakenfold with two friends. Farther downstairs in the Palms at N9NE Steakhouse was boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrating the announcement that he’s coming out of retirement and eventually wants to fight Manny to reclaim the championship title yet again. Floyd dined on his favorite menu items, including the signature rock shrimp, chicken nuggets and his specially prepared steak fries. As usual, he ordered the homemade apple pie for dessert. Also at N9NE for a second consecutive night was pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler of MTV’s The Life of Ryan with DCMA Collective Clothing co-owner Tal Cooperman.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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