Las Vegas Weekly

May 12, 2009 · 12:22 PM

Strip Scribbles: Vanessa Minnillo turns up solo for Malin Akerman’s birthday

By Robin Leach

Vanessa Minnillo and Malin Akerman.

Photo: Isaac Brekken/WireImage

Guests at actress Malin Akerman’s 30th birthday party wondered if Nick Lachey’s romance with former MTV deejay Vanessa Minnillo is kaput after she turned up solo for the celebration. Vanessa joined Malin and her husband at Strip House in Planet Hollywood. Malin, the April Maxim cover girl who starred in Watchmen and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, then led the group into Prive for more than three hours of partying.

Vanessa, who stuck to Vodka tonics, went into the DJ booth shortly after midnight and led the birthday celebration. She got all the girls in the crowd to yell “yeah” before a “Happy Birthday” sing-along. Then Prive’s sexy shot girls wheeled out a roulette wheel-shaped cake.

The party picked up in volume and intensity after that, with both girls climbing onto the large speakers to dance together and separately with a Michael Jackson impersonator. It was 3 a.m. before they called it a night!

Celebrating her 21st birthday with a party at Prive simultaneously was actress Sara Paxton, joined by her co-stars Ben Hollingsworth and Jordan Woolley from their upcoming Ashton Kutcher series A Beautiful Life. Sara, who starred in the films The Last House on the Left and Aquamarine, danced to hits played by guest DJ Jermaine Dupri before blowing out the candles on her pink birthday cake and partying until 3 a.m. Also at Prive, Superbad actor Jonah Hill hung out with Sean “P.Diddy” Combs. The two arrived together after 1 a.m., and both greeted Jermaine in the DJ booth.

*Singer Dave Matthews used part of his double-header Las Vegas weekend concerts trip to lay down tracks at the Palms recording studio. Owner George Maloof’s brother Gavin, who co-owns the Sacramento Kings, stopped by to have Dave sign a rare and valuable Gibson-Les Paul Traditional pro guitar. Gavin wanted it as a prize at the Maloof Money Cup, an upcoming speed-racing event in California. Dave played it, fell in love with it and insisted on buying it! Gavin didn’t have the heart to charge him, so he gave it to him. Dave said, “You could play 10,000 guitars and not have a guitar like this.”

*Tiger Woods has lined up two supporting acts for his 12th annual Tiger Jam charity event Saturday headlined at Mandalay Bay Events Center by No Doubt. First up will be the Swedish group The Sounds, followed by the pop-punk Tennessee quintet Paramore. Paramore, which features Hayley Williams on vocals, brothers Josh and Zac Farro on guitar and drums and Jeremy Davis on bass, is featured on the hit Twilight soundtrack. The band is touring with No Doubt to promote its sophomore album Riot.

*We don’t know the identity of the mom who replaced the Fulco family matriarch on ABC’s Wife Swap, but we do know that the show’s cameras are filming her all week after beginning with her weekend visit to the San Gennaro Feast, where the musical Fulcos were a big hit!

*The late headliner legend Danny Gans rarely did interviews, let alone television sit-downs. But in July 2002, Danny opened up his dressing room for our local entertainer Tony Sacca’s cameras for his show Sharing Personal Moments. Our ABC affiliate on Channel 13 is broadcasting it Sunday at 5 p.m. Danny discussed his childhood, influences, love for sports, life-changing decisions, love for his family and what Las Vegas meant to him. Tony’s Entertainment Las Vegas Style is now in its 23rd year.

Star surveillance

On a guys’ night out, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors hit the early show of Cirque du Soleil’s Ka at MGM Grand, and crooner Michael Buble watched the late show. … Over at the Bellagio’s O, director and producer Bryan Singer (X-Men) saw the Cirque show for the fifth time! … Boris Diaw of the Charlotte Bobcats dined on grilled octopus at Nove Italiano inside the Palms with seven friends. They sat at a table in the terrace, drank Fiji water and Red Bull and shared appetizers and the rare Burrata cheese salad before heading upstairs to The Playboy Club and Moon.

Tonight’s tips

It’s a packed night at Carey Hart’s Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel with the Slow Children CD release party and performances by One Pin Short and Stereo High. … Our friends at Moon have a $5,000 prize for the hottest Girl-On-Girl Kiss, so expect lots of lip-lock lust. … Lavo in the Palazzo heats it up even more as its I Kissed a Girl contest adds the bondage element to prevent hugging and holding. … Comedian Scott Record, a one-time New York City nightclub bouncer who was Rodney Dangerfield’s opening act for a year on the road, provides the laughter at the Improv in Harrah’s with Shayla Rivera and Ron Morey through Monday.

Tomorrow’s teases

We’ll wrap our two-part interview with CineVegas director Trevor Groth and start the first of our Lion King cast interviews in advance of Friday’s premiere. It’s a mouthful, but we’ll post our photos of the hot dog-eating contestants as they stuff more than 20 Nathan's Famous hot dogs in a bid to compete at Coney Island this Fourth of July.

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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