Las Vegas Weekly

February 12, 2010 · 7:54 PM

Photo Galleries: S.I. wraps at Vanity and Tao, with Bar Refaeli, Maroon 5

By Robin Leach

The 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition party at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 11, 2010. 2009 cover girl Bar Refaeli is pictured here.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Shortly after the noon hour today, the chartered Air Trans jet carrying its precious cargo of 18 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition supermodels lifted off from McCarran Airport for the return flight to New York. It marked the end of an extraordinary three days of festivities in Las Vegas as the provocative, pin-up, pictorial pages of the 2010 edition came to life right here when the magnificent models made a sexy splash all over town.

Their visit culminated with two back-to-back parties last night and this morning at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel, following by Tao in The Venetian, where dusk turned to dawn for the ravishing revelers.

Last year’s cover girl Bar Refaeli, who has been romantically linked the past three years with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, did not go missing, as some New York reports suggested. She did not throw a temper tantrum about not being the cover cutie for a second consecutive year. She did not get into a catfight with this year’s chosen blonde Brooklyn Decker, aka Mrs. Andy Roddick.

“No mystery, no story, no rivalry, no animosity,” I was told candidly by a Sports Illustrated rep. “Bar wouldn’t have even come out here on the plane if there was the slightest hint of that. She simply wasn’t feeling well after she arrived here. She stayed in to get over it and be well enough for the big Maroon 5 party at Vanity here in the Hard Rock.”

Sure enough, Bar turned up pretty as a picture -- all smiles and happily posing for everybody who wanted her photo. She even talked with the TV and radio crews on the red carpet denying any friction whatsoever. End of story!

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

The 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition party at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 11, 2010. Mark McGrath is pictured here.

More S.I. in Las Vegas

Sugar Ray frontman and Don’t Forget the Lyrics host Mark McGrath told us on behalf of Sports Illustrated that the swimsuit edition launch festivities will take place in Las Vegas for another three years. Rossi Ralenkotter, our Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority leader, said, “It’s a great partnership. Where else than in Las Vegas can you celebrate beautiful women better? Vegas and the swimsuit special edition is a heaven-made match. We’re glad they will be here for many years to come.”

Our LVCVA also is one of the sponsors with a lavish two-page ad in the nearly 200-page issue. In six artist drawings, the ad explains the history of the bikini in Las Vegas. It progresses from the original 1950s bikini to the yellow polka dot bikini of the ’60s to the halter bikini of the ’70s to the bandeau bikini of the ’80’s to the tanktini of the ’90s to the topless Vegaskini now that speaks for itself!

The Sports Illustrated Group President Mark Ford of Time Inc. confirmed to me that his editors began planning next year’s edition while here. “It’s a 365-day-a-year ongoing process, and we start shooting again in April,” he told me. “Some 66 million people will see all of this excitement, and we will sell some 4 million copies at $6.99 each. It is a big business, and although it is only one specific edition a year, it’s the most important.”

Mark continued: “Next year when we return to Las Vegas, we want to have a bigger and better look about everything. We’d like to add a TV element to it. We want to take it international. We’ve discussed all those things while we have been in Vegas. We’re already beginning the process of thinking new locations and laying out schedules for shoots. We love this city. It’s been a phenomenal trip. The girls have enjoyed every moment of it. The reception and reaction have been wonderful. The hotels, the clubs, everybody has just become part of our family.”

I asked him to explain the swimsuit issue phenomenon. He replied: “We have a very unique lens that makes us different from anything anybody might say is similar. We have the right balance of being tasteful and presenting very sexy, smart, beautiful women. It’s very tastefully done, and we’re proud to say our issue isn’t covered up or hidden from view anywhere in America.”

Mark told me that his six swimsuit issue photographers take a mind-boggling total of 155,000 photos and admits that one or two that could’ve been a cover contender may have accidently dropped on the floor! He said that the final say for the cover girl selection belongs to Group Editor Terry McDonnell and Swimsuit Editor Diane Smith. “But we’ll go through some 20 mockup covers and have focus groups voting before their final decision is made. After all, 4 million sales depend on that!”

Our amazing team of contributing photographers followed in the high-heel footsteps of the beauties, from the moment they landed and were officially welcomed by Mayor Oscar Goodman at The Mirage until this morning’s last dance at Tao, to capture these amazing photo galleries, and Richard Corey provided video reports. Here are our final photo galleries of the luscious ladies at Vanity, Tao and Lagasse’s Stadium in the Palazzo.

And for added viewing pleasure, Sports Illustrated supplied us with official photographs shot by Michael Loccisano and Isaac Brekken of Getty Images that includes the New York launch party and their plane ride.

Here’s my reporter’s notebook from last night’s party at Vanity in the Hard Rock’s new HRH Tower, where Adam Levine and his Maroon 5 entertained the models and a group of VIPs and sponsors:

*On the red carpet in addition to the models were members of the USA Sevens Rugby team competing here this week; Chris Phillips of Zowie Bowie with new date Felice Garcia, who impersonates Carrie Underwood in American Superstars at the Stratosphere; Adam; Dancing With the Stars’ Cheryl Burke and Chelsie Hightower, who are featured in the body-painted models section; Brooklyn with the 2010 edition seemingly glued to her hands; 2010 Miss Nevada USA Julianna Erdesz, who has just moved into her new Las Vegas home; and 2008 Miss Indiana Brittany Mason, who lives here now.

*Photographers’ flashes whipped into a frenzy when Bar arrived. Another glamour girl who received a lot of attention was Milan model Melissa Satta, who told me it was the first time she’d been to Las Vegas and that she was a “first-time rookie” in the swimsuit issue. She added that her body-painting shots on Pages 124 and 125 had taken 16 hours of paintwork even before the photographer began shooting.

*Legendary ladies man Adam, who followed the ladies to Tao after his band’s set at Vanity, told us: “These simply are stunning, beautiful women.” But it was Brooklyn who summed it up best: “We always have a great time in Vegas. We love the city, and the city loves us back. We love coming to Vegas, and we’re all happy we’ll be back here next year. We have to see if we can stay much longer next time!”

Photo: TVT

The 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition party at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 11, 2010. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is pictured here.

Incidentally, when Brooklyn and Andy married last April, she bet him that she’d wind up on the cover of Sports Illustrated before him. He took the bet, saying, “No way.” “Now I go home to collect, and then he’s up next on the cover!”

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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