NATHAN BURTON WINS MERLIN AWARD

Flamingo magician Nathan Burton received the “Merlin Award” yesterday, honoring him as the best comedy illusionist of 2008. Tony Hassini, founder of the International Magicians Society (IMS), along with Flamingo President, Don Marrandino, made the presentation during Burton’s 4pm show on the stage of the Flamingo Showroom. The IMS was founded in 1968 by Tony Hassini, and over the past 40 years, has grown to an organization of nearly 40,000, and is the largest magic society in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Winning a “Merlin Award” is the magic community’s equivalent to an Oscar, and past winners include legendary entertainers Siegfried & Roy, David Copperfield, Criss Angel and Penn & Teller, just to name a few. As a TV crew and photographers captured the moment, Burton thanked Don Marrandino and the Flamingo for the opportunity he received to perform his show inside the legendary venu; and also thanked Tony Hassini, the IMS and of course, his fans. “Without my fans, friends or family none of this would be possible,” Burton said backstage after the show. “I appreciate every single person who has come out and supported me over the years.”

EYE SPY 2008 SUMMER SURPRISE

The Las Vegas Strip was in a hot fuss on Tuesday night as PURE Nightclub kicked off the2008 Summer Surprise Series with homegrown rockers, The Killers . Taking to the main VIP stage shortly after midnight and with a packed house on hand, lead singer Brandon Flowers grabbed the mic and sang a cover of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun . Performing live for the first time in 2008, The Killers broke off into a dance rendition of Mr. Brightside which had club goers going wild. After their two-song surprise set, mixmaster and PURE resident DJ AM stepped up to the turntables and kept the nightclub packed until closing. Also on hand taking in The Killers' performance was comedian/actor Jamie Kennedy and Las Vegas headliner Carrot Top. MEANWHILE! Down at Aura Nightclub at Atlantis, the NBA Player's Association held a gathering at the Caribbean hot spot. Among the players in attendance were Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis of the newly crowned NBA Champion Boston Celtics. Also hanging out all night were LeBron James and Eric Snow of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dikembe Mutumbo of the Houston Rockets, Nate Robinson , David Lee and Malik Rose of the New York Knicks, Kevin Durant of the Seattle Supersonics, Mike James and Jannero Pargo of the New Orleans Hornets, Ron Artest of the Sacramento Kings, Maurice Evans of the Orlando Magic, Theo Ratliff of the Detroit Pistons and former NBA big man, Brian Grant.

BAWBWA WAWA HITS VEGAS WITH GAL PALS

Last night  Barbara Walters took her fellow hostesses, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck to see Bette Midler’s show The Showgirl Must Go On at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace.  ITEM! Pauly Shore, actor, was spotted at Playboy Club with Sunset Tan's Devin Haman and Jeff Bozz, along with Larry Rudolph, professional personal manager.  The guys and 10 other people had a table where they hung out and drank cocktails.   ITEM! Recording group Starfish & Coffee announce their first single to radio "Tragicomedy".  This single is the first single to be released from their self-titled debut album which was written and produced by Ross Childress, former songwriter and lead guitarist of Collective Soul. During his tenure with the multi-platinum selling group Collective Soul, Ross Childress wrote several of their hit songs, most notable of late being "The World I Know," which was recently performed by this year's American Idol winner David Cook, as well as "Dandy Life" and "Simple." Shortly after leaving Collective Soul, Ross worked with Trevor Hurst of Econoline Crush on his solo project "Hurst" which culminated in the album "Wanderlust."  This was followed up by a brief tour with Trevor as the band "Early Moses." Starfish & Coffee band members also include guitarist Andrew Carter, bass player Bo Bentley, and drummer Thomas Michael, all of whom hail from the Atlanta, GA area.  Tragicomedy is being released to commercial radio stations nationwide July 1^st.  For general information about Starfish & Coffee, please visit www.mystarfishandcoffee.com  

EYE SPY ANOTHER WEEKEND GONE BY

Vegas had its usual crowd of celebs and suspects this past weekend. Playboy model DJ Roxanne Dawn, Playboy model DJ Diamond, International Playboy Playmate DJ Miss Lisa, Playboy’s August 2008 cover model Sara Stokes and MTV's That's Amore star Domenico Nesci were spotted enjoying Torrid at Hawaiian Tropic Zone Friday.Saturday night at TAO Las Vegas saw several stars celebrating “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson’s birthday. Randy arrived just after 10 p.m. with a group of friends and family including his wife Erika Riker, “American Idol” executive producer and “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Nigel Lythgoe and actress Rosario Dawson. The group dined on Kobe beef, assorted sushi platters, Chilean sea bass and lobster wontons. At one point during dinner, Randy led a toast and thanked all his friends and family for joining him on his birthday. The entire restaurant later cheered as the birthday cake was brought out to Randy. Dining at a separate table was “Sex and The City” star Willie Garson and “Brothers and Sisters” star Dave Annable, who both stopped by Randy’s table to wish him a happy birthday.The celebration continued in the nightclub as the entire group went upstairs to their VIP table on the dance floor. Jackson hyped up the crowd as he went on the mic at the DJ booth and thanked everyone in the club for celebrating his birthday with him and gave a special shout out to all his friends. Later joining in on the birthday celebration was “Dancing with the Stars” dancer Karina Smirnoff, who was seen showing off her dance moves on top of the club’s catwalk. The club surprised Randy when the sparklers and another birthday cake was brought out. KVBC-TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs was also spotted joining in on the festivities. Not far from Randy’s table was actor Wilmer Valderrama with a group of friends. The group imbibed on Grey Goose cocktails and stayed until the early hours of the morning enjoying the sounds of DJ Five. Also spotted at TAO Nightclub was TBS’ “My Boys” star Kyle Howard with a friend. Also, Saturday, it was a primetime party inside LAX Nightclub last night as The Bachelor: London Calling season winner Shayne Lamas hosted her bachelorette bash inside the gorgeous two-story club. Lamas was joined by a group of beautiful friends to share the special night with her. The group was spotted enjoying Grey Goose and Red Bull cocktails throughout the evening as they rocked out to the mind-blowing set provided by DJ Hollywood. Stealing the spotlight when they walked in to the party-packed club was Grammy Award-winning musical duo Cee-lo Green and Danger Mouse of the group Gnarls Barkley. Green and Danger Mouse grabbed a premier VIP table on the dance floor to unwind after their concert where they sipped on Crown Royal and enjoyed the company of friends. Also making LAX their Saturday night party destination was Trisha Cummings of the MTV's The Real World: Sydney and Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, partying at separate plush VIP tables until the early morning hours. Over at PURE Nightclub, NFL linebacker Junior Seau enjoyed supreme VIP service with friends as he reveled in the spotlight on the main stage and posed for photos. . Before heading out on the town, Company American Bistro celebrity investor Wilmer Valderrama stopped in to dine with a group of close friends. Valderrama and his party enjoyed freshly prepared items off the menu like Beef Ravioli, Cucumber Salad and tuna flatbread as appetizers and Rib Eye Steaks, Maine Lobster and Braised Short Ribs as their main course. Before the evening was done, Valderrama surprised one of his guests with a specially made birthday dessert while the group sang happy birthday and toasted to the night with shots of Patron. As the Las Vegas temperatures continue to rise, celebrities continue to flock to Venus Pool Club to catch some rest and relaxation. Lamas and her bachelorette party indulged in a luxurious VIP cabana where they quenched their thirst with Belvedere vodka cocktails and Coronas while tanning poolside. Also stopping in to check out the sexy sights was Seau with friend and boxer Sergio Mora. Mora proudly showed off his WBC Super Welterweight Championship belt from his recent June 7,2008 victory to some lucky ladies around the pool before heading over to a VIP cabana to sip on Patron Anejo and Grey Goose cocktails.