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Britney Busts Up and Heads Back To Vegas!
As we write, she's reportedly battling tears in semi-secret in a 3-room suite at the Wynn. But watchers should also keep a close eye on the Palms, where she'll no doubt be invited to celebrate her 24th birthday, which is coincidently tonight. She's also expected to be the Maloofs' surprise special guest at the grand opening of their Palms Fantasy Tower recording studio early next week. AND NOW, we have reports that Kevin is on his way to check in at the Hard Rock. Whether he's here to attempt reconcilliation—or just party himself—remains to be seen (but he'd better make sure his credit card still works!)… One could say Britney and Vegas are a bit star-crossed when it comes to romance, considering this was the place where her January 2004 marriage and instant annulment to Jason Alexander took place. Few are expecting she'll file again here…but David Chesnoff, Esq. (her lawyer in the previous case), you might want to keep your cell phone on! We've also just learned that Britney has agreed to a surprise appearance at the Billboard Awards on Tuesday (see more below), so expect this story to have daily developments (hide the breakables!)… One could say Britney and Vegas are a bit star-crossed when it comes to romance, considering this was the place where her January 2004 marriage and instant annulment to Jason Alexander took place. Few are expecting she'll file again here—but David Chesnoff, Esq. (her lawyer in the previous case), you might want to keep your cell phone on! We've also just learned that Britney has agreed to a surprise appearance at the Billboard Awards on Tuesday (see more below), so expect this story to have daily developments (hide the breakables!)… Reba, Runners and 72 Hour Party People
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Middleweights, Marathons and Brit's Marriage Mystery There's never been a weekend like this one! Never a marathon like the first on the Vegas Strip. Never a middleweight title fight where the contender literally threatened to kill the champ beforehand. And never a marriage mystery like the drama developing between Britney and Kevin in our pleasure playground. We broke the news late Friday that popstar-turned-new-mama Britney Spears had surprisingly arrived at the Wynn resort after a major blowup with 14 month hubby Kevin Federline. The tempestuous timeline started as Brits flew in last Wed. to LA with baby Sean Preston and nanny (leaving Kevin in NYC) and wound up out on the town with mogul Phil Maloof (president of Maloof Music & Movies and a longtime family friend), brother to Joe, Gavin and George Maloof, who own the hotter than heck Palms Resort hotel casino here, as well as the Sacramento Kings basketball team. Then Friday—her 24th birthday—Britney accepted the Maloof invite to Sin City, arriving with her wedding band swapped for a skull and crossbones ring! Most of the weekend, she laid low with mom Lynn (plus the baby and nanny) in 3 adjoining rooms at Wynn (only her bodyguard was spotted in a resort restaurant). Meanwhile, Federline reportedly checked himself in at the Hard Rock Hotel, and at 2AM Saturday, turned up at TAO (the Venetian's uber-hot restaurant/club) to party with pals until near dawn. Not the smartest strategy, considering complaints about Federline's wild partying and excessive spending habits have been regular gossip fodder recently. Whether or not he tried to rap on Britney's room (actually, no one's even sure he knows she's here!), I've been told by a close source that he would not be "wanted anymore." And here's a tasty tidbit: My gossip pal Norm Clarke of the Review-Journal is now reporting that before arriving Friday, Brit ordered Kevin's new Ferrari returned to the LA dealership where she'd bought it! (Here's hoping he didn't hock the Honda…) Over the weekend, the girls at my friend Michael Boychuck's Palms salon/spa were gabbing that Britney was due there (maybe for their exclusive AMP Afterhours treatment? What's more certain is that Spears has promised to surface tonight (Mon. Dec. 5) when the Maloofs unveil their new $20 million Fantasy Tower recording studio with a swanky soiree (And may likely arrive earlier at the pre-Billboard Awards private party my Eye on Vegas friend Michael Politz—who hosts AOL Vegas' Counter Intelligence videos here—is throwing with Billboard's executive editor Tamara Conniff at Lure in the Wynn, where Spears' former manager and Palms studio principal Larry Rudolph has rsvp'd to attend with 3 VIP GUESTS). We will be there in person to bring you the private P.O.V… And the mystery of her up and down "trouble in paradise" marriage might be solved then. Will Kevin end the parties and plead yet again for a reconciliation? Will Britney take off the ominous ring and put back her simple gold band? Will Phil be her lucky escort? The drama develops as Brit prepares for tomorrow night's Billboard Awards show at the MGM Grand. Let's not forget, Britney knows how quick she can get a divorce in Vegas (remember hubby #1, Jason Alexander?) So she may be ready for #2! At any rate, you know what you've got to read tomorrow don't you? YES—your AOL LuxeLife Vegas Journal, for all the intimate inside details and private photos (we strongly recommend hitting the 'Alert Me' link atop this page for instant email the minute we post!)… In happier happenings, the whole festive holiday spirit kicked off the wild weekend of wonders when mighty Mayor Oscar Goodman arrived by sleigh to switch on the Centennial Tree (as part of Vegas' 100th birthday year) at the 14th annual Magical Forest operated by the great volunteers of Opportunity Village. As part of the festivities, Opportunity Village sponsored a first-ever 1K Walk/5K Jog around the Fremont Street Experience and all downtown, with all entrants required to dress as Santa Claus. It was an attempt to set a new Guinness World Book Record, but despite some 3000 red coated revelers, a previous English event with 3,991 Father Christmases still stands. Linda Smith, Opportunity's head honcho told me: "We're going to make this an annual fund-raiser and next year we will absolutely break the record…" There's no question it was a terrible threat. Boxing commissioners and judges recoiled when Bernard Hopkins (who lost his middleweight champion title to rising Little Rock, Arkansas fighter Jermain Taylor last July) outraged ominously that his return rival should hug his wife and family in case something happened. We've had two boxers die following Vegas bouts this year already, so it's a very sensitive subject! Anyway the threat rang hollow, because the sequel produced the same result—although Hopkins again railed he was robbed when the 115–113 point verdict tipped to Taylor. Now, I'm told Hopkins says he'll simply call it quits. Celebs in the crowd included Charles Barkley, sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, MTV's Ed Lover and a host of hip hoppers, as well as boxers Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Antonio Tarver, and Tommy Hearns. Not to mention Mike Tyson, who got the cold treatment for arriving two rounds in—with an entourage! As if that wasn't sufficient excitement at Mandalay Bay, Sly Stallone came along to transform real life into reel life as he began filming Rocky 6. For five days this week, he'll shoot fight sequences when he packs power punches with real-life light heavyweight champ Tarver. The story, sources say, is based on George Foreman's late-life never-predicted comeback bout. We'll be visiting the location filming this week and report back soon after… Ten days of ten gallon hats also got underway this weekend as 40,000 visitors started spending an estimated $40+ million in town (for the 21st time!) with the National Finals Rodeo. Events at the Thomas and Mack Center include bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback and saddle bronco riding (sounds almost as arduous as Brit's marriage!) with $4.5 million in prizes at stake. Tonight through Wednesday, LeeAnn Rimes and honkytonk hunk Phil Vasser play the Hilton—just two of a cavalcade of country stars singing during the stint. Thursday and Friday this week, we'll have the entire wrap-up of the finals weekend… But Britney and the wild west wranglers were likely all fast asleep come 6AM yesterday (Sun. Dec. 4) when our new Las Vegas Marathon launched. Yep, I was up that early and out in a chilly 36 degrees just for you, loyal readers, to witness the famed Strip shut to traffic for the very first time—excepting New Years Eve of course (It's also the first time that one could bet on a marathon, with host Hotel Mandalay Bay's race and sports book taking wagers). Apart from messianic marathon mavens, I spotted a few all-night partiers weaving and wending home pre-dawn as 12,500 runners created a spectacle no doubt never before seen in the Vegas valley. Only in Vegas at sun-up could you have cheerleading squads, singers, showgirls, school kids and stars come out to cheer on the 26.2-mile challengers, which included 40 elite athletes, cancer survivors, heart-attack survivors, 19 wheelchair racers, one blind lady, a 371 lb. man who's slimmed down by 181 pounds over six such races…and, Only In Vegas, of course, 35 runners dressed as Elvis including one with a 5-month-old baby dressed as the King, in a baby carriage decorated in Elvis memorabilia. Marathon chairman and Siegfried and Roy manager Bernie Yuman had hoped his pals Muhammad Ali and Sir Anthony Hopkins would be at the starting line. Alas, both didn't make the alarm clock call, so Bernie himself fired the starters pistol as fireworks exploded in the pre-dawn darkness and Elvis Presley crowed "Viva Las Vegas" as the runners set off. Vegas visitors (including Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and fiancee Sheryl Crow in a Mandalay pre-honeymoon suite) must have woken up in shock thinking they'd overslept to New Years Eve! (More on Lance's miracle heroics later in the week) My pal, Ken Henderson, President of the Best Agency organized different entertainment attractions at mile intervals including Santa on a sleigh in snow with stiltwalkers; cowgirls riding a mechanical bull; a gospel choir; hula dancers with a Beach Boys tribute band; and traditional Japanese Taiko drummers. You're simply not gonna see that sorta stuff in the Boston marathon! My favorite? At Mile 5, another first: 22 couples got married or renewed their vows in a moving Memory Wedding chapel, with wedding cake served and even 2 buckets of hot water in case anybody got cold feet! In the end, two Kenyans—Stephen Kiogora and Titus Munji—beat out 3 Ethiopian runners for the top two slots, with the winner averaging 5 minute miles, coming in at 2 hrs. 11 min. 56 secs. He got the $100,000 prize (contrast that with his country's annual average pay of $700) but missed out on the $1.25 million new-record bonus by 7 minutes. The winning $100,000 female runner was Adriana Fernandez of Mexico, with Polish runner Dorota Gruce a heartbreaking hairlength behind (both recording 2 hrs. 31 min. 54 secs.). No question that this extraordinary event will become both an annual part of the regular marathon circuit and a new yearly entertainment attraction for Vegas. Bernie promised me next year he would have George Clooney and his castmates on hand as three-quel Oceans 13's filming is set to coincide with the 2006 Marathon! And another marathon materialized last night with Carmen Elektra's sizzling and strutting Dirty Little Secrets dancers and her hubby Dave Navarro's Camp Freddy supergroup (including The Cult's Billy Morrison, Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum and Beastie Boy DJ Mix Master Mike) at Rain. Since we were at the Palms, these eyes awaited Britney, but instead saw wrestler Hulk Hogan hanging with honcho Gavin Maloof and enjoying Carmen's lingerie-clad lovelies. I chatted with Carmen briefly beforehand up in Skybox 1, and can report—from the genuine affection between her and Dave—that their marriage ain't going the way of Brit's. Carmen told me she's been picked to make a special presentation at tomorrow night's Billboard awards (Hogan is also scheduled to appear).
While Britney stayed secretive, celebs who did show themselves this wondrous
weekend included Mena Suvari dining for the 2nd time in a month at Sushi
Roku; Magic Johnson at one VIP dance floor table and NY Yankees Derek Jeter
at the next in TAO; Mario Lopez and Jason Giambi at Body English; Girls Gone
Wild creator Joe Francis and former Superman Dean Cain at Forty Deuce; and
Gwen Stefani at Aladdin's Tremezzo Italian restaurant. Stefani of course
also performed at the resort this weekend, telling the audience (which
included rival hotel tycoon wife Elaine Wynn) it was the closest of any she
had been to her entire tour—"so close, I can smell you all" she joked…
Articles and photos from Robin Leach's Luxe Life: Vegas column on AOL cityguide are used by permission. |
