Feb. 13, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Jordan, Hilton to host big bashes

Michael Jordan will celebrate No. 44.

Vince Neil in crowd at Foreigner concert.

Don King dines with Trump, Ruffin.

The toughest party ticket in town this week?

It's a coin flip between Michael Jordan's birthday party at Bellagio and Paris Hilton's soiree at the Hard Rock Hotel. Both are on Saturday.

Organizers for Jordan's party have reportedly been on a mission to hire 75 models and dancers. He turns 44.

The invite list to Hilton's 26th birthday party at Body English includes former party pal Nicole Richie. Also invited: Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, porn star Jenna Jameson, actress Elisha Cuthbert, music producer Scott Storch and rapper Fat Joe.

At 3 a.m. the Hilton party moves to the Hard Rock Penthouse, where host Jeff Beacher has assembled a mini-"Madhouse," with little people, the Tiny Kiss band, a monkey, a goat, stiltwalkers and plus-sized go-go dancers.

Lindsay Lohan is listed among "possibles" at the Vince Carter-hosted kickoff bash at Risqué (Paris Las Vegas) on Friday. Also on that list: Hilary Duff, who is 19. Lohan turns 21 on July 2.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY

Las Vegas' famous neon is getting overshadowed this week.

The NBA All-Star Weekend ad blitz, unprecedented locally in size and scope, will include a nightly barrage on the 1,149-foot Stratosphere.

Starting with a test run tonight, T-Mobile ads will be projected from the base of the Stratosphere pillar to the top.

"It's never been done before," said Jen Grant, vice president of sales & marketing for Elite Media, Inc.

The campaign begins Wednesday night.

NBA sponsors have wrapped Las Vegas casinos in acres of ads along the Strip, part of the most expensive marketing campaign in the city's history.

"These are the biggest ads in Las Vegas history and currently the largest in America," said Grant.

The T-Mobile wrap at Mandalay Bay is currently the largest ad in America and the largest sports ad ever. It covers 56,250 square feet, with the head of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade eight stories high.

The Stratosphere projection media will rank as the tallest ad in the world, Grant said.

Adidas has spent millions on multiple wraps, including the largest ever placed on the Luxor's pyramid façade.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

The rumblings continue that the NBA has even bigger plans for Las Vegas, and soon. ...

Reunited and it feels so good: Sting and The Police have a June 15 date at the MGM Grand. They announced the tour schedule on Monday, after leading off the Grammy Awards on Sunday. ...

Auctioneer Jamie Niven generated a lot of buzz at Saturday's "Keep Memory Alive" gala, not all of it positive. The longer the evening went for the son of film icon David Niven, the saltier his language and the grumpier he got. ...

Fred Glusman's birthday surprise? With all the usual suspects gathered for his birthday luncheon on Monday at Piero's Italian Cuisine, Glusman appeared on a video saying he wasn't joining them. He was celebrating No. 70 in Mexico, after getting his pals' goats by running an ad in the R-J saying it was his 60th. Ever the pot stirrer, Glusman had a final touch for dessert: cupcakes with his face on the frosting. Attendees included Jerry Tarkanian, Bernie Schiappa and former Mayor Ron Lurie. ...

Sounds like the rumored Eagles tour is getting close to being announced. At Friday's MusiCares pre-Grammy gala in Los Angeles honoring Don Henley, a live auction package offered by Henley included guest admittance to "all Eagles 2007-2008 tour dates." Las Vegas auctioneer Christian Kolberg was hired for the event, which featured many of the Grammy entertainers. ...

Oscar De La Hoya and Joe Frazier are among a dozen boxing greats who will be on the runway Wednesday for the "Fashion Knockouts" show at the MAGIC convention. They'll be joined in Hall G at the Sands Expo by Tommy "Hitman" Hearns, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Ken Norton, James "Lights Out" Toney and special emcee Jimmy Lennon, longtime ring announcer.

SIGHTINGS

Vince Neil of Motley Crue, in the crowd at the Foreigner concert (Luxor) Saturday night. ... Donald Trump, Phil Ruffin and Don King, dining together at Charlie Palmer Steak on Saturday night before the Shane Mosley-Luis Collazo fight. ... Bernard Hopkins, at Mosley's after-party on Saturday at Body English (Hard Rock Hotel).

THE PUNCH LINE

" NASA made it official today: They are no longer going to recruit their astronauts from eHarmony.com." -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.