Guests gathered at the Monte Carlo last week to help illusionist Lance Burton celebrate the 10th anniversary of his show at the Las Vegas resort. Colckwise from left are Frankie Scinta, Pete O'Donnell, Burton, Joey Scinta, Burton's mother, Hilma Burton, and Chrissi Scinta Photo by Craig L. Moran. Burton addresses the crowd at his 10th anniversary party at the Monte Carlo.

Excitement was in the air last week as Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" opened at The Venetian.

Hundreds gathered in the hotel's Veronese Ballroom Friday for a media night reception following the 7 p.m. show.

Guests were offered buffet stations of antipasto, crab cakes, spring rolls and assorted cheeses and fruits; butler-passed trays of curried chicken and brie puffs; and carving stations of tenderloin of beef with all the condiments.

Red and white wine was the libation to accompany the light supper as music from "Phantom of the Opera" played in the background.

Broadway's popular show has risen to new heights in The Venetian's specially built $40 million theater. And "spectacular" is the right word to use to describe the cast, the costumes and the sets.

The production deserved its standing ovation from a crowd that has experienced "Phantom" in many other different venues.

Happy anniversary: An audience weighted with relatives and friends helped Lance Burton celebrate his 10th anniversary at the Monte Carlo on June 21. Patrons then took an escalator to a second-floor ballroom outfitted with nightclub lighting, music and female dancers inside clear "cubes."

Burton introduced his mother, Hilma, 69, to show business friends ranging from The Scintas to hot new magician Criss Angel. Guests followed Burton's advice that "the first rule of show business is never turn down a free meal," gnoshing on miniburgers from the Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery, tacos from Blackstone's Steakhouse and a shrimp dish from Andre's French Restaurant.

Burton only briefly took over the microphone to express a few words of thanks to his cast and crew.

The Marilyn Collection: On June 4, guests including legendary Hollywood star Tony Curtis, District Judge Michael Cherry and Social Register President Claire Zeto arrived at the Stirling Club to witness the unveiling of Delores Hope Masi's "Marilyn Collection."

Treated to a dazzling evening filled with 1950s Hollywood glamour and style, the guests celebrated the launch of Masi's Marilyn Monroe-inspired collection, as a belated tribute to the star's 80th birthday.

The collection is comprised of jewelry and clothes originally worn by Monroe, along with rare photographs of the icon, which were elegantly displayed during the party.

Masi shared her memories of living with Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. It was clearly an emotional evening for Masi. She was a young girl when her family's home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., provided a sanctuary for the famous couple.

During their years together, Masi was the fortunate recipient of jewelry and clothing from Monroe's movie wardrobe and personal closet. Her keepsakes along with the rare photos comprise the Marilyn Collection.

The guests also had the opportunity to privately meet and place orders with jeweler Aaron Suley, who meticulously designed and re-created a diamond edition, in 18-karat gold or platinum, of the original jewelry worn by Monroe.

Guests participated in both live and silent auctions, where they bid on the precious items. Masi presented a check for $7,500, a portion of the event's proceeds, to the Shiloh Horse Rescue, a nonprofit organization founded by Jill Curtis and supported by her actor husband.

Visit to Vermont: Longtime Las Vegas physician Dr. Leonard Kreisler and his wife, Joan, met in Burlington, Vt., where Joan was an undergraduate at the University of Vermont and Leonard was attending medical school. They married just before Leonard's graduation in 1957.

The Kreislers just returned from Joan's 50th college class reunion where they enjoyed meeting old friends, and marveled at Burlington's transformation and the growth of the university.

Leonard experienced an extra treat: The University Bookstore had a well-attended book signing for his novel "Death By Any Means," published by durbanhouse.com. The bookstore reserved a spot for his book to place with other works by university-affiliated authors.

Wedding bells: Belinda Lovelia Montoya, daughter of Stephen and Linda Montoya of Las Vegas, was united in marriage to Brian Jeffrey Labovitz, son of Sheri and Barry Labovitz of Chicago.

The dual religious ceremony took place this spring under a chuppah on the golf course of the Red Rock Country Club.

The maid of honor was the bride's sister, Leah Montoya of Las Vegas, and bridesmaids were Andrea Davis of Las Vegas and Nicole Serradimigni and Dawn Peitz of Chicago. Elise Ronquillo of Las Vegas served as junior bridesmaid and Linda Kelley was the flower girl.

Best men were Mike Gunne and Evan Rogers of Chicago. Groomsmen were Robert Berkson and Massimo Serradimigni of Chicago, and junior groomsman was Jake Kelley of Las Vegas. Adam Montoya, brother of the bride, and Daniel Leshtz served as ushers.

The ceremony included padrinos del lasso, a Hispanic tradition of placing a lasso made of white fibers symbolizing purity of love over the shoulders of the bride and groom. The tradition was performed by Jeffrey Berkowitz and Tracey Labovitz-Berkowitz of Chicago.

The bride is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in political science, and is pursuing her master's in education at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

The groom also is a graduate of the University of Colorado and is a consultant and designer of restaurants.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Angel Fire, N.M., and will reside in Chicago.

Mike Weatherford contributed to this story.