Moon sits over the bunny at the Palms Fantasy Tower. The new nightclub, which has a retractable roof, is one floor above the Playboy Club.
Artist Dale Chihuly has a new book out.
Drummer Travis Barker still has Paris.
Ben Stiller expected on Grand red carpet.
Along with opening the first Playboy Club in 25 years, Palms owner George Maloof officially unveils another first tonight: a retractable roof on a nightclub-topped tower.
The 40-by-60-foot sliding top fits over Moon, the nightclub that crowns Maloof's new 400-foot, $300 million Fantasy Tower.
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"It's one of a kind. There hasn't been anything like this anywhere," Maloof said during a tour of the tower as workers added finishing touches and Bunny dealers practiced their blackjack.
The retractable roof was originally planned for Rain, the largest nightclub at the Palms, Maloof said.
"It was a cool idea, and we saved it," he said.
Escalators connect Moon with the Playboy Club, one floor down, and Nove, an Italian restaurant operated by N9NE Group's Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff, who also run Moon.
When the roof is closed, Moon will be ablaze with special lighting and projection imagery.
Nove, Italian for nine, opens to the public Sunday.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
NBA talent hunters were in town last week, quietly auditioning entertainment acts for NBA All-Star Weekend, Feb. 15-19. Meanwhile, the clamor for Las Vegas party venues continues for All-Star Game Weekend. Nike, the sports apparel and shoe giant, has reserved the Palms' Hardwood Suite for an event. ...
The list of red-carpet attendees continues to grow for Andre Agassi's Grand Slam for Children on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden. It was announced Thursday that Ben Stiller would be joining Michael Bublé, Phil Collins, Counting Crows, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah McLachlan, Tears For Fears, Anna Kournikova, Emeril Lagasse, Emily Procter, and Erika Avila, the Grand Slam to Stardom winner. ...
Paris Hilton and former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker aren't staying under the radar after his estranged wife confronted Hilton this week in a jealous rage. I hear Hilton and Barker requested seats next to each other, but at separate tables, at tonight's Social House grand opening party at Treasure Island. Hilton and Shanna Moakler, of "Dancing With the Stars," got into a scrap at a Los Angeles nightclub on Wednesday.
MAY I RECOMMEND ...
Twenty years after Playboy clubs closed in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, the Bunny is back, starting tonight at the Palms' Fantasy Tower. It opens to the public at 11 tonight and Saturday, after private parties both nights. Admission: $20 on weeknights and $40 on weekends. The cover charge includes admission to Moon, the pop-top nightclub.
SIGHTINGS
"America's Got Talent" camera crews, shooting on top of Hooters Casino Hotel's parking garage Thursday. They were taping Las Vegas contestants Lilia, a contortionist at Desert Passage, and Bernie Barker, known as the world's oldest stripper. ... Former Backstreet Boy AJ McLean, taking in "La Femme" (MGM Grand) on Wednesday. ... Fright Dome opens at Circus Circus tonight with an appearance by Captain Spaulding from the Rob Zombie films. ... Artist Dale Chihuly signs his latest book, "Fire," from 1-2 p.m. Saturday at his store near the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. ... Madame Tussauds' new Chamber of Horrors is open, featuring Freddy ("A Nightmare On Elm St.)," Jason ("Friday The 13th") and Leatherface ("Texas Chain Saw Massacre").
THE PUNCH LINE
"North Korea is close to conducting a nuclear test. If that is successful, they are going to try something harder -- indoor plumbing for their people." -- Jay Leno
