Illusionist Steve Wyrick levitates Anna Nicole Smith during one of his New Year's weekend shows two years ago at the Aladdin. Photo by Larry Birkhead

Life was never dull when Anna Nicole Smith came to Las Vegas. Steve Wyrick was performing at the Aladdin on New Year's weekend two years ago and heard someone in the crowd "making funny comments."

Not derogatory comments, "just funny and quirky," said Wyrick. "I was taken aback. After every illusion, she was talking to Howard K. Stern or her dog, Sugar Pie.

The illusionist played along, commenting back, and after a few minutes invited the former Playmate of the Year onstage for the levitation. The show was one of his best, said Wyrick, because of Smith's charisma and playful personality.

Wyrick recalled something else: Seated with Smith and Stern was her son, Daniel, who died from a drug concoction in September. Smith's party included photographer Larry Birkhead, who was with Smith to photograph her New Year's Eve outing as host for an Aladdin VIP countdown party.

Birkhead claims he is the father of Smith's infant daughter.

Smith, who died in Florida on Thursday of unknown causes, was a Las Vegas regular in recent years.

She appeared on Penn & Teller's "Sin City Spectacular," a weekly cable show that ran for a season on FX, starting in 1998.

In 2002, while shooting the reality series "The Anna Nicole Show," she stayed in a high-roller suite at the Rio and made no secret of her interest in luring several members of the Chippendales back to her boudoir. After several 4 a.m. booty calls, she gave up.

She was at Beacher's Madhouse at the Hard Rock in September 2005 and returned two months later for her 38th birthday.

"She came onstage, and Leor (jeweler Leor Yerushalmi) gave her a necklace that cost something like $20,000," said Jeff Beacher, the show's producer.

During the September 2005 visit, she spent six hours at Sapphire Gentlemen's Club, tipping big for lap dances from her favorite female dancers.

On the way to the club, she rode in a limo bus equipped with a stripper pole. When the bus stopped at stoplights, pedestrians crowded around cheering as Smith, 80 pounds lighter from her TrimSpa diet, gyrated on the pole, said Beacher's business partner, Chad Weiner, who escorted Smith.

One of Smith's last trips to Las Vegas was about a year ago, when she filmed a new TrimSpa commercial. The ad featured Smith filling in as a maid of honor at a Las Vegas wedding ceremony.

Her last film, a campy sci-fi comedy titled "Illegal Aliens," was shot last year. She was one of the beautiful space aliens trying to save Earth. It included one of her most memorable cinematic lines: "Who do I have to screw to get off of this movie?"

SIGHTINGS

Kevin Spacey, singing a trio of Dean Martin favorites with a 16-piece orchestra Saturday at the "Keep Memory Alive" Alzheimer's gala at the MGM Grand Convention Center. Also there: dethroned Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees with her date, Palms owner George Maloof. ... Elton John, joining Prince onstage Friday for The Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" at Prince's 3121 club (Rio). ... Donald Trump, playing golf with Garry Goett at Southern Highlands Golf Club on Saturday.

THE PUNCH LINE

"I thought the only space traveler who wore a wig and an adult diaper was William Shatner." -- Jimmy Kimmel

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