Britney flashing big diamond ring

Britney Spears has sprung another Sin City surprise.

There was the 55-hour marriage, the club-hopping, girls' night out with Paris Hilton and the recent paparazzi pounding.

This time it's a big diamond ring that's causing a stir.

Spears, a one-woman publicity machine of late, was flashing the sparkler on her left ring finger during her red carpet appearance at Friday's opening of LAX nightclub at the Luxor.

Is she jumping back into a relationship, merely messing with the media or just creating more hype for her rumored comeback launch at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

Most skeptics are leaning toward the latter.

Meanwhile, a falling out between Las Vegas music sensation Ne-Yo and Spears has hit the headlines.

Ne-Yo, who grew up in North Las Vegas as Shaffer C. Smith, revealed last week that things have gone off track as far as his work on Spears' comeback album.

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM 102.7 in Los Angeles, Ne-Yo was asked for an update on his Britney project.

"I have no idea what's going on with Britney Spears. The last thing I heard is that Britney was mad at me over some songs that were supposed to go to her, but wound up going to Nicole Scherzinger (of Pussycat Dolls)," he said.

Ne-Yo, who won the male R&B/hip-hop Artist of the Year at the 2006 Billboard Awards and was nominated in three other categories, said he wrote six to eight songs for Spears.

"Then Britney goes ahead and shaves her head, goes into rehab and when that happened I lost all contact with her A&R people, with her label. I was calling them, they weren't answering my calls.

"So in the process of all that going on, that's when I met Nicole Scherzinger. I played her two songs, she loved them, they cut the check and she recorded the songs. So when that happened that's when Britney's people called and said, 'Why are you giving away Britney's songs?' and I say, 'Uh, hold on ... y'all didn't cut me a check.'"

But he says that he kept two special songs for Spears.

A MADE-OVER MARINO

Frank Marino, who marks his 22nd year this month as the headliner of "An Evening at La Cage" at the Riviera, says he pulled a Donald Trump last week.

"I cleaned house. I fired my manager, my booking agent and my press agent," Marino said.

"I felt pigeonholed as a Joan Rivers impersonator. I would like to stay in the headlines and not become yesterday's news. With all the new things going on, we need to chase the younger crowd."

He's cut his hair shorter and gone for a new wardrobe.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Paralyzed teen Brittney Bergeron has an angel in her corner. She's going to the U.S. Open as a guest of former tennis star Tracy Austin, who befriended Bergeron a year ago. Bergeron, 15, was 10 when she and her 3-year-old sister were repeatedly stabbed after being left alone in a mobile home in Mesquite. Brittney's sister died in a retaliatory drug deal attack that sent Utah siblings Beau and Monique Maestas to prison. The teen is in foster care, but the parental rights of Bergeron's mother, Tamara Schmidt, who was involved in selling the Maestas siblings bogus drugs, have not been terminated. ...

The $20 summer special for Rita Rudner's show at Harrah's is being extended until Nov. 10. She sold all 2,500 tickets for her 25 summer shows. ...

Some dream guests showed up at Vanessa Tarazona's bachelorette party at The Mirage a weekend ago. Multiple Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly mingled with the girls at Jet nightclub at The Mirage and later in the suites. Tarazona, a professional dancer who has appeared in music videos with Prince, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Green Day, is marrying Tom Breitling, former co-owner of the Golden Nugget and an online travel pioneer, on Sept. 12 in Lake Como, Italy. They will honeymoon in Spain, France, South Africa and Italy. ...

SIGHTINGS

At the opening of Blush Boutique Nightclub (Wynn) on Friday: Kobe Bryant, with his wife, Vanessa; Pamela Anderson, Steve and Elaine Wynn, Baron Davis of the Golden State Warriors and poker star Antonio Esfandiari.

THE PUNCH LINE

"A Georgia judge has ordered Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry to pay a lot of child support. He's fathered nine children by nine different women in four different states. And that was just the preseason. The regular season doesn't even start 'til next week." -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.