Stars come out for New Year’s parties

With tonight's New Year's Eve festivities in the TV spotlight, Las Vegas once again reigns as celebrity central.

The syndicated showbiz roundup "Extra," for example, plans to hit a quintet of New Year's Eve parties, with Pamela Anderson at Pure (Caesars Palace), Mariah Carey at Tao (The Venetian), Nikki and Paris Hilton at LAX (Luxor), Avril Lavigne at Privé (Planet Hollywood) and Kevin Federline at Tangerine (Treasure Island) among the celebrity hosts.

Their starpower (and that of their guests) makes Las Vegas "bigger than Times Square" as a New Year's destination for the stars, according to Steve Weiser, "Extra's" Las Vegas bureau chief. "It's bigger than anywhere in the world."

"Extra's" New Year's Eve coverage will air starting Wednesday, Weiser notes.

Jumping into '08: ESPN had planned to air two record-breaking stunts for tonight's three-hour "New Year, No Limits" telecast from the Rio.

But the live show is now 90 minutes -- and freestyle motocross star Robbie "Maddo" Maddison will solo in the spotlight at 9 p.m. (midnight on the East Coast) due to stunt driver Rhys Millen's training crash on Christmas Eve.

Millen's now out of the hospital, Maddison reports.

But Maddison's own stunt -- attempting to jump the length of a football field on his motorcycle -- is "going to be tough whether (Millen's) there or not," he says.

In addition to the jump, ESPN's coverage of the Red Bull Experiment event also features the rock band Angels & Airwaves.

"We're keeping this show as live as possible," says Joan Lynch, ESPN's executive producer and vice president of content development.

Accordingly, ESPN plans to cut between Maddison's jump (from a newly built 5,000-seat stadium in a Rio parking lot) and the traditional Times Square ball drop in New York.

Audiences "will not miss the ball drop," she says, noting that many viewers tune in "for that one shot of the year lighting up. We're going to give you that -- and something much, much bigger."

The "Party's" over: Lifetime's "Top This Party: Las Vegas" is scheduled to wrap tonight with the seventh party to be featured on the half-hour reality series, which debuts Friday in conjunction with a sister show focusing on Orange County, Calif.

Tonight's soirée boasts a "Moulin Rouge" theme.

And that theme represents a key difference between the Las Vegas and Orange County series, reports Mechelle Collins, who executive produces the show with Intuitive Entertainment partner Kevin Dill.

The Orange County programs center on "really big characters with beautiful mansions," Collins explains. And "in Las Vegas, (hosts) want to go with a strong theme."

Carol Cling's Shooting Stars column appears Mondays. Contact her at (702) 383-0272 or e-mail her at ccling@ reviewjournal.com.