Lauren Conrad walks; Depeche Mode rocks

Lauren Conrad walks a red carpet at 1 p.m. Saturday at Tao Beach pool at The Venetian. This comes after her ex-friend from MTV's "The Hills," Heidi Montag, just took credit in Playboy for spreading the word about Lauren's supposed sex tape.

From friends to enemies. Haven't we all been there?

PARTY FOR A CAUSE

The annual Black & White Party hits the Hard Rock at 9 p.m. Saturday. The party benefits Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and you'll find the usual supporters of the cause:

Penn & Teller, Terry Fator, Frank Marino, plus Nathan Burton, cast mates from Hooter's "Men of X" and Flamingo's "X Burlesque," plus a performance by Charo on guitar, celebrity impersonators, fire dancers, mermaid characters and DJs.

Admission ($35) comes with tastings from restaurants ranging from Rare 120 steakhouse to Pink Taco, PF Chang's, Sushi Roku, BOA steakhouse and others. For more, check out AFANLV.org.

GAMBLING AT THE AIRPORT

Depeche Mode rocks the Palms on Saturday night, then stays the night in Vegas, says keyboardist Andy Fletcher -- a gambler who always loses money here.

"The only time I've ever won in Vegas was at the airport at the gate," he says.

"I put money in the slot machine, and right before we were boarding, I won about $400 in quarters -- which is not a good time to win."

Check out my interview with Fletcher in the back of today's Neon section, where he discusses singer Dave Gahan's recent bad luck with gastrointestinal trouble, cancer and a torn calf muscle. Their Palms power openers are Peter Bjorn and John.

WEEKEND PLANNER

It's a big weekend. Check out the Neon section for all the info on:

• Ludacris raps tonight at the Palms for free (sort of, we have ticket info on Page 3 of Neon).

• Franz Ferdinand opens for Green Day tonight at Mandalay Bay.

• Marilyn Manson rocks the Hard Rock tonight.

• Maze featuring Frankie Beverly grooves the Hilton on Saturday and Sunday nights.

• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy swings tonight at the Hard Rock.

• Boyz II Men harmonize Saturday at Mandalay Bay Beach.

• And awesome Richard Cheese and Lounge Against The Machine play their final tour at Green Valley Ranch on Saturday.

Doug Elfman's column appears on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 383-0391 or e-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He also blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.