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I LOVE LV
JAMES PATRICK HERMAN
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LAS VEGAS
After 100 years, Hollywood's favorite desert destination
is hotter than ever-just ask these lucky stars
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Pure Nightclub at
Caesar's Palace "You know the game Lite Brite? The
Strip is kind of like that. I remember coming here by
plane 20 years ago and all I could see was this little
diamond in the middle of the desert, Now you fly above
and you're like,
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Celine Dion, the
Vegas show A New Day •Where does it start? Where
does it end?' " THE BEST THING
ABOUT LAS VEGAS?
"You can never say, 'Been there, done that. / have
not even seen everything yet, and I have been here for
three years!"
photographed by Andrew Macpherson
Michael Vartan, Alias
The Palms
High Roller Lounge 1
DESCRIBE LAS VEGAS
STYLE:
"It's the ultimate people-watching city. I've seen
people wear things I didn't know existed. Go out on a
Saturday night andwow! – a woman wearing a
handkerchief. Interesting!" ONLY IN VEGAS
"YOU 'get the Vegas bug. the last trip, (took a
beatinglost five grand, got drunk-and the drive home was
horrible. But give it enough time and I'll wake up and
say, 'Hey, let's go back to Vegas!'"
photographed by Brian Bowen Smith
Sin City Cinema
1 Gambling as a metaphor for love? You bet! In next
month's Lucky You, Eric Bana plays in the World Series of
Poker; Drew Barrymore, a lusty lounge singer, ups the
comedy ante, 2 Filming Ocean's
Eleven, Steven Soderbergh's remake of the Rat Pack heist
flick, clearly inspired co- stars George Clooney and Brad
Pitt-they're collaborating on a reallife Vegas casino. 3
Swingers, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn's 1996 buddy
movie, nailed the L.A. dating game, but the Vegas Strip
made a scene-stealing cameo. 4 Sharon Stone was
Oscar-nominated for her flashy role in Martin Scorsese's
1995 epic ode to Casino culture. 5 The chips were down
for Nicolas Cage (with Elisabeth Shue) in Mike Figgis's
1995 drama,
Leaving Las Vegas, but he hit the Oscar jackpot. 6 Also
in'95 (a lucky year for Vegas movies), Elizabeth Berkley
starred in Paul Verhoeven's camp classic Showgirls, about
a stripper-sorry, dancer-with big dreams and a bad
attitude.
The Rat Pack in the original Ocean's Eleven, 1960 Molly
Sims, Las VegaS The Whiskey Bar at Green Valley Ranch;
photographed by Christophe Rihet
Fashion-wise, there is a bit of everything here people
check their inhibitions at the door.
Mena Suvari, Domino
Mix restaurant at the Hotel; photographed by Christophe
Rihet It's fantasyland. All kinds of people come here
from all over the world for just one thing:
entertainment.
Lucky in Love
1 Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley had a rock and
roll-style wedding at the Graceland Chapel, but after 16
years they've proved that not all quickie Vegas
ceremonies end equally soon in divorce.
2 Other happy couples who walked down the aisle there
include tennis stars Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, who
were wed at the local hero's Vegas home by a judge. Years
married: four. 3 Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos got
hitched at a venue Ripa fondly refers to as "the
Chapel of Cheese." Years married: nine.
4 Also wed in 1996 were Dina Rulz and Clint Eastwood, who
opted for the home of Vegas mogul Steve Wynn. 5 Shakira
Baksh and Michael Caine tied the knot at the Chapel on
the Green. Years married: 32.
6 Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman wed at El Rancho
resort. It has since burned down, but their love endures.
Years married: 47. Surely that's a record for Vegas (and
Hollywood!), Love in Las Vegas: Elvis and Priscilla
Presley, 1967 Chad Michael Murray, One Tree Hill
Al quick pit stop at the gateway to Sin City
THE BEST THING ABOUT LAS VEGAS? "It's really the
city that never sleeps. I had my bachelor party here-I
brought my fiancee, and all the guys were like, whoa! We
did some gambling, and I stayed up for 24 hours straight.
With no water."
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL OR SHOWGIRLS?
"Cirquedu Soleil. It's one of those magic things you
must see." FRANK SINATRA ANT THE KILLERS?
"Sinatra. I feel there is a soul there, a spirit,
that has been lost."
photographed by
Brian Bowen Smith Wilmer Valderrama, That'70s Show The
Hard Rock Hotel; photographed by Christophe Rihet
The image of Vegas has changedeverything is now catered
to the MTV crowd. Every time I
come they're like, 'Welcome back, Mr. Valderrama.'
Marg Helgenberger, CSI; Crime Scene Investigation The
Parasol Down bar at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel;
photographed by Yariv Milchan
What makes Vegas fun is the misbehaving-you can get away
with it because it's all lawful. Well, most of it. Where
to play spot-the-celebrity
TAO
The N.Y.C. Asian eatery where Vegas fan Diddy dines just
opened a supersize spawn at the Venetian featuring a
12,000-square-foot club. GHOSTBAR
At the Palms's lounge, which floats 55 floors above the
Strip, Jessica Alba often takes in the view-and gets to
spy on the pool scene below through an acrylic floor.
NINE Celebrity tourists and locals frequent this sleek
steak house for the thick prime cuts, but newlyweds
Sandra Bullock and Jesse James opted to
indulge in chocolate cake.
MANDALAY BAY Renee Zellweger has kicked back in a cabana
at the famed faux beach and wave pool, while Bullock and
James honeymooned at the hotel last July.
There's water, water everywhere-and A-listers like Ashton
Kutcher and Demi Moore-at the Bellagio's splashy
spectacle featuring Cirque du
Soleil's aquatic acrobats. LIGHT
After entering a candlelit corridor fans of this club at
the Bellagio, like Leonardo DiCaprio,
settle into plush booths surrounding a casinosize dance
floor. BODY ENGLISH This year Jessica Simpson and Nick
Lachey rocked out at his birthday bash at this Hard Rock
Hotel hot spot, near chic restaurants Nobu
and Simon Kitchen & Bar. KA
Tom Cruise loves the Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM
Grand almost as much as he does Katie Holmes! He has seen
it three times (and it was one of their first dates).
TANGERINE
The modern-speakeasy style of this lounge at Tl brings a
touch of old Vegas to the Strip with its jazz and
burlesque show, where Carmen Electra once got into the
act. -additional reporting by Rhonda Richford
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