MC Wall-E, however, mostly rhymes about being bummed about garbage. (Photo by Dan Mahoney)

Wale has been tearing it up around town all weekend, and he kept it going last night when he jumped on stage at XS inside Encore to do a few songs, including “Chillin’.” We were really excited when Wale had a song called “Dig Dug,” but were tremendously disappointed he never followed with hits like “Galaga,” “Centipede” and “Street Fighter II: Turbo Hyper Fighting Edition.”

Gabrielle Union was also at the show, hanging out at the owner’s table. She and Wale spoke after the show and took a few pictures.

By Jason Scavone

Look at him. You know he wants to be reunited with CC Sabathia. (Photo by Danny Mahoney)

Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and future Yankees designated hitter Prince Fielder (just one more year left on that contract, Milwaukee fans) were at the Sharp Electronics Party for CES last night at XS inside Encore. Fielder was also at the 10 p.m. Blue Man Group performance, where he kept looking at the drummer and seeing a giant hot dog.

By Jason Scavone

The Grotto should be more of a state of mind than a place, anyway.

It was all sorts of Playboy-ish at XS inside Encore after the fight Saturday night with Holly Madison, Raquel Gibson Laura Croft and Jayde Nicole all hanging out. Nicole’s boyfriend, Brody Jenner, was there with Nicole, although the two left in separate parties. UFC fighters Josh Kosckeck and Chuck Liddell were spotted in the crowd. You know, when a place like that has that many girls who have been in Playboy, and they have a pool, there’s no reason not to turn it into Grotto Night. Except for the 50-degree temperatures, but whatever. Details.

By Jason Scavone

(Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna. Additional photos courtesy of XS.)

Diddy brought out Dirty Money to the Hard Rock Cafe Saturday with 50 Cent, who was pushing his new record while they signed guitars to benefit World Hunger Year. We thoroughly applaud Diddy’s plan to feed starving kids with nothing but Ciroc vodka and vague promises of a recording contract if they can find their way here from the Sudan.

After the fight that night, Diddy was at XS inside Encore along with Jermaine Dupri, Ray J and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Robert Kardashian dropped by to chat with Ray J. Now look, clearly if Mayweather does fight Pacquiao, he’ll have all sorts of American musicians on his side, but how many of them sing in Tagalog? Unless Diddy did a “Come With Me” remix for the Philippines release of Godzilla we don’t know about, that would be exactly none. Pacquiao is his own musical entourage and he does it in two languages. That can’t sit well with Mayweather.

Also at XS were Mario Lopez with girlfriend Courtney Laine Mazza, Ne-Yo, Brian Urlacher, Jay Cutler, Jerome Bettis, soccer player Dwight York and World Series champion and ALCS MVP CC Sabathia along with teammate Xavier Nady and Seattle infielder Bill Hall.

Another music star was in the house on the opposite side of the dancefloor as Ne-Yo and a large party enjoyed their evening at a plush VIP booth. New York Yankees star pitcher CC Sabathia returned to XS for a second evening and was joined again by teammate/outfielder Xavier Nady and Seattle Mariners infielder Bill Hall. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Rick Reilly’s last column was, no joke, about how horse races are hard to call. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Andre Agassi was at the Encore Theater to talk to ESPN columnist and professional schmaltz machine Rick Reilly about his autobiography Open yesterday. It’s the book in which Agassi admits that for a time, he did crystal meth.

Former No. 1 Marat Safin came out and said Agassi should give back all his titles after the fact, but Safin misses one very crucial point: When was the last time you saw anyone actually do something better on crystal meth? Other than lose their teeth and wrestle with the cops, we mean. If anything, they should give Agassi an extra title for heroically playing professional tennis while hamstrung by this terrible drug. Not a big one or anything. Not Wimbledon. But maybe an extra Australian Open. Would anyone notice? Like, what about Petr Korda’s 1998 title? Come on, you know he’s not using it for anything.

By Jason Scavone

Well, we know he’s not above doing experiments with his body.

You know how in those old Looney Tunes cartoons the female black cat would always wander under a loose fencepost that had just been painted so she ends up with a white stripe going down the middle of her back, and so Pepe LePeu thinks she’s a a skunk and spends four hilarious minutes trying to date-rape her? We’re pretty sure that’s what happened to Sammy Sosa. He just tried to crawl under a loose fencepost and got painted white. Also, he’s going to be dealing with some rather unwelcome advances from a cartoon skunk in the near future.

Sosa was at XS inside Encore Friday night in the middle of his skin bleaching? Vitiligo? Steroids side effect? Body double played by C. Thomas Howell? Controversy. Here’s another frame of reference for Sosa’s prior darker shades. It just happens to include him getting beaned because head trauma = HI-larity.

Incidentally, when your defense for these pictures is, “He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time,” that is still doesn’t make it any better. Try to picture Bob Gibson getting skin rejuvination. Then refer back to that picture of Sosa taking a ball off the face. Incidentally, while everyone’s making a big deal about his skin looking 15 shades lighter, why isn’t anyone talking about how shiny he looks? It looks like someone dipped a Cubs jersey in Vaseline and olive oil then whipped it at his head.

Also at XS were LeAnn Rimes with Eddie Cibrian, Jets wideout Braylon Edwards and Oakland receiver Javon Walker. Sister club Tryst saw Maxim model Mayra Veronica hosting her cover release party while Mets outfielder Gary Sheffield was around. So, you have a Met, a Raider, a Jet and a Cub all circling around each other in one night. They may as well have buried some Indian bones underneath the place, too.

By Jason Scavone

There is no reason Baywatch shouldn’t be in line for a remake.

For those of you keeping score at home, Holly Madison turned up at the XS Hollywood party Monday night as Pam Anderson in Baywatch. One Playmate going as another. It’s kind of like one of those pictures of a snake eating its own tail. Except that the snake has really big boobs.

Also at that party were race car driver Tony Kanaan, who went as Michael Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Floyd Mayweather and Gary Sheffield. Shocking, the surly slugger didn’t get into the Halloween spirit and dress up. Wish he had dressed up as a productive hitter during the last four games of the 2004 ALCS instead of going 1-for-17 with no RBIs. We’re not still bitter or anything.

By Jason Scavone

Let the costuming begin. (Photo by Hew Burney | SpyOnVegas.com)

It’s baptism by candy. XS holds its first Halloween party tonight, XS Hollywood, where if you get dolled up as a movie character, you have a shot at $25,000 in costume contest prizes over three categories — sexiest, best theme and best overall. Best chance to sweep all three? RoboCop. The party includes a paparazzi pit, XS Hollywood Walk of Fame and Jeff Beacher bringing some of the Madhouse into the club. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to go put the finishing touches on our RoboCop costume. Our sexy RoboCop costume. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Come ooooon, Chris Gaines revival. That would make our year.

By now it’s already old news — hell, it was old news two weeks ago — that Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement to headline at Encore starting Dec. 11 in exchange for what experts speculate is “roughly the amount of money that it would take to get us out of the recession if spread to every man, woman and child in the United States.”

Tickets are going to go for $143 after fees, and dates are confirmed through February, though it’s a five-year deal that will have Brooks playing Fridays and Sundays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Hey, any time you can land the top-selling solo artist of all time, it’s going to be a coup. But what does it really mean to have the first modern country headliner in Vegas history?

• We never have to worry about National Finals Rodeo moving to another city. Ever. Seriously. In the history of ever.
• Out: Electroclash; In: Biggie/Big & Rich mashup. (We’re calling dibs on the “Save a Horse, Hypnotize a Cowboy” mix.)
• Out: Stunna shades; In: Stunna belt buckles.
• It will be revealed that Brooks’ sole motivation in accepting the gig is to break Toby Keith’s monopoly on a Nashville presence in Strip casinos.
• In a shocking, last-minute move, CityCenter will rebrand its casino the Grand Ole Aria.
• Steve Wynn, in an effort to lure more country stars, will grow Billy Ray Cyrus hair.

By Jason Scavone

Social climber.

Encore’s Society Cafe is joining Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gay Talese and Norman Mailer. No, not in the ranks of famous drunks, but in the pages of Esquire Magazine.

The mag named Society one of its Best New Restaurants in America (A sentiment shared by other noted substance-abuser Ozzy Osbourne — hey, maybe there’s a pattern here?) in its November issue.

Esquire’s John Mariani gave Society the designation — marking Vegas’ first return to the list since the tag-team combo of Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon splashed onto the scene in 2006.

“I’m delighted and humbled that Esquire selected Society as a place that stands out on the dining scene,” Chef Kim Canteenwalla said. “There are many great new restaurants and we’re thrilled to be acknowledged amongst this distinguished group.”

Worth noting: Esquire also maintains a database of the Best Bars in America, on which The Griffin, The Double Down and Bellagio’s Petrossian make the cut.

By Jason Scavone