Hey, did you know ShoWest, the big annual film industry tradeshow, is in Las Vegas this week? In case the increased traffic on the streets and in the casinos didn’t make it apparent, the number of Hollywood types hanging around clubs and lounges in Sin City might.

Last night, Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgis shared a table on the terrace of Nove Italiano atop the Palms’ Fantasy Tower last night with their 21 co-star Aaron Yoo and former MIT student Jeff Ma, whose card-counting Vegas exploits are the basis of the film, which premieres at Bally’s tonight. After dinner, wine and tequila shots, the crew headed upstairs to the Playboy Club, enjoying a table and $50 hands of blackjack.

Meanwhile, in the VIP Fireside Lounge at Playboy Club, Ben Stiller, Matt Levin and a group of friends celebrated the wrap of Tropic Thunder, Stiller’s latest directorial and starring effort. The There’s Something About Mary star took it easy, sipping Diet Coke and the occasional Patrón Platinum shot, while his pals – including brother-in-law Brian Taylor – enjoyed Ketel One cocktails, Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne, and Le Tourment Vert Absinthe before the entire crew moved the party to the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa.

By Pj Perez

Would it be a weekend at the Palms without celebrity sightings, rock concerts and Patrón shots? Of course not. This past Friday night, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman took time off from f*cking, respectively, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to join Dicky Barrett of ska-punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and 10 or so friends for dinner at Nove Italiano in the hotel’s Fantasy Tower.

The Bosstones, of course, performed at the Pearl that evening, but Barrett has a more direct connection to comedian and late night talk show host Kimmel – the Bosstones front man is the announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a gig he started when the band went on hiatus four years ago. Kimmel and Silverman – Hollywood’s comedy power couple – were also on hand to help the band film The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Road to the Throwdown, a series of video blogs documenting the group’s return to the stage,

While Kimmel and crew enjoyed Nove’s Garden Terrace long past midnight, the rest of Barrett’s bandmates headed over to ghostbar at the Palms with about 20 people. The band enjoyed a VIP booth near the patio and indulged female admirers. Click for more words and pictures »

By Pj Perez

Where better to spend Valentine’s Day than at a show whose very name is LOVE? That’s what actor and director George Clooney and his girlfriend, Sarah Larson, did last night. The couple attended the 10 p.m. performance of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil at The Mirage, and then received the usual VIP backstage tour to meet the cast and crew of the show. Last year, Clooney attended the show with Ocean’s Thirteen co-star Ellen Barkin.

Prior to the show, Clooney and Larson joined N9NE Group’s Bronson Olimpieri and his girlfriend Brooke Mitchell for dinner at Nove Italiano in the Palms Fantasy Tower. The group enjoyed dishes selected for them by Executive Chef Geno Bernardo, and Win Director Christian Margesson chose such wines for the table as a ‘97 Sassicaia, ‘03 Solaia and ‘99 Bollinger.

By Pj Perez

It was another sports-tastic night at N9NE Steakhouse inside the Palms Tuesday as Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Melvin Fowler, Jr. and former New England Patriots linebacker Barry Gardner had dinner with three friends. The group shared two orders of N9NE’s signature Rock Shrimp before Fowler tore into a protein-rich meal consisting of Big Tuna and Roasted Colorado Lamb Chops, while Gardner kept things simple and classy with a course of Oysters Rockefeller.

Also spotted last night in N9NE was regular Suge Knight, enjoying a chocolate and vanilla milkshake, Organic Chicken and a lady friend’s company. The former Death Row Records head also made his first visit to Nove Italiano in the property’s Fantasy Tower last week. Surely the N9NE Group food is much better than what Knight received in prison.

By Pj Perez