Completely prepared in case pirates and/or Tim Burton invade Studio 54. (Photos by Isaac Brekken)

After closing Freaks suddenly in December, the Swingshift Sidewhow was left without a home on the Strip (though still doing performances in the finest dive bars the city has to offer). They made their return to Las Vegas Boulevard Saturday night for the start of DJ Skribble’s residency, the appropriately named Freak Show, at Studio 54 inside MGM Grand.

Skribble’s mash-up offers a different aural backdrop for the Sideshow, which just last week was apologizing for its use of Annie Lennox. At the very least, you expect creepy circus music in an abandoned amusement park, but sometimes, you just have to settle for a prominent, established, glitzy nightclub instead.

By Jason Scavone

All we’re hoping for is at least one bearded lady. (Photo courtesy DJ Skribble)

From a stint on MTV’s The Grind and Spring Break to radio, studio work and life on the road as a touring DJ, Long Island’s DJ Skribble is carving out a home for himself in the circus.

Well, Studio 54’s version of the circus, anyway.

Joining the likes of Paul Oakenfold and Z-Trip as jocks with a show, DJ Skribble’s Freak Show starts Saturday night at the MGM Grand club. In between weekend gigs in town, Skribble will still be out on the road — and finding the time to tutor a precocious DJ Pauly D in the ways of the celebrity DJ lifestyle. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Bold move, going for the Hillary Banks hair. (Photos by Vic Bonadonna)

The Tapout MAGIC party was at Studio 54 inside MGM grand last night, with Chuck Liddell Dan Henderson, Jake Shields, Punkass, SkySkrape, and Scott Epstein. Really, Punkass and SkySkrape? We’re doing that now? Can’t we just relicense Junkyard Dog and Ultimate Warrior for use in UFC? Wouldn’t that get you 100 times more excited about mixed martial arts if you knew you could tune in for a new “… the Giant?” Like maybe Steve the Giant? No? Well, it doesn’t have the same ring, we suppose.

By Jason Scavone

Cake, the most undead of desserts. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

True Blood. Twilight. Larry King Live Vampires have become to television and film in 2009 what the Amazing Charleston-ing Mummy was to 1924 dance halls. Ubiquitous, seemingly out of nowhere, and adored by preteen girls.

The CW is, of course, in on the act with their Vampire Diaries, where the vamps in question are more brooding than haunted. Or maybe it’s more haunting than brooded. We don’t know. It’s tough to keep track. Either way, Nina Dobrev from the show celebrated her 21st birthday Saturday night at MGM’s Studio 54 along with several co-stars.

Along with Dobrev were Kayla Ewell, Zach Roerig, Sara Canning, Katerina Graham, Candice Accola and Steven R. McQueen, whose grandfather would probably run him over in a Mustang if he knew the name Steve McQueen were being used to peddle girl-friendly sensitive vampires instead of, say, a heartless car-redlining, crook-shooting, cop machine. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder of the show ducked past the red carpet cameras to join the group inside briefly, before ducking out with newcomer Matt Davis to go play blackjack.

Fellow CW stars Matt Lanter (90210), Sara Paxton, Nico Tortorella and Benjamin Hollingsworth (The Beautiful Life) were also there, being a bunch of smartasses and singing “Chapel of Love” at real-life couple Paxton and Tortorella. Then fellow smartass Canning told Dobrev she should wish for a boyfriend before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Because hot 21-year-olds with television shows have a hard time meeting people. We bet she’ll tell you she was really a huge geek and totally shy in high school, too.

By Jason Scavone

(Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna. Additional photos by Scott Harrison | Retna, Cody Boor.)

The McCord sisters, AnnaLynne, Angel and Rachel were at Tabu inside MGM Grand Saturday night for Rachel’s 21st birthday. We can’t decide if having a Halloween birthday would be awesome or terrible. Terrible, because everyone’s more worried about celebrating other stuff, but awesome because cake made out of candy. Earlier in the day, the girls were poolside at Wet Republic before doing dinner at Fiamma Trattoria.

Colorado slugger and Wasted Space co-owner Jason Giambi was at Body English inside the Hard Rock Hotel. Retired center Jeremy Roenick checked out DJ Kaskade at Blush inside Wynn Las Vegas. The true sports star of the night, though, was Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake at Hawaiian Tropic Zone. He wasn’t rocking any Halloween costume, but we suppose when you’ve spent your life in superboots and carrying hedge clippers everywhere you go, Halloween is overrated.

Holly Madison hosted HollyWeen at Studio 54 as the Queen of Hearts where she judged the costume contest after being lowered onto the stage on an aerialist swing. She found a pregnant Kendra Wilkinson, complete with “Sorry, Hank, it’s Hef’s …” T-shirt; a Spirit of Michael Jackson by Christina Brewer of Mesa, Ariz., that took three months to make; and Charity Hodges from L.A. as a Playboy Playmate.

By Jason Scavone

Money in the bank. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Man, he really wanted to pay for that Maybach.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. returned to the ring Saturday night after 16 months of retirement to win a unanimous decision over Juan Manuel Marquez to run his record to 40-0. That, of course, was just the nasty bit of business he had to attend to before he could go party at Studio 54.

Mayweather drew Diddy, Ray-J and Tyrese to the club to celebrate Money’s win. Floyd Sr. was there, too, which elevated the potential for crazy drastically. Actually, Diddy and Floyd Sr. should absolutely have their own reality show where Roger Mayweather, Oscar de la Hoya, Daisy de la Hoya and Kanye all play minor roles. There is zero chance this wouldn’t be the biggest thing in the history of television. It would make the Seinfeld finale look like Small Wonder reruns week in, week out.

Of a possibly future match with Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather said, “I’ll let the fans rate me on how I did with Marquez and how Pacquiao did with Marquez. Pacquiao is a good fighter; I don’t want to take anything away from him. I want to take it one day at a time and talk it over with my team.”

By Jason Scavone

I don’t care how nice your golf cart is you can’t park it on the greens like that.

Legendary NASCAR driver (or “athlete” if you live in the South) Dale Jarrett was seen living it up at Studio 54 in the MGM Grand Wednesday night.
The 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and current ESPN racing analyst was spotted with a group of friends who kept interrupting his dance moves to lift him up and change his shoes.

By Jared Harmon

Steven Tyler, captured in this photo moments after seeing a scary ghost. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Wha? Steven Tyler was wearing Crocs at Studio 54 inside MGM Grand for the Aerosmith afterparty Saturday night. So, does being a rock star now mean trying to look like a tired nurse or an old lady doing her gardening? This is why you shouldn’t be allowed to rock anymore once you’re on the wrong side of 60. Unless you’re a time-traveling Keith Richards.

Tyler was at the club along with girlfriend Erin Brady and his daughter, plus-size model Mia. So, Steven Tyler has two daughters. One is Liv, the other is Mia. On average, how many times a day do you think Mia wishes Liv were dead? 30? 75?

Before long, Tyler got on stage to knock out “Walk This Way” (Run-D.M.C. not included) for an appreciative crowd that included in his crew Matt Sorum, Ace Harper of Darling Stilettos and Aerosmith producer and songwriter Mark Hudson.

By Jason Scavone

(Via myspace.com/scsinners)

Everyone’s favorite local rock band featuring a former member of Faster Pussycat, the Sin City Sinners, are ratcheting up their guest-artist approach Friday and Saturday at Railhead inside Boulder Station and Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch, respectively. Joining the Sinners this weekend will be Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard, Supergroup and the Spyderz; Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Damageplan and Hellyeah; and Joey Belladonna, formerly of Anthrax. Even though it wasn’t originally conceived as a Fourth of July weekend blowout, everything kind of worked out that way.

“We had Joey Belladonna booked. With Vinnie Paul just being around, the discussions became ‘I’d love to play drums on those songs.’ Next thing you know Vinnie Paul is on drums,” singer Todd Kearns said. “It’s like I’m in ninth grade and I collected my favorite supergroup or something.”

Vinnie Paul probably would have been in our dream ninth grade supergroup too. But he’d be playing with Right Said Fred. We weren’t that cool in the ninth grade. Among the songs they’re planning to cover are Anthrax’s “Indians” and “Anti-social” plus Pantera’s “Walk,” and maybe a Biohazard song, which Kearns said despite the band’s close relationship with Seinfeld, they’ve never done.

Plus, where Seinfeld goes, Tera Patrick usually follows. Which opens things up to, say, porn star Sunny Leone coming out to the Railhead show. (She’s also apparently working on a record, which we assume will be a delight.) On Saturday, Leone is going to be at Wet Republic with Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer before hosting at Studio 54 that night with Vivid Entertainment girls Monique Alexander, Meggan Mallone and 2009 AVN Best New Starlet nominee Nikki Jayne.

By Jason Scavone

Shouldn’t you still be drinking strictly Jaeger at 22? (Photos by Vic Bonadonna. Additional photo by Wes Eddy)

Seriously, how is Lil’ Wayne still lil’, but Bow Wow is too good for it? Weezy needs to hold some kind of intervention. For Li’l Abner’s sake, if no one else’s.

Anyway. Bow Wow celebrated his 22nd birthday at Studio 54 inside MGM Grand along with svengali Jermaine Dupri, who has been with Bow wow since ‘98 when the kid was 11. They went back and forth with an hour-long freestyle before Bow Wow sprayed champagne into the crowd and shared some of his cake with a few ladies. No, that’s not a euphemism for anything. We think.

By Jason Scavone