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(CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM ELIZABETH TAYLOR'S DIAMOND JUBILEE!)

British born Hollywood screen legend Dame Elizabeth Taylor celebrates her diamond jubilee tomorrow night, unexpectedly out at Lake Las Vegas. A small group of family and friends will fete her at a quiet and very private celebration.

I've known La Liz over many years and have extraordinary memories of our friendly and sometimes feisty meetings around the world. Some of those highlights:


- I sailed with her from Singapore to Bangkok on Malcolm Forbes' mega-yacht and then flew back with her to the States from Thailand. For the tabloids around the world it all looked like a pre-honeymoon trip but, for those on the cruise, we knew they were just "great friends."

- I attended her wedding to Senator John Warner in Virginia horse-farm country and then rode with her on his political campaign bus as she too stumped for votes! Our story and photos wound up on the cover of a newborn People magazine back then.

- I watched in amazement at Sardi's celebrity packed restaurant on Broadway in New York City as she caught then husband Richard Burton cheating on her with Susan Hunt and then confronted them three tables away from mine!

- I remember when we both attended a private showing of Erte's paintings and sculptures at a prestigious Beverly Hills gallery she managed to sweet talk me into buying her one of the art pieces as a gift! Fortunately, I then managed to sweet-talk owner Harris Shapiro into selling it to me wholesale.

- When I asked her why she had ever married construction worker Larry Fortensky she explained: "I can't sleep around and have lots of boyfriends. I always marry my lovers. There have only been seven in my lifetime." She kindly gave me all the details of her wedding feast and party to put in my first 'Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous' cookbook!

It's fitting, the day after the 79th Oscars, to remember that Elizabeth, who's film career began at age 12 with 'National Velvet,' which won two Academy Awards. She also won for Best Actress in 'Butterfield 8' in 1960 with then husband Eddie Fisher, and again six years later for 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe,' which co-starred then husband Richard Burton. She was nominated for three other movies and in 1963 became the first-ever million-dollar actress when she became the highest paid movie star as 'Cleopatra,' where she worked for the first time with future husband Burton.

Elizabeth's other marriages were hotel-heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, Jr. in May 1950, which ended in divorce in 1951, actor Michael Wilding, which ended in divorce five years later, and the greatest love of her life, movie producer Michael Todd, which ended with his untimely 1958 death. Elizabeth always said that if he'd not been robbed from her she still believes that was the one marriage that would have lasted forever. She was married to singer Eddie Fisher from 1959 to 1964 and that was followed by two tumultuous marriages to Welsh actor Richard Burton from March 1964 until August 1976. Then followed Senator John Warner from 1976 to 1982 and the most recent and last marriage to Larry Fortensky (seen right) lasted from October 1991 to October 1996. All ended in divorce and Elizabeth told me once there would never be another. She has worked tirelessly raising over $50-million for her AIDS research foundations in recent years and simultaneously promoted her line of fragrances, cosmetics and jewelry. Her last TV appearance was in 'These Old Broads' back in 2001. However she did join Larry King in May last year to prove she wasn't close to death or suffering from Alzheimer's.

I hope to chat, however briefly, with Elizabeth tomorrow in between juggling two appointments, which were set long ago. If so, we'll have that here in LUXE LIFE early Wednesday morning, but meantime many sincere congratulations, Elizabeth and thanks for coming unexpectedly to Vegas to celebrate the marvelous milestone of 75 glorious years! It's a great diamond jubilee!

PARIS HILTON'S WEEKLONG PARTY
It began last weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel here and then wrapped over this past weekend back home in Los Angeles and a contingent of Vegas friends flew there to join the festivities. First Paris Hilton had a girls-night out with Paula Abdul, Nicole Richie and Courtney Love at Prime Grill while other guests gathered at her home. They included comedy heavyweight Jeff Beacher, colorist to the stars Michael Boychuck and new Hard Rock head honcho, Matt Armstrong. By all accounts it was a pretty sedate affair with parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton keeping a careful eye on all the fun.

SIEGFRIED & ROY AWARD

Legendary illusionists and Magicians of the Century Siegfried & Roy were honored along with the UMC Trauma Center where Roy was treated after the tiger injuries at the Heart of Gold Ball fundraiser of the American Heart Association. Criss Angel not only presented the awards to them but also won the winning $10,000 live auction bid to have a private at-home lunch with them! Singer Clint Holmes, who was also on the red carpet, told me that his new show has had a name change from Breathe to 'Just Another Man' which spells out J.A.M. as in jam session and as in a tight spot! Vegas friends get to see it from May 22 thru June 3 at UNLV before Clint heads off to debut it at its London West End premiere!

12 PLAYMATES
Tonight, on the very day that Hollywood spies are reporting that 80-year-old Hugh Hefner is planning marriage to his #1 pet bunny Holly this fall, my diary states that it's the Big Playmate Sleepover at the Palms with all 12 gorgeous knockout 2006 Playmates dressed in their super-sexy sleepwear. It's set to run till 5AM tomorrow and the party is not only in all the Fantasy Suites but also throughout the Nove restaurant and Moon and Playboy Clubs! Hugh Hefner's Girls Next Door, Holly, Kendra and Bridget were set to co-host the pajama party while the 12-pack of Playmates hope to win additional votes for the Playmate of the Year pick! In other Playboy news, expect some of the Vegas hutch to make the move to Macau when the second Playboy club opens there in 2009, plus Playboy fotogs will be out and about tonight capturing all the Vegas cocktail servers and dealers for an upcoming magazine layout!

STRIP SCRIBBLES

Now Miami Beach knows the power of PURE, the over-the-top nightclub here at Caesars Palace. Our Vegas PURE executives gave South Beach weekend preview of their nightclub, which will open there next Spring at the $1-billion renovated Fontainbleau Hotel. 'Nip/Tuck' starlet Kelly Carlson, PURE regulars Dave Navarro and Eric Balfour (all seen above) were among the 2,000 guests.


Meantime, back here in Sin City, PURE had a long weekend of celebrity events. It began with a 21st birthday party for 'Laguna Beach' star Stephen Colletti (seen above) who earlier had been sitting alongside yours truly and Frankie Munoz at the club's sister Social House in Treasure Island.


Then, after their dinner in Social House, PURE hosted Jared Leto and his band, 30 Seconds to Mars (seen above) to a rock star evening, which even attracted Harrison Ford on his first visit to PURE, enjoying himself until almost 2AM! The star had earlier attended the PRIDE fighting championships (as seen below) and several of the martial arts practitioners followed him including Frank Trigg, Nick Diaz, Antonio Nogueira and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Marc Coleman and Alistar Overeem.


In the adjoining Pussycat Dolls Lounge, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger arrived with a large group of friends to watch the "Dolls" dance moves. Kansas City NFL star running back Larry Johnson also hit PURE while Lamborghini model Karena Dawn hosted at Coyote Ugly.

The other headline names at Social House the past few days included Jessica and Ashley Simpson's dad, Joe for his birthday dinner, the world's fastest man and Olympic gold medal sprinter Maurice Green and actress Mena Suvari who took her boyfriend down to dance in the Tangerine Nightclub afterwards. ... Congratulations to everybody at Hooters with their first anniversary celebration this past weekend. ... Congratulations to magician Steve Wyrick on the opening of his new $35-million Triq ultra lounge and nightclub complex at Planet Hollywood's Desert Passage. ... And congratulations to our Convention Visitors Authority president Rossi Ralenkotter for being named "Man of the Year" at last night's local Arthritis Foundation Oscar Night dinner.

TONIGHT'S TIP
The Tennis Channel Open has the main-draw single elimination matches today at Darling Stadium as part of the 8-day tournament week. It may well be the meal of the month when the AquaKnox seafood restaurant at The Venetian teams with famous French vintner Chateau Haut-Brion for a 'perfect pairing' tonight. The seven-course masterpiece from Chef Tom Molony features six of the most famous Haut-Brion vintages plus a champagne and a dessert wine!

TOMORROW'S TEASE
A chilling and hair-raising exclusive interview with 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel as he relates in scary detail his near-death underwater Houdini challenge. "I wouldn't have even made it another ten seconds. I'd have drowned; simple as that. I was a split second from certain death," he tells LUXE LIFE. We have the full frightening details of how Bounty Hunter Dog Chapman tied Criss up with 100 feet of rope to a chair and then threw him in the deep end of the Luxor pool. His near four-minute-long bid to escape almost wound up in tragedy! Plus, Vegas belts out 'Girls Girls Girls 'as we play host to Carmen Electra, Jenny McCartney and a Playboy Bunny who turns all the guys heads!

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