The champagne was being popped this morning as MTV executives learned that their Vegas music awards show at the Palms hit the jackpot. Over seven million viewers watched the show in America - a whopping 23% increase over last year, according to Neilsen Research that officially monitors TV statistics. In addition, it became the highest-rated cable TV program of the year among the prized 12-24 demographic age group.

Amidst the celebrating, more news has leaked out from MTV production personnel about Britney Spears and her poor performance at the telecast. Apparently her rehearsals were set for 1 p.m. but she failed to arrive in Vegas until 4:30 p.m.

“We were freaking out,” said one stage manager. “Instead of coming to the theater she went to her suite, ordered food and frozen margaritas and came down at 5:30 p.m. with one (margarita) in her hand. MTV had a sexy corset outfit picked out for her, but she hated it saying it wasn’t sexy enough and didn’t show enough.”

When it became obvious that Britney wouldn’t and couldn’t do some of the moves in the choreography, all the complicated dance moves had to be cut out. She just couldn’t do it. Her dancers were supposed to lift her in the air and twirl her, but even that didn’t happen. It would have been a spectacular number – without her. Criticism about her come-back routine has been universal, and now everybody is waiting for “what’s next.”

Rock stars are supposed to party – and Vegas was the perfect host with champagne celebrations wherever you turned. When the MTV-VMA stars rolled into town they set off a non-stop 84-hour spree the likes of which have never been seen before in Sin City. From early Friday to dawn yesterday (MON) they danced, they drank, they dined, they sang, they shouted and they shopped – it was the ching-ching celebration that never stopped.

Luxe Life tried to keep pace every VIP red-rope step of the way! From Ludacris’ quiet private 30th birthday celebration to the wild ways of pop-princess Britney Spears, from the champagne spraying by Diddy to the pool-jump-in by the Foo Fighters, it was an exhilarating exhausting series of bonanza blasts and bashes that proved without a doubt that Vegas is also the party capitol of the world. Here’s the Luxe Life royal rundown:

* It all kicked off with XM Radio’s private dinner party and “birthday for a boss” to celebrate the 30th birthday of rap-hip-hop mogul producer, actor and singer Ludacris at the wild outrageous Italian restaurant nightclub Café Martorano at the Rio. Among the stars attending were music legend Quincy Jones, beautiful Gabrielle Union, Robert Johnson and Everybody Loves Chris star Tichina Arnold, who sang a special serenade soul version of the ‘Black Happy Birthday’ song.

Friends and family know the Grammy award winning star as Chris Bridges and as an entrepreneur and philanthropist - his Ludacris Foundation was created to help underprivileged young people achieve their dreams and this year he’s already donated $3-million to hometown Atlanta and nationwide charities helping children with AIDS and rescuing young runaways.

He flew his grandmother, godmother and mother, Roberta in for the party. Tattooed chef and DJ Steve Martorano produced a nine course feast for the 175 guests serving up spicy chicken wings with macaroni cheese and collard greens, meatballs with South Philly salad, scampi bread, eggplant stacks - the signature dish, pasta cavatelli, spaghetti with South Philly crab gravy, sea bass, chicken with hot peppers - and an amazing three-part birthday cake in the shape of a roulette wheel with matching dice made from chocolate!

Steve mixed excerpts of Ludacris movies; the Oscar winning Crash and Hustle & Flow, with the star’s hit record tracks over the sound and TV systems. Ludacris hosted me on his weekly XM ‘Open Mic’ radio show and introduced me to V103 Atlanta DJ, Ryan Cameron, who gave him his first job as a young teenage intern.

“I worked free for a summer for him to learn the radio business,” he told me. Ludacris, who stayed in the high-roller Palazzo suites at the Rio and worked out in the hotel’s gym during MTV’s VMA weekend, had sent out 50-gold rings with seven African points indicating love and respect as the invitations to 50-Cent, Chingy, Ciara, Common, Joe Pesci, Kanye West, fellow record mogul LA Reid, Rhianna, Timbaland, LeBron James, and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy with Ashley Simpson.

Ludacris, who watched my old Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous while growing up and vowed to become one of them, told me: “Chef Steve celebrates his birthday on Sept 2 and mine is actually on September 11, so since this is my favorite restaurant we decided to make history tonight. It was a month in the planning and I was here at Steve’s grand opening a few months back, so it’s great to be here again for my birthday.”

Part of the fun was shot as the pilot of Steve’s new reality show, “What’s Up, Cuz?”

*If one person was to be anointed Party Queen, it has to be Britney Spears. The pop-princess is a non-stop party animal! To be honest, she did take out of sushi from Little Buddha Bar restaurant at the Palms for her sky villa and she did take in Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere show at Treasure Island on Saturday night – but for the rest of the wild weekend it was party, party, party!

Night one was at the Body English nightclub in the Hard Rock, followed by stops at Luxor’s new LAX nightspot she opened herself a week ago and Diddy’s decadent delights at PURE in Caesars Palace. Before dawn she also hit the gay-lesbian 8 1/2 club. At the Hard Rock, her new manager Jeff Kwatinetz had six dozen roses and 12 bottles of champagne waiting at her table to wish her good luck. During the party whirl, Mindfreak magician Criss Angel joined her girls-group.

Night two saw Britney at Mystere, and then she hung out with Diddy again but joined this time by Kanye West, Paris Hilton and 50 Cent at Body English after the 50-cent performance that had to be cut short when the stage started to sink into the pool. Still determined not to call it a night, Britney’s entourage merged with Diddy’s group and they hit JET at the Mirage to celebrate sexy R&B singer Cassie’s 21st birthday, arriving at 2:30 a.m. on the day of her show open dance number! Britney mixed Grey Goose vodka with soda, Malibu kamikazes and Red Headed Slut shots until 3:30 a.m. when she split from the group - later being discovered by her bodyguards sitting alone on a bench in valet parking. They picked her up and carried her back into the hotel. Little wonder then that critics lambasted her for not going home for rest and preparation for her critical opening number!!

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Once again the 1-2 knockout punch came from sister-clubs PURE and LAX. The stars simply hip-hopped between the Caesars Palace nightspot and the Luxor newcomer all weekend long.

At PURE’s Venus Pool Club, everybody from Grammy winning producer Timbaland, 50 Cent, Panic! At the Disco, Orlando Jones and Ryan Cabrera visited the Style Villas where gift bags of products were waiting for them. P. Diddy, in night-time sunglasses, was a hero at PURE when his midnight arrival with rising star singer Cassie had fans in a frenzy. He and I have known each other for a long time so I stood beside him for a shout-out and then as he had magnums of champagne opened so he could hand out glasses of the bubbly to the crazed crowd pressing to get near his raised VIP area. The self-proclaimed ‘Bad Boy for Life” lived up to his reputation by asking people to scream if they liked sex - they did! Then he asked how many girls weren’t wearing panties- and hands shot up everywhere! Many of those were invited by the team of burly bodyguards up to the VIP area!

Diddy performed his summer smash hit “Last Night” for a VIP crowd that wound-up including Britney, Lil John, Ray J, Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado of The Hills, NBA great John Salley, Desperate Housewives actor Josh Henderson and LA Pussycat doll Melody Thornton.

Next day, picking up gifts from the Style Villa at Venus were rapper Nelly, hip-hop queen Eve, drummer Questlove, former Van Halen star Sammy Hagar, rockers Plain White T’s, Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion, actress Melissa Joan Hart, Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin, rocker Chris Daughtry, hip-hop’s Three 6 Mafia (who left to go bowling at the Lucky Strike Lanes in the Rio) and the Oily Girls, Holly Huddleston and Molly Shea from E’s Sunset Tan series. By nightfall, PURE was packed again with celebrities including Pussycat Doll solo singer Nicole Scherzinger partying with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Irvine, R&B sensation Ne-Yo, comedian Pauly Shore, choreographer Cris Judd and LA Clippers Shaun Livingstone. Next-door in the Pussycat Dolls Lounge founder Robin Antin watched Melody Thornton dance with the Vegas lineup of dolls – before they joined Nicole for a threesome rendition of their hit single “Don’t Cha.”

At PURE’s Social House restaurant in TI it was a wall to wall star lineup; Hip-hop star Mary J Blige, Entourage star Adrian Grenier, rap icon Dr. Dre, Ne-Yo and Casablanca Records co-owner Tommy Mottola, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, Lauren Conrad, Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado from The Hills, musician Ryan Cabrera and beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh with her sandy playmates.

There were three glittering back to back nights at PURE’s new sister club LAX in the Luxor. Friday night began with rockers Fall Out Boy and Gym Class Heroes holding court. Ashlee Simpson’s boyfriend, the eye-lined Pete Wentz played DJ for the crowd which included Panic! At the Disco, Cobra Starship, socialite Kim Kardashian, rappers Pras and Wyclef Jean from the Fugees, country king Toby Keith who later toured the club’s “hidden” speakeasy lounge Noir Bar where he ran into Britney!

Saturday night was when reigning pop-queen Christine Aguilera, who is a main investor in LAX, got her first look at the club. The stunning blonde bombshell was with her husband and later joined by Paris Hilton, Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls and showman Jeff Beacher – and Paris went on-top the candle-lit DJ booth with a special announcement, “Congratulations to Christine Aguilera - the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world, you’re gorgeous!”

The pop-star hadn’t confirmed rumors of her pending motherhood prior to that - and she looked shocked, then surprised and then shrugged her shoulders about the breaking news! Also there Entourage stars Kevin Connolly and Adrian Grenier, rocker Cisco Adler, Mindfreak magician Criss Angel with Carrot Top, hip hop star Akon, actresses Audrina Partridge, Whitney Port and Ashley Scott, Venetian headliner Gordie Brown and Jessica and Ashlee Simpson’s manager dad, Joe Simpson with Toby Keith returning for a second night.

Sunday night belonged to LAX investor DJ AM, and again P. Diddy, wearing a jeweled crown and gold medallions. Britney was spotted very briefly in a small group of girls staying less than 30-minutes. But making a night and a day of it was Paris Hilton with Palms owner George Maloof, singing stars Eve, Cassie, Ne-Yo, Yung Joc, Criss Angel with Tommy Lee - who got a visit and a hug and a kiss from Pamela Anderson - American Idol hero Ryan Starr, actor Taye Diggs, musician Robin Thicke, Steve O from Jackass and rocker Kevin DuBrow from Quiet Riot.

Every star from the VMA’s started out the post show partying at the Palms pool where Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner hosted to promote their upcoming “The Kingdom” movie. Jamie gave a special sneak screening to his friends in the hotel’s Brenden Theaters over the weekend to rave applause.

Spotted poolside were comedienne Sarah Silverman, Suge Knight, the Foo Fighters who later led a “lets all jump in the pool” party, Kanye West, 50-cent, Jennifer Hudson and Kid Rock after receiving a summons for his punch to Tommy Lee in the Pearl theater. Sarah took fellow comics Jeffrey Ross and Pauly Shore up to the rooftop Playboy club to play blackjack when the crowds became too much! Music mogul Diddy kept his Sky Villa there open for non-stop daytime parties throughout the weekend. Elsewhere around the Palms: comedy actor Chris Tucker, rappers Yung Joc, Yung Berg and Reverend Run of legendary rap group Run DMC and singer Ashlee Simpson lunched at the Gardunos Mexican restaurant while Jamie Foxx treated 15 friends to a dinner of 24oz Bone-in Rib-Eye and crispy garlic potatoes in Nove Italiano.

At N9NE Steakhouse, Adrian Grenier, Audrina Partridge and Jay Fiedler tucked into the taste treats while Linkin Park members entertained their wives and donned Playboy ears in the Playboy club. In the Belvedere party-suite, Pete Wentz was spotted sitting on top of gal pal Ashlee Simpson, “making out” in a very intimate way unashamed and unabashed at who was looking!

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It was the 40th anniversary of Rolling Stone magazine and on Night one it was an Incubus concert that brought out porn-queen Jenna Jameson with boyfriend Tito Ortiz and rapper Lil Jon.

On Night two, Diddy and Akon turned up for Snoop Dogg’s 3,000 fan-packed concert with Akon going on stage as a surprise. While Maroon 5’s Adam Levine had dinner in Nobu and then played blackjack in the high-limit Peacock Lounge. Britney, with magic man Criss Angel, joined his Body English nightclub after party.

On Night three, Kanye West and 50 Cent - both celebrating today’s release of their competing anew albums - held simultaneous red-carpet events, concerts and parties that brought out Ciara, Pamela Anderson, Carey Hart, Rachel Hunter, and Mario Lopez with Dancing with the Stars gal pal Karina Smirnoff. Jamie Foxx walked on stage to surprise Kanye and did a four song set winning applause from Eve, Ne-Yo, Pete Wentz with Ashlee Simpson, Ashanti, Chamillionaire, Shar Jackson. Later in Body English, Floyd Mayweather, Jermaine Dupree, Nick Cannon, Paris Hilton, Diddy and Britney joined the other stars in the powerhouse party for 50 Cent. Recording star Swizz Beatz also celebrated his birthday there with Eve, Alicia Keys, Shar Jackson, Taye Diggs and Carey Hart.

The parties at TAO nightclub in The Venetian began on Thursday with legendary music producer Quincy Jones in the VIP section with actor Orlando Jones, Saturday Night Live’s Keenan Thompson and Backstreet Boy’s Howie Dorough celebrating a 10-person bachelor party he threw for his best friend. Daytime Friday, the hospitality suites filled to overflow with gift-product bags for the VMA stars played ghost to Nelly, Cassie, Quincy Jones and Panic! At the Disco band members, who played with the new Xbox consoles at the Xbox Oasis at Tao Beach. In the evening hours, Linkin Park rocked out the beach to celebrate the new Xbox Halo 3 game while Entourage actress Emmanuelle Chriqui dined with basketball player Baron Davis and Jessica Alba’s on-off boyfriend Cash Warren downstairs in the TAO restaurant.

Daytime Saturday, an extraordinary list of celebrities went “free” shopping, including Britney Spears’ former assistant Allie Sims! Others included Ashanti, Ciara, Jennifer Hudson who said “I just love the Venetian,” Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West, Kevin Connolly, Kim Kardashian, Kimberley Stewart, Ludacris, Pharrell Williams who said his suite was so large and luxurious he couldn’t find the mini-bar, Sandra Bernhard, Wayne Brady and Robin Thicke who refused the gift packs asking they be donated to a needy charity. In the evening, TAO’s Asian bistro hosted Pharrell’s private VMA dinner with Rihanna, Shia Labeouf and Quincy Jones for a second consecutive night. Diddy and Britney stopped by later in the nightclub to cheer on Pharell. On Sunday night and into yesterday morning, Nelly, Travis Barker and Jermaine Dupri hosted TAO’s official after-party which attracted rocker Chris Daughtry, Shanna Moakler still handholding with Travis, and Janet Jackson wearing a wedding ring! Other celebrities included Alicia Keys, Ashanti, basketball’s Charles Oakley, Jamie Foxx with his sister Deidre, rapper Mims, Lil Wayne, and skateboarder Jeremy Rogers.