Celebrity appearances, performances part of nightclubs’ elaborate festivities

And as for ringing in the new year by getting tanked with strangers on the street, that’s like parachute pants and Mel Gibson’s career prospects: things of the past.

“New Year’s used to be all about, ‘Hey, let’s go down to the Strip, walk around, watch some fireworks,’ and that was about it,” says Jimmy Aston, marketing manager for the N9NE Group, which runs such Vegas properties as Rain, Moon, the Playboy Club and Ghostbar. “Now it’s about what club I’m going to. The nightclub industry has gotten so big, so fast. It used to be that nightclubs were just an amenity for the resort. Now, it’s become a major cash cow for these casinos.”

And increasingly, more and more of that money is going right back into the clubs themselves.

“(In the past), if someone said there was a $3 million club, people were just like, ‘Wow,’ Aston says. “Now, clubs are $60 million, $118 million. These clubs just get bigger and more extravagant. I see these Cirque du Soleil shows and how cool the props and the staging are. Well now, nightclubs are starting to get that same type of technology put in, like moving LED screens, hydraulic DJ booths. It’s crazy how much goes into nightclubs nowadays. It’s progressed so much.”

This evolution culminates in increasingly elaborate festivities on New Year’s Eve, perhaps the biggest annual event for nightclubs, which are driven by celebrity appearances and performances.

Here’s a quick rundown of just a few of the star-studded celebrations going down tonight:

■ Reality TV star, fashion maven, dater of famous people: By even the most cautious of estimates, Kim Kardashian is at least a hundred billion times better than you. Squared. See for yourself at 9 p.m. at Tao at The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $200; call 388-8588.

■ On any given night, there are tons of hot chicks all up in the club who don’t want to talk to you. At 11 p.m., get ready to be in the presence of three more when Playboy Playmates Amy Leigh Andrews, Heather Rae Young and Sara Jean Underwood visit Rok Vegas at New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $125; call 740-6745.

■ It’s “Raining Men,” according to Rihanna’s latest single, so break out your guy-loshes (get it?) and prepare for a flash flood of dudes when the pop star hosts the evening at 10 p.m. at Pure at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $200; call 731-7873.

■ Get double your Diddy! Seriously, you will have to go to the plastic surgeon to get that smile surgically removed from your face upon getting the chance to hang with Sean Combs not once, but twice this weekend. Well, you don’t really get to hang with him, but you can stare at the man awkwardly from a distance, first at 10 p.m. at LAX at the Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $150; call 262-4529. Diddy also appears at Pure at Caesars Palace on Saturday. Tickets start at $30 for women, $50 for men.

■ In New York he buys clothing. In Cali he gets green. In Atlanta he gets sleep. In Texas he sips lean. In Vegas, Ludacris gets paid to party at 10 p.m. at Vanity at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road. Tickets start at $150; call 693-5555.

■ It’s getting hot in here, so, like, turn up the AC, Nelly, geez. Use your head, guy. See Nelly attempt to come to terms with his climate control issues at 10 p.m. at Haze at Aria, 3730 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $165; call 693-8300.

■ He’s a British rapper, meaning you can expect lots of rhymes about ladies with large “bums” when Jay Sean hits town. Don’t be an arse and see him, you cheeky git, at 10 p.m. at The Bank at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $165; call 693-8300.

■ He’s arguably the biggest DJ ever, performing on the biggest party night of the year. If Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto residency got any bigger, it could double as Kanye West’s ego. See Oakenfold at 9 p.m. at Rain at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road. Tickets start at $110; call 940-7246.

■ So, everyone asks us what party-hard electro popsters LMFAO’s name stands for. OK, here it is: Look ma, free aardvark omelets. So now you know. See LMFAO at 9 p.m. at Moon at the Palms. Tickets start at $190; call 942-7777.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.