Vegas clubgoers getting more options

Teatro Afterhours has magically reappeared, almost two years after the original Teatro’s closure inside the MGM Grand. Located on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South, Teatro will compete with late-night/early-morning powerhouses Seamless, Empire Ballroom and Drai’s.

Teatro’s biggest problem in its days at MGM Grand was location. It was tucked deep in the bowels of the casino and was extremely difficult to find. Combined with the fact that MGM Grand doesn’t exactly boast a heavy-hitting lineup of nightclubs, Teatro’s demise was seemingly inevitable.

But its re-emergence could fare better in this sequel. The location is solid this time around and should be able to draw patrons from all along the Strip, particularly from Privé at Planet Hollywood Resort and Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Timing also works in its favor as the after-hours circuit has been in dire need of a new face.

Cavallari to celebrate birthday — Just when you thought there were enough members of the MTV reality world making the scene in Las Vegas, another is about to join the mix.

Kristin Cavallari, one of the stars (and villains) from “Laguna Beach,” will host her 21st birthday party Saturday at LAX inside the Luxor.

Cavallari, who dated Stephen Colletti during the show’s debut season and drew the ire of star Lauren “LC” Conrad, has been rumored to be joining “The Hills” next season.

40/40 opens in nick of time — In what has seemed to become a common trend for nightclubs in Las Vegas, one of the city’s newest kids on the block survived a scare and opened for New Year’s Eve weekend.

40/40 club, located at the Palazzo, opened Sunday after receiving its building permits late Saturday.

And who was the most random individual to walk the red carpet? How about the Rev. Al Sharpton, who joined the likes of Beyoncé Knowles, LeBron James and Mary J. Blige at the event.

The club, first slated to open Dec. 20, would have gotten off to a disastrous start had it not been open New Year’s Eve — arguably the biggest party night of the year. General admission tickets to the club, created by music mogul Jay-Z, were going for a whopping $800 on New Year’s Eve, while the majority of the other venues across the city set prices at around $200 to $250.

Privé joins nightlife scene — The Opium Group’s first big Las Vegas nightclub venture got off to a fast start as Privé opened its doors Dec. 28 in time for the New Year’s Eve weekend festivities.

Rapper Ice T hosted the evening’s festivities at the Planet Hollywood Resort. He was joined by actor David Spade, boxer Zab Judah and Palms owner George Maloof.

The following night, adult entertainment star Jenna Jameson visited with boyfriend/UFC fighter Tito Ortiz, as well as rapper Too Short.

Sighting of the weekend — Rapper Nas made his first appearance at Pure last Sunday, joined by wife/music star Kelis and a large entourage of friends and security.

The day before at Pure, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was in a generous mood. The All-Pro running back shared some of his new $45 million contract by purchasing around 50 shots of Patron tequila for some of his random fans.

Music star Ne-Yo gave an impromptu performance Saturday at Tryst. He was greeted by a performing trumpet line before singing his hit “Because of You” at the venue. Also at Tryst: UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who entered the club to the song “The Champ is Here.”

Rapper KRS-One put on a surprise 45-minute show Saturday at Poetry in the Forum Shops at Caesars. The other highlight of the night came when a big spender pre-ordered $100,000 in dollar bills for the club’s New Year’s Eve party. Sources said the club was hitting up banks and casinos to meet the customer’s last-minute request.

Jeremy Pond covers the nightclub scene for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Vegas Confidential. His column appears Fridays in Neon and online at www.lvrj.com and www.normclarke.com. He can be reached at 383-0298 or via e-mail at jpond@reviewjournal.com.