LAX loves Britney

Perhaps the most anticipated event this fall is the opening of LAX nightclub at Luxor. The Vegas version of the club is far larger than the LA original. "LAX on steroids," is how one Luxor executive described the difference to me. In fact, just yesterday I got the latest press release for the grand opening at LAX; its lead sentence: "Nightlife and dining pacesetter Pure Management Group ups the ante over Labor Day weekend, when Britney Spears hosts the grand opening of LAX Friday, August 31 at Luxor."

Pure Management Group, of course, also owns Pure at Caesars, where Spears made her assisted exit New Year's Eve, witnessed by Robin Leach and others. Pure was also the club that had to cancel Lindsay Lohan's birthday party during her rehab stint from earlier this month. The amazing thing is that this uncanny connection to the train wrecks of celebrity culture has resulted in a bonanza of great press for Pure.

The speculation before, followed by the cancellation of the Lohan birthday party, kept Pure in the headlines for weeks. In fact, all the discussion about Lohan's canceled appearance at Pure, as well as the stories on Spears' New Year's Eve public collapse/nap there, turned out to help Pure cement an image as the hot spot in Vegas, always at the center of things. One suspects this process will repeat itself now for LAX, as local and national press tie each new Britney Spears incident to the question of whether Spears will be there for the LAX opening or will she cancel? Some are already asking this question. It isn't true that for nightclubs all press is good press. This is particularly the case for nightclubs in the resort corridor because of all the regulations and punishments to which casinos are subject. But, as I've pointed out before, celebrities never seem to get arrested in Vegas. And what happens outside Vegas isn't usually the concern of  gaming regulators. So, from now until August 31, from her haircuts to her photo shoots to her curious wardrobe choices, anything Britney Spears does will fuel speculation about whether it will impact her appearance at LAX.  The result is that LAX already has managed to become one of the most discussed clubs in Vegas, more than a month before opening its doors.