Sir Elton's friends included his partner David Furnish; Houston socialite Lynn Wyatt, a major contributor to the Elton John AIDS Foundation; British model (and face of Estee Lauder) Elizabeth Hurley and her husband, Indian textile heir Arun Nayar; supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, a three-time cover girl for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition during the 1970s and 1980s; rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon; Frank Presland, John's manager; Keith Bradley, John's European tour director; Howard Rose, John's agent for almost 40 years; jazz saxophonist Dave Koz; and acclaimed American painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, best known for his films "Basquiat," "Before Night Falls" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

Among the locals who attended: former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren; Gayle Anderson, chief of protocol for the Nevada Commission on Economic Development; interim City Councilman David Steinman; Rita Vaswani, Bank of Nevada vice president; Thalia Dondero, a former Clark County commissioner; Allen Fawcett, former host of Dick Clark's "Puttin' on the Hits"; and Bob Goodman, chairman of the Sino-American Trade Development Association.

John Nelson, vice president of AEG Live/Concerts West (operators of the Colosseum), mentioned that Britney Spears' show at the MGM Grand on Saturday is the "highest-grossing stop on her tour."

Hammargren was there with an Elton John clothes hanger he had purchased at John's merchandise store prior to the "Red Piano" finale.

He's adding it to his eclectic collection. Hammargren held up the hanger and said, "I've got Liberace's piano in my music room and now I've got Elton John in my closet."

The hottest buzz? Look for John to return to Caesars in about a year.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons has been proudly sporting a new accessory since a recent divorce filing by her estranged husband, Gov. Jim Gibbons, who in court documents compared her to an "enraged ferret."

She's been seen with a ferret pin on her lapel, and she's also been seen at the Carson City gym wearing a T-shirt featuring her favorite furry mascot with the words: "Real Men Love Ferrets." She's in town Saturday for the Heart Ball at Planet Hollywood Resort. ... Lindsay Lohan's heavy partying here last week was so obvious to some of my spy witnesses that smart money says she will be back in rehab before she considers "Peepshow."

She's a mess.

MAY I RECOMMEND ...

With Spears in town, Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood Resort on Saturday is going with a circus theme for Virgin Mobile's "The Circus Tour Afterparty." Here's the deal: Flash your Virgin Mobile phone -- Virgin is a tour sponsor -- or concert ticket and receive complimentary entry before midnight. Prive fliers include the line: Britney is not expected to attend.

SIGHTINGS

Laurence Fishburne, Marg Helgenberger, among cast and crew members of "CSI: Las Vegas," holding their season wrap party at the Revolution Lounge (Mirage) on Wednesday. ... Fading UFC star Chuck Liddell at the LBS Burger Joint on Wednesday at Red Rock Resort.

THE PUNCH LINE

"There's a new iPhone app called MyNetDiary. It helps you lose weight. Here's how it works: You press Google Earth, and if you can spot yourself, you've eaten too much." -- late night TV host Jimmy Fallon

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.