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$20 Million Party Gets the Atlantis Dubai More Bad Press

As you know, last night was the $20-million grand opening gala at the Atlantis Dubai on Palm Jumeirah. While the resort has been open for a while now (and has not been getting such lovely press due to allegedly craptastic service and some structural disasters), last night's celeb-studded grand opening gala was supposed to turn heads and generate a lil' bit of good publicity for the $1.5-billion resort.

But instead, based on the event's coverage we've seen so far today, everyone just seems to be asking how the property can justify such an over-the-top display of wealth and extravagance in the midst of a global economic crisis.

But! Nevermind that. It seems that the Atlantis spent most of that 20-mil on fireworks and on jetting celebs to the party. The guest list ran the gamut from the megastars to the obscure: Michael Jordan, Lindsay Lohan, Wesley Snipes, Mary Kate Olsen, Shirley Bassey, and Mischa Barton were among the famous faces in the audience for Kylie Minogue's huge(ly expensive) performance.

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