More Hotel de Paris than Las Vegas, the Children's Museum of Houston "Vegas Style" gala was all about visual splendor, personal glamour and rolling in the dough. By night's end, $910,000 had been added to museum coffers, thanks in no small part to the Justin Bieber live auction item that went for a whopping $18,000.

The bounty included limo transport to Toyota Center and a suite with 13 tickets for The Bieber's Oct. 30 show.

Showbiz it was at The Corinthian where Darryl Murchison added crystal chandeliers, zillions of white ostrich plumes, whtie candles, linear crystal centerpieces and truckloads of white flowers. This was all glamour, baby. No cheesey Vegas vibes here. Even the Elvis (in the white jumpsuit) was exceptionally cool and the showgirls were stunning.

Three cheers for gala chairs Kim and Randy Petersen and Millette and Haag Sherman — a foursome as glamorous as they come. Applause, applause for auction chairs Terri Havens, Bethany Hughes, Kim Martin and Kelly Sklar, who saw $129,000 roll in just from the live auction.

Children's Museum board member Tiffany Smith and husband Rick Smith,Houston Texans GM, did their share for the evening, providing two Texans-related live auction items including a road trip with the team, sideline passes, etc. and a NOLA trip for Super Bowl weekend (fingers crossed).

The killer crowd, totaling just over 500, would be the envy of any development officer as it represented a power force of H-Town's younger movers and shakers. Melissa and Michael Mithoff, Gina and Carl Luna, Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia, Nancy and Franco Valobra, Megan Sutton-Reed and Chris Reed, Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein, Stephanie and Bill Perkins, Alissa and Kevin Maples —these were serious influencers.

Among those heading for the second floor for gaming fun or jiving on the dance floor to the sounds of Skyrocket were museum board chairman Lance Gilliam and wife Jennifer, Susan and Mike Plank, Gina Gaston, Sarah and Dough Foshee, Rosemarie and Matt Johnson, Dominique Sachse and Nick Florescu, Joanna Barrett and Todd Alan Brooks, Ursaline Hamilton, Ashley and Scott Muehlberger, Casey and Will Hedges and Elizabeth and Alexander Dwyer.