[reviewjournal.com]- Celebrities are always celebrating birthdays in Las Vegas during paid appearances at clubs. But Sasha Grey — 2008’s top porn star soon to turn mainstream movie star — is one-upping them. She will actually turn 21 on the day of her nightclub “hosting,” Saturday at Tao at The Venetian.

Grey has made about 200 porn films since turning 18. But she also stars in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming film “The Girlfriend Experience,” playing the role of a sort of girlfriend-prostitute. A dude pays her to act like his girlfriend.

There are rumors that Soderbergh’s pal George Clooney makes an appearance in the film. Grey won’t say:

“I’m not going to give the details to that. You’ll have to wait and see it yourself. Why would I ruin things?”

Grey also won’t tell me whether she makes more money in porn than she did with Soderbergh. But “The Girlfriend Experience” is the first time she’ll earn financial residuals, she says. She’ll also get residuals from a sex-reality show called “Sun Goddess: Malibu.”

“Why don’t we get residuals? That’s a good question,” she says. “I’ve been asking that for a long time. Essentially, we’re all day players. We’re independent contractors. You shoot once, you get paid once.”

In the “regular” movie business, Grey also stars in two Lee Demarbre-directed alt movies this year. But she’s still doing many uninhibited things in porn, while building her Web site, SashaGrey.com, into a multimedia site, including, but beyond, sex.

“I enjoy being able to have a foot in each door,” she says. “I know many people would say porn isn’t creative, but that’s my entire outlook on it. And that’s my entire outlook on quote-unquote ‘mainstream cinema.'”

But this weekend, Grey — 2008’s Best Female Performer in porn (AVN Awards), who also can be seen in spreads now for BlackBook and soon in Flaunt — focuses in on Vegas for her birthday at Tao. What can club-goers expect to see of her?

“I’m not a crazy person, so don’t expect me to flash my boobs or my ass or something stupid like that,” she says and laughs. “It’s gonna be fun. I think everybody should come out and celebrate.”

Grey is a fascinating interviewee. She comes off as smart, confident, sober, serious yet she laughs a good bit. For the rest of my interview with her — ranging from her Catholic upbringing to her take on conservatives and high-def porn — check out my blog.

She walks the red carpet at 10 p.m. Saturday at Tao.