Friday, Oct. 17, 2003 | 4:50 a.m.
Sit back down, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Las Vegas has to prepare for a different celebrity wedding.
Regular Vegas visitors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher plan to tie the knot at a lavish $1 million Valentine's Day ceremony at Bellagio, according to Friday's editions of London's Evening Standard newspaper.
And in a splendidly wacky turn, Moore would be given away by her ex-husband, Bruce Willis -- who married Moore at the Little White Wedding Chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1987.
The couple -- trio, actually -- have been to Vegas several times lately, including a late July trip to celebrate Scout Willis' 12th birthday at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden at The Mirage.
A call to Bellagio seeking confirmation Friday was not returned.
The London paper says that Kutcher, 25, only proposed to Moore, 40, after bringing her home to Iowa and getting approval from his mother, Diane Portwood.
One of Las Vegas' kitchen kings, Executive Chef Brian Massie of the restaurant N9NE at the Palms, is out.
The end apparently came after a fight over the direction of the restaurant with Michael Morton, co-owner of the company that owns the restaurant.
"Everybody moves on. We have nothing but good things to say about Brian," said N9NE group exec Andy Belmonti. "The food is not going to change. (Massie's top assistant) Barry Dakake will take over and it will remain business as usual."
The sleek space is a popular celebrity hangout. On Thursday night, for example, Hank Azaria, Kevin Pollak and Tom Green were at different tables.
The cool downtown Icehouse lounge was a happy/sad place late Tuesday night.
About 150 former Siegfried & Roy cast and crew members who had picked up their last paychecks earlier in the day gathered for a farewell beverage or three.
The group also signed a giant show poster to present to Roy Horn.
Now here's a prize worth going after.
Minnie Madden's Call Back magazine, the Vegas entertainment industry resource, is having a contest where the winner gets a $50,000 makeover.
The package includes plastic surgery from Dr. Biff McCann, dental work from Drs. Adam Persky and Silva Battaglin and various treatments from Michael Boychuk's AMP Salon.
Contest applications are in the paper.
We ran into producer Rick Garson at the AquaKnox restaurant (Venetian) opening party Thursday night, sponsored by VEGAS Magazine to benefit the Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research.
Garson, who does the Fox network New Year's Eve broadcast live from the Strip, was just back from Monaco, where he produced the "World Music Awards."
A wonderfully eclectic Vegas mix filled the room at AquaKnox, including comic Eddie Griffin, entertainer Nelson Sardelli, ghostbar's Vanessa Kelming; and the one of the hosts, VEGAS mag co-publisher and Greenspun Media Group prez Michael Carr.
We also were introduced to Washington, D.C. defense attorney Rene Sandler, who recently was asked but decided not to represent teen sniper suspect John Lee Malvo.
That "Real World Las Vegas" suite at the Palms is so five minutes ago. Newest cool place to stay at Chez Maloof is the Hugh Hefner Suite.
The $2,000-per-night ($2,500 on weekends), 50th-floor layout is where Hef and his girlfriends stayed when he was there for his magazine's recent 50th-anniversary celebrations.
The space is filled with magazine accoutrements and memorabilia, from a Playboy pinball machine to themed artwork, towels and shot glasses.
Bunnies not included.
archive
