John Katsilometes catches up with the Fertittas on the night they open their Red Rock Resort

By John Katsilometes

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

As a cavalcade of dignitaries ranging from Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford to Jerry and Danny Tarkanian hang out near the entrance of T-Bones restaurant, Frank Fertitta III talks about his relationship with his brother, Lorenzo.

As the older brother notes, the two are hyper-competitive, but their seven-year age difference precluded any serious sibling competition between them when they were growing up. That relationship exists today.

"We never had that kind of relationship, just the opposite," the 44-year-old Frank Fertitta says Tuesday during the opening night VIP party at Red Rock Resort, the billion-dollar Station Casino project in Summerlin.

Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have built on the vision of their father, Frank Fertitta Jr., who started the company in 1976 with what is Palace Station.

Teamwork has always come naturally for the Fertitta brothers. "Rather than compete with each other, we show mutual respect for each other," Frank Fertitta III said. "There's a lot of playing devil's advocate, a lot of discussion about how to better do things, but no egos come into play."

Standing nearby, Lorenzo, 37, said, "I can't even remember having an argument with him, at all. Growing up with him as (my) older brother, I looked up to him with respect and knew that he could teach me a lot."

The two operate in tandem, feeding off their collective energy.

"We have to know the competition, we have to be creative and we have to remember what our dad taught us when we were growing up - and he was a bellman and a blackjack dealer - and that's to always remember what it's like to be an employee."

The smiling and energetic staff was certainly up for the opening night VIP party, which was highlighted by a performance by Sting (whose appearance was expertly kept a secret until Tuesday afternoon) in the hotel's courtyard. And showing off in Rocks Lounge was the indefatigable Zowie Bowie.

So far the place is a hit. As one enthusiastic guest gushed to Frank Fertitta, "Awesome, awesome job."

NoteMart

Hart to Hart: The Las Vegas Walk of Stars ceremony honoring entertainer and humanitarian Toni Aileen Hart will be at 6 p.m. April 27 at Hartland Mansion at 525 Park Paseo Drive, south of Charleston Boulevard and Sixth Street. Hart, a musician, singer and producer, founded the Hartland Foundation in 1984.

Hart has held several fundraisers and special events at the Hartland Mansion, and was honored two years ago by her son Larry Hart (not Tony as we errantly named Larry on Tuesday), who organized a surprise Mother's Day lunch for 64 guests. As food maven Muriel Stevens reported at the time, Larry penned his own lyrics to a Mother's Day tune and was joined in song by all the guests ...

Demme the torpedoes: Forging ahead with plans to continue her career as a nightclub impresario is Amanda Sheer Demme, the club promoter (until recently) of two of L.A.'s hottest teeming-with-celebrity clubs - Teddy's and the Tropicana Bar, both at the historic Roosevelt Hotel. In March, Demme was told she would be relieved of her services, but according to The New York Times, she is in discussions with Pure Management Group in Las Vegas.

On Tuesday, Pure management had no comment about reported talks with Demme.

Headed by Robert Frey, Pure operates Pure and Pussycat Dolls Lounge at Caesars Palace, Tangerine at Treasure Island and Coyote Ugly at New York-New York. ...

A ten-spot for "Fire Woman": The rock station KOMP 92.3-FM is teaming with the Muscular Dystrophy Association today for a radio-a-thon at Wow Tower Records, 4580 W. Sahara Ave. For a minimum donation of $10, listeners can request a song to be played; the more you give, the faster the DJs will get to your tune. The event runs through midnight; proceeds benefit MDA ...

Cornered: The northeast corner of West Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road often looks a lot like an old episode of "The Gong Show." That's because Mr. Happiness, Larry Johnson and his unplugged electric guitar hold court at that very spot. Last Friday around noon was something of a watershed moment for Mr. Happiness. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it:

Mr. Happiness was doing his thing while wearing military garb and what looked like a USC Trojans marching band helmet. Next to him was a young girl stepping into an inflatable Tropical Cafe Smoothie Deli costume. As she started to inflate the getup, which was to resemble a 6-foot Smoothie, she called out, "How much do you get paid to do this?" But she got no answer from Mr. Happiness, who was busy playing and warbling to fast-moving traffic. After the girl's costume was fully inflated, the two danced in place and held hands; Mr. Happiness was holding up an "Action 13" sign, and I have no idea why ...

Sunday driver: A reader offers a vanity plate doubleheader from vehicles moving side-by-side on Wigwam Avenue on Sunday: UDZRVT on a Toyota Sequoia, and GR8ONE on a black Bentley.