Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

VegasBeat —Timothy McDarrah: Star-crossed Venetian in a League of its own

Downstairs, N' SYNCer JC Chasez was singing to a hot young Hollywood crowd that included "X-Men2" stunner Kelly Hu, Rachel Leigh Cook, Nicole Eggert, Sheila E. and Trevor Wright , star of the highly anticipated Miramax/ Disney fall release, "MXP: Most Xtreme Primate."

Upstairs, a concierge hung up the phone and announced to the staff that Nicolas Cage would be checking in momentarily.

Outside, workers were laying a 500-foot red carpet and preparing for 170 members of the global media who are covering tonight's world premiere of "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman."

Star Sean Connery will arrive via gondola. Yes, gondola. And yes, the busy Saturday night of celebrity buzz took place at The Venetian.

"The celebrity scene is an exciting part of Las Vegas that we are looking to enhance," hotel communications director Kurt D. Ouchida told VegasBeat. "It helps build exposure for the property and is timed perfectly to help launch the new tower."

The Venezia Tower, the new 1,013-suite addition to the hotel, opened last week.

As previously reported, the hotel is also opening at least two new theaters for production shows. Names and shows that have been rumored to be in the mix include everything from "The Producers" to a new production starring Tommy Tune to a show featuring young singer Josh Groban.

Chasez' performance at the Palazzo Ballroom was part of a Rose Education Foundation event, raising funds for Guatamelan children. Scores of young stars have embraced founder Nedra Roney's cause.

Bar media

On July 17 Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will not be having his regular Thursday morning press conference in the usual spot, the City Council chambers.

Instead, he'll have it in a bar.

Goodman is moving the weekly 11 a.m. get-together to 4:30 p.m. at Icehouse, a new downtown "Retro-Vegas-Cafe" a few steps from City Hall. Goodman says he is always available to help promote a new downtown business.

But he promises to drink no martinis until after 5 p.m.

Bless him.

Tabloid fodder

Despite all the weekend activity at The Venetian, things were far from comatose at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Before their Friday concert at The Joint, the rap rock band Linkin Park was in the parking lot checking out the setup for the weekend's Boost Mobile Pro Skateboarding contest with extreme sports patriarch Tony Hawk.

Inside Simon Kitchen and Bar, partner Elizabeth Blau had a laptop computer and was showing off her wedding pictures, and happily eating french fries -- the photos of her looking thin and beautiful in her Vera Wang gown now committed to history.

At the bar, Wynn Las Vegas exec Kevin Steussi was chatting with restaurateur Stephen Hanson, who is opening a branch of his New York hotspot, Fiammi, at MGM Grand. At another table Chasez was holding court. "American Pie" actor Thomas Ian Nicholas was with a large party in the back of the room.

Roc-A-Fella records impresario and rap star Shawn Carter looked in and saw that Simon was too crowded for his taste. So he dined across the hall at Nobu. Carter is better known as Jay-Z.

Real Tabu

VegasBeat ran into Christina, the UNLV grad who is part of the cast of the MTV series, "Real World Paris," at Tabu at yet another VEGAS Magazine party Friday night.

She was with scenester Mike Fuller, who is preparing to open the club Ice in August; Christina told us Fuller had just hired her as a VIP host.

One power confab featured producers Rick Garson (Fox's New Year's Eve broadcast from Vegas) and Jonathan Scott (upcoming Chevy Chase vehicle "Bad Meat") and VEGAS co-publishers Michael T. Carr and Jerry Powers.

In the VIP room we spotted "Real World New York" star Eric Nies and Mario Lopez dancing with some model types. Nies is filming the movie "Road to Reality" with a handful of other flash-in-the-pan reality show participants who did not win million-dollar prizes.

The best sighting and subsequent conversation that evening was with Joe Francis, the man behind the "Girls Gone Wild" videos.

Francis couldn't talk much about his recent arrest and the seizure of his Ferrari and private jet; Florida law enforcement officials contend those were part of his diabolical scheme to get underage girls to appear in his racy videos.

And what he could talk about, well, we can't repeat much of it, as this is a family newspaper.

After VEGAS

The celebrities spread out after the VEGAS Magazine launch party Thursday night at Palms.

Pauly Shore, Carrot Top and Paris Hilton (all standing together) ended up admiring the view from the patio at ghostbar.

Colin Hanks tried his hand at blackjack and looked absolutely mortified when he left the table after losing all his money -- $40.

George Maloof, Marklen Kennedy and John Davis (the "Daddy Day Care" producer and son of billionaire former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis) and some testosterone-charged pals ended up at Jaguars.

Pamela Anderson huddled with Steve Darling, one of Charo's managers, and discussed getting the coochi-coochi girl (that's Charo, not Anderson) a role in Anderson's new animated TNN series, "Stripperella." Anderson told VegasBeat that she is a "huge" Charo fan. Everyone at the party kept waiting for one of the Hilton sisters to end up in the swimming pool. Didn't happen, but Penn Jillette did end up in the water -- he wanted to go talk to one of the go-go dancers on the elevated platforms in the middle of the pool.

VegasBits

Sing along: Sean Hayes -- Jack from "Will & Grace" -- celebrated his birthday with Celine Dion. He met her before seeing "A New Day ..." on Friday night, and she led a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the stage. Hayes turned 33 on Thursday ...

007: Connery, in town for his big movie premiere tonight, dined at Charlie Palmer Steak (Four Seasons) on Saturday night ...

Bite on: Bad boy former heavyweight champ and Vegas resident Mike Tyson turns 37 today. He plans a small celebration with friends and family at his home in Las Vegas. What actually may happen is something else entirely.

From Sun wires

Prince Charles' income from investments and property rose by 27 percent last year to nearly 10 million pounds ($17 million), according to official figures released today. The prince, unlike his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, does not receive an allowance from taxpayers. He receives an income from the Duchy of Cornwall, established in the 14th century to support the heir to the throne.

Knight arrested again: Rap impresario Marion "Suge" Knight was arrested Friday in Los Angeles, the second time this year for allegedly violating parole, it was reported today.

He completed 61 days in jail after an arrest earlier this year after a prison board found that he had associated with a known gang member in violation of his probation.

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