Friday, May 30, 2003 | 10:45 a.m.
It's not about the money -- it is the integrity.
Uh-huh.
So says noted jewelry designer Udi Behr, who until recently was a partner with Paula Abdul in a line of jewelry Abdul wore on "American Idol."
But Abdul has severed ties with Behr, taken his name off her website where fans can order the medallions and claims to have designed pieces in the collection herself.
Abdul also presented items to each of the "Idol" contestants; the priceless exposure on the top-rated television show led to a surge in sales.
Most of the pieces are priced under $100, so young people who watch the show can afford them.
"But it is not about the money," Behr told VegasBeat. "It is about the integrity of the product and the process." He is in town for this weekend's International Gem & Jewelry Show at Cashman Center.
Now the lawyers are trying to sort who owns and gets paid for what.
A call to Abdul's Los Angeles attorney, Malcolm Weisman, was referred to her New York lawyer, Ken Schulman, who referred us to her spokesman, Jeff Ballard, who finally put us in touch with Abdul.
"Yes, Udi and I did have some preliminary discussions, but it didn't work out," she said Thursday night. "We are two artists with different visions.
"We went our separate ways but I wish him all the best and think he is a good guy."
The feeling does not seem to be mutual.
After months of meetings, Abdul and Behr announced in a March 13 news release a joint venture called Innergy by Paula Abdul, an inspirational star-design jewelry line. The first piece was engraved with, "When You Wish Upon a Star -- You May Become One."
Less than two weeks later at a pre-Oscar event at Le Meridien at Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles, Abdul wanted to showcase some of the pieces, Behr said, but they simply weren't ready.
"I got all these frantic phone calls from her. She simply does not understand what it takes to make jewelry and does not understand the creative concepts. Pieces do not come off an assembly line.
"When she heard the word 'no' she had a crying tantrum. I understand she may be under different types of pressures than the rest of us, but still ..."
That was the last Behr heard from Abdul.
The next time may be when she answers his civil complaint.
He said he did not publicly talk about the split or Abdul's mad dash for full credit when "Idol" was being aired out of respect for the contestants.
"Legally the designs are all my copyright," Behr said.
Show starter
Nothing has been announced for the new legit theaters coming to The Venetian.
However, one of the rumored productions has been a Tommy Tune-directed production of Jerry Herman's "Miss Spectacular."
It might be a lot more than a rumor: An ad in the current edition of Call Back, the Las Vegas entertainment trade tab, is a request for candidates to submit resumes for "Miss Spectacular" auditions.
The ad says the show is coming to "a major Las Vegas Strip hotel in 2004."
Over and out
This morning was the last on the air for Greg Ricks, the anchor on the Fox morning show on KVVU Channel 5.
Ricks is returning to his native Southern California to report and anchor for a PBS affiliate and continue to grow his business as a lawyer representing television personalities.
In addition to his journalism background, Ricks was the media consultant for the Richard M. Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda, Calif., and for Nixon himself before he died in 1994.
Gulp!
VegasBeat ran into a very disciplined and very trim Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman at the Taste of the Nation restaurant extravaganza at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Wednesday night.
Disciplined because he was keeping to his diet and passing by all the tasting stations manned by some of Las Vegas' finest chefs.
Goodman told us that he had lost more than 30 pounds since he began his diet and exercise program in October, and he looked it.
Then he patted the VegasBeat belly and said: "But you, Mr. Reporter, you seem to have bloated up quite a bit since you got to town."
Ouch! The truth hurts.
And while people might not want to use Goodman's lifestyle as a guide for living, you can't argue that his waistline has shrunk.
His comments were certainly food for thought.
VegasBits
Hot tip: He may have lost in the mid-five figures at the blackjack table at The Venetian this week, but Ben Affleck was still a generous player. We hear he gave the dealer a $20,000 tip ...
Hostess: Sandra Bullock heading a party of 10 for lunch Thursday at Gardunos at the Palms ...
Sparkling: The biggest bash of the jewelry show is probably Sunday's late-night event at V inside The Venetian, hosted by Oro Alexander Jewelers celebrating its LOVE+PEACE +HOPE collection. The guest list includes George Carlin, Celine Dion, Don Rickles, Gladys Knight, Penn & Teller, Rita Rudner, the Smothers Brothers, David Brenner and Wayne Newton, plus all the designers in town for the convention ...
Goal: Las Vegas Wranglers team owner Charles Davenport "canceled" his appearance at a press conference Thursday to announce the team's new coach. So "NYPD Blue" star Rick Schroder, who, as we reported earlier, was at The Orleans for a film shoot, stepped in to introduce Glen Gulutzan to the assembled media. Schroder's kids are youth hockey players ...
Relief: Charo's hard-working publicist, Steve Darling, is taking a few minutes off from putting his client's spin on the Sevilla debacle. Some friends -- including performers in "Skintight" and "Bravo" -- are tossing him a 42nd birthday party Saturday night at Tabu ...
Vegas, baby: VEGAS Magazine co-publisher Michael Carr is also taking a birthday breather. He is having a 50th birthday party this weekend for 150 of his nearest and dearest at his Red Rock home ...
Aroma: Big two-pronged launch party tonight for flowerbelle, a fragrance and company started by Las Vegas native Jeneva Bell. First, the new scent is unveiled at Nordstrom at the Fashion Show mall, then there's an invitation-only bash at Bellagio.
From Sun wires
A $100 million countersuit filed by dancer-producer Michael Flatley against a lawyer and his client, who claims Flatley raped her, should be dismissed because a key piece of evidence is privileged attorney communication, a lawyer argued Thursday.
At issue is whether a letter written by attorney D. Dean Mauro on behalf of his client constitutes extortion. The letter sought a monetary settlement from Flatley and his "Lord of the Dance" company as compensation for an alleged sexual assault.
Flatley filed a suit against Mauro and his client in March, alleging the two tried to extort $33 million from him after threatening to go public with an allegation that Flatley sexually assaulted Mauro's client at a Las Vegas hotel in 2002.
Flatley contends he and the woman twice had consensual sex last year in a Venetian hotel suite.
Lawyers for both sides said a ruling on the dismissal motion could come as early as today.
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