Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 | 10:46 a.m.
For Ben Affleck (who everyone thought was in Las Vegas) and Jennifer Lopez (who nobody thought was in Las Vegas) the Fat Lady supposedly sang over the weekend. Their relationship is reported to be over.
Britney Spears also sang in Las Vegas over the weekend. She performed a surprise miniconcert at Rain in the Desert, which will be broadcast on Carson Daly's top-rated MTV show, "Total Request Live."
And Christina Aguilera, who was in Las Vegas, tried to sing over the weekend -- but didn't because her asking price was too high.
The "dirrrty" girl asked MGM Grand for six ringside seats -- face value, $12,000 per -- in exchange for singing the national anthem before the Oscar De La Hoya/Sugar Shane Mosley fight at the Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night.
But hotel officials nixed her offer, opting instead for Jimmy Hopper, the talent from Bellagio's Fontana Lounge, who did sing the anthem.
Even before all the celebrity buzz hit the Strip over the weekend -- particularly a report Sunday on People.com that "Bennifer" would start using two names again after Affleck reportedly dumped Lopez -- there were about 550 media members in town to cover the big fight.
And when the news broke Friday that Lopez was headed to Miami and Affleck to Vegas for the weekend, the tabloid press also descended on Vegas.
However, Affleck "never left Los Angeles this weekend," his rep, Ken Sunshine, said Sunday night. Lopez, for those keeping score, was photographed in Miami over the weekend.
There were celebrity sightings galore, at the fight and elsewhere, but in the end no one in Vegas eyeballed Affleck. The most persistent reports had him ensconced at The Mirage, and the New York Post erroneously wrote that he was lying by the Hard Rock Hotel pool Saturday.
A reliable source told VegasBeat on Sunday that Affleck was at his home in L.A., on the phone most of the weekend with his close pal Matt Damon, who is in Prague filming "The Brothers Grimm" with Robin Williams. But that report could not be independently verified.
And though Affleck was not at the fight, we did spot plenty of other famous faces ringside. David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Kobe Bryant, Tara Reid, Budd Schulberg ("On the Waterfront"), Dennis Quaid, producer Stephen Bing, Montel Williams, Lolita Davidovich, Ron Howard, Evander Holyfield, Michael Keaton, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Andre Agassi, Michael J. Fox, Tommy Lasorda, Tiger Woods, former Operation Iraqi Freedom prisoner of war Shoshona Johnson, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, Anthony Anderson, pop artist Steve Kaufman and our personal favorite, Jerry Seinfeld's muse Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), were all sitting in floor seats.
Afterward, fight attendees Lennox Lewis, Thomas Hearns and Roy Jones Jr. were at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars). Former O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro, Charles Barkley and MGM Films prez Alex Yemenidjian were at Studio 54 (MGM). Director Taylor Hackford ("An Officer and a Gentleman"), Willie Garson ("Sex and the City") and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte were at Tabu (MGM).
Martin Lawrence and Las Vegas veterinarian and Playboy Playmate Colleen Marie headed an all-star cast at Crustacean, and enough stars (including Jamie Foxx and Magic Johnson) and star followers to populate a large island jammed rumjungle at Mandalay Bay, where winner Mosely had his official post-fight victory celebration sponsored by fashion magazine Razor.
Meanwhile at the Palms, the crowd at Rain figured something was up because so many celebs -- including Paris Hilton, Damon, Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Robin Leach, Scott Caan, Mekhi Phifer ("8 Mile"), Paul Walker ("The Fast and the Furious"), hotel owner George Maloof and jocks John Salley, Ray Crockett, Paul Pierce, Mike Bibby and Robert Horry -- were in the house just after 1 a.m.
The crowd went absolutely nuts when the announcer introduced Spears. She performed two new songs and four old ones, and came close to revising her famous girl-on-girl "MTV Video Music Awards" kiss with some of the female dancers who joined her onstage.
High art
Thankfully, no one was talking about Bennifer at the private opening Friday night of "Treasures from Chatsworth: A British Noble House" at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.
Instead, the focus was on the exhibit, which features a truly breathtaking collection of items, ranging from priceless jewels to Lucien Freud paintings, Henry VIII's engraved rosary, Capt. John Smith's original map of Virgina and signed letters to the family from Charles Dickens, Alexander Pope, William Thackeray, George Fredrich Handel and Charlotte Bronte.
Among the well-dressed guests were Lord and Lady Harrington (of the family that lent the priceless collection), Lady Jasmine, the Earl of Burlington, Mario Maccioni, Rita Rudner, Gianna and James "Bucky" Buchanan, Fuilala Riley, Anita Getzler, Elizabeth Deveau and Desiree Schultz.
Film art
Several weekend events marked the induction of legendary filmmaker George Sidney ("Viva Las Vegas," "Pal Joey," "Showboat") into the UNLV Artist/Entertainer Hall of Fame.
A photo show and gala dinner Saturday and private cocktail event Friday at Corrine Sidney's home attracted Phyllis McGuire, Michael and Hunter Tylo, UNLV prez Carol Harter, College of Fine Arts Dean Jeffrey Koep, Tony Curtis, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, KLAS Channel 8 anchor Casey Smith and Rosemarie Stack, Robert Stack's widow.
VegasBits
Classy: James Caan offered a tour of The Stirling Club and developer Don Soffer's Turnberry Place lair to Michael Politz and his "Extra" cameras before the fight Saturday. Moses Malone and Rosie Perez, who were at Stirling to watch the fight, also found their way into some shots. The "Extra" crew later hit N9NE at the Palms and Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel for an upcoming segment on celebrity dining ...
Love: Mario Lopez was at many CarnaVe events over the weekend, including the Miss Mesoamerica pageant at the Showroom at The Venetian on Sunday afternoon. He told VegasBeat that he is living with model/actress Ali Landry -- famous for catching Doritos in her mouth in commercials -- and that they are discussing starting a family ...
Giving: The United Blood Services drive at the Silverton last week on the second anniversary of the 9-11 attacks netted 197 units of blood and 14 platelets, a big jump from last year's 153 units and zero platelets. Both Silverton staffers and guests made donations ...
Vegas TV: Tonight's "Primetime Monday" hour is all about Las Vegas. Correspondent Cynthia McFadden interviews Celine Dion. John Quinones talks with championship female poker players Jennifer Harman and Annie Duke. Chris Cuomo reports on the MIT students and blackjack sharks who penned the best seller "Bringing Down the House," and Elizabeth Vargas looks at adult-themed shows. It airs locally on KXNT Channel 13 after "Monday Night Football."
From Sun wires
It's not the most likely formula for a children's book. The theme is envy, the characters dress like supermodels and the writer's best-known literary work until now was titled "Sex."
Madonna's "The English Roses" was released today, hitting bookshelves in 100 countries. The initial printing of the 48-page book, about four 11-year-old girls in London, is 1 million copies.
"Everything in these stories is appropriate for children of all ages," said Nicholas Callaway, chairman and CEO of Callaway Arts and Entertainment.
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