Columnist Kate Maddox: Supporters get a peep of the veep at fund-raiser

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 1999 | 9:33 a.m.

Kate Maddox's gossip column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach her at 259-2309 m

Vice President Al Gore was at Harrah's last night to raise money for his presidential bid.

A crowd of about 200 influential Las Vegans paid $1,000 each to dine with the vice president and hear him say a few passionate words about politics and the state of the country.

Gore appeared very relaxed as he joked with the crowd about the importance of being a good grandfather -- his eldest daughter, Karenna, gave birth to a son on the Fourth of July.

Surrounded by Nevada's political movers and shakers, Gore looked and sounded very smooth and polished. Maybe moving his campaign headquarters from the Washington pressure cooker to more laid-back Nashville was a smart move.

The vice president will wind up this leg of his fund-raising tour after a stop in Los Angeles -- where he will schmooze some of Hollywood's heavy hitters -- and then it's on to Seattle before returning to D.C.

Along the same lines, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will make a stop in Vegas on Nov. 4 to raise some money for her New York Senate exploratory committee. Friends and supporters will hold a small invitation-only cocktail reception in her honor. Perhaps an official announcement of her plans to run for the Senate will soon follow.

Babyface, a k a Kenny Edmonds, was spotted here last week. The music producer/singer/songwriter, who has written songs for Mariah Carey, Madonna, Celine Dion and countless other stars, was shopping at the high-end Via Bellagio shops last week. The little news is that he picked up a couple of nice things, including a watch at Tiffany's. The big news is that he mentioned he may become a more permanent fixture on the Las Vegas scene. Edmonds was overheard telling people that he is seriously considering moving his Atlanta-based LaFace Records company here.

Three major musical acts canceled their shows at the last minute last week.

Don't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of State Controller Kathy Augustine tooling around on a brand new Harley Davidson in the near future. She was the lucky raffle winner at Saturday night's benefit for the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, held at the Four Seasons.

The raffle tickets were $20 apiece, or 6 for $100. Augustine bought 12 tickets, all for the good cause.

She says she isn't sure what she will do with the bike -- she's never driven a motorcycle before. Surprisingly, though, this isn't the first mode of transport she has won. In 1996, while in the state Senate, Augustine was the lucky winner of a new Saturn at a UNLV raffle.

Another notable moment at the Children's Museum dinner was David Cassidy screaming at the guests to "shut up!" An obnoxiously disgruntled Cassidy was attempting to say a few words on behalf of the Children's Museum, but all he succeeded in doing was upsetting the guests during a lively cocktail hour.

No one likes to be interrupted during a pleasant black-tie affair by an angry man telling them that they are being "incredibly rude." Guests were taken aback, and when Cassidy launched into a tale about how he had just "flown in from L.A. after 14 hours in the studio working on a TV movie about my life," of course the folks tuned out.

People were still talking about Cassidy's attitude during dinner. The former teen star slipped out after the first course, hopefully a little embarrassed.

Quarterback superstar Joe Montana was spotted in Vegas late last week. The former 49er played the $5 blackjack tables and chilled out at Barbary Coast.

At last Tuesday's ground-breaking ceremony for the new Nevada Children's Center, Mayor Oscar Goodman said that when he heard about the programs offered by the center -- which include anger management, conduct disorder and attention deficit disorder -- he thought "(the programs) applied to the 10th floor at City Hall." After that quick quip, the mayor, known for his very sharp sense of humor, commended the center for its honorable work helping Nevada's children.