Columnist Kate Maddox: Celeb stylist does a ‘do for McGuire

Kate Maddox

Friday, Feb. 11, 2000 | 8:59 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays, only in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at kmaddox@vegas.com. To subscribe to the Sun, call 383-0400.

The Bellagio salon, which a few months ago dismissed celebrity hairdresser Laurent D., is opening its doors once again to star stylists.

John Barrett, of the John Barrett Salon at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, is the first of a string of well-known hairdressers scheduled to make special "guest appearances" at the Salon at the Bellagio. Every few weeks the tony salon will welcome those headline-grabbing star stylists who, for a mere $300 to $500 a pop, make celebrities look so fabulous.

Barrett has already snagged a Las Vegas celebrity to help him launch his three-day visit. Phyllis McGuire had her hair cut Thursday in one of the Bellagio's private $5,000 villas.

The honor of having her 'do created by Barrett puts McGuire in the same league as stars such as Jennifer Aniston -- whose much-copied look of a few years back was created by the stylist -- Catherine Deneuve, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Helena Bonham-Carter and dozens of supermodels, who are also coiffed by Barrett.

This is the first time that the much-in-demand Barrett has worked in any other salon since his opened in New York. When asked why he chose the Bellagio, Barrett gave the usual answer: fine restaurants, great shopping, the picture of luxury and service, etc. But he also added that a close friend whose advice he trusts told him it was one of her favorite places. Martha Stewart insisted that he check out the hotel.

Barrett will be back in town in about five weeks after he's made his annual trek to L.A. to do hair for his celebrity clients at the Academy Awards.

Comedian David Brenner marks his return to the Las Vegas stage next week and he'll also be starring in his own HBO special to boot.

Brenner, who will kick off a four-night stint at C2K at the Venetian hotel-casino on Thursday, will have his show taped live to air on HBO on Feb. 19. The special, "Back With a Vengeance," will be Brenner's fourth solo show for HBO.

Adding to the spontaneity of the unscripted live broadcast, Brenner will be using completely fresh and unrehearsed material. The comedian plans to pull his punch lines directly from Saturday's headlines, even making some of his act up as he goes along. Brenner and HBO want the special to be completely up to date and with very little canned humor.

Another TV show passed through town this week and it didn't involve getting hitched to a stranger. The time-honored comedy "Candid Camera" filmed a segment at a local apartment complex.

Executive Producer/show host Peter Funt tricked some innocent tenants into signing over 70 forms in order for them to be able to move into their new homes. The idea for the gag was sent to the show by a local viewer who works as a rental agent and is constantly amused by the 16 or so forms that clients must fill out before they get the keys to their new apartments.

Funt led the unsuspecting people into his "office" and had them start signing forms, which got more and more ridiculous as they went on. After covering the basic rules and liability forms, the host then asked each tenant to sign papers that got increasingly bizarre: the Sunday night energy conservation program -- wherein the apartment complex asks that all tenants adhere to a 9 p.m. lights-out curfew; the form that tells the tenant to be prepared to sign more forms; and, when the paper pile on Funt's desk had reached humorous proportions, the form that covers the bogus "federal waste paper reduction act." You get the point.

Most of the tenants didn't suspect a thing, although they seemed a little confused. One woman signed all 73 phony forms before she was told to smile at the camera. Only one woman was dubious -- she kept asking Funt if he was serious about all the forms -- but she still signed them.

Funt, who brought his show to Vegas once last year for a segment, co-hosts with Suzanne Somers on CBS, Saturday nights at 8:30.

When the dust settled after this week's blackjack tournament at the Stardust hotel-casino, some of the players were startled to realize that one of the contenders was the husband of a world-famous star.

Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, took part in the two-day tourney and no one even noticed. This is the same guy who spent the weekend of his wedding renewal ceremony safely ensconced at the tables at Caesars, playing with $1,000 chips. Angelil, who is also the manager of the recently retired Dion, barely caused a buzz at the Stardust and, although he did make it to the second round, ultimately left empty-handed.