Columnist Kate Maddox: Bunch of bunnies, celebs fete Hef

Kate Maddox

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 10:06 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at 259-2309 or kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

When Playboy Enterprises hits town, you know it. Thursday night hundreds of bunnies packed the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel to celebrate the April rock 'n' roll issue of the men's mag. In addition to Hugh Hefner and his seven, (count 'em, seven) girlfriends, bands such as Limp Bizkit, Korn and Sugar Ray also came by to check out the scene. Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Steven Van Zandt, Evander Holyfield and Jenny McCarthy were also spotted in the mix.

Hef sat at a private table with his blonde entourage while security hovered nearby. Now I'm no expert, but I got the feeling the girls liked being on display. Sipping a drink and seemingly oblivious to the hubbub of onlookers, Hef occasionally got a smooch from one of his lovelies. For a guy surrounded by a bevy of babes and admirers, I have to say he looked a little nonplussed. Maybe he's saving his energy for tonight's birthday bash at Studio 54.

It's not like I followed them into the ladies room or anything (oh, all right, maybe I did,) but Hef's girlfriends stood out in the crowd, mainly because of the courageous work of one local stylist. Jodi Vander Woude, a Las Vegas-based Playboy producer, was the assigned hair and makeup artist for the Hefner posse. She also doubles as a quasi-therapist.

"I don't know what it is," Vander Woude explained. "But as a makeup artist, as soon as you touch someone's face, they instantly open up to you with all these problems and personal issues." Hello. Magic touch or not, the Hefner seven have got to be one heck of a session.

Locals can catch Vander Woude's work in Las Vegas Life. She helped dress Vegas' most eligible bachelors for the upcoming April issue of the magazine.

Tonight's emcee at Hefner's 75th birthday party will be his old pal Tony Curtis. The actor and Las Vegas resident, who also turned 75 this year, has known the Playboy honcho for years. His duties tonight include helping Hef blow out the candles on his oversized, bunny-adorned cake. Red-carpet action outside of Studio 54 should start at around 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday's earthquake in Seattle was devastating for artist Dale Chihuly. The world-renowned glass sculptor was on his way to the airport Thursday, headed for Las Vegas, when he learned that at least 10 pieces of his art were destroyed in the quake. Chihuly has a studio on Lake Union, about 20 minutes outside of Seattle.

Janet Makela, Chihuly's publicist, said the pieces were valued at more than $10,000 apiece. "We're still trying to figure out what we lost," Makela said. "But some of (the pieces) were just shattered." Most had just been completed and were resting on pedestals, waiting to dry, when the earthquake struck.

"Glass Comes to Life," an extensive collection of Chihuly's work, opens this weekend at the Las Vegas Art Museum and runs through April 30. A celebratory VIP cocktail gala, featuring a performance by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, is scheduled for tonight at the museum.

For fans hoping to catch a glimpse of martial arts master Jackie Chan before he leaves Las Vegas, stop by Toys R Us on Maryland Parkway at 1 p.m. Saturday. Chan is unveiling a new line of action figures based on his animated character in Sony's "Jackie Chan Adventures" television series.