Columnist Kate Maddox: Simpson may be Wayne reliever

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001 | 8:23 a.m.

"The day will come when (the USO) torch has to be passed to someone else," explained Newton, who currently holds the title of Chairman of the USO's Celebrity Circle. " ... President Bush had a line about it being a 60-year commitment, I said this young lady here could fulfill the remainder of those 60 years."

Simpson was one of the 300-plus entertainers who performed at Sunday afternoon's Mandalay Bay USO benefit concert, which raised more than $200,000.

Yes, Season 12 of "The Real World" will be taped at Palms. The new hotel, which officially opens Thursday, landed the coveted hosting duties after MTV went scouting for a "cool Las Vegas backdrop," according to an insider at the network.

Rumor has it the seven cast members will live high-roller style and work poolside at Skin, the Palms' swimming/bar/casino area. (By the way, the main pool will be tinted purple and the smaller "relaxation" pools will be a variety of different shades. So, I guess you can swim in your favorite color.) One source says the 12th season of the reality series will be the best yet, with producers ditching the old hand-held cameras and shaky sound system and replacing them with more image-friendly production modes.

A Los Angeles spokeswoman for MTV said the network "can neither confirm nor deny" it will use Palms as the show's setting. The seven roomies will be cast after open calls are completed at various locations across the country. Shooting on the series is set to begin in January and last for approximately 4 1/2 months.

Palms President George Maloof Jr. gets to rave about his new pet project on NBC's "Today" show Thursday morning. Maloof is scheduled to chat for a full five minutes of prime promoting time.

Maloof also snagged a sexy photo promo of the hotel's rooftop Ghostbar in the November issue of Movieline.

A select group of Las Vegas VIPs are said to be partying privately with Steve Wynn tonight. Wynn reportedly handpicked only 100 of his closest pals for a special cocktail soiree celebrating the opening of the new Wynn Collection at the old Desert Inn, where the party will take place.

Freddie Glusman apparently put the kibosh on Piero's Trattoria's happy hour. The Trattoria was opened in September by Glusman's sons, Evan Glusman and Charlie Skinner, but the elder Glusman still has a say in what goes and what doesn't. The brothers, who hoped to draw more locals with their much-touted happy hour plans, were reportedly informed that a DJ'd cocktail scene would be too noisy for the older, early bird dinner crowd.

Rumored lovebirds and "Spider-Man" co-stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst were in town for the Comdex convention this week. The pair, who bunked together at the Four Seasons, were called onstage at Sony's industry gathering at the Las Vegas Hilton on Sunday night. Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man" is set to open in May.

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