VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Stars saturate Stones scene at Simon

Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

Some were shattered. But for many it was only rock 'n' roll, and they liked it.

That was the reaction from some of the Rolling Stones fans who saw their Friday night show at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

The star sightings were evident early when "Charlie's Angels" -- the movie version, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore -- had trouble gaining access to the club's back bar.

They first tried charm on a security guard, then resorted to the familiar, "Don't you know who I am?" routine.

Diaz was particularly angry when she was told she could not pass through a designated area. Liu and Barrymore, virtually unrecognizable with hats (a baseball cap and a beret, respectively) pulled down over their faces, were less vocal, but no less angry.

Owen Wilson seemed to be more accommodating, moving around to the assigned bar entrance when security asked him to do so.

The entire crowd was restless and uncomfortable -- there were an estimated 2,000 people packed into a room designed for significantly fewer -- and several high-profile guests were spotted leaving before the show even started. There was also noticeable pushing and shoving in the standing-room section as the crowd waited until nearly 11 p.m. for the Stones to take the stage.

Then, shortly after the Stones began playing, Ron Wood began arguing with someone offstage.

Later VegasBeat learned that it was a sound technician; there was much griping about the audio in the intimate concert hall. (The Stones' Saturday night show at MGM Grand Garden Arena was technically superior; see Sun critic Spencer Patterson's wrap of both shows in today's Accent section, page 6E.)

Then, Wood and Keith Richards had a curse-laden onstage exchange that could be heard from the first few rows.

Finally, Mick Jagger interceded and said, "We are all having a great time onstage, aren't we?" before the opening chords of the classic tune, "Tumbling Dice."

"Mick's voice was spectacular, but something was definitely off with the guitars," actor Luke Wilson said at the post-concert party at Simon Kitchen & Bar. "But so what? It was the Stones and they were great."

"I guess there were some technical problems," "24" star Kiefer Sutherland said. He was sitting at a table with several "X" girls from the show at the Aladdin. "But it was a great show."

"It was fabulous," said Bruce Willis, who was sitting with Jagger and models Gisele Bundchen and Estella Warren -- and right across from uber publicist Lara Shriftman, Stephen Dorff, baseball star Randy Johnson, "Sopranos" stunner Drea De Matteo, hairstylist to the stars Charles Worthington, New York nightlife impresario Amy Sacco (of the ultra-hip Gotham boite Bungalow 8) and Vegas scenester Michael Shulman.

"It was a dazzling night," Elizabeth Blau, Kerry Simon's partner in the restaurant, said. "We had a pre-concert dinner for some of the celebrities, but afterwards, well, it was just amazing.

"The electricity when Mick and then Stephen Bing (a Hollywood producer and the father of Elizabeth Hurley's child) came in after Keith Richards' daughters (Tommy Hilfiger models Theodora and Alexandra Richards) and they all held court ... it was like the old days of Studio 54 with all the TV cameras outside and hundreds of people trying to get a glimpse."

Other Las Vegas royalty in the house at Simon: Harry Morton (who did not speak to former flame Lara Flynn Boyle), Peter Morton, Don Marrandino, Andrew Sasson, Scott Ghertner, Chantal and Stephen Cloobeck, Charlie Skinner, Meital and Joshua Grantz and Heather and Todd DeBoeff.

Respectable

There will be no blue period for Picasso chef Julian Serrano.

"People still seem to be walking out happy," Serrano said. "That is our goal, not accolades from critics."

VegasBeat stopped in to the very high-end eatery inside Bellagio the other night to see if we could detect why it had lost its coveted fifth star in the Mobil Travel Guide.

(The restaurant kept the five diamonds that AAA had meted out.)

From the original paintings, to the family photos taken by Robert Capa to the unfailingly attentive service to the friendly bartenders to the water show right outside, Picasso still seemed to leave our usual dining choice, Fatburger, in the dust.

The only restaurant we've visited that it can seriously be compared to is Tour d'Argent -- the legendary three-star Michelin eatery on Paris' left bank. Tour d'Argent has a better view, perhaps -- the Notre Dame cathedral is right across the Seine -- but Picasso comes out ahead in every culinary category. Mobil, schmobil. We're patronizing Exxon from now on.

Happy

Robert Goulet wore a happy look on his face after the surprise party his wife, Vera, tossed for him at Le Cirque the other night.

Invited guests included Steve Lawrence; Broadway producer Mike Merrick and his wife, Annie; Phyllis McGuire, Judge Lorraine Miller; and power broker Jack Wishna, who flew in from Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife, Donna, just for the party.

Satisfaction

Well-regarded pianist Bruce Zarka and bass player Geralyn Lee have been signed to a long-term deal at the Bellagio.

They entertain in the Hi-Limit Lounge there and keep the hotel's high-rollers happy. And in this town, if the high-rollers are satisfied, everyone is satisfied.

'Rip' this joint

Curious as to what all the fuss was about, VegasBeat went to see the movie "Jackass."

Some of it was performance art: A man dressed in a mouse suit, crawling over a floor covered with thousands of live mousetraps toward a block of Swiss cheese, was nothing short of brilliant.

Golf carts run amok on a miniature golf course were sophomoric.

And while none of the adults in the theater were proud to be laughing after seeing a man inhaling lines of wasabi and then regurgitating (repeatedly) all over a plate of sushi, that's what happened.

The film has also sparked a revival of interest in Rip Taylor -- who makes what we'll simply call a memorable appearance in the movie.

Taylor himself -- aka "The King of Confetti" -- is coming to Las Vegas to star in "The Rio Las Vegas Christmas Spectacular."

The full-scale production features music, dancing and Taylor's wacked-out brand of humor.

Joining Taylor in the Scinta Showroom from Dec. 14 to Dec. 25 are the Jerry Lopez Band, Elvis impersonator Steve Connelly, "Showgirls" singer Traci Ault and Los Huincas Gauchos, a Latin group.