VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Take a holiday from ‘Gangs’

Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 | 4:07 a.m.

Ifirst met director Martin Scorsese when I was 7 years old. He was just out of New York University film school and his first feature, "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" was in the can.

Scorsese and my family were both guests one summer weekend at Jill Krementz' family's New Jersey estate.

The Krementz clan ran jewelry stores. Jill was (and remains) a gifted photographer and a professional colleague of my father. She later married Kurt Vonnegut.

I first met Leonardo DiCaprio at the Palms when they had their anniversary party last month.

Both Scorsese and DiCaprio are decent, relatively cooperative and good-spirited people in an industry dominated by colossal egos and bad attitudes.

But the Las Vegas oddsmakers who say their new collaboration, "Gangs of New York" is an Academy Award favorite either haven't seen the movie, or were having a flashback to a good Scorsese movie, such as "Taxi Driver" or "Raging Bull."

VegasBeat attended a screening on Thursday. DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz are quite good. The movie is quite bad.

The film, which opens Dec. 20, begins with a young DiCaprio witnessing his father brutally killed by Daniel Day-Lewis. The next 2 hours and 40 minutes are his bloody,violent and dark quest for revenge, all set in a New York slum in the mid-19th century.

Hardly an uplifting Christmas tale.

She had such a good time last week dancing at Club Rio when she was here in Las Vegas with fiance Ben Affleck last week that Jennifer Lopez has decided to open her own dance club, in addition to her planned Las Vegas restaurant, Madre's.

Dick Clark's business partner Ed Fishman and veteran entertainment producer Joey Battig had lunch on successive days last week with MGM and Park Place execs about opening what would be called J-Lo.

They are also negotiating with Shiela E., Ricky Martin and Alyssa Milano about one of them hosting a weekly late-night risque cable show to be broadcast from the venue.

Former Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan stopped into Simon Kitchen and Bar before his new band, Zwan, played at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday night.

Corgan said he was going to try to get back to Vegas on Friday night for the Camp Freddy show at the opening of Sapphire on Industrial Road, which is billing itself as the world's largest gentleman's club.

Camp Freddy members include guitarists Dave Navarro (formerly of Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Billy Morrison (the Cult), drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses), bass player Scott Ford and singer Donovan Leitch.

Leitch -- son of legendary '60s "Mellow Yellow" singer Donovan -- once fronted the glam-rock band Nancy Boy.

The new $25 million club will encompass a whopping 71,000 square feet spread over several levels, and includes VIP skyboxes, 40 private booths, several side lounges and a main 400-seat showroom.

Henderson television producer George Ciccarone had a unique idea: to make a documentary exploring the impact of Viagra on some Nevada bordellos.

It airs on HBO tonight after the season finale of "The Sopranos."

Ciccarone is also producing " Lance Burton -- Guerilla Magic: Taking It To The Streets" for Animal Planet.

No airdate has been set.

When the Artist Once Again Known As Prince comes to town to play the Aladdin next Sunday, we'll be checking to see if he stops into the Dolphin Court Spa at the Green Valley Ranch Station Casino.

His former live-in girlfriend, former Playboy covergirl Stefanie Hastings (July '96 and June '98) is the lead esthetician (that means she does bikini waxes) there.

Former Dallas Cowboy defensive lineman Ed "Too Tall" Jones will be at the Caesars Palace race and sports book today as part of their series of former pro athletes that come to mingle with the bettors.

The 6-foot-9 former Tennessee State star was the first overall pick in the 1974 NFL draft and holds Cowboy team records for seasons with the team (15) and games played (224).

He also is remembered for taking a season off to briefly pursue a pro boxing career, which lasted six (winning) bouts in 1979.