VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Palms’ Maloof far from aloof

Friday, Nov. 8, 2002 | 4:47 a.m.

The Palms' George Maloof has worked tirelessly to make the Palms a hip destination, putting The Rio, which is across Flamingo Road, the Hard Rock Hotel and the rest of Las Vegas squarely in his crosshairs.

A unique combination of Maloof's spending and his savvy has made the Palms a Las Vegas hot spot.

For example, he agreed to let MTV showcase his facility for an hour every week as the locale of the reality series "Real World." That has considerably raised the Palms' national profile without Maloof having to spend a nickel on advertising.

The Palms' one-year anniversary next weekend should be a good barometer of how far Maloof has come.

The highlight of a weekend stuffed with catered, open-bar events will probably be the party in the "Real World" suite.

The rumor mill has churned out an impressive list of probable guests: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lara Flynn Boyle and Harry Morton, Kid Rock, Tobey Macguire, Dennis Rodman, Nicky and Paris Hilton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., O.J. Simpson, Tony Curtis, David Schwimmer, Tom Arnold, Samuel L. Jackson and several Palms denizens (and Las Vegas regulars) such as Vince Neil, Jamie Foxx and Mike Tyson

The band No Doubt is playing at Rain, and other "surprise performances" are promised.

Each Sunday during the NFL season, Caesars Palace brings in a couple of former football players to hang out at its race and sports book.

Today one of the players is fan favorite William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the happy-go-lucky, gap-toothed Chicago Bears defensive lineman who became larger than life (it wasn't that hard for the more than 300-pounder) when he scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XX.

Diamond's are a girl's best friend, but Carol Channing is Nevada Ballet Theatre's best friend.

The stage star will be honored as Woman of the Year at a star-studded gala on Jan. 18 at the NBT's Black & White Ball at Bellagio.

The event is perhaps the highlight of Las Vegas' social season.

Past honorees, including Debbie Reynolds, Phyllis McGuire and Chita Rivera, are expected to attend.

The original Black & White Ball was hosted by Truman Capote in honor of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham at The Plaza Hotel in New York City in 1966.

That evening is generally referred to as the party of the 20th century.

Channing is on a national tour promoting her autobiography, "Just Lucky I Guess."

The Talulah G boutique just opened its second Las Vegas location, in the Fashion Show mall.

Among a certain set, the cutting-edge store is the only place to shop.

"Shopping there is like shopping in my best friend's bedroom," said Lauren Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque restaurant at Bellagio.

The boutique's shabby-chic decor -- and merchandise -- is somewhat out of step with the rest of the mall, which is how owner Meital Grantz likes it.

When she moved to Las Vegas, Grantz had trouble finding many of the designers she liked, so she decided to sell and market her own fashion selections.

Who said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has no standards?

At his weekly press briefing Thursday, Goodman said that would consider any way to raise revenues for the city, including slapping paid ads on the sides, backs and tops of city cars, putting them in commercial competition with buses and taxis.

Goodman added one caveat: "I would not want a nude man in a state of recline on a city vehicle."