VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Celebrities gobble up holiday options

Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 | 9 a.m.

There is a memorable Thanksgiving Day scene in the Oliver Stone movie, "The Doors."

Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan -- playing Jim Morrison and Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson -- get into a vicious, violent argument in front of a house full of guests.

By the end of the scene, Morrison has tossed the fully cooked bird across the room and then crushed it with the heel of his boot.

Nothing like a rock 'n' roll Thanksgiving.

However, when Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, a wide assortment of their spouses, companions and offspring, plus Bruce Springsteen's guitarist Nils Lofgren and a host of other musical types gather at Simon Kitchen & Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday for their holiday repast, there should not a similar display.

After all, rock stars never trash anything in a hotel, right?

The Stones' Licks 2002-2003 World Tour plays The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Friday night and a dazzling array of well-heeled visitors are planning to attend. (They better be well-heeled -- tickets top out at more than $1,000 for the show.)

The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band In the World also plays MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, and just announced another MGM show for Feb. 8.

Continuing our holiday roundup, Amy Arnaz told us she is cooking a traditional holiday dinner in her Boulder City home for her family -- husband Desi Arnaz Jr., daughter Haley and assorted dogs and cats.

Robin Leach will be jetting off to Hawaii for his turkey. Former "Up All Night" star Rhonda Shear takes over his KVVU Channel 5 morning gig for a few days while he is gone.

Shear opens her "Pajama Party" show at the Riviera's Le Bistro Theatre on Nov. 30. She'll also eat her turkey at the Riviera.

Las Vegas publicity doyenne Laura Herlovich is having a quieter Thanksgiving this year, she said, compared to 1999, when 'N Sync invited her and her niece, Molly Patton, over for their feast.

"But my boyfriend was already planning to cook and I couldn't do that to him," Herlovich said.

Amazingly, young Patton -- a huge 'N Sync fan (like any other 13-year- old-girl with a pulse) -- did not fret over missing out on an opportunity most of her peers would have done anything to attend.

Joey Fatone was also amazed at the young woman's maturity -- so he invited her and some friends not only to see the concert, but to attend a private dry run of the entire set the day before the show, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Patton and Auntie Laura were two of the less than 20 friends and family members in the entire 12,000 seat arena.

Penn Jillette, meanwhile, was invited over to comic Mac King's house for the holiday. But he declined.

Instead, Jillette is taking some of the crew members from his show at The Rio to Burger King, for "Whoppers, with double cheese and extra mayo."

Just like the Pilgrims.

Appropriately, Teller was mute about his plans.

Business kudos

Powerhouse Las Vegas attorney Joseph A. DiPalma's luggage was a little heavier on his return trip from New York than when he flew there.

He picked up some more decorations for his mantle last week in the form of an award from WNET Channel 13 in New York City -- the city's PBS affiliate -- for his underwriting support in New York of the daily business program "Nightly Business Report."

DiPalma's Las Vegas-based think tank, The DiPalma Position Papers, also underwrites "Nightly Business Report" on KLVX Channel 10.

Making hay

A little grumbling among the horsey set at the "Cheval" opening Friday night.

The impressive equine show is now under the Big Top just north of the Bellagio and runs through Jan. 5.

Seems not only is the tent portable, but so are the, er, sanitary facilities.

We heard several women saying they were not thrilled that they had to use a portable toilet when Mother Nature came calling.

Regardless, the show itself is entirely captivating. Featured are 30 horses of 15 different breeds, and the human performers -- jugglers, dancers, acrobats and clowns -- are equally well trained.

And if you have a few free hours Thursday, Friday or Saturday afternoon, creator Gilles Ste-Croix is opening the stables from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day for children to meet the four-legged stars of the show, free of charge.

Cookin' good

Elaine and Steve Wynn stunned their hosts at Opportunity Village's annual Camelot gala Saturday night.

The couple made a surprise donation of $150,000 for the charity to complete their educational Culinary Kitchen. The facility is being built to help clients learn cooking skills and get jobs in Las Vegas' booming service industry.

Wynn told people afterward that it would be fitting if some of the grads eventually came to work at his new Le Reve resort.

D.C. visit

The ageless Dick Clark knows something about dancing girls and cutting-edge tunes.

His "American Bandstand" set the standard for both for nearly 40 years.

So when we saw him at the "X" premiere on Saturday night, we had to ask if the show's dancers would have made the cut on his classic show.

"I would have to say yes," he said. "They were fabulous. The whole thing was terrific -- so terrific that even he didn't touch his drink," Clark joked, motioning to his tablemate, legendary imbiber Ed McMahon.

Check out ...

Baba Booey (aka Gary Dell'Abate, producer of "The Howard Stern Show") at Club Paradise late Friday, then letting fans take slap shots at his gigantic teeth on Saturday at the Las Vegas Royals hockey game at Santa Fe Station's Ice Arena (he had a safety mask on). He finished up his weekend at Rain, where he chatted with "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest. He and Seacrest laid odds on Darva Conger's upcoming marriage; she was in Las Vegas this weekend for her bachelorette party. Dell'Abate's over/under line was one year -- and he took the under ... Celine Dion shopping at FAO Schwartz inside the Forum Shops at Caesars ... Former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian sitting courtside at Thomas & Mack as UNLV upended Portland State on Sunday ... Comic Gallagher at Nextel's Comdex party Thursday at Guggen heim Las Vegas, signing one of his famous 2 BAKS caps for museum communications manager Kimiko Haight ... One-time F! ox television newshounds Robin Leach and Gordon Elliot running into each other at "Blue Man Group" at Luxor on Thursday; Elliot is in Las Vegas filming segments for his Food Channel show, "Follow That Food."