VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Holiday weekend jammed with events

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 | 11:42 a.m.

VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

Does Fabulous Las Vegas pause to take a breath for the Passover and Easter holidays?

In a word: no.

Two events sure to jostle for top story status on Monday's entertainment shows such as "Entertainment Tonight" collide in Las Vegas Saturday night.

The first is the private party Melissa Etheridge is headlining at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

She's performing with famed New York disc jockey Todd Malice at the Equestrian AIDS Foundation fund-raiser.

Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, have RSVP'd, as have Susan, Emma and Georgina Bloomberg (the ex-wife and daughters of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg).

Also expected are some of the folks who attended the event last year in New York City, including Kelly Klein (Calvin's ex), Teddi Jo Mellencamp (John's Mellencamp's daughter, entrepreneur Neil Hirsch (Bianca Jagger dated him after she was married to Mick), Joan Lunden and Jane Holzer of Andy Warhol fame.

Lunden's daughter, Jamie Krauss, is helping organize the event, as is the team of Ashley Herman and Heath Wolfson, noted New York night-life powerhouses.

The party takes place when the Budweiser World Cup 2003 is in Las Vegas (it runs Wednesday through Sunday), ensuring that most of the monied and social riding community will be able to attend.

At the exact same time Saturday night Tiger Woods has his "Tiger Jam VI" children's charity event, featuring a Bon Jovi and Goo Goo Dolls concert at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

As VegasBeat has noted, among the celebrity friends of Woods expected at that event are Marc Anthony, Ray Romano, Paula Abdul, Lauren Holly, Gabrielle Reece and Marcus Allen.

Vegas rates

The April 1 season finale episode of MTV's "Real World Las Vegas" was first nationally for the week for all cable nets among the 12-to-24 and 18-to-34 demographic and second among the 18-to-49s.

Those numbers are stunning, considering the "Real World" franchise is in its 12th season, and there are no stars or cash prizes involved.

Mainly because of "Real World Las Vegas" -- and despite the war in Iraq -- MTV finished last week as the nation's top-rated cable station in the key 18-to-34 group, besting the Fox News Channel in the Nielsen ratings tally.

Good wishes

Celine and husband Rene Angelil were being given a personal tour of the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas the other day when they came across crooner George Bugatti.

The couple stopped and listened for a spell, then Celine blew the handsome Bugatti a kiss.

Bugatti is married to Mary Shriver (of the Kennedy Shrivers).

Several other local personalities have been in to see Bugatti, rightfully touted as the next Harry Connick Jr.

Among those recently making the trip to the hotel: entertainer Frankie Randall; KLAS Channel 8 anchor Gary Waddell and his wife, Chrissy; Steve Cutler of the Casino Legends Hall of Fame and "American Idol" producer (and longtime Andrew Lloyd Webber musical producer) Nigel Wright.

Pig out

Sunday night was probably not the best night to go out to the high-end Palms steakhouse N9NE -- a plateful of its kitchen talent was at a pig roast at N9NE Group Executive Chef Brian Massie's Summerlin home.

In addition to Massie, N9NErs tapping the backyard keg included Barry Dakake, Chris Young, Chris Conlon, Marcus and Sugar O'Brien, Greg Martin and Eric Dobson.

Massie showed off the new vanity plate on his SUV -- "N9NE." Other local faces in the crowd included Aqua's Jorge Pagani and Mark LoRusso, Aureole Manager Roxana Grigore, Realtor Alexis Oliver and Marc Portugal.

Portugal was let go by the N9NE Group in October after one of the female cast members on "Real World Las Vegas" -- which was filmed at the Palms -- accused him of sexual harassment.

Portugal now does marketing for Sapphire, the giant strip club on Industrial Road.

TV party

Want to be part of the live audience for Ed McMahon's taping on Wednesday of a $1 million bingo show?

The Orleans is encouraging Las Vegas residents to take part in the event, which is free. Anyone interested in attending the taping is welcome, but try to arrive at The Orleans Showroom before 1:45 p.m. for the 2 p.m. show.

VegasBits

VEGAS magazine's Michael Carr hosted some of the nation's top advertising figures and Las Vegas entertainers at a 6 p.m. mixer and reception at Tabu at MGM Grand Monday ...

Actor Corbin Bernsen is coming to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum April 24 to introduce his new Outdoor Life Network show, "Wild Survival with Corbin Bernsen." It will air on Cox Cable channel 73 ...

More good press Sunday for the new Vegas-centric FX series, "Lucky," which airs its second episode tonight. The Los Angeles Times had a laudatory feature in its Calendar section ...

MSNBC gossip Jeanette Walls reports that Sony has trademarked the phrase "Shock and Awe" and plans to use it for a video game ...

Last month Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, the Office of Business Development, Las Vegas Food Service magazine publisher Michael Politz and Coca-Cola struck a deal to produce a new bar and restaurant guide to downtown. The pub came out on Friday. Goodman is on the cover of the magazine, natch ...

As misreported elsewhere (twice), there was no consultant involved in the deal between celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer and The Stirling Club, Palmer tells VegasBeat. He takes over the food and beverage reins there June 1 ...

Happy Days: Mandalay Bay's Celena Haas celebrated her birthday with a gaggle of power girls by seeing "Thunder From Down Under" Friday night. Prominent party promoter Scott E. Rodder celebrated his birthday at Light Sunday night with girlfriend Annmarie Batteria and a long list of local club denizens.

From Sun wires

Rodney King, whose videotaped beating led to the deadly 1992 riots in Los Angeles, was hospitalized with a broken pelvis after he lost control of his SUV while weaving through traffic at 100 mph and crashed into a house, police in Rialto, Calif., said.

King, 39, was spotted Sunday by a police officer who said King was speeding and weaving through traffic in his 2003 Ford Expedition when he slammed into a utility pole, a chain-link fence and then the home, police said. No one in the home was injured.

King was in fair condition Monday afternoon, hospital spokesman Jorge Valencia said. His condition was not available today.

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield, 81, recovering from a 12-hour brain surgery last week, is in stable condition today in an intensive care unit at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, but is expected to be moved into a regular recovery room later this week.

"He's not out of the woods yet, but they took out the breathing tubes today and he appeared thrilled and absolutely elated," Dangerfield spokesman Kevin Sasaki said Monday.

The comedian had been heavily sedated in the days following last Tuesday's surgery, but "he's conscious now, and the first thing he wanted to do today was tune into 'Jerry Springer,' which is his favorite show," Sasaki said.06