VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Prana is on a roll already

Friday, April 18, 2003 | 4:33 a.m.

Are Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock and N9NE at the Palms about to lose their unofficial titles as the best restaurants in town to spot celebrities?

Perhaps not, but they are about to get some serious competition.

Don Johnson is the first of a long list of celebs who are likely attending the long-awaited and much-discussed opening of the restaurant Prana on May 1.

Prana's Desert Passages space at the Aladdin has been vacant for more than a year as the owners prep for the new arrival.

Owner Helene An, a wealthy member of the former royal family of Vietnam, already owns the star-filled Los Angeles restaurant Crustacean.

The Los Angeles eatery has a private entrance and dining room that has recently catered to Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, Oliver Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mike Tyson, Sharon Stone and many more "A" listers.

In addition to celebrities, spectacular seafood and the "Legendary Metropole of French Colonial Vietnam," the invitation for the private Vegas opening promises a "special musical performance" by some prominent Las Vegas residents -- but not necessarily musicians: Dr. Michael Seiff, Alan Molasky, Christy Molasky, Mark Chatfield, Stephen J. Cloobeck, Jane Gale, Jeff Gale and Paul Lowden.

Following in the footsteps of the National Enquirer, Rupert Murdoch's New York Post is opening a Las Vegas bureau.

The paper's Paul Clauss is coming to Vegas at the end of May to meet with some local journalists and casino executives, and to scout for office space.

Murdoch hopes to be up and running in Las Vegas by July 4.

VegasBeat bumped into Siegfried -- sans Roy -- at Spago Wednesday, as he was dining with some friends.

Siegfried said they were "good friends from a long time ago," from his hometown in Germany.

The Strip star was born Siegfried Fischbacher in Rosenheim, in Bavaria, on June 13, 1939. Looking at Siegfried at Spago, it was striking how much younger he looked compared to his three white-haired dining companions.

Terrific event Friday over at Child Haven, the North Pecos Road facility for kids in need.

Performers from "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show," including Michael Holly, Jeff Hobson and Todd Joseph, were joined by the Easter Bunny for a little holiday parade, egg hunt and afternoon of games and activities.

The traveling freak circus that is "The Howard Stern Show" arrives at the Hard Rock Hotel this week.

Since the broadcast area will be tightly secured, perhaps the best way to see some of its characters will be to attend "The 'Stuttering' John and Friends Comedy Show" at 9 p.m. Thursday at The Joint.

"Stuttering" John Melendez will be joined by Jim Florentine (from Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers" show), "Reverend" Bob Levy (who won Stern's "meanest listener" contest), Doug Stanhope from "The Man Show," and Stern regulars Greg Fitzsimmons and Melrose Larry Green.

"That is the day we're doing our drinking show," "Stuttering" John told VegasBeat from New York on Friday. "So it may be a little nuts."

Robin Leach, who became friendly with "Stuttering" John when they both did the reality show, "I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here," this year, may make a cameo onstage appearance.

An Andy Warhol self-portrait is part of a Sotheby's auction May 13 in New York. A virtually identical portrait in the series is on display at the Warhol show at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.

The pre-auction estimate for the acrylic and silkscreen ink-on-canvas image is $1.2 million. But it could go for lots more.

No wonder security is so tight at the gallery. They have 50 Warhols in there, and even my bad math shows that the collection's value could be higher than the gross national product of many Third World nations.