VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Las Vegas celebs are getting territorial

Monday, Jan. 6, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

It's been a real (estate) busy few days for some well-known Las Vegas residents.

And, Las Vegas might soon see another pair of famous faces -- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- on a more permanent basis

The couple, who tore through town over Thanksgiving, reportedly made inquiries to Jay Heller of Heller Companies on South Valley View Boulevard about homes in the Lake Las Vegas area.

Heller did not return phone messages, and representatives for Affleck and Lopez would not provide what they called "personal information" about their clients.

The Lake Las Vegas neighborhood is already home to one celebrity: diva Celine Dion. Is there room for another big name?

Well, Dion does have more room to roam now. Records obtained by VegasBeat show she recently closed on a piece of vacant land next to her house in Lake Las Vegas.

Dion and hubby Rene Angelil bought property valued at $1.18 million on Rue Mediterranean Drive, which is technically in Henderson. The deed was recorded on Dec. 11. The couple bought the parcel from Alan Aerts, known as the Vending Machine King of Northern California.

The land is certainly large enough to accommodate a heliport.

Also, a house belonging to Laila Ali -- the pro boxer and daughter of former heavyweight champ and cultural icon Muhammad Ali -- was put up for auction Tuesday on the steps of the Clark County courthouse.

Ali's property on Mesa Madera in the exclusive Spanish Trails development was valued at $814,788. It has four bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and a large pool.

There were no bids, so the trustee -- Professional Lenders Alliance -- retained ownership. Records show Ali also owns homes on Four Views Street in Las Vegas and in Long Beach, Calif.

Messages left for her over the weekend were not returned.

Finally, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy and David Cassidy are selling their Las Vegas house and considering a move to Florida.

The Cassidy residence, a seven-bedroom, six-bath home with pool, is located on South Pecos Road. Records show it was appraised at $850,000 in November 1998.

"We spend a lot of time in Florida; I am from Miami," Sue-Shifrin Cassidy told VegasBeat on Sunday via cell phone from Ocala, Fla., where her husband keeps racehorses.

She said that her well-regarded Las Vegas-based charity, kidscharities.org, would not be affected by a potential move.

"As long as we have good people like Ethel M and Wells Fargo working with us, the charity will continue with its work," she told VegasBeat.

David Cassidy was in "EFX" at MGM Grand from 1996 to 1998 and now spends much of the year on concert tours.

Agent Rob Wilner of Realty 500 Reiss on Pecos Road has the Cassidy listing.

Turn off

Can you say annoying?

From 5 p.m. Friday until early today -- all weekend long -- KISS 101.9-FM played the Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle," and nothing else.

That is because the Clear Channel station fired all their on-air talent Friday afternoon and is changing formats. This morning they were planning to introduce a new urban sound and new call letters. By the time you read this, they should be known as WILD 102-FM.

According to one of the suddenly unemployed, the station will be jockless for at least a month; they'll rely on recorded intros and bits generated from their San Antonio headquarters.

Love that corporate rock 'n' roll.

TV party

The going-away party some KLAS Channel 8 staffers threw for departing reporter Erik Levine quickly disintegrated into a football frenzy Friday night at Gordon Biersch on Paradise Road.

The crowd, including Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority veep Rob Powers; financier Steven Budin and his wife, KLAS anchor Colleen May, and her KLAS colleagues Casey Smith, Cindy Cesare and Mark Pfister; and Las Vegas ONE anchor Nancy Byrne, was glued to the televisions, watching Ohio State's stunning double-overtime upset of Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coupled?

Are they or aren't they?

That's what inquiring minds are asking about the newest couple spotted around town, Palms owner George Maloof and "American Pie" actress Tara Reid.

The talk started New Year's Eve when the 38-year-old squired around the actress, who is 27.

Reid's most recent flame was 'N Syncer JC Chasez, but he was at Sean Combs, er, Puff Daddy, I mean P. Diddy's New Year's bash in South Beach, Fla. Previously she was engaged to MTV personality Carson Daly.

Reid and Maloof were later seen dining together at Alize at the Palms.

The speculation intensified when the couple showed up at the Thursday night opening of the Cannery, the new casino in North Las Vegas.

VegasBeat was flooded with calls immediately after the Cannery opening describing how Reid's low-rider jeans were riding a little too low for a PG movie and how Maloof appeared to be proud as a peacock to be accompanying the young starlet.

Maloof called us back after we left a message asking about the status of their relationship -- but he called at 8:45 p.m. Friday, when we were taking a rare night off. We tried again over the weekend, but didn't connect.

Maybe we'll ask Reid's hairdresser. They always know for sure.

VegasBits

We have no idea what comedian/impressionist Steve Sorrentino, Man of a Thousand Voices Bill Acosta and the outrageous Monti Rock III were doing together entering Desert Moon Productions on South Jones Boulevard the other day. But they appeared to be up to something ...

One of the newer, and better, Napa Valley winemakers, Barnett Vineyards, is teaming with Wolfgang Puck's Postrio restaurant at The Venetian for a wine dinner Jan. 15. Puck will be sending over food (and, we hear, some chefs) from his local places Spago, Chinois and Trattoria del Lupo, and Spago Palo Alto, for the big event. Tickets are $125, include tax and tip, and go on sale today ...

If the voice on The Mirage's new radio comercial for Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat sounds familiar, it should. Veteran actor and voice-over artist Doreen Harwood did the commercial. Harwood now has his own production company in Toronto ...

New Year's Eve was tame compared to Saturday night at ghostbar. The hot spot -- regarded by the tabloids as the nation's premier celebrity nightclub -- had a line so long that it was literally stretching out the hotel's front door, the club's VIP Host, Marko Greisen, said. "There must have been 500 people waiting to get in," he told us ...

VegasBeat ran into Mirage President and Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin outside Simon Kitchen and Bar the other night. He again said that he is not leaving his post to join Steve Wynn at Le Reve.