Monday, Jan. 13, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.
Apologies all around: VegasBeat goofed on Sunday, as we were notified by a flurry of phone messages and e-mails.
According to Scott Gerber and Station Casinos spokeswoman Leslie Pittman, the name of Whiskey Sky at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino was changed to Whiskey Bar so there would be no confusion with Skybar on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Skybar is owned by Ian Schrager, the original Studio 54 impresario who now runs a chain of boutique hotels.
The change, effective Jan. 1, was not made because Rande and Scott Gerber sold their interest in the property, as was reported in VegasBeat on Sunday.
Gerber also said he was not wooed to Green Valley Ranch Station Casino by former Station Casinos executive Don Marrandino, nor has he met or spoken with Mirage Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin.
So, while the Gerbers are always looking at other opportunities, including additional Las Vegas locations, they have not, and have no plans to, leave Green Valley Ranch Station Casino.
VegasBeat regrets the error.
Las Vegas tech
Technology sure has come a long way from the days when Agent 86 used to speak into a shoe phone.
"Would you believe?" asked Don Adams, echoing a classic line from his "Get Smart" character Maxwell Smart as he surveyed the scene at the Consumer Electronics Show, which ended Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Adams, the star of the classic 1960s Mel Brooks sitcom, and his co-star Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) made appearances at the Bell South booth.
The convention brought out a host of celebrities, most of them making paid appearances.
Among the famous faces: Blues Brothers Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, Uncle Kracker, Ike Turner, Darius Rucker, Tony Hawk, Janis Ian, Penn Jillette, Debbie Gibson, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Herbie Hancock and the Beach Boys.
Among the coolest new products were a guitar that had a fret board with lights on it so aspiring musicians know where to place their fingers for different chords, and a hybrid keyboard.
The top half is a regular typewriter -- er, computer keyboard -- which is attached to a traditional piano keyboard, so one can make and then record music on a computer.
Panasonic had an impressive booth, designing theme rooms around the styles of artists Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keefe, Piet Mondrian, M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali.
But the most "Jetsons"-evoking display was a house that Microsoft built in the parking lot.
Based on Bill Gates' actual Seattle-area home, the entire place is wired and controlled by a clipboard-sized wireless computer gizmo that you can carry from room to room.
The other big convention in town -- the adult-industry show at Sands Convention Center at The Venetian -- also drew celebs, including Vince Neil (of Motley Crue), David Spade, Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster from "The Munsters" ) and rappers Tone Loc ("Wild Thing") and Too Short.
Those guys, however, were there voluntarily.
Sen. Buff
We wrote last week that the current Washingtonian magazine lists Las Vegas as an "in" city for 2003.
Had we read a few more pages we would have seen its declaration that the Republican "that looks best in a bathing suit" was none other than Nevada's very own Sen. John Ensign.
We called Ensign, a big fitness buff, to ask him what he thought of the honor, but he demurred.
Hey now
It was a Las Vegas Howard Stern harmonic convergence, sort of.
Former Stern sidekick Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling was in the crowd at a party for porn legend Ron Jeremy at The Beach on Friday night.
The guy who replaced Martling, Artie Lange, is appearing at the Suncoast Showroom Jan. 24 and 25.
Ba Ba Booey (Stern producer Gary Dell'Abate) was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago making several promotional appearances.
No word on whether the entire raucous Stern crew -- Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, "Stuttering" John Melendez, Benjy Bronk, K.C. Armstrong, Crazy Cabbie and Gary the Retard will be in Vegas this year.
The last two winters -- just after the Super Bowl -- Stern has broadcast from the Hard Rock Hotel for a few days.
One thousand points
Light is starting to shine elsewhere.
The creators of the exclusive Bellagio nightspot are preparing to open two new Las Vegas lounges: Carmel and Mist.
Mist is set for a late-January opening inside Treasure Island.
Carmel will be at the Bellagio, and backers are also looking for a late-January debut. They are pitching it as a sophisticated place to meet for drinks before going off to, say, Light, to dance the night away.
Seriously speaking
After meeting with new Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton and again with Gene Collins, the head of the Las Vegas chapter of his National Action Network, the Rev. Al Sharpton red-eyed it back East to appear with Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Sharpton appeared with new Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
Hard to imagine one would ever see Sharpton on a serious political talk show, but he came off fairly well.
When Russert asked Sharpton about tax cuts, for example, he articulately argued that the federal budget gap should not be filled by raising taxes, but by putting more people to work, and therefore creating more taxpayers.
Who news
Time for VH1 to do a "Behind the Music" on The Who. The band continues to make nonmusic news.
Over the weekend Pete Townshend admitted to British authorities he has looked at child pornography. Townshend said he downloaded the material while researching an autobiography addressing his suspected childhood sexual abuse. He denied being a pedophile.
Last year, of course, bass player John Entwistle died of a cocaine-induced heart attack at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
And the band's original drummer, Keith Moon, one of rock's legendary partiers, died of alcohol- and drug-related causes in 1978.
Magic roast
The Amazing Jonathan is scheduled to be the guest of honor at a private roast tonight.
The premier international magic convention, World Magic Seminar, is taking place this week at Riviera.
Those aiming their magic humor wands toward the dais will be leading illusionists Darren Romeo, Glenn Farrington, Lance Burton, Milt Larsen, John Thompson, Rich Bloch and Billy McComb.
Joe's day
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is expected to proclaim today Joe Merica Day, in celebration of his advertising agency celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Merica came to Las Vegas to serve as campaign press secretary to Richard Bryan when he was running for governor in 1982.
Every mover and shaker in town was expected at the lunchtime ceremony at Dona Maria's Tamales on Las Vegas Boulevard South.
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