VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Wait — I’m stuck behind greatness

Monday, March 3, 2003 | 8:52 a.m.

Around the corner from the dressing rooms where Roy Jones Jr. and John Ruiz were preparing for their heavyweight title fight at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night, the line for the men's room was disappointingly long.

Fortunately, the guy in front of me on line, one Budd Schulberg, had some pretty good boxing stories.

Schulberg is revered in the film world, and beyond, for scripting the epic "On the Waterfront," which featured a young Marlon Brando.

Brando played washed-up prizefighter Terry Malloy, and uttered perhaps the most famous (and one of the most imitated) line ever spoken in American cinema: "I coulda been a contender."

"My first big fight was the first (Joe) Louis-(Billy) Conn fight in '41 at the Polo Grounds," the since-razed former home of the New York baseball Giants, Schulberg said.

He started to describe each boxer, how they looked when they entered the ring and the ringside scene. His thrilling description of one of the most famous fights in boxing history was so vivid it was as if he had been there yesterday.

"The best fight I ever saw was easily when Rocky Marciano took the title from 'Jersey' Joe Walcott," in Philadelphia in 1952, said Schulberg, who is a spry 88 years old.

At that moment broadcaster Bob Costas darted in front of Schulberg in a blatant attempt to cut to the front of the potty line. Costas was promptly booed to the end.

"Ah. Democracy. I love America," said boxer Vitali Klitschko, who was also on line and was born in the Ukraine when it was still behind the Iron Curtain. "No matter how famous you are, you still have to wait your turn."

Klitschko then asked Schulberg who he liked in that evening's featured bout. Schulberg said he was not a betting man, but I reminded him that he was in Las Vegas after all.

"In that case, how can you not like Jones?" a prescient Schulberg said.

He wasn't alone. Jones' cheering section featured dozens of NFL stars, including current Super Bowl champ Keyshawn Johnson, former Super Bowl champ Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, Shaquille O'Neal, Denzel Washington, Charles Barkley and Grammy winner Ashanti, who sang the national anthem.

There were also dozens of current and former boxers sitting ringside, including George Foreman, Michael Spinks, Lennox Lewis, Iran "The Blade" Barkley, Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Bob Foster, Michael Moorer, David Tua, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Once again, Las Vegas and Caesars Palace (the fight's host casino) are the kings of boxing and of the sports world!" boomed scare-haired promoter Don King when I asked him afterward what he thought of the evening.

For a change, he wasn't exaggerating.

No score

KLAS Channel 8 anchor Lisa Johnson was eating dinner with some girlfriends at the Palms steakhouse N9NE Thursday night when a man came over, sat down and "tried to pick her up," according to someone who saw the incident.

The man was O.J. Simpson.

Johnson rebuffed his overtures.

Also at N9NE was sprinter Michael Johnson -- aka "The World's Fastest Man." But he stayed with his party and didn't try and hit on any of the local talent.

Tabu-tiful

Impressive crowds at the new MGM Grand club Tabu for its opening weekend, both in terms of celebrities and sheer volume.

"In creating this, we wanted people staying here (at MGM Grand) to not go off to Light, and we also wanted to draw people from other properties," the hotel's Vice President for Entertainment Todd Dougall told VegasBeat at Friday night's grand opening.

So far, so good. General Manager Candace Carrell and her staff survived a busy weekend that included long lines of patrons, as well as local and visiting celebrities such as Steve Wynn, Emmitt Smith, Alonzo Mourning, Don Marrandino, Alice Cooper, Damon Wayans and Joe Pesci.

VegasBits

Rain in the Desert at Palms resembled an NFL locker room over the weekend -- there were that many players in the club. Among those who were recognized: Charles Woodson, Junior Seau, Bryant Young, Ray Buchanan, Ray Crockett and Jonathan Ogden ...

"Survivor" producer Mark Burnett has signed Donald Trump to appear in a pilot for a reality show called "The Apprentice," where leaders in various fields are assigned a student. Burnett is reportedly scouting for a top Las Vegas act to do the same mentoring thing ...

Cook E. Jarr is back. The Las Vegas lounge icon has returned to his regular Friday and Saturday at midnight gigs on the Carnaval Court stage at Harrah's. Due to overflow crowds, there is an admission fee to get close: $2 for ladies and $5 for men ...

The Women of Distinction Awards dinner on Saturday night has moved -- into a bigger ballroom at JW Marriott Las Vegas on Rampart Boulevard. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the classy event honoring Wells Fargo's Doris Charles, Silver State Bank veep Shannon Cook, Chamber of Commerce prez Kara Kelley, Sunrise Hopsital's Ann T. Lynch and Cindy Kiser of MGM MIRAGE ...

At 8 p.m. Saturday rapper 50 Cent called ibiza USA on Harmon Avenue near the Strip and canceled his scheduled early Sunday morning show at the new club. No immediate word why ...

Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars welcomed its youngest diner ever on Thursday -- Clint Holmes' 12-day-old granddaughter, Asia ...

Don't worry -- no doors or gates were unattended when several security officers at McCarran International Airport asked rapper Bow Wow for autographs when he was flying out of town the other day. They all asked for and received permission to leave their posts.

From Sun wires

Family and friends of Great White guitarist Ty Longley say they will remember him for his music, his ambition and his kindness.

They gathered Sunday in Hubbard, Ohio, to mourn Longley, 31, who died last month in a Rhode Island nightclub fire.

The Rev. Jim Burks said that whenever Longley couldn't make it to Ohio and western Pennsylvania from Los Angeles for holidays, he would spend his day delivering peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to the homeless in Venice Beach.

"His heart was as big as his hair," Burks said, quoting Longley's mother.

Hundreds of people stood in a receiving line for the family as ribbons with "Rock on, Ty" printed in silver were handed out.

None of the four surviving band members attended the service.

Soul mates: Ashanti and Musiq took top honors, while Mariah Carey and LL Cool J received career achievement awards, at the 17th annual Soul Train Awards Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.

Ashanti won Best Female R&B/Soul Single for "Foolish" and Best Album for "Ashanti," beating out works by fellow Grammy winners Erykah Badu and India.Arie.

Musiq won for Best Male R&B/Soul Single for the second year in a row with "Dontchange." He won Best Album in the same category with "Juslisen," beating Maxwell, Justin Timberlake and last year's winner, Usher.