VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Douglas gets grip on charity tourney

Friday, March 7, 2003 | 9:51 a.m.

Duffers love to talk about the game.

Hollywood megastar Michael Douglas is no exception.

"My best round was a 79. I shot it at St. Andrew's," the famed Scottish course, Douglas told VegasBeat on Thursday.

The film star flew to Vegas from his Bermuda home Thursday with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Douglas came both to support his wife and to announce details of the fifth annual Michael Douglas & Friends charity golf weekend on May 16 to May 18.

Zeta-Jones was awarded the Supporting Actress of the Year prize at ShoWest on Thursday night (see Sun reporter Kirk Baird's ShoWest coverage on the front page of today's Accent section).

"I have a 16 handicap," he said while picking up and swinging a golf club after his news conference at the Caesars Palace restaurant Terrazza.

Smartly dressed in a black leather coat, a buttoned-to-the-top black polo shirt and dark slacks, Douglas arrived at the press conference via golf cart.

The event takes place at Cascata, a private course near Boulder City, where play is limited to Park Place guests. For the Douglas event, however, the public will be allowed to buy gallery tickets for just $25.

"Adam Sandler (ShoWest's Male Star of the Year) is out on the course this afternoon, as a matter of fact," Douglas said.

Douglas said some of the other stars who have attended in the past (and that he hopes will return this year) include Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, Cuba Gooding Jr., James Garner, Andy Garcia and James Woods.

"This is gonna be so cool," Douglas said.

The main beneficiary of the weekend is the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which supports indigent entertainers.

Douglas told me that Harry's Haven, a specialized unit of the Fund, is an Alzheimer's care facility in the San Fernando Valley. It is named for Kirk's grandfather, Harry Demisky, and was funded by his father, Kirk Douglas.

It is clearly a charity and an event near and dear to Douglas' heart. When he addressed the national media -- including crews from E!, "Access Hollywood" and "Extra," he spoke without using notes or prepared remarks.

Douglas also knew a surprising amount of details about the event, the charity and Caesars, praising Executive Vice President Joe Jimenez repeatedly and by name.

The event will be filmed for a July 20 broadcast on ABC after its coverage of the British Open.

White train

Couples who opt for quickie weddings in Las Vegas rarely take the time to register for gifts.

But for those who choose a more traditional route, the new Bloomingdale's at Fashion Show mall is having a bridal fair on Sunday morning. Scheduled are presentations by Bridal Guide magazine and newlywed KLAS Channel 8 anchor Colleen May, plus a bridal fashion show.

Bloomie's General Manager Keri Frame will introduce the store's new registry and Ethel M President Lynn Moran will personally staff a booth where brides can learn about customized candy for the big day.

The event is free for all brides and $10 for other guests, those being men, I imagine.

The day concludes with the awarding of a honeymoon.

Ten-hut!

One of the nation's most recognizable cops, Chief Charles Moose of the Montgomery County Police Department, is speaking in Las Vegas today.

Moose, in whose jurisdiction most of the attacks by the so-called D.C. sniper took place last year, is attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives training conference at Flamingo Las Vegas today and Saturday.

Other notables attending include police chiefs Harold Hurtt of Phoenix and Richard Pennington of Atlanta, and Paul Phillip, a Miami-Dade school official.

Tuned out

Since no one we know was watching anymore, we report to you that Cris Judd -- his chief claim to fame is being Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband -- was voted the winner of "I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here!" on Wednesday night.

Judd, a Vegas regular, will be back in town soon. Deposed contestant Robin Leach is organizing a reunion of the cast members -- Melissa Rivers, Bruce Jenner, Alana Stewart, Nikki Zierling, Tyson Beckford, "Stuttering John" Menendez, Maria Conchita Alonso, "Downtown" Julie Brown plus Leach and Judd -- to take place at the Palms.

George Maloof has offered up the "Real World" suite and/or ghostbar for the planned hoedown in May.

Used cows

To be udderly clear, organizers of the Cow Parade auction are indeed holding an online auction of their Las Vegas pieces beginning March 13. The website is cowparadelasvegas.com, where you can view the available works.

An item in Wednesday's VegasBeat did not mention the auction's website.

VegasBits

Most of the cast of the "Scooby Doo in Stagefright" production that opens tonight at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts was at the Roni Josef Salon inside Stratosphere on Wednesday getting manicures, pedicures, waxes and massages ...

"7th Heaven" actress Jessica Biel celebrated her 21st birthday by seeing "La Femme" at MGM Grand on Thursday night and then celebrating the event with friends at Tabu ...

As soon as Sandler arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday, he went to Charlie Palmer Steak for dinner. His new film "Anger Management" was being screened at ShoWest as he was eating, and he attended a late-night Paris Las Vegas reception for the movie ...

Neatest Las Vegas Sun classified ad we've seen lately: "For Sale: Pool Table -- Played on and used by Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in the movie "The Color of Money." It is a 4-1/2-by-9-foot Murrey 6400 Professional Series table. The cost is $1,650 ...

Old school: Don Rickles and Lorna Luft play the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theater May 29 to June 1. Burt Reynolds appears there June 4 to June 7 ...

Don't stop thinkin' about July 5. That's when Fleetwood Mac plays the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Ticket details have not yet been announced.

From Sun wires

Police have recovered the teal-and-black wig that was reported stolen from Cher's concert tour.

A woman walked into one of the Richmond, Va., police precincts and turned in the braided hairpiece, valued at between $8,000 and $10,000.

The surrender came Tuesday night after a city police employee overheard a man bragging in nearby Chesterfield County that he had the wig and informed police. The man later told a detective that he had given it to an unknown woman outside the Richmond Coliseum after the Feb. 25 concert.

Police have not released the identities of the two suspects.

Hello, Newman: Newman has tapped a new -- if unlikely -- Sundance Kid as his partner: Ronald McDonald.

Not the kid-loving Ronald. The salad-serving, adult-pandering one. On Monday McDonald's will roll out a Premium Salad line and announce that the salads will be served exclusively with Newman's Own dressings.

The $3.99 salads won't look like typical fast-food fare. There'll be seven types of lettuce in the typical bowl, along with warm chicken -- grilled or fried.

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