VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Newton auction to stirrup attention

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 10:50 a.m.

Looking for an unusual holiday gift? How about one of Wayne Newton's horses?

About 35 of the entertainer's prized equines, from this year's foal crop to his riding horses and breeding stallions, will be part of a Thanksgiving horse sale.

"We have about 80 head over here, 16 babies were born this year, and it is just too many for the property," Fernando Poli, horse manager at Newton's Casa de Shenandoah property on Pecos Road, told VegasBeat.

Poli said that horses of all ages and both sexes are available, at prices from $1,500 up to $25,000. All viewings, which start Thursday and extend through Christmas (or until all the horses are sold) are by appointment only.

"They are all healthy, well-cared-for animals. We just don't have the space to adequately care for them all, so Mr. Newton thought this was the best way to go," Poli said.

Appointments can be arranged by calling his office at (702) 451-0444.

Roy rumor

A story that magician Roy Horn had been taken from Los Angeles to Germany was burning up the Strip Thursday night.

There is a procedure German doctors have come up with that can, in layman's terms, jump-start paralyzed or injured body parts -- and that the procedure has yet to earn Federal Drug Administration approval.

The rumor going around is that Horn was moved from the UCLA Medical Center to his hometown of Nordenham this week to start the procedure.

Horn's manager Bernie Yuman and spokesman David Kirvin both emphatically denied the story Thursday night, and a UCLA Medical Center spokesman refused comment, citing confidentiality laws.

Overnight guests

Some of the folks who have reserved guest rooms at the Palms for this weekend's second anniversary festivities include Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Rudd, Jennifer Esposito, Luke Wilson, Claire Forlani, Mekhi Phifer, Brian McKnight, Damon Dash and "Today" show style correspondent Steven Cojocaru.

Also, the surprise concert performer at tonight's Rain in the Desert concert is ... well, we promised not to say, but we can hint that he currently has a Top-10 Billboard single.

Lovely audience

Walking Beatles encyclopedia and KKLZ 96.3-FM DJ Dennis Mitchell is hosting an exclusive screening Saturday of "Concert for George," a feature-length film tribute to George Harrison.

Among the performers at the 2002 Royal Albert Hall celebration of Harrison's life and music are former bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and members of Monty Python.

The event will be inside the Railhead at Boulder Station at 5 p.m., and Mitchell is hosting. It is open to the public on a first-come, first-admitted basis. The film is not yet available on video or DVD.

Fabulous, dahling

The folks at VEGAS Magazine do know how to have a party.

The Luxor club Ra was jammed to the gills Wednesday for the mag's party to celebrate the current edition, with Denise Richards on the cover.

Unfortunately, the entire space was misted by faux smoke, so it was hard for VegasBeat to spot everyone. But we did say hello to Chef Kerry Simon, who was hanging with Hard Rock Hotel heir Harry Morton; Jeff Motley from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; social gals Jennifer Worthington and Meital Grantz; rocker Vince Neil; Light's Andy Masi; and Vegas kitchen kings Tom Kaplan (Spago at Forum Shops at Caesars), Ron Garcia (AquaKnox at The Venetian), Richard Femenella (Charlie Palmer Steak at the Four Seasons and Aureole at Mandalay Bay) and Brad Brennan (Commander's Palace).

KTNV Channel 13 anchor Ron Futrell was crowing about how his new morning gig with Rikki Cheese was rising in the ratings, and had even knocked off perennial a.m. topper KVVU Channel 5 a few mornings last week.

We also saw Christian Audigier, the head designer and veep of the ultra-fashionable Von Dutch clothing line, who said he was scouting space for a dedicated Vegas store.

Tonight, VEGAS Magazine is tossing two more soirees. At 6 p.m. it is helping to open the new Diesel store at Fashion Show mall. Then, late at night, it is co-sponsoring (with Clique Entertainment) something called Show, which is a new bimonthly bash at Crustacean & Prana, the new cobbled-together name of the Desert Passages restaurant and nightclub.

VEGAS Magazine and the Las Vegas Sun are both owned by the Greenspun family.

Also, another sister publication, Las Vegas Life, is hosting a shopping event Thursday called On Impulse at Macy's at the Fashion Show. Flair bartenders and DJs from the club Ice will be serving drinks, new fashions from Marc Jacobs will be displayed and some proceeds from the 6 p.m. event will go toward Shade Tree women's shelter.

Still engaging

To follow up our Thursday item on this weekend's joint bachelor/bachelorette party at Hard Rock Hotel for Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, the invitation features a photo of them side by side. In a morgue. With the caption, "Till Death Do Us Part."

The photo was taken by David LaChappelle, who we hear will be poking around The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this weekend, as he starts work on the Elton John "Red Piano" shows at Caesars in February, which LaChappelle is producing.

Speaking of John, Caesars Palace announced this week that his next set of performances will be from March 23 to April 4.

The announcement was made "in response to overwhelming public demand" for his Feb. 13 to Feb. 22 performances. John has partnered with the hotel to perform 75 shows over the next three years.

Tickets for the second set of performances, which range from $100 to $250, go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, and can be purchased by calling (888) 435-8665 or going online to www.ticketmaster.com.

VegasBits

Sipper: Tony Bennett, in town for a weekend Paris Las Vegas gig, nursed a cocktail for an hour at the Stirling Club Wednesday night ...

Chewer: Paul Anka, onstage for a weeklong gig at MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, had dinner Monday night at N9NE, the Palms steakhouse ...

Job change: KLAS Channel 8 reporter Jon Summers has told the station he is leaving at the end of the month. He will be a media spokesman for the state Democratic Party.

From Sun wires

Paralyzed actor-director Christopher Reeve will speak publicly tonight for the first time without a mechanical ventilator, thanks to a "lung pacemaker" operation performed in February.

Relying on electrode implants to breathe normally and foregoing a ventilator for up to 18 hours a day, he hopes to bring attention to spinal cord research in a taped interview with Barbara Walters on ABC's "20/20" at 10 p.m.

Hilton's ex-boyfriend sues: Paris Hilton' ex-boyfriend filed a $10 million slander lawsuit against the hotel heiress and reality TV star with whom he made a sex video three years ago.

Richard Salomon maintains in the suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, that Hilton was an "active participant" in making the video but she and her family have waged a "cold, calculated and malicious campaign to portray Salomon as a rapist" to protect her image.

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