VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Jackson not off the wall at charity event

Monday, Oct. 27, 2003 | 10:49 a.m.

He didn't seem so weird to me.

Michael Jackson, that is.

Wacko Jacko -- as the British tabs mercilessly call him -- made a rare personal appearance at a Las Vegas gallery on Saturday, and VegasBeat was graciously invited to come along.

Jackson didn't wear a surgical mask. He shook hands and hugged some of the big spenders who shelled out $5,000 to the Lili Claire Foundation in exchange for some face time and an autograph.

He gamely ventured out of the Art and Music Gallery inside Desert Passage at the Aladdin to say hello to some of the thousand or so fans who had gathered to get a glimpse.

Inside the gallery, when Steve Schneider, a San Diego dentist, presented Jackson with a surgical mask and a white glove to sign, the King of Pop threw back his head in laughter.

"I absolutely love this," Jackson said. "And I have to say, this is a first."

The surprisingly diminutive superstar was typically dressed (for him!), in a red velour Sgt. Pepper-type jacket with yellow embroidered braids, black tuxedo pants with red piping, a diamond-encrusted cummerbund, silver sequin-covered boots, a simple friendship bracelet (no other jewelry) and dark glasses.

When Las Vegas mortgage broker Chris Larkin went to Jackson with his wife, Maria, and 11-month-old son Chris Jr., Jackson kissed the baby and held him up for a picture.

"He could not have been nicer," Larkin said.

After the meet-and-greet, we asked Jackson if he was looking forward to tonight's nine-minute segment devoted to him on the "NBC Radio Music Awards," which are being broadcast live from the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

"I have been very blessed," Jackson told us in his wisp of a voice as we were standing in front of his rented stretch limo -- license plate "24 7 7" -- near the hotel entrance.

Then, several fans ran over and asked for a photo. He politely told VegasBeat to wait a second, and posed with the excited group.

No hit

"The Sopranos" is acclaimed by critics and is a ratings winner for HBO.

However, when we stopped in to see Jamie-Lynn Sigler- DiScala -- who plays Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) daughter Meadow -- during a promotional appearance at Sephora at The Venetian at 3 p.m. Saturday, there was absolutely no one there to buy the signed bottles of perfume she was hawking.

Finally, after 15 minutes, a group of four women came in and did buy small bottles of the scent Clean.

Hey now

Bobby Figueroa, the bandleader on the brilliant HBO series "The Larry Sanders Show," is now part of Ricci Martin's band in Martin's tribute show to his late father, Dean Martin.

On Friday, Figueroa, Martin and the rest of the band -- Wayne Tweed, Billy Hinsche and Bobby Zarate -- played a sold-out show at Boulder Theatre. Later they were joined for dinner at Boulder Dam Hotel by Amy and Desi Arnaz Jr. (who did a guest drum stint) and Steve March.

March, son of the remarkable jazz vocalist Mel Torme, is coming to Vegas with his own original show, tentatively set for April.

Big bids

Valentino restaurateur Piero Selvaggio placed the high bid at Sunday's charity truffle auction, spending $30,000 on a fine fungus.

Wolfgang Puck, who was in Alba, Italy, won another truffle at $26,000.

Robin Leach and Sunkist President Jeff Gargulio walked off with a $7,500 truffle.

All three truffles will be on local plates soon; Puck will be serving his at Postrio (Venetian) this week, Selvaggio will dish up his tonight at his Venetian eatery and Leach and Gargulio are planning a private Vegas dinner in December to sample the delicacy.

Food Network cameras captured the event for future broadcast.

VegasBits

Pump: California Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger popped into Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday night to congratulate Ronnie Coleman, the winner of the 39th annual Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest sponsored by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. Arnold is a seven-time former champion ...

Screen: "Entertainment Tonight" film critic and author Leonard Maltin will be at UNLV on Tuesday, hosting a program of short films, including one by "Titanic" helmsman James Cameron. The 7 p.m. event at the Flora Dungan Humanities Building is free and open to the public ...

Speed racers: On hand over the weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals: Grand Marshals Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons from Kiss, Chubby Checker, golf pro Bob May, KTNV Channel 13 weatherman Nate Tannenbaum (who performed the national anthem) and Steve Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith ...

No groupies: Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, dining solo, had the breakfast buffet Sunday at The Verandah (Four Seasons) ...

Hot: Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee might be a couple again. Witnesses at the late performance of "Zumanity" Friday night report that the on-again, off-again couple were "totally into each other" ...

The Producers: Quincy Jones and Rene Angelil lunched together Friday at Spago (Forum Shops at Caesars) ...

Here, there: Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath was all over Vegas this weekend. We saw him at the Bite of Las Vegas culinary event at Desert Breeze Park and shopping in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian ...

Like Mike: On hand at the Art and Music Gallery to say hello to Michael Jackson were Dennis Rodman and Las Vegas Hilton headliner Eddie Griffin ...

Cook: Andre Cointreau, president of Le Cordon Bleu Paris (and scion of the liquor family) was at the opening Thursday of the new Summerlin branch of the famed culinary school. So were Wendy and Michael Jordan of Rosemary's, Aqua Chef Mark LoRusso, Daniel Van Epp, president of Howard Hughes Corp. and Rep. Shelley Berkley ...

Courtside: Playboy's Miss May 1999 Tishara Cousino sat next to Lance Bass at Friday night's Lakers-Kings preseason NBA game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Both are tight with George Maloof, whose family owns the Kings, and the Palms.

From Sun wires

A Japanese businessman ordered to stay away from pop idol Britney Spears has sued the singer, saying her security guards pointed a gun at him and caused "extreme emotional distress."

A lawsuit filed by Masahiko Shizawa in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday states the guards confronted him on a public street across from Spears' home on Oct. 23, 2002. The guards ordered Shizawa to leave the area, and one guard pointed a gun at him as he sat in his car, according to the suit.