Friday, Sept. 3, 2004 | 10:30 a.m.
No place can throw a party like Las Vegas -- even if it takes place in New York City.
Seems that one of the best parties at the Republican National Convention, which ended Thursday night in the Big Apple, was tossed by Barrick Gaming -- which recently purchased the Plaza, Las Vegas Club, Gold Spike and Western, all in downtown Las Vegas.
The event started Tuesday night and went into the wee hours Wednesday morning at the legendary Rainbow Room, and honored some of the most influential Hispanics in the nation.
Among the celebrity attendees: first twins Jenna and Barbara Bush.
The "Gran Fiesta Hispana Salsa Party" featured Barrick execs manning a "Celebrity Poker Room" with five imported poker tables, complete with custom felt with property logos, poker dealers, chips and playing cards.
Those receiving accolades included entertainer Emilio Estefan; boxer Oscar de la Hoya; Rep. Henry Bonilla; R-Texas; Banco Popular Chairman Richard Carrion; Univision President Ray Rodriguez; and one of our own, Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval.
New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez was on the award recipient list, but did not attend. He may have been demoralized by his team's 22-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians earlier that evening.
Barrick's Las Vegas-based director of business development, John Gourley, and human resources director, Ana Soto, were the on-scene party hosts.
Barrick also made a large donation to the Latino Coalition, a Hispanic advocacy lobbying group, which hosted the event.
Wax face
In some poker news closer to home, Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas at The Venetian on Thursday opened a new interactive poker display featuring a faux Ben Affleck.
In the display with Affleck, a live-action dealer will teach guests the basics of Texas hold 'em and will invite visitors to test their skills in a showdown against the faux-Affleck and against one another. While no actual money is exchanged, the new experience "will give guests a first-hand look into one of the hottest celebrity trends today, complete with the glamour and excitement of Las Vegas," museum spokeswoman Melissa Horacek said.
Set in a casino environment with Las Vegas entertainers past and present hanging around (Elvis, Sinatra, Liberace), the wax Affleck, donning a Kerry/Edwards campaign T-shirt, is bellied up to the poker table while his former fiance, Jennifer Lopez, scowls in his direction.
This is the wax couple's first public sighting together since their highly publicized split earlier this year.
More cards
In still more poker news, several of the world's best players competed Thursday in a Harrah's poker room for a winner-takes-all $2 million prize.
Four World Series of Poker champions were in the mix: Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer.
The rest of the group included Annie Duke, T.J. Cloutier, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu and Chip Reese.
The event was called the Tournament of Champions, and it will air Sept. 21 on ESPN. The winner won't be disclosed until the broadcast.
Thieving People
We optimistically dismissed it as a coincidence when we saw the special Aug. 19 "Special Las Vegas Edition" of People.com's Insider gossip column.
It seemed strange to us to see several of our exclusively reported gossip items re-appear, in condensed versions, and without any credit, on its Web site. But it had to be a one-time thing, right?
Wrong.
There was another "Special Las Vegas Edition" Insider on Wednesday, and of the seven items that appeared, every single one had previously appeared on this page, or in the gossip column in the paper across town, in one form or another. None was credited.
Now, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this is getting a little ridiculous.
We are careful to credit others when we use their original material. But, apparently, the writers at People went to a different journalism school than we did (Columbia Journalism, class of 1985).
Not that stealing material, and we do not use the word "steal" lightly, is ever condoned, but in this era of plagiarists such as Jayson Blair, Stephen Glass and USA Today's Jack Kelly, you'd think that they'd be more attentive to such things.
VegasBits
Used: Rocker Vince Neil of Motley Crue fame was browsing Wednesday with his fiance, Leah Gerardini, at Colleen's Classic Consignment, a previously owned furniture store on North Rainbow Boulevard ...
Night: Rappers Lil John and LL Cool J, Olympic hoop star Allen Iverson and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. partied at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) Wednesday night ...
Talking to me?: Robert De Niro, whose Tribeca Productions is a co-producer of the Queen musical "We Will Rock You," will attend the official opening-night performance and party at Paris Las Vegas on Wednesday night, organizers tell us ...
Party: P. Diddy pal Farnsworth Bentley, everyone's favorite umbrella-toting Renaissance man, will be hosting a "Pajama Jam" at Risque (Paris Las Vegas) tonight. The event is open to the public, and bedtime attire is requested ...
Key: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will present the key to the city to Prince Albert of Monaco in a City Hall ceremony Sept. 13. Albert will be in town for the Sept. 15 World Music Awards, which relocated to Vegas after being broadcast from Monaco for many years ...
Night: There's a massive birthday party scheduled Sunday for Clique party promoter Alex Cordova at the Moorea Beach Club (Mandalay Bay) ...
Change: VEGAS Magazine associate editor Judy Odierna is leaving the glossy to handle the marketing and publicity for Tangerine, Coyote Ugly and BiKiNis, Las Vegas nightclubs owned by Robert Frey and Jennifer Worthington.
From Sun wires
Wardrobe malfunction: Hundreds of people turned out to see Miss Universe strut her stuff on the catwalk. They weren't expecting to see this much of her.
Australian rugby league cheerleader Jennifer Hawkins, who was crowned Miss Universe earlier this year, was at a Sydney fashion show Thursday when a skirt she was wearing unraveled from around her waist and slipped to the floor.
As spectators gasped, 20-year-old Hawkins giggled and rushed backstage.
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