Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005 | 7:57 a.m.
Fabulous Las Vegas runs Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach John Katsilometes by e-mail at [email protected] or at (702) 259-2327 or (702) 812-9812.
The mission of this column is, in part, to perform service work. So I will attend many wonderful parties on behalf of you, the reading public.
Sunday it was the 21st birthday of Ashlee Simpson at Pure at Caesars Palace, which the E! network (the universally recognized arbiter of such designations) says is "the hottest nightclub in America."
Wearing a flimsy black dress, sparkling makeup and hair dyed bright blond, Simpson glided in at 12:15 a.m. -- just after turning 21. In tow was a camera crew that was filming the MTV special, "Ashlee Simpson Live and Legal."
She made a lap around the club and moved into the adjoining Pussycat Dolls to sing two songs off "I Am Me," her upcoming album, which will be released Oct. 18. She sang "L.O.V.E." (which was actually uncorked twice for the cameras) and "Boyfriend," and if you're wondering if there was any lip-syncing going on, I can say with full confidence that I am not sure.
The first song, no. Can't say about the second song -- the vocal quality was far improved from "L.O.V.E." to "Boyfriend." Call it a push.
Simpson's older sister, Jessica, was there and wasn't wearing her wedding ring. This was reported to me -- I didn't actually see her or her left hand in the mob. Also taking part was Wilder Valderamma, but what you notice about these events is that the Wilder Valderammas of stardom can blend in quite anonymously.
Dialed in
For the love of country: Faster than you can say "Where's my hat?" KJUL 104.3-FM has gone country. It shed its adult-standard "great music" format about noon Monday and became 104.3 The Coyote. In a news release sent by parent company Beasley Broadcast Group, the station will feature such stars as Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Gretchen Wilson. The abrupt announcement, made Monday at 9 a.m., leaves Dennis Bono's popular variety/talk show without a home. On-air talent Duke Morgan and Scott O'Neil are out, as is Beth Lano's morning show. "The John Tesh Show" has been moved to Beasley's KSTJ 102.7-FM (Star 102.7) ...
Speaking of music ... Wake-up calls at the Renaissance Hotel, near the Las Vegas Convention Center, are delivered by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Wait! It's actually the voice of Frankie Scinta of the popular Rio family act "The Scintas" ...
Fast and furious: Lamborghini Las Vegas, worth a walk-through for anyone interested in some of the world's finest exotic cars, opened in September. The showroom at 7770 S. Industrial Road, Suite 401, features the V12 Murcielago coupe and roadster models. To pull from a high-horsepower news release: "Arguably the best supercar in the world today, the Murcielago possesses a sinful top speed of 205 mph derived from a monstrous 575 horsepower engine capable of 0-60 mph times in the 3.9 second range." Nice, but what about fuel economy?
From the make-your-own business file: A van spotted on West Charleston Road last month bore a sign for Ralph's RV Repair, asking motorists to "Call Ralph's For All Your Repair Needs." Its brake lights were inoperable.
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