John Katsilometes chats with Tippi Hedren about Elvis, his badges and his guns

Monday, Oct. 16, 2006 | 7:26 a.m.

Elvis Presley once pulled a gun on Tippi Hedren.

Sort of.

On Saturday night during the "14th Annual Dinosaur Ball" fundraiser for the Las Vegas Natural History Museum at the Hyatt Regency Lake, Las Vegas Hedren recalled one of her early visits to Vegas.

She partied with Elvis

"It was in the early '70s and Elvis was very, very big," said Hedren, who received the Natural History Museum's Dino Award for Conservationist of the Year from last year's recipients, Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn. "It was my second visit to Las Vegas and Elvis invited us to his suite and he was behind the bar, holding court. He showed us all of the sheriff badges he had collected -- he had a really impressive collection -- and he kind of twirled a few of his guns around."

None of the guests (or televisions) were harmed and Hedren chuckled at the memory, saying, "Elvis was just great." Saturday she found herself in the company of another legendary Vegas act, as Siegfried and Roy brought her to the stage with Roy commenting to the crowded ballroom, "She is stunning."

Hedren, who rose to fame in Alfred Hitchcock's 1961 thriller, "The Birds," established the Roar Foundation during the production of the film "Roar" in 2003. The Foundation is an arm of her Shambala Reserve, the 80-acre reserve that sits on the edge of the Mojave Desert and is home to more than 70 exotic and endangered big cats.

Las Vegas Natural History Museum Executive Director Marilyn Gillespie (who has been on the museum board since the facility was established 16 years ago) said she hoped the evening would raise $100,000. More than 300 guests turned out, and as he looked over the audience, Horn said, "We have sold out in Las Vegas again."

NoteMart

One of Saturday's guests was Mark Philippi, the former strength and conditioning coach at UNLV and competitor in the World's Strongest Man competition broadcast on ESPN. Phillippi (who looked a lot like giant Stretch Armstrong figure clad in a tux) said he is three weeks away from opening the Philippi Sports Institute on Tenaya Way and Interstate 215. The 9,000-square-foot fitness and training center is for the elite (or professional) athletes who are serious about their workout routines ...

Moving over to the Orleans from the soon-to-be-shuttered Stardust is Tony Tauebel, who will be the Orleans' new vice president/general manager ...

There hasn't been much buzz -- yet -- about the first-ever Pride Fighting Championships card in the U.S., which is set for Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. but more than 10,000 fans are expected to attend the mixed martial arts showcase. Pride stars Fedor Emalianenko (the circuit's heavyweight champion) and Mark Coleman (a former Olympic wrestler) will be joined Tuesday afternoon at Caesars Palace by hard-working entertainers portraying Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and their Royal Court in a photo op for the ages ...

Those who saw former UNLV golfer and current touring pro Chris Riley take the stage at Friday's UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet at the South Coast say he was as funny as any professional stand-up comic. Three-quarters of the way through a hilarious address to the audience he reached into a pocket and said, "Oh, wait. I have a speech." He mentioned that he decided to attend Arizona State but followed through on a scheduled recruiting visit to UNLV at Shadow Creek. He was wowed by the course, by the limousines and by the sight of Julius "Dr. J" Erving setting up on a tee block ...

The Killers are getting all the attention at the moment (selling 315,000 albums in a week might be the reason) but another Vegas band, Panic! At the Disco, is gearing up for its biggest show in its hometown; more than 4,000 tickets have been sold for its Dec. 8 concert at the Orleans Arena ...

For our canines: Vanity plate on a light blue VW Passat station wagon reads 4RK9S.