John Katsilometes braces for a visit from Randy Jackson, who has a particular interest in Las Vegas Hilton Theater

Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

Long before becoming a judge on the interminable "American Idol," Randy Jackson briefly played bass with Journey.

Today he's playing deal maker with the Las Vegas Hilton.

Recently Jackson and Hilton Executive Vice President Ken Ciancimino and their wives were spotted dining at the property, then they caught the Barry Manilow show at the Hilton Theater. It was more than a casual visit for all involved; the meeting was to discuss details of a Jackson-produced concert series that will be part of the Hilton's entertainment lineup early next year.

Although he worked on Mariah Carey's "Emancipation of Mimi" CD last year and played bass for her at the 2006 Grammy Awards (he was also onstage for the brief and bizarre appearance by Sly Stone), Jackson is not expected to perform at the Hilton. Instead, his role will be selecting artists and producing all shows in the headlining series, which will be scheduled during gaps in Manilow's schedule. Details on the Jackson series are still being finalized. Dawg.

NoteMart

The Offspring of The Donald were on the Strip on Thursday afternoon. Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were the subjects of a photo shoot for Vegas magazine at the Trump International project, across from Wynn Las Vegas. (Vegas magazine is owned by the Greenspun family, which also owns the Las Vegas Sun .) The young Trumps, joined by Trump's man in Vegas Jack Wishna, were also filmed by a crew feeding footage to "Access Hollywood."

It was the second splashy shoot held recently at Trump International. Last month, Ivanka Trump (who is blaming Rosie O'Donnell for baiting her dad into their recent spat over the travails of Miss USA Tara Conner) was photographed at the site by Vogue.

Also on the Trump front, Yahoo is reporting that it has reached a deal with Donald Trump for a new contest titled, "The Intern." The online competition (found at apprentice.yahoo.com/) is held weekly and will allow fans to predict what will happen next on "The Apprentice." The winner of "The Intern" will be allowed to shadow the winner of "The Apprentice" for two weeks (I hope I win). Both the contest and the NBC show debut Sunday night ...

Trivia time: What do Randy Jackson and Silverton mainstays Hootie and the Blowfish have in common? Answer: Randy Jackson's middle name is Darius; Hootie is fronted by Darius Rucker ...

The man who claims to have performed as Elvis for more shows - 10,000 - than any other Elvis persona inhabitant performs at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Railhead at Boulder Station. Dennis Wise actually began his tribute 30 years ago, when Elvis was still alive (the anniversary of the King's birth, No. 72, is Monday). As a kid, Wise saw Elvis perform four times, including once at the International just before it was renamed the Las Vegas Hilton. "I grew up with him," Wise said Thursday afternoon. "I first wanted to do a tribute to him when I was 5 years old, holding a spoon in my hand and singing into it." But Wise is not a 24/7 Elvis. "When I'm onstage, my band members say, 'Oooh, there's Elvis!' But I don't carry it with me offstage, no." ...

The nearly extinct all-ages concert venue in Vegas still lives. The University Theatre on Maryland Parkway, just south of UNLV and north of Tropicana Avenue, is set to open Jan. 22. The venue will seat 450 and provide a stage for national and local acts of all genres. First up on Jan. 22 is a lineup featuring Meg & Dia, Daphne Loves Derby, The Day After, Ronnie Day and the House of Fools. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets for all shows (and the place has shows booked through March 11) are on sale at Ticketmaster outlets or at www.smashmagazine.com. For info about shows, go to www.myspace.com/universitytheatre ...

The South Point Equestrian Center is the stage for rodeo's most rocking event, bull riding, tonight and Saturday, when the CBR World Championship visits Las Vegas. Honored during tonight's opening ceremony will be Ty Ziegel and Jacob Schick, both wounded while serving in Iraq. The best cowboys (including National Finals Rodeo champ B.J. Schumacher) and rodeo stock in the country will be on hand ...

Reader reports a "very nice" Oldsmobile (no make, year, color or other identifying information provided) bearing the vanity plate TRUMP. Not a member of the Trump family, extended or otherwise, we're told.