Friday, January 02, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: What Vegas has in store for 2004
Paris Hilton and TV friend Nicole Richie party at Light to ring in new year.
Britney Spears seen dancing at ghostbar.
Eva Mendes and Matt Damon welcome 2004 at Bellagio's hot spot: Light.
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Ten things to look for in '04:
1. MGM Mirage's next resident headliner for the Siegfried & Roy Theatre.
2. Roy Horn's recovery from the tiger attack. My hunch is that if he's well enough to walk, his 60th birthday party Oct. 3 will be one of the more emotional events this city's seen in decades.
3. Michael Jackson's move to Las Vegas -- or a California slammer.
4. The new Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand. Another winner or overkill?
5. Peter Morton's makeover of the Hard Rock Hotel.
6. Much buzz about Steve Wynn's biggest project of all, Wynn Las Vegas, or Desert Wynn to the rest of us. It opens in April 2005.
7. A second tower at the celeb-driven Palms, topped by, rumor has it, a retro Playboy Club.
8. Will the nightclub scene's sizzle start to fizzle from oversaturation?
9. A 24-hour Vegas TV channel featuring talk shows, game shows, food shows, news and entertainment will start taking shape.
10. As impossible as it seems, even more party-girl antics from Paris Hilton, the new party face of Vegas.
The Scene and Heard
Shoutouts to the large celebrity turnout who refused to give in to the terrorist concerns and helped keep Las Vegas shining as the (italicize THE) place to be.
May I recommend ...
Mount Charleston, where the winter sports season is going full bore.
Sightings
Britney Spears, dancing on the glass-bottom floor at the Palms' ghostbar near midnight, while chain-smoking. ... NBA stars Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Webber of the Sacramento Kings, putting aside their rivalry while sharing owner George Maloof's skybox at Rain, the Palms nightclub. ... Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, gambling in the Hard Rock's high roller salon about 3 a.m. Thursday. ... Paris and Nicky Hilton, in line at the Palms buffet on New Year's Day. ... At Light (Bellagio) on New Year's Eve: Matt Damon, with "Stuck on You" co-star Eva Mendes, recently crowned by People magazine as the "newest `it' girl." When People asked her about her rumored relationship with Damon, she shot back: "I say show me a picture. Otherwise you've got nothing." ... Also at Light: Chicago Bears Brian Urlacher, returning to the scene of the crime, this time with his wife, while the Hilton sisters and Nicole Richie partied across the room. Back in September, Urlacher and Paris got along infamously at Light and she moved in with him for a while. ... Also at Rain: Ryan Seacrest. ... Angie Everhart, who stars on the upcoming "Celebrity Mole Yucatan," at the Metallica concert (Hard Rock); Also there: Jason Giambi and Matt Storum of Gun 'N Roses. ... At Simon Kitchen & Bar (Hard Rock): Kansas City Chiefs stars Donte Hall and Tony Gonzalez.
The Punch Line
"Veni, vidi, velcro (I came, I saw, I stuck around)" -- Contributed by R-J reader Kim Symons.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.Paris Hilton and TV friend Nicole Richie party at Light to ring in new year.
