Saturday, March 12, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Dion's son savors NASCAR nirvana

Celine Dion's car-crazy 4-year-old-son, Rene Charles Angelil, felt like a big wheel on Friday.

He got the VIP treatment from his favorite NASCAR racer, Tony Stewart, during pole qualifications for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"This is a great, great day for him," said Rene Charles' father, Rene.

"For Christmas we gave him some little cars. He knows all the car numbers and the drivers, and he loves Tony Stewart," Angelil said by telephone, before Dion headed for her Caesars Palace headliner gig.

Arrangements were made for a Friday meeting with Stewart, who put the young fan behind the wheel and gave him a number of souvenirs, including a signed replica of the orange No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet he drives in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

"He's into cars like crazy," said Angelil. "He's got a go-cart and loves to drive it around" the Lake Las Vegas neighborhood where Dion and her family live.

"Celine was very moved by that because she felt what it's like for a fan to meet their idol. She saw that in Rene Charles' eyes when he was in the car."

Ink hounds

NASCAR racer Sterling Marlin was signing almost anything that moved during Thursday's autograph session at the Plaza.

One fan hauled a NASCAR tire into the session, explaining that he uses it as the base for his coffee table. As Martha Stewart would say, this is not a good thing.

Edith Cecil, 47, of Meridian, Idaho, had a surprise for Marlin, her hero.

Two years ago, she went on a NASCAR cruise specifically to get his autograph. But she got seasick, took some medicine that put her to sleep and slept through the autograph session.

She showed up in Las Vegas last year, got Marlin's autograph on her back and five days later had it tattooed with black ink and red highlights.

"He said it's the second one he saw," Cecil told the Plaza's Stephanie Wilson.

The Scene and Heard

"American Pie" hottie/party animal Tara Reid is suing Sky Las Vegas, a luxury high-rise condominium tower under development on the Strip, for an ad that makes light of her bosom-bearing "misfortune" on the red carpet. The ad invites her to "come let it all hang out." She wants the ad, created by Scott Robertson of The Merica Agency in Las Vegas, pulled because it misrepresented her as "sexually lewd or immoral." Puh-leeze.

Sightings

NASCAR's Michael Waltrip, taking the inaugural ride on the Stratosphere's latest thrill ride, Insanity, during Thursday's VIP party. He also jumped on the Big Shot and X-Scream. ... At the Palms on Thursday night: NFLers Terrell Owens, Kyle Boller and A.J. Feely, racers Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson, producer-director Michael Bay, Ryan Starr, Michael Andretti and NASCAR TV-radio host Chris Myers. ... Actress Reid, on the town Thursday, with appearances at Il Mulino (Forum Shops expansion at Caesars), the Make-A-Wish Foundation benefit at Neiman Marcus and "Beacher's Madhouse" (Hard Rock Hotel). Also at the Make-A-Wish event: Nicolette Sheridan, Kathy and Rick Hilton, and Kelly Hu.

The Punch Line

"Thank goodness (President) Clinton is doing fine. And today his condition was upgraded from stable to horny." -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.