At Flyaway Indoor Skydiving, there's no such thing as just another day in the wind tunnel.
Friday's celebrity surprise was Joe Perry of the legendary rock band Aerosmith.
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"He wanted to do something different for his family," said Flyaway owner Keith Fields.
So Perry, wife Billie and their over-18 sons, Tony and Roman, showed up and proved Las Vegas still offers the family experience.
Flyaway gets its share of celebrities, and most of them prefer to stay under the radar, Fields said.
Some are down to earth, and some have their noses in the air.
"Britney Spears was real stuck up. She said 'no pictures.' Like it didn't happen," Fields said.
Perry and his family were A No. 1, top of the heap, he said.
"Joe said he loved it so much he wanted to have one (a Flyaway facility) in his backyard," Fields said.
Other big names who have tried Flyaway include Tom Hanks, "Seinfeld's" Jason Alexander, "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff and his wife (when they were still talking), Jenna Elfman, Brendan Fraser, singer Jewel and bullrider Tye Murray, and Andy Dick.
It takes all kinds to fly by the seat of your pants.
Sunday night, a film crew was shooting a naked woman in the wind tunnel, proving yet again it's Vegas, baby.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Mirage headliner Danny Gans was invited to participate on Impressionists Week on "Late Show with David Letterman" but had to decline because of his schedule, said his manager, Melanie Van Burch. "We got an invite that said Danny was at the top of their list," and "they still call us every day trying to get him," Van Burch said. Letterman has mentioned Gans on the show while discussing the impressionists showcase. Gordie Brown of The Venetian accepted an invitation and will perform on Nov. 15. ...
Veteran deejay Steve Marchese, a.k.a. the Kahuna, is out at KKLZ-FM, 96.3 after three years at the helm of "Kahuna & Co." His contract expired in August, and he left the station recently. The rest of the morning show with Dennis Mitchell, Jim Tofte and "Backseat" Beth remains intact. Before joining KKLZ, Marchese spent nine years on the morning show at KQOL-FM, 93.1. ...
Cast members from "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" and "Mamma Mia!" are performing at a benefit concert Saturday at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. For more information on the 2 p.m. event, go to the Web site www.familypromiselvtickets.com or call 245-0992.
SIGHTINGS
Leonardo DiCaprio, partying with pals Lukas Haas, Ethan Suplee and Kevin Connolly of "Entourage" at Stack (The Mirage) before settling in at Jet nightclub (The Mirage). ... Denzel Washington, in the crowd at Forty Deuce (Mandalay Bay) on Saturday. Also there: HBO's boxing expert Jim Lampley. ... Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Seinfeld" fame, at "Love" (The Mirage) with her family. Also at the show: Elisabeth Shue of "Leaving Las Vegas" and Amy Brenneman. ... Jewel and a gal pal having lunch at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab (Forum Shops at Caesars). ... Michael Jordan, dropping more than $1 million at blackjack over the weekend. And not far behind him in the bad-beat department was Joe Francis, the "Girls Gone Wild" creator who was 86'd from MGM Mirage properties for a spell after he sued over an altercation with security during Jeff Beacher's fish tank stunt at the MGM Grand. ... Hall of Fame slugger Mike Schmidt, visting Gans backstage before Saturday's show, offering some hitting tips to Gans' teenage son, Andrew. ... Kenan Thompson of "Saturday Night Live" and Jason Hervey, at George Wallace's show (Flamingo Las Vegas) on Friday. ... Motley Crue's Vince Neil, at a celebrity poker tournament to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. Neil organized the event in honor of his daughter, Skylar, who died of cancer in 1995. ... Correction: the VH1 Classic Rock 'n' Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament took place at the Flamingo Las Vegas, not the Hard Rock.
THE PUNCH LINE
"I'm very excited about performing in the Colosseum. I'm hoping Celine will loan me one of her dresses, and if not, maybe Elton will loan me one of his." -- Rita Rudner, the only Las Vegas headliner participating in the Comedy Festival this month.
