George Clooney, Rande Gerber take to Plaza for tequila shoot
A few years ago I got a tip that Hugh Hefner was hanging out at Rush Lounge at Golden Nugget. This person swore it was Hefner, wearing red-silk pajamas, seated in the VIP section and watching the band Dollface.
I actually visited the hotel, maybe to chat with Hefner about his then-new Playboy Club at the Palms.
This person was not Hugh Hefner.
He was a busker on Fremont Street. He sure looked like Hef, though.
Point is, you have to check when someone reports a celeb, such as George Clooney, is checking out Fremont Street. But Monday, Clooney was actually on hand at the Plaza. He and his buddy and business partner Rande Gerber were in a photo shoot for their Casamigos Tequila brand.
Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel confirmed Monday night the two were on property. They posed on the hotel rooftop (where I spent New Year’s Eve, as it turns out) and at the now-famous Carousel Bar.
Clooney and Gerber also contacted Liberace Foundation Chairman Jonathan Warren for use of a vintage Lincoln limousine, also at the hotel.
In all, the duo spent about four hours at the Plaza, the shoot conducted by multitalented photographer Jason Lee Parry.
The Plaza, and especially the outdoor Carousel Bar at the old porte cochere, is on a hot streak. The property at 1 Main Street and Fremont Street was the central spot for U2’s “Atomic City” video shoot last month.
Maybe the spot will help the famous hep cats Clooney and Gerber move some tequila.
“This is great for the Plaza, coming right on the back of U2,” Jossel said Tuesday afternoon. “If the campaign turns out as well as the shoot, it should be a success.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
