Baring secret got Sinclair in trouble

Claire Sinclair admits she was in hot water before her coronation as Playboy Playmate of the Year.

Word leaked two months before Sinclair, 19, was introduced Friday as the face of Playboy for 2011.

"I got in trouble for that," she acknowledged a few hours before the official announcement.

"But I'm not in charge of the broadcasting at E!" she said, sort of squirming in a hot seat next to Hugh Hefner during an interview with Vegas Confidential in a Palms suite.

Sinclair was referring to comments that let the secret out during her appearance on "Holly's World," filmed months ago with gal pal Holly Madison. E! cable television network kept the scene in and basically scooped Playboy, its partner on the "Girls Next Door" franchise.

I called Madison on Saturday for her perspective on the flap.

"Claire was told she could say it (on the last episode). She would never have brought it up."

Madison said she heard E! executive producer Kevin Burns "was concerned that Hef was upset about it. Kevin got permission from Hef but everybody forgot about that."

Personally, said Madison, "I think it did a lot of good. In the end it brought more attention to Claire and the Playmate of the Year." It didn't hurt that ratings for "Holly's World" took off in the second season, she said, adding they were much higher than "Girls Next Door."

During the pre-announcement interview Friday, I asked Hefner what separated Sinclair from the competition.

"Part of it, probably, is fairly obvious," he said.

Meaning, she's a knockout.

"It is not related," he said, "in any manner, shape or form to the fact that she happens to be dating my son. The (Playmate of the Year ) decision preceded the dating."

Hefner said he asked photographer Stephen Wayda "to look back at classic pinup art of World War II and immediately after that and use that as the inspiration, and he did it beyond anything I could have imagined."

Sinclair, who turns 20 on May 25, is the youngest Playmate of the Year since Donna Michelle won it in 1964.

AGASSI, SAMPRAS DISMISS STORY

Tennis.com has backed away from a report suggesting the relationship between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras was on the rocks again.

Both Agassi and Sampras, in interviews with the website after the report from Argentina, dismissed the story, which appeared last Sunday and was widely reported, including in this space.

"The facts were all wrong," Sampras said. "Andre and I are fine. And we'll be playing quite a lot together next year."

"All that stuff, it's over," Agassi said. "It's been over. Trust me on that."

The original report said Sampras declined to play Agassi after the two had a heated conversation following Sampras' two-set win at Madison Square Garden .

In Tennis.com's followup, Agassi confirmed he called Sampras and tournament officials to advise them that the recurring nerve problem in his back might flare up and jeopardize the Champion Series tour (12 cities, from Sept. 22 to Oct. 22).

"Sure I told Pete about it," the Las Vegas native told Tennis.com. "It would not have been in anyone's best interest to see me leaving the Garden on a stretcher. And looking back after the match, I felt Pete was more than generous in how he handled my situation."

Agassi and Sampras were together in Los Angeles last week to promote the tour's Oct. 14 stop there.

On Oct. 15, Agassi, Sampras, Michael Chang and Jim Courier will play at the Thomas & Mack Center.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Philanthropist Joan Hammer and party planner Tory Cooper have been pitching a reality show based on their event-planning business known as "Priceless Affairs." Cooper said they have been working with a production company that's taken a "sizzle reel" to Bravo, Lifetime, WE (Women's Entertainment) and The Learning Channel.

SIGHTINGS

At Steve Wynn's Viva Las Vegan at Encore: Fellow vegans Emily Deschanel of "Bones," author-chef Tal Ronnen, Doron Petersan , owner of a vegan bakery and winner of Season Two of "Cupcake Wars," author Rory Freedman and Steve Bing, Hollywood and Democratic Party power player. More than 175 turned out for the first-time vegan showcase by Wynn Las Vegas and Encore chefs.

THE PUNCH LINE

"What she calls a 'Tupperware Party,' the FBI calls a 'Three-Week Standoff.' " -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Signs Your Mother is Nuts

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.