Friend backs Horn in Paltrow meeting
A longtime friend of illusionist Roy Horn is coming to his defense regarding recent comments by Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was with Horn at the VIP dinner for 1,200 on Saturday that preceded The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' grand-opening concert featuring Coldplay and Jay-Z.
Paltrow was in town with her husband, Chris Martin, Coldplay's frontman.
Horn's friend, who met Paltrow in Paris a few years ago at a function involving then-French president Jacques Chirac, invited Paltrow over to meet Horn, who was in a wheelchair.
Horn, who nearly died seven years ago after being mauled by a tiger during Siegfried & Roy's show at The Mirage, insisted on standing up for the introduction, the source said.
"The only thing he said to her was, 'Boy you are awfully tall,' " the source said. "He didn't even know who she was. Roy is a gentleman. That's the only thing out of his mouth."
Paltrow, who was on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Monday to promote her new movie, "Country Strong," told the TV host that Horn asked her to lift her dress and attempted to kiss her on the lips.
"Other people at the table heard (what Horn said)," said the source, who is adamant that Paltrow fabricated the story. "I don't understand why she would say that."
FIVE-STAR EATERY CLOSES
Five-star chef Alex Stratta on Thursday confirmed that his restaurant Alex at Wynn Las Vegas is closing Jan. 15.
The 6-year-old restaurant had earned Mobil (now Forbes) Five Star Awards and AAA Five Diamond Awards for the past five years, along with Michelin's two-star (out of three) ratings.
A decade ago, Stratta's Renoir restaurant at The Mirage won Mobil's five-star rating, a first for Las Vegas, an honor he shared with Julian Serrano's Picasso at Bellagio.
"It's all fine between (Steve) Wynn and me, that I will say," he said.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Nine parachutists involved in a CES-related stunt nearly landed in the pond that fronts the ninth hole at Las Vegas Country Club on Thursday. They were promoting a Pittsburgh-based company called BodyMedia, which offers equipment that monitors calorie burn, and, you would think, heart rate. It was the most excitement at the 40-year-old golf course since FBI agents had to crash-land a light aircraft that ran out of gas during a surveillance operation involving Tony Spilotro's mobsters, a scene re-created in "Casino."
MAY I RECOMMEND ...
It's a saints-and-sinners kind of weekend, and there are options galore. At one end of the spectrum, there is the wholesomeness of the Miss America contestants on the runway at the Fashion Show mall at 6 p.m. Saturday. Or there's the decadence of the Adult Entertainment Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the Adult Video News Awards (AVN) on Saturday night at the Palms.
SIGHTINGS
Lady Gaga, pitching Polaroid products at CES on Thursday. ... 53 Miss America contestants, arriving at Planet Hollywood Resort on Thursday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Thousands of birds fell dead in Arkansas. It's either al-Qaida or Dick Cheney is hunting again." -- David Letterman
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
