Palms makes O.J. persona non grata

OJ. Simpson won't have much juice if he tries to return to the Palms hotel-casino.

George Maloof, owner of the hotel best known for its headline-generating celebrity clientele, made it clear Thursday that Simpson is unwelcome after his stay triggered a media storm and "disruption" created by his arrest on armed robbery charges.

The former NFL star stayed at the Palms for seven nights before departing Wednesday after three days in jail on charges related to the Sept. 13 sports memorabilia break-in at Palace Station.

"It's highly unlikely he'd stay here again. We don't need the drama," said Maloof, who had no contact with Simpson and did not comp the man who beat a double murder rap 12 years ago.

"It was a disruption and a hindrance to our other guests," Maloof said, adding that the furor caused by Simpson's stay was more intense than the stir created by Britney Spears' brief marriage after partying at the Palms in January 2004.

"But we didn't have all this 24-7 Internet stuff then. This was nonstop for a week. It just kept going. We had hundreds of media calls."

Some callers and e-mailers wanted Simpson, who was with a wedding party, thrown out of the Palms, Maloof said. "Not that many," he said when asked to give a number.

Simpson's departure, after a televised caravan to the Palms following his release on $125,000 bail, ended the wildest two weeks in the history of Maloof's 6-year-old property.

Three days before Simpson's midweek arrival, the Palms was the site of Spears' national television meltdown at the MTV Video Music Awards and a fight between Kid Rock and Tommy Lee during the show.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Steve Schirripa of "The Sopranos" will be on the red carpet for the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children on Oct. 6 at the MGM Grand Garden. He'll also take part in the auctioning-off of a Porsche Cayenne that was used on the HBO show.

MAY I RECOMMEND ...

Light Group's Diablo's Cantina, located in front of the Monte Carlo, opened last week. It features new takes on south-of-the-border favorites, including Mexican pizza, shrimp appetizers and guacamole. For more information, call 730-6666.

At Mandalay Bay Beach, the second annual Wine Amplified Festival is Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m., with Jeremy Cornwell, Chris Clouse and Sugar Ray providing entertainment. Tickets are $65 in advance, $70 on day of event. To charge by phone with a credit card, call 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at 474-4000, or go to www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

SIGHTINGS

On the red carpet Thursday for the world premiere of "Resident Evil: Extinction" at Planet Hollywood Resort: Sylvester Stallone, wife Jennifer and Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl, who earlier escorted Pamela Anderson before she headed for "The Beauty of Magic"; a very pregnant Milla Jovovich, a star of the film; illusionist Hans Klok, with one of his divas; rapper Nelly, escorting girlfriend Ashanti, who also stars in the movie; and former UFC champion Frank Trigg, chatting with Stallone, who filmed a project at Trigg's gym in Los Angeles. ... Kix Brooks of the country duo Brooks & Dunn, playing golf Thursday at Black Mountain. ... Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and rapper Xzibit, at The Pearl (Palms) for the UFC matches. Xzibit celebrated his 33rd birthday Tuesday at Moon nightclub (Palms). Also attending the party was Indiana Pacers star Jermaine O'Neal. ... Local singer, promoter and producer Grant Griffin, receiving a birthday serenade from the crowd at Society of Seven's show (Flamingo) on Wednesday. ... Jay Leno, entertaining guests Monday at a private event at Pure nightclub (Caesars Palace).

THE PUNCH LINE

"Today O.J. Simpson was charged. Seven felonies. Seven felonies! He said if he knew how much trouble he was going to get into, he would have just murdered the guy." -- Craig Ferguson

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.