People, Clooney recognize beauty

Sarah Larson's fairy tale year just keeps getting more magical.

Larson, who caught George Clooney's attention last June at CineVegas, has been named to People magazine's annual "100 Most Beautiful" issue.

A Las Vegas model, she's a gorgeous melting pot of ethnicity.

"Mongolian-Norwegian on my mom's side. French, Native American, Irish, German, and I think Scottish and Welsh on my dad's," the 29-year-old told People.

Asked if her relationship with Clooney, who turned 47 on Tuesday, has prompted her to look beautiful 24-7, Larson said, "At first, definitely. I'm starting to relax, because obviously you can't keep that up. There are more important things than to sit in front of a mirror for an hour a day."

THE DEAD LIST

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has added me to his frienemy list, as in former friend now enemy.

He's "very disappointed" with my item last week about Steve Friess' claim that Hilton plagiarized his account of Tina Turner's tour announcement.

Friess had reported in his VegasHappensHere.com: "The 68-year-old legend says that Sophia Loren told her to stop lolling about her Swiss home and get back to work."

The "lolling about" phrase was Friess' and not a quote from Loren.

Friess wasn't happy when the following post appeared later on PerezHilton.com: "The 68-year-old legend says that Sophia Loren told her to stop 'lolling about her Swiss home and get back to work.'"

When Friess squawked, calling it plagiarism, Hilton's e-mail response to the local free-lancer and podcaster was, "A reader sent me that item as their own."

In an e-mail, Hilton said I should have "had the courtesy" to go beyond his response to Friess and sought a comment from him. As a result, he said, the "relationship" -- which amounted to me crediting his scoops but not receiving the same courtesy -- "is now DEAD."

DEEP DISHING IN CHICAGO

It was this kind of a week in Chicago: wind, rain and sun, the Cubs, the sub, the mob bus tour, the architecture tour by boat, Rush Street, the cloud-piercing John Hancock tower and heavenly pizza.

We saw as much as you can in four days and can't wait to go back (for the pizza we missed).

The occasion was the wedding of friends Mike Berg and Rebecca Bruening in an art gallery overlooking the Chicago River. The biggest wow, after Rebecca's bridal entrance: the moment you come around a corner at the Museum of Science and Industry and see the captured German U-505 sub, almost as long as a football field and as breathtaking as Wrigley Field.

No, we didn't forget that favorite deep dish pizza survey we ran in Friday's column. My research included a stop at Uno's on Ohio Street for some deep dishing about our Denver days with ex-roomie, Rick Morrissey, sports columnist of the Chicago Tribune.

With almost 100 votes in, it's Uno's, by the margin of a slice of pepperoni, over Lou Malnati's (going out of our way to get one on a cab ride to the airport). Giordano's was third.

Best Chicago deep-dish experience in the Las Vegas area? A good number of respondents recommended Brando's pizzeria and sports pubs. I've sampled two -- the combo and pepperoni -- at the Henderson location. Worth the trip.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Passengers on a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas heard whooping and cheering erupt over Michigan late Monday. It was magician Lance Burton and his crew of 10, watching themselves on "The Late Show with David Letterman." They were going home after kicking off Letterman's Magic Week. ...

Roseanne Barr was at her best the other night when a tipsy woman kept interrupting her Sahara show. Barr incorporated the heckler into the act, and the audience loved it. But the biggest laugh came when the soused showgoer kept hassling security. An audience member yelled, "Taze her!"

SIGHTINGS

Barry Manilow among Cher's opening night crowd Tuesday at The Colosseum (Caesars Palace. ... Actress Sharon Stone and friends, meeting "Crazy Horse Paris" cast members Sunday after the 8 p.m. performance at the MGM Grand hot spot.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Tom Cruise was on Oprah Winfrey. In honor of Tom Cruise, Oprah gave away Mini Coopers." -- 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.