Phelps galpal gets exposure on Web

Michael Phelps, the golden boy of swimming, may be up to his neck in a dating scandal.

The celebrity Web site TMZ.com ran photographs on Friday in which Phelps' girlfriend, Palms cocktail server Caroline "Caz" Pal, appeared to be posing topless in a series of photos.

Phelps, who had become the most sought-after celebrity endorser after delivering a record eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, reportedly took Pal home to meet his mother over Thanksgiving.

The Web site purportedly shows Pal, 26, in provocative photos both alone and with other girls. In one photo, she is on a bed sandwiched between two girls in short shorts that read "Got Ho's?" on their rears and "My ex-girlfriend is a stripper."

Phelps, 23, has been a Las Vegas regular since his record haul of gold medals, which earned him a $1 million bonus from Speedo. He has been taking poker lessons in hopes of playing in the World Series of Poker here next year.

He has been seen partying and making out in public with Pal, who works at Moon nightclub in the Palms Fantasy Tower, where actor George Clooney's former girlfriend, Sarah Larson, used to work.

Pal's MySpace page lists her hometown as Long Beach, Calif., and indicates she attended Cal State-Northridge.

On Oct. 23, Phelps was seen partying in a hoodie with Pal at Tao nightclub at The Venetian after attending a pool-side event at Simon at Palms Place. He was media-shy at Palms Place, ducking reporters during a red carpet appearance.

At Tao, he jumped up on a DJ stand and was "mouthing words to a rap song," a source told Vegas Confidential. "He went from being real low key to being kind of out there. He acted like a dumb kid."

According to Davie Brown Entertainment, a Los Angeles talent agency that tracks the endorsement appeal of celebrities, Phelps ranked No. 1 in the first index compiled after the Beijing Olympics. He beat out basketball legend Michael Jordan, who earns $45 million a year in endorsements, and movie star Tom Hanks.

'TOP CHEF' CHALLENGERS

Two contestants with Las Vegas ties remain in the hunt among the 15 vying for Bravo's "Top Chef 5."

Stefan Richter, a former executive sous chef for the creative team that opened Bellagio in 1998, won the first episode, which bodes well. Three of the last four winners won the opening competition.

Born in Finland and raised in Germany, he now operates Stefan's Catering in Santa Monica.

An early fan favorite is Hawaiian Gene Villiatora, one of the participants in the history of the show who didn't attended culinary school. Villiatora, who lives in Las Vegas, rose from dishwasher and worked through the ranks to become an executive chef and consultant.

Three Las Vegas competitors have finished first or second: Tiffani Faison of Tao Asian Bistro was runnerup in Season 1, Marcel Vigneron of Joël Robuchon at the MGM was runnerup in Season 2 and Hung Huynh of Restaurant Guy Savoy won Season 3.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Ellen DeGeneres' variety special, "Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show," includes an opening with DeGeneres playing the Pied Piper as she makes her way to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. She leads a troupe of dancers, living statues, employees and even a Centurion or two, through the front door, into the hotel lobby, down the conference center escalators, across the casino and into The Colosseum to open her show. Filmed during the Comedy Festival last week, it airs tonight on TBS, 9 p.m. Here's the YouTube.com link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HZNd0yZcaQ.

SIGHTINGS

"One Life to Live" soap star Catherine Hickland, ex-wife of David Hasselhoff, attended "Mesmerized" at the V Theater (The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort) on Thanksgiving Day. ... Mirage headliner Terry Fator is appearing on "Regis & Kelly" on Tuesday and the CBS "Early Show" on Wednesday.

THE PUNCHLINE

"We are learning that the (Heidi Montag-Spencer Pratt) marriage was not legally binding. They're calling it a 'symbolic' wedding, which essentially means a fake couple from a fake reality show had a fake wedding and a real magazine put them on the cover and devoted eight pages to it. Is there any way we can symbolically not allow them back into the United States?" - Jimmy Kimmel

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