The Movable Buffet

Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz

Category: The Palms

Anecdote of Pete Rose circa 2008

December 2, 2008 | 9:13 am

Yesterday, my friend Tiffany called to have me meet her at AMP Salon at the Palms, where she was getting her hair done by Prema, whom she calls her hair guru and extension queen. Despite all the time I spend in resorts, I don't enter salons often, being more the $12 haircut (when I get around to it --Einstein-style the rest of time) sort. But salons are mandatory for celebrities. And AMP is owned and run by celebrity stylist Michael Boychuck (pictured), whose clients include the Hilton sisters, Kirsten Dunst and Rosanna Arquette. Boychuck, who has long blond hair himself, was in house supervising his staff and checking on his clients, all of whom he seemed to know by name (including my non-famous friend Tiffany).

But most amazing to me was the man in the chair next to Tiffany. He was friendly, heavy without exactly being fat, and he had a redness to his face and nose that one associates with hard living. He also looked really familiar to me as he bantered with his stylist as she adjusted and gelled the about six hairs left on top of his head into something that looked like careful camouflage of the scalp. In fact, I had not seen this man, I think, since 1980 when my dad took me to watch him and the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies play in the World Series. The man, of course, was Pete Rose, another Boychuck regular. And, if you think a casino is an odd place for Pete Rose to be, you probably don't spend a lot of time in Vegas. Rose finished his cut first (less hair to work with and fewer extensions than Tiffany), and offered a handsome cash tip to his stylist and left.

Afterward, I asked Michael Boychuck if I could write about Rose and he agreed. Boychuck said: "He is a great client and a nice man and has been coming to me for years. He doesn't mind press at all." When I asked Boychuck what sort of vanity required Rose to be at AMP Salon getting the few remaining hairs on his head reworked for hundreds of dollars, the politic Boychuck again repeated how nice and loyal Rose was as a client.

Photo credit: Sarah Gerke

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Is the Palms a musical Bermuda Triangle?

May 12, 2008 | 12:12 pm

The Palms studio is becoming the place of choice for artists with epic unfinished projects to waste the hours. Rumors that for months Michael Jackson was holed up at the Palms studio working on a new disc have resulted in no title or release date. And fellow '80s memory Axl Rose went to the Palms studio supposedly to put finishing touches on the still unreleased Guns & Roses comeback "Chinese Democracy." Again, the disc is not in stores, and don't hold your breath.

Now comes a report that Britney Spears has been meeting with an old friend, Palms' owner George Maloof, about a summer performance at the Palms Pearl venue. Michael Jackson, Axl Rose and Britney Spears. Is My Bloody Valentine finishing the new one there too?

Anyway, my guess is that none of these projects will see the light soon. But it is impressive that Maloof manages to keep his property the subject of endless celebrity buzz, especially with stars whose own careers seem forever lost in space.

Of course, even Maloof has his limits. After O.J. Simpson's Palace Station memorabilia mission resulted in police coming for the former football star at his Palms Suite, Maloof let it be known that Simpson was no longer welcome at the Palms. (Photo by Sarah Gerke)

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All play at Palms' Playboy: Culture jettisoned in favor of cold, hard cash

April 8, 2008 | 12:29 pm

Hugh Hefner's birthday was held this weekend at the Palms. The Playboy Club at the casino has turned into a huge success.

At the three-day celebration, Hefner had a table dedicated to him by Palms owner George Maloof and got a naked birthday dance from Pamela Anderson, a lady far older than the trio of girlfriends who accompanied him to Vegas.

But Hefner's real present has come from the Playboy Club at the Palms. There is a reason he picked Vegas to party. I suspect licensing the Playboy brand name to the Palms has proven a life-saving move for the magazine titan. But the Playboy Club is not where Playboy magazine comes alive. Since opening, it has become clear that only part of what made Playboy magazine great has come to Vegas.

The place is very much a Vegas offering for 2008.

The classic Playboy magazine appeal was to Mick Jagger's Lucifer, the heterosexual man of wealth and taste. So, Playboy magazine always offered culture with the pics of naked chicks: jazz, literary fiction and serious journalism. The Playboy experience had an intellectual component lacking in its adult-magazine competitors ("Dear Penthouse, I never thought this could happen to me...").

In Vegas, the Palms' Playboy Club entirely jettisons all the print magazine's high-end pretensions. Taste is out. Only wealth remains. No Norman Mailer memorial or bop combos playing Bird.

The Palms' take on bringing Playboy to life makes no play for your mind; rather, the experience is all about appealing to elitism and exclusivity that comes only from financial cachet, not cultural. Most casinos offer incentives to get you in the door to gamble. But the Playboy Club charges admission, making it the only cover charge in Vegas that I know of just to get inside a casino to gamble.

On their website you can learn about the Playboy dealers, where they are asked centerfold-style questions. Marilyn Monroe, the original centerfold who married playwright Arthur Miller, would be sad.

Dealer Ashley's favorite book, she said, is "The Seagull by Jonathan Livingston" (sic). Whereas dealer Elicia, asked her favorite, offers: "Books? I'm confused." Harry Potter is another favorite. Guilty pleasures are no more than high-calorie food, and most answers are only a few words. The minds of these women are not being marketed, nor are their thoughts solicited about the games they deal. They are presented as blandly as possible, only to generate some male interest. The picture is the most important part of each biography. If you want to know the dealers, you will have to sit at a table and gamble a lot of money, hoping to chat them up. The bunny cocktail servers (Debbie Harry of Blondie was one back in the old days) do not appear on the website. It is only the dealers, whose work time can be very expensive, who are offered as enticements.

In fact, everything about how Playboy's name is used in Vegas is about cold, hard cash: from the luxury suites (the Hefner suite has a pool) to the high-limit gambling, including even the exclusive lounge environment with a priceless view below. The message: You are at the top.

Back in the day, you could claim to read Playboy magazine for the articles, but Playboy at the Palms is where you go to leer at scantily clad female dealers while drinking overpriced booze and spending lots of money being pampered: decadence for sale without any redeeming social value beyond costly fun.

Not that there is anything wrong with any of this. But it is a formula for success in Vegas that means the more cultural aspects of Playboy simply don't fit here -- or maybe Vegas proves the highfalutin pretensions of Playboy magazine were simply a veneer all along.

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Marilyn Manson is perfect Vegas entertainment

November 1, 2007 | 9:35 am

Wednesday is the worst night in Vegas for Halloween. It is a horror. For a holiday to be big here it must touch a weekend in some way. If you are considering extending a weekend party (with Halloween, say, on a Monday) or just want to start the weekend early, Vegas creates the excuse. But Wednesday, landing in the middle of the workweek, is the worst possible timing for a holiday in Vegas. Too many people have work the next day.

But I tried to explore a bit. My first stop: I wound up at Marilyn Manson at the Palms. He was scheduled to appear at 9:10 but instead came out about 20 minutes late. He also took a few breaks from the stage, so it was not a long show. But I would not have wanted more. Manson put out many of the hits: "The Beautiful People," "The Dope Show" and his cover of "Sweet Dreams (are made of this)." It reminded me exactly of how felt when I reviewed his greatest hits for Rolling Stone.

It amazes me that this guy managed to be so controversial in the '90s doing Alice Cooper stage tricks from the '70s with a heavy dose of cover versions from the '80s for material. Still, Manson is an energetic frontman who really is committed to his performance. He worked himself up until he was bathed in sweat, he crawled into the crowd, and he offered constant shoutouts to Vegas and Halloween. It was very clear that with nostalgic hits from his past, his present showmanship on stage and his willingness to give the people what they want, in 2007 Marilyn Manson is a perfect Vegas act.

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Red carpet, lucky Star, Real World

April 22, 2007 | 10:32 am

Last night I went to the red carpet opening of the Pearl concert hall at the Palms. The actual event was a Gwen Stefani concert, but the red carpet led to a reception not the show. The publicist told me that I was not allowed in the reception. I am always curious how access is granted to press at events like this at resorts. And, when I don't get into an event, I turn touchy and pushy. For example, recently, also, at the Palms, I walked out of the Playboy Club red carpet opening when I noticed (in addition, to problems on the red carpet) other press being allowed up to the opening party and not Movable Buffet.

You will have to take my word for this: I am not being a diva or prima donna. I don't even want to be inside at these parties: honest! While covering Vegas, I've seen enough free sushi and minor celebrities packed into smoke filled rooms. My need to get as much access as possible is all about my respect and duty to you, the readers. I feel honored, empowered and challenged by all of you who read Movable Buffet to bring you the most exclusive and complete coverage available. My readers deserve the best possible access from an LA Times blog, and I take it as an insult when other audiences are treated better than you, the one I serve. In this case, last night at the Palms, I was even more amazed, because while the person who covers events for the ABC radio network and I remained on the red carpet, the stringer working for the tabloid Star was allowed into the reception to get exclusive coverage.

One moment from the red carpet I want to share involves the Real World reunion currently going on at the casino. I asked Palms owner George Maloof as he passed by if there had been any surprises: "You never know what is going to happen," Maloof said. "There have been a few little things. We will have to see what they put together." Asked to be more specific, Maloof offered, "There was an incident at the pool." I followed up, still, Maloof wouldn't give up the details.

But fortunately, not too long after Maloof entered the party, the Real World cast took to the red carpet and I managed to get the details of the pool incident from the guilty party: Steven Hill. According to Hill:

"I got a little intoxicated and things happened. I got drunk and a girl was chasing after me. She threw a drink on me; I threw a drink on her; I jumped in the water to get away from her like a little child. That's it. It was stupid. I was banned from the pool for 12 hours. It was a long 12 hours."

(Photo by Sarah Gerke)

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Hefner's Vegas Birthday

March 13, 2007 | 8:16 pm

Hugh Hefner is turning 81 on March 24, and let the marketing begin. The Playboy founder will be celebrating his birthday weekend in Vegas with a series of events featuring his three girlfriends. All of this will be taking place, of course, at the Palms where Playboy has a partnership with the Playboy Club. Hef's participation seems slight in the festivities. But Hef's Pets, "The Girls Next Door," reality stars will be holding court Friday and Saturday at the Palms' nightclub Moon as well as Playboy club. For many, the real treat will be Sunday, March 25 for what is being billed as "The Big Playmate Sleepover." According to the press release, included will be dozens of Playmates: "This first-ever event features an exclusive evening experience at Moon, discounted rooms in the Fantasy Tower, and special gifts for those joining the 'sleepover.'" I am e-mailing my accountant to see if attending is a tax deductible work expense, and, if so, you can count on me to report for the Buffet direct from the sleepover.
(Photo by Sarah Gerke)

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Gwen Stefani to Open Pearl at Palms

January 24, 2007 | 1:00 pm

A blond diva yes. But not the Britney Spears concert some had hoped for nor the Paris Hilton concert others had feared. The Palms new concert venue, The Pearl, will have its Grand Opening April 21 with a Gwen Stefani concert

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The Pearl Completes Palms Fantasy

November 16, 2006 | 10:57 am

Yesterday, I (along with AOL blogger Robin Leach and ABC radio's Al Mancini) got a hard-hat tour of the Pearl, the concert theater the Palms plans to open in March.

Palms owner George Maloof led the tour, and noted this was the last major project in the Palms expansion that also includes the Fantasy Tower, the Playboy Club and the Palms recording studio. I mentioned to Maloof that he caught a lucky bounce on this one. The Pearl will be opening while both the Hard Rock's concert hall and Aladdin's theater are being revamped; there may be reduced competition when he opens.

Maloof smiled at me kindly and shook his head: "When you enter the market in Las Vegas you have to expect to compete and compete very hard every moment, every day, all year. If you don't have the stomach for that, Las Vegas isn't the place to be."

I've met Maloof a handful of times, and he is a fascinating person. With the exception of Steve Wynn, Maloof has done more than any other resort operator to incorporate his personality into his property. Wynn — the resort and the person — is a massive projection of awe and power and magnitude.

The Palms is a more down-to-earth, off-Strip property focused on taking care of locals. But that is only by day. Like Clark Kent transforms into Superman, at night and on weekends, the Palms easily slips into its role as a regular destination for the celebrity and L.A. elites that pass through Vegas as part of their endless party. Maloof seems the perfect embodiment of this balance.

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Dispatches from Las Vegas by Richard Abowitz

Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz