Let’s pause for a moment and talk “sightings.”
“Man, there are a lot of sightings in Las Vegas.”
That should cover it.
Of course we speak of celebrity sightings. We get a lot of reports of celebs’ comings and goings in the city. They are sometimes random, often ill-fitting, sightings. Over the years, I’ve heard reports of Arnold Schwarzenegger at Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix, Marie Osmond at Panera Bread at The District, Tom Jones at the Tap House, Michael Jackson at Along Came a Spider children’s clothing store at Forum Shops at Caesars, Ron Jeremy at Brendan Theatres at the Palms, Bill Medley at the sports book at The Orleans, Jack Wagner at a craps table at Green Valley Ranch, Flavor Flav at Applebee’s on Warm Springs Road and Bo Derek at Boulder Station, to name just a few.
Some sightings have proven false, as was the case years ago when it was reported that Chris Evert was spotted at Mr. Lucky’s at the Hard Rock Hotel on the same night she also was spotted sitting in the stands during a nationwide telecast of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadow, N.Y.
But over the weekend, I received what I believe is the most unlikely sighting in Las Vegas over the past 15 years:
Stephen Hawking at Tao.
This is the same Stephen Hawking who is the British theoretical scientist and cosmologist, which is the study of the origins, structure and space-time relationships of the universe. The Stephen Hawking who once said, "Primitive life is very common, and intelligent life is fairly rare,” and who modestly claimed, in his most recent book, “The Grand Design,” that God was not needed to create the universe.
That Stephen Hawking. And the Tao of which we write is the grandiose, multimillion-dollar restaurant and nightclub at The Venetian, the pulsating, strobe-infused hotspot teeming with semi-nude women bathing in tubs of Evian water (well, it could be Evian) and floating rose petals.
The food is pretty appetizing, too.
Hawking was in town over the weekend. It has been reported that he was in the audience at "O" at the Bellagio, dined at Tacos & Tequila at the Luxor, stayed at a suite at the Bellagio and dined Saturday night at Fix.
But how did Hawking, who is a notoriously private figure and wheelchair-bound as he suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), arrive at Tao? This is a nightclub far more accustomed to hosting the latest Kardashian birthday party than one of the world’s more formidable scientists.
Hawking made a simple dinner reservation under his name for Sunday night. The staff saw the name and was unsure if it was the real Stephen Hawking or maybe a life insurance salesman from Salem, Ore., with that same name. When he arrived, he waited for a time in the lounge, where a cluster of onlookers approached, attempting for the most unlikely opportunity to meet the real Stephen Hawking, who was said to be friendly and patient with all the ensuing hubbub his appearance sparked.
Hawking’s diet calls for a gluten-free menu, and he was impressed when one of the Tao staffers handed him such. He was served quickly, left swiftly, and he and his entourage said they had a wonderful time.
So there you have it. Stephen Hawking at Tao, the sighting by which all future sightings shall be measured. I say next time, we go red carpet.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
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