Now that Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman has been to Hollywood, he's betting - or at least hoping - that more of Hollywood will soon come to him.
Oscar Goodman was a featured guest at Thursday night's "A Taste of Vegas" at Spago Hollywood on the Sunset Strip. The party, designed to drum up support for increasing the number of films and television shows shot in Las Vegas, was sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Development Corp. of Las Vegas and Las Vegas Life magazine.

"I hope to move Hollywood to Las Vegas and turn Los Angeles back into a desert," Goodman said with a smile. When queried as to why the party took place 300 miles southwest of Vegas, Goodman, a former criminal defense attorney who has been mayor for three months, said, "You gotta go to the mountain before it comes to you."

According to the Nevada Film Office, entertainment production in Las Vegas accounted for about $79 million in revenue during the fiscal year ending June 30, up from $54 million the previous year. Las Vegas has been home to more than 450 film and TV productions. Some recent productions shot there include Ron Shelton's "Play It to the Bone," starring Woody Harrelson and Antionio Banderas; Disney's "Duets," toplined by Gwyneth Paltrow; and the Susan Sarandon starer "Anywhere but Here." On the TV side, the Joel Silver-produced "The Strip" was shot in Vegas; it debuts next month on UPN.

  While production in the desert city is rising, Vegas officials want to raise the ante.

"We'd like Hollywood productions to one day bring $500 mission for Las Vegas," said Entertainment Development Corp. president and CEO L. Mimosa Jones, who was instrumental in organizing the Spogo bash. EDC is a privately owned, nonprofit company charged with diversifying Las Vegas' economy by promoting the entertainment industry. "Las Vegas is an exciting, dynamic and forward-thinking city that has reinvented itself to serve the creative community of the world," THR editor-in-chief and publisher Robert J. Dowling said.

  On hand to enjoy some of Wolfgang Puck's finest finger foods - pot stickers, lobster wrapped in prosciutto, pizza and scallops, to name a few - were Sylvester Stalone, Steven Seagal, Sharon Lawrence, Barbara Lazaroff (Puck's wife), "Real TV's" John Daly, attorney Robert Shapior and political pundit/talk-radio host Gloria Allred. Other Bacchanalian delights were provided by Jordan Winery & Vineyards, Echo Pacific Sparkling Wines, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Casa Noble Tequila and Bahia Cigars.

Showgirls handed out play money at the door for use at the half-dozen gaming tables. Six of the biggest winners cashed in for trips to Vegas.

Walt Disney Television president Charles Hirschhorn and New Line production executive Jay Stern were also on hand. Hirschhorn noted that his fondest Vegas memory is his bachelor party. He and wife Cynthia celebrate their 11th anniversary this month.