People in the News, Las Vegas Sun, April 28, 1997

People in the news for April 28, 1997 Monday, April 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m. You can mess with Hollywood bad boy Mickey Rourke, but apparently not his bodyguard. A hairstylist is suing the actor's goon for $100,000, claiming he beat him up in a Beverly Hills nightclub for no reason. According to a lawsuit filed by stylist Jeff Brown, he said he was dancing with his wife at the Beverly Club last year when Rourke's bodyguard, a professional boxer named Santa Fe, walked by and accidentally bumped him, "...then turned as if to walk away and suddenly pivoted and sucker-punched the unsuspecting Jeff about the face and head," knocking him to the floor. Brown claims to have suffered headaches, blurred vision and "severe emotional pain and humiliation" from the scuffle. The lawsuit also contends that Rourke, star of "Double Team" and "Body Heat," should have known his guard was "incompetent and unfit to perform" his duties. Unlikely co-ed Looking to host a national TV morning show, but you don't have a college degree? Not a problem. Ask NBC's Matt Lauer. The 39-year-old co-host of the "Today" show dropped out of Ohio University in 1979 -- just one class short of a bachelor's degree in telecommunications -- to take a television job. And look at him now: Using his on-air clout to earn credits. Lauer is doing an independent study project -- writing a report arguing that his job experiences satisfy the academic requirements of the audio-video production class he never completed. Wonder if Cliffs Notes are allowed? In any case, he expects to take part in graduation ceremonies on June 14. Lauer told Entertainment Weekly, "Yes, I'll be a member of the class of 1997, which is really going to help me lie about my age later on." Ellen update It's once again time to update our loyal People in the News readers about the ever-evolving "Ellen" situation. About 30,000 invitations have been mailed out -- as far away as Japan and Finland -- urging people to join the ABC show's title character as she comes out of the closet on Wednesday night's episode. "If Ellen Morgan can come out to the world ... you can come out to your family, friends and co-workers," says one of the bids sent out for the multitude of parties planned. In Los Angeles, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is struggling to keep up with the demand for its "Come Out With Ellen" party kits, which include the invites, an Ellen DeGeneres poster and information about gay rights. "At first I thought I'd just have a few friends over for the occasion," says financial adviser Kathy Bresnan, who's hosting a shindig for a dozen or so friends in New York. "I didn't realize how in vogue the whole thing would get." Compiled by Lisa Ferguson