Orbiting The Stars At Planet Hollywood -- Restaurant Opening Draws Thousands Of Die-Hard Film Fans

Latteland turned on the glitz for last night's opening of Planet Hollywood, the latest in a string of business debuts in downtown's retail core.

Part Seattle renaissance celebration, part celebrity circus, the restaurant opening drew thousands of stargazers, who jammmed both sides of Sixth Avenue between Pike and Pine streets to watch the rich and richer emerge from shiny limousines and stroll down a red carpet into the combination eatery, movie museum and merchandiser.

For fans packed like coffee beans along the sidewalks, brushes with walking fame came in miniature doses: a glimpse here of Baldwin boy Billy, a peek there at a singing Bruce Willis, but no gander at Demi Moore, clothed or otherwise. She was a no-show.

Willis, sporting his new platinum-blond look, was unfazed by the screaming throng of onlookers, describing them as "well-behaved."

"We expected a much wilder crowd," he said.

Meanwhile, the crowd expected more stars.

"We wanted (Arnold) Schwarzenegger, we wanted Demi Moore, we wanted (Sylvester) Stallone, we wanted Cindy Crawford," said Jeff Beaudette, 32, of Seattle.

Still, it was a pretty incredible night, Beaudette admitted.

"Besides sports, when's the last time we had something as big as this?!"

Some of the fans had been waiting behind chain-link fences since midday to ensure prime viewing spots.

Most spectators, however, got only as close to the stars as their outstretched hands and imaginations could bring them.

But that was good enough for Lisa Riecks, 30, of Seattle. "It's nice just to be able to see what they look like in person," she said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

By the time Whoopi Goldberg and Willis walked down the red carpet, Riecks had been crammed against a fence for four hours.

Soon after Willis arrived, he climbed on a stage built in the middle of Sixth Avenue to perform an hour's worth of blues tunes backed by his band, the Accelerators. Kenny G and actor-sometimes-singer Don Johnson joined Willis.

The opening of Seattle's Planet Hollywood, the 33rd location in this 5-year-old worldwide chain of restaurants, is seen by many local observers as a symbol of rebirth for downtown's retail core.

Next year will see the development of several other projects in the Westlake Center area aimed at doing just that.

For example, Planet Hollywood's neighbor, The Original Levi's Store, also held grand-opening activities yesterday and NikeTown will July 13.

But with its theme rooms filled with film props and costumes once worn by the likes of Brad Pitt and Gloria Swanson, in addition to menu items like Cap'n Crunch Chicken, Planet Hollywood may take the prize for glitz appeal.

The Seattle restaurant, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, contains a bar for adults 21 and over, plus an all-ages dining-area.

Doors officially open to the public today after a 10:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Norm Rice and actor Billy Baldwin.