Planet Hollywood
By Tim Bullard

When Bruce Willis comes to Myrtle Beach, he sure knows how to throw a party.

The stars fell out of the sky on the Grand Strand when Planet Hollywood and the Official All-Star Cafe, located next door off U.S. 17 Bypass at 29th Ave. South, teamed up for a grand opening Sunday, April 14.

Women swooned over Patrick Swayze, who attributed his success and longevity to his wife, Lisa. Monica Seles was followed by a covey of musclebound lifeguards, her rear covered with no breach in security. Will Smith did the shag with Dan Cortese, former UNC football star, on stage. Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Party of Five") tossed caps into the crowd.

Andre Agassi, sans Brooke Shields, married his flame a few weeks after the opening. Joe Montana faked the crowd out, aiming a pigskin toss toward one side of the throng, but rifling it to the opposite side.

There was Luke Perry, who attended a ribbon-cutting with Tiger Woods at the Cafe the next day, and other Cafe supporters Ken Griffey Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Seles and Agassi.

Woods cut the ribbon with Myrtle Beach Mayor Bob Grissom the day after the young pro golfer captured the Masters in record-setting fashion. "It's kind of a trip right now," Woods told a crowd of fans. "I'm still on cloud nine from yesterday. I tell you one thing though, I don't know how many of you are golfers out there. To be honest with you guys, yesterday was a great moment for myself. But when I knew that I had won the tournament is when I hugged my mom and pop. As you probably saw on TV, I just lost it and started crying big-time. It was an amazing day. My jacket? Oh, I slept with it last night. It never left me. It's kind of interesting because when I was walking up 18, I had a whirl of emotions going through me that I won."

The Cafe features Arnold Palmer's autographed golf club, Babe Ruth's Yankees "Old Timers" silver pitcher, Billie Jean King's tennis racquet, Bing Crosby's autographed jacket from the Pebble Beach Golf Pro-Am, Joe Frazier's boxing trunks and robe, Richard Petty's autographed helmet, a Tiger Woods section, Troy Aikman's autographed helmet, Seles' autographed racquet from the 1996 Australian Open, Terry Labonte's apparel, Shaquille O'Neal's L.A. Lakers jersey, Griffey's equipment, Wayne Gretzky's hockey stick and game ticket from the game in which he tied Gordie Howe's NHL record of 801 career goals along with other memorabilia.

Restaurateur Robert Earl of Orlando, Florida, began the chain, when he took over the Hard Rock Cafe on Times Square, December 14, 1995. On December 14, 1996, the Las Vegas location opened. Earl is the son of British singer Robert Earl. Other locations include Atlantic City, Melbourne, Orlando, Chicago, Southfield, Mich., Atlanta and Miami. The 43rd venue of the chain, Planet Hollywood Myrtle Beach opened in Horry County on Friday, Nov. 22, 1996, five years after the first Planet Hollywood (New York). Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m seven days a week. Principal shareholders include Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Batman"), Whoopi Goldberg, Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, film producer Keith Barish ("The Fugitive") and restaurateur Robert Earl.

Seating 360, the 16,020 square feet restaurant features three themed dining rooms and a mezzanine bar area with a rippling wall of bubbling blue water. There's the Sci-Fi Room and the Adventure Room. Look for the Munsters' costumes, Audrey Hepburn's black kid leather boots from "My Fair Lady," the antique Porsche driven by Perry in "Beverly Hills 90210," Ginger's beaded dress from "Gilligan's Island" and an aerial mobile featuring craft from "Independence Day."

Love Hewitt returned in May to donate a large fish hook from the horror movie she just filmed in Wilmington, and Billy Baldwin donated an starcraft model from his sci-fi thriller "Virus." "An alien life form lives in the engine of this droid," Baldwin said. The crew of a tugboat finds refuge on board a Soviet research vessel whose crew has been annihilated by an alien life form. The droid has about 60 moving parts and was created by Steve Johnson's XFX Team.

Even before it opened, Planet Hollywood allowed its wait personnel to practice during a charity event that helped raise more than $10,000 for the United Way of Horry County. The staff dressed up in 60's garb for the opening weekend of "Austin Powers."

The restaurant boom continued in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, May 4 as The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and John Goodman) and James Brown kicked off the grand opening of The House of Blues at Barefoot Landing.

Earlier this year Gov. David Beasley attended the sneak preview of NASCAR Cafe, which attracted Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and others to the venue off U.S. 17 Bypass across from Broadway At The Beach, site of the Hard Rock Cafe and an IMAX Theatre.

In June Ripley's Sea Aquarium at Broadway At The Beach opened its $36 million attraction with sharks, moray eels, pirhana and exotic tropical animals with 74,000 square feet, a $1.5 million research facility for acclimation and 600,000 gallons of water.