There were queues of people waiting over an hour and a half for a table at Planet Hollywood last Saturday, so you can imagine the mayhem that's going to break out tomorrow when the very famous owners of the restaurant (or "entertainment complex", according to their answering machine message) arrive for the official opening. Apparently, the PH management want the event to be "something for all the people of Ireland", so they're holding it outdoors, shutting down the west side of Stephen's Green in the process. The guest list is impressive, but then the hosts are pretty impressive - when you receive an invitation informing you that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and sundry film producers would like you to come to their party, it would seem a little churlish to refuse.
Actor William Baldwin, who is one of the chain's celebrity shareholders, is coming over for the party, as is the lovely Gerard Depardieu. Bob Geldof will be there; so too singer Lisa Stansfield and actor Chris O'Donnell. Of course there are endless rumours about who else will turn up - the boys from U2, the Gallagher lads, George Clooney, Cindy Crawford and Lord Lucan all hotly tipped.
Any Josephine Soap can show up for the event, giving everybody a chance to be sold some merchandise by the Fab Five from 7.30 p.m. onwards. Don't expect them to be there signing autographs for too long though - they will have just flown in from Rome, where they're opening another restaurant today, and no doubt will be looking forward to relaxing inside the Dublin venue with their friends - and 500 liggers.