What, no one from Britny Fox was around?

The latest in rocker-owned bars opened Friday night, with The Playground’s Rock Room giving way to Dead Man’s Hand. The joint, co-owned by Scott Ian and Jerry Cantrell got things started Friday with Kerry Simon and — showing up late, as always — Phil Hellmuth in the crowd to hear John Dolmayan hit the stage.

Dolmayan did a brief set on the kit with his band Indicator before Scars on Broadway guitarist Franky Perez got on stage to kick out System of a Down’s “Lonely Day” and Scars’ “They Say.”

For the second night, it was The Starf**kers with the Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom and Teddy Andreadis, who played keyboards briefly for Guns ‘n Roses. Tera Patrick made the scene, as did former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, The Apprentice’s Omarosa, and poker pros Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Jeff Madsen and Casey Thompson. The full grand opening hasn’t been settled on, but it’s being targeted for later this year.

In just a few more weeks, Ian is going to take over DJ duties on Friday nights in December. This will make the average Friday night 80 percent more metal than your typical Friday evening of sitting at home catching up on How I Met Your Mother reruns.

By Jason Scavone

Scott Ian totally should have had a cameo on Deadwood. (Via Anthrax.com)

When you’re already playing guitar for Anthrax, playing pro poker for Ultimate Bet, writing a comic book and helping kick off the Hard Rock Cafe at new Yankee Stadium, why not go ahead and throw “opening a rock club” into the mix?

Scott Ian got together with longtime friend Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains to turn The Playground’s Rock Room into Dead Man’s Hand — which makes its soft opening Friday night. It kicks off with a performance from System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan and friends, then on Saturday brings up a comedy set from Buffet Jackson, Jason Harris and Brandon “Gooch” Hahn from 8 to 10 p.m. before supergorup The Starf**kers hits the stage. Poker pros Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Brandon Cantu and Joe Sebok are expected to be there, as are Vinnie Paul and Tera Patrick. After all that, Ian is going to be doing DJ sets on Friday nights in December.

We talked to die-hard Yankee fan Ian, who did a performance at the Stadium Hard Rock with Ace Frehly in the spring, on the eve of Game 1 of the World Series when he was sweating the Bombers. Now that it’s 3-2 and headed back to the Bronx, we hope he’s not as anxious. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

It’s the perfect place to take the Time to get Caught in a Mosh if you’re full of H8 Red … Hy Pro Glo.

OK, seriously, we’re pretty sure it’s turning into a conspiracy. First Vince Neil opens up Feelgood’s on Sahara, then Sammy Hagar is bringing Cabo Wabo to the Miracle Mile Shops. Now Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell are teaming up to turn the Rock Room at The Playground into Dead Man’s Hand.

You can scoff all you want, but when you’re lining up in November to vote for Mayor Dave Mustaine on the Megadeth ticket, maybe then you’ll admit we had a point.

Cantrell and Ian will get up to do impromptu sets in the 200-person venue, which was just recently redone in the Playground’s overhaul to give it a lush, dark vibe. Alice in Chains, which put out its first new album since the 2002 death of frontman Layne Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue in September, will be at The Joint inside Hard Rock Cafe Dec. 11. If you’re planning on doing any Cantrell-spotting at Dead Man’s Hand, that’s a good date to have circled on your calendar.

By Jason Scavone

‘Ha ha ha! I scoff at your questions.’ (Photo by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Megan Hauserman sure is tall. And, um, blonde. Yep, tall and blonde that one.

Other than that, we really can’t tell you much about her. Hauserman was at The Playground Friday night to kick off Labor Day activities at the strip club/sushi joint/rock venue/nightclub/hookah bar/transmission shop and she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with answers to any questions about stuff anyone would possibly care about.

So Megan, we hear you might be getting a new TV show?

“I love being on TV and I love my fans and look forward to doing more television projects.”

OK. Is reality television something you want to continue on, or do you feel like you’ve exhausted what you can do there?

“Next question.”

How much time did you spend with Ryan Jenkins?

“Next question.”

OK. What other projects do you have in the future outside of television?

“Next question.”

Really? Really. She said something vague about modeling when pressed, but she wasn’t going any further than that. Something about contracts. All we know is if we were dating a murderer on television for a period of time, we would never stop telling everyone in the world about it. We’d work it into every conversation like a college freshman who just took their first philosophy class and is trying to prove to everyone how smart they are.

“So, do you think the Giants will be able to score this year without Burress?”

“Sure, they have some options at wideout. And it’s not like Plax murdered anyone. You know who did murder someone though?”

“Hey, did you see Inglourious Basterds yet?”

“You mean the movie all about murdering Nazis? Let me tell you a little something about murder …”

“Do you want pizza or Chinese for dinner?”

“MURDER!”

By Jason Scavone

More attractive to murderers than an unattended playground.

Well, this should be fun for fans of train-wreck reality TV. Megan Hauserman, of the cut-down-in-its-prime Megan Wants a Millionaire and before that I Love Money, Rock of Love, Charm School and Beauty and the Geek (about the only reality show she hasn’t done is Dance Your Ass Off), will be at The newly renovated Playground tonight to kick off their Labor Day festivities. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Musician, or trucker with a harmonica? (Via myspace.com/chuckragan)

California’s Chuck Ragan hits up the Rock Room at The Playground tonight with The Core and Left Standing. He’s an acoustic-y guy, so the chances of your hearing an authentic “Billie Jean” cover in tribute are pretty slim. There’s probably going to be some kind of Michael Jackson tribute installed somewhere, and we just hope it takes the form of a light-up sidewalk. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

At the Playground like Another Bad Creation.

Goodbye Penthouse Club, hello Playground.

The 40,000-square-foot complex on Russell Road is making itself over as one-stop nightlife shopping with four distinct rooms in the pleasure palace. The Rock Room for live music and Obsession for afterhours clubbing have been in place for several weeks now. The strip club is repositioning itself as Crazy Horse III, and Chef Bruce Lee’s Sushi All Night offers sushi, er, all night.

We sincerely hope the idea takes off and that more restaurants and entertainment venues decide to bring a strip club into the mix. You’ve got to admit, it would really shake things up at Fleur de Lys.

Crazy Horse III will feature access to the VIP room with the purchase of one cocktail and they’ll have a daily open bar from 3 to 9 p.m. for locals with food by Don Antonio’s Pizzeria. Sushi All Night will frun from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. You know, in case you get a hankerin’ for breakfast sushi.

By Jason Scavone