BUZZ CLUBS

Remembering two club vets

The scene took a tragic hit with the loss of club veteran Eric Weitzman, who died Dec. 29 in South Africa in an accident. The 36-year-old was vacationing in Cape Town. He was riding a motorcycle when the engine guard fell off, causing him to fall off the bike. Weitzman, a co-owner of Tokio in Hollywood, was then struck and killed by a car. “In an industry where owners are loved or hated, everybody loved Eric,” says Rick Calamaro, his partner in Star Management Group, a company that includes Tengu, Holly’s and Ivar, among other properties. Weitzman rose through the ranks by working for such heavyweights as Sean MacPherson, making his way from doorman to manager-owner. Funeral services are set for noon Friday at Mount Sinai Memorial Park. Friends paid tribute to Weitzman at the New Year’s Eve opening of Tengu Santa Monica.... And Akbar in Silver Lake, which just marked its 10th anniversary, is mourning former bartender Tony Estrada, 41, who died of cancer on Christmas Eve. Services were held Wednesday in Torrance. Memorials may be made to: AIDS Foundation Service, c/o Alan Witchey, 17982 Sky Park Circle, #J, Irvine, CA 92614.

Spending

like crazy

Hollywood revelers partied hearty on New Year’s Eve, seemingly happy to spend upwards of seven times more for covers and parking than they coughed up the night before. At the Gridlock LA event on the Paramount Pictures Studio Lot, where the ubiquitous Constance was among the celebrity greeters, Ashanti was among the beautiful people who zipped down the red carpet. Among the others enjoying the proceedings (and a live set by the Killers) were Tony Kanal of No Doubt, a very chatty Debra Wilson (ex-”Mad TV”) and Courtney Love. The event’s host, Carmen Electra, missed the midnight countdown, though....Love was among the lucky celebrators who sneaked into Hyde for some star-laden revelry. Among those who joined the Brent Bolthouse crew were Caroline Murphy, Marisa Tomei, Kelly Osbourne and Scarlett Johansson....Meanwhile, I brought my dancing partner, veteran publicist Steve Valentine, who tore it up with me and a multitude of Playboy bunnies at Area, Bolthouse’s smartly designed new nightclub at the old Gate. The retro-Palm Springs-styled spot also boasts the hottest working G.M. in town, Costas Charlambous, who is a dead ringer for Tony Montana’s right-hand man Manny Ribera.... Dancers were also out in full force at Avalon, where DJ Richard Vission provided pulsating beats, and at the Vanguard, where Deep’s DJs entertained a young crowd.

Vine Street shuttered

Down the boulevard, Vine Street Lounge owner Peter Zamani dropped a bomb in the heart of Hollywood -- he shuttered the venue after a sold-out New Year’s Eve performance by the Bomboras. Zamani wants to take the club in a different direction; talent buyer Ron Mesh and his ex-Viper Room crew had been bringing the live rock to Hollywood and Vine.... Meanwhile, A-List Eventz promoter J.D. Iriarte and Studio 54/Century Club owner Mark Fleischman had a soft opening New Year’s Eve for Tatou, their new spot at the former location of Prince’s Glam Slam nightclub in downtown L.A.....Charlie Paulson, the guitarist from Goldfinger, was working the door Sunday night at the hot punk bar Tiny’s K.O. in Hollywood. Inside, we spotted Shawn Stern from Youth Brigade, who was celebrating with a full posse of punks.... And you can raise a toast to Elvis on Saturday night as Joe Finkle and the 7/10 Splits headline a 72nd birthday celebration for the King at Universal Bar & Grill in NoHo. There will be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.

-- Heidi Siegmund Cuda