CELEBRITY picks

WHO: Colin Powell

WHERE: Southern Methodist University for The Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series

PICKS: General Powell chose the discreet Mansion on Turtle Creek where he registered under an assumed name. His arrival and departure at sunrise ran with military precision, says Jeff Trigger, the hotel’s managing director, and the General insisted on carrying his own luggage.

WHO: José Eber

WHERE: His newly-remodeled salon on Preston Road

PICKS: Practically a Dallasite since he comes here once a month to visit his salon, José calls The Stoneleigh Hotel home during his stays. He’s delighted and amused by the different personalities of the city from the “chichi” social set to the cross-dressing crowd.

WHO: Robin Williams

WHERE: The Mansion on Turtle Creek

PICKS: While in town for Governor Ann Richards’ 60th birthday celebration, Williams stayed at The Mansion on Turtle Creek. His dessert choice one night was the Coconut Spring Roll Cheesecake served with lemongrass ice milk and topped with fried cocoa rice noodles. Leave it to the imagination of Robin Williams to hoist his dessert plate into the air, transforming it into a UFO manned by the curly noodle-topped cheesecake alien, complete with Williams-esque sound effects. Mansion managing director Jeff Trigger loved it.

WHO: Vanna White

WHERE: The State Fair of Texas for the tap ing of “The Wheel of Fortune” at the Starplex Amphitheatre

PICKS: Chuy’s, Neiman Marcus, The Dallas Arboretum, and Billy Bob’s Fort Worth all reported Vanna sightings. Vanna loves our hospitality-guess that means we get an “H.” Co-host Pat Sajak says, “I go to these restaurants [in Dallas] and you’d think you’d see all these 10-gal- lon hats and boots, [but] mostly it’s men and women in their business clothes and it looks like I’m the only one with the boots and the shirt.”