In 2005, a vigorous then-88-year-old Kirk Kerkorian talked about his mean tennis game. But has the multibillionaire slowed any since?

In a rare public appearance last week, the Beverly Hills 91-year-old used a little assistance as he walked through a Los Angeles federal courtroom to get to the witness stand. He was alert as he gave 30 minutes of testimony in the wiretapping conspiracy case against his longtime attorney and friend Terry Christensen.

But Kerkorian is a bit hard of hearing. He asked both the prosecution and defense lawyers to speak louder. Before ending her questioning, Century City defense attorney Patricia Glaser asked Kerkorian to look over documents from his child support case with ex-wife Lisa Bonder Kerkorian. Kerkorian said, “Patty, you know my eyes aren’t that good.”

But federal court Judge Dale Fischer let Kerkorian know he wasn’t alone. “It’s hard for me to read,” Fischer said. “It’s not just him.”

Massage Man

Johnny Ray Nelson, who in 2003 survived the harrowing crash of an airplane into his Fairfax District apartment building, says that the last five years of his life have been like the title character’s life in the film “Forrest Gump.”

“Forrest’s whole life, things just fell on him and he made the best of everything and everything worked out just fine in the end,” said Nelson, a massage therapist, who was giving a massage when the plane struck his building.

Nelson said that he visited El Salvador after the accident and was lucky that a blind healer worked to rehabilitate him over several months. “I was rejuvenated, physically, spiritually and mentally.”

After returning home, Nelson worked to create his business, Cari & #324;o Massage Beverly Hills, which he opened last fall.

“I am very optimistic,” he said.

Gas Giveaway

With $4-and-change gasoline a reality, a local video game developer has come up with a timely promotion for its new game. Pandemic Studios will be giving away free gas Aug. 29 at a local station.

The promotion is for “Mercenaries 2: World in Flames,” which involves the story of a mercenary who is running free in a war-torn Venezuela. The country’s oil supply is of paramount importance to the plot, according to Josh Resnick, president of Pandemic.

“Venezuela has been in the news for some controversial energy policy,” Resnick said. “Gas is at record prices in the U.S., and in Venezuela they are practically giving it away for free.”

Pandemic will have actors dressed up as mercenaries to pump gas at the station. The company didn’t want the location revealed for fear of a deluge of people.

For his part, Resnick said he’s pretty good at

“Mercenaries 2,” but admits he won’t be as good as some of the buyers of the game when it comes out.

“I’ve been in the industry for 15 years and what I’ve learned is once you put out a game, within days there will be thousands of players who are better.”

Staff reporter Alexa Hyland contributed to this column. Daniel Miller can be reached at [email protected].