Tag Archives: celebrities

Holly Madison Goes Goo-Goo Ga-Ga over Candy Necklaces in Las Vegas

Former Hugh Hefner flame, reality TV beauty and Las Vegas “Peepshow” star Holly Madison will unveil her new line of candy necklaces at the Sugar Factory inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Friday, May 21 at 5 p.m. 

 A longtime Sugar Factory fam, Madison approached the confection company to collaborate on a signature version of her favorite sweet treat, the candy necklace. 

Madison will be filming the candy necklace launch for her new E! reality TV series, “Holly’s World.” 

Sugar Factory isn’t your average sweet spot. The brand has made confections part of popular culture and has turned sweets into the latest designer accessory. Sugar Factory’s signature Couture Pop collections have already hit the red carpets in the hands of celebrities at major events in Miami, Los Angeles, New York City and Las Vegas. 

Kim Kardashian, the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears are now endorsing their very own Couture Pops, and are just part of the buzz that has made Sugar Factory a national media sensation in People, OK!, Us Weekly, In Touch Weekly, NBC’s “Today” show and more. 

The Sugar Factory offers everyone an opportunity for a sweet escape. For more information please visit www.SugarFactory.com.

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Entertainment & Exercise Collide in AIDS Walk in Las Vegas on April 25

Entertainment and exercise collide for a good cause at the 20th annual AIDS Walk Las Vegas on April 25.

The event, starring Penn & Teller as grand marshals, gets under way at 8 a.m. at the World Market Center.

The illusionists once again challenge the 8,000 or so walkers to take their “Team Challenge,” vowing to match all donations. Last year, P&T raised more than $120,000, and the entire walk raised about $550,000.

Cher’s director and choreographer, Doriana Sanchez, will perform at this year’s event, as will Peepshow’s Josh Strickland, and DJ Axis.

The walk, AFAN’s largest fundraiser, helps support those infected with HIV and AIDS in Southern Nevada.

Although registration is free, a minimum donation of $35 per person is encouraged. It includes an official AIDS Walk Las Vegas T-shirt. Afanlv.org

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Marilyn Monroe’s Bust on Las Vegas Casino Auction Block

It may be one of the most famous busts in the world, and Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood Casino & Hotel is offering fans a unique chance to snap up a picture of Marilyn Monroe’s chest as they’ve never seen it before.

A rare X-ray of the iconic film star’s torso will be going up for auction at the casino resort this summer. 

The radiograph was originally taken in November 1954 at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Florida as the ‘Some Like it Hot’ star underwent surgery for a condition of the womb called endometriosis.  One entrepreneurial young doctor decided to keep the scan as a souvenir, later passing it on to his daughter who decided to put it up for sale at the vintage Hollywood-themed Vegas casino.  So much for patients’ rights…

Other memorabilia owned by the star, who passed away at the age of 36 in 1962, which will go up for auction at Planet Hollywood on June 26 include her therapy couch, a pair of skis bearing the initials “MM,” and a bottle of her Chanel No5 perfume.

Certainly, the film star’s cult following will ensure that there is no shortage of interest when the auction takes place later this summer, and Monroe fans from across the globe are expected to flock to Planet Hollywood to take home, if lucky, a little piece of sexy cinema history.

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Kim Kardashian Bares All- Naturally!

Kim Kardashian just loves showing up for red carpets and partying in Las Vegas, especially Jet nightclub in The Mirage– that is unless she’s got a better offer to take it all off! 

If you’ve ever wanted to see Kim Kardashian au natural, you’re in for a treat.  She stripped down totally nude for a photo shoot that is in the May 2010 issue of women’s magazine Harper’s Bazaar. 

The photo is untouched, i.e., there’s no airbrushing involved. It seems this is becoming a Hollywood trend. Jessica Simpson recently did it for Marie Claire and Brittney Spears released both an airbrushed and untouched photo of herself for a Candies ad.  But Kardashian trumps them because she was totally nude.  Who knew celebs wanted us to feel better about ourselves and let us know it’s ok to be au natural? 

The jet-setting Kardashian likes taking it off in other ways, too.  Last week the former Playboy model, 29, was spotted making out with Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, 25, in a top restaurant after she watched him play for Spanish team Real Madrid. Then, after dining, she quickly followed Ronaldo to his mansion and discretely disappeared for a few hours. 

But that was last week. Yesterday, shortly after her long and luxurious Beverly Hills mani/pedi, Kardashian headed to LAX and is en route to Australia- as she excitedly tweeted earlier today: “Australia here we come!!!!”  Who knows what new mischief she’ll be getting into…?

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Pamela Anderson’s Terrible Plight

What’s that saying about all that glitters?   Pamela Anderson (her photo serving food to the needy is on our Las Vegas Backstage Access masthead), who was once a regular celebrity fixture at Las Vegas nightspots and ex-girlfriend to Tommy Lee, has largely vacated the  nightclub scene. Now we may know why… 

News of Pamela Anderson’s ever-worsening financial situation is upstaging news of a possible “Dancing with the Stars” comeback, as details about her tax bill have come to light.   

In one of the most alarming reports yet for the blond bombshell (and that’s saying something), the state of California announced this week that Anderson owes a whopping $493,000 in delinquent income taxes.  

Rumors about Anderson’s financial woes are nothing new. About six months ago, reports surfaced claiming that Anderson owed over $1 million to contractors she’d hired to renovate her Malibu, California home.   

Anderson countered by saying her lawyers were “reviewing the work done” to investigate the possibility of unfair bills, and that while she was indeed the subject of tax liens to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, she was still ”financially secure.” She even waxed rhapsodic about her temporary digs, a double-wide trailer at the beach.  

Reports have called Anderson’s chipper claims into question, as have a number of unglamorous appearances she’s been making as of late. A few months ago, she made a promotional appearance at a Pennsylvania Rite-Aid to hawk her new fragrance, Malibu. In February, she pitched her products to shoppers at a Southern California Sears. Last week, she attended the “launch” of a milkshake.  

But, for now, she still has “Dancing” to keep her busy. Anderson recently took to her Facebook page to rave about how transformative her stint on the ABC show has been.  

“I feel like I’ve gone from ‘Baywatch’ to this,” she gushed. “The last 15 years have just disappeared (in some respects).”

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Company Kitchen & Pub Morphs into Las Vegas Lounge

Pure Management Group has announced its intention to convert Company Kitchen & Pub House at the Luxor in Las Vegas into Company Lounge, “a casual nightlife venue.” 

This is the second such change for the 11,000 square-foot venue, which opened in November 2007 as Company American Bistro. Originally helmed by Chef Adam Sobel (formerly of Restaurant Guy Savoy, currently executive chef of RM Seafood), the über-chic, ski lodge-inspired venue’s opening celebrity investor lineup included such Hollywood luminaries as Nick Lachey, Nicky Hilton and Wilmer Valderrama. Following Chef Sobel’s March 2008 departure—as well as that of Top Chef’s foam-of-famer Marcel Vigneron—Company briefly shut down to transform into the more approachable, American tapas iteration. 

A PMG representative reports that the Company Lounge schedule has cut back from the resto’s Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m.-late, to just “Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings.”

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Hugh Hefner Hangs On (Trys!) for 84th Birthday in Las Vegas

Hugh Hefner, aka The Hef, will turn 84 this week, and now has one helluva 23-year-old “keeper” girlfriend to help celebrate his birthday in Las Vegas at the Playboy towers in the Palms Casino Resort.   

“I am in a very good relationship with a young lady named Crystal Harris,” Hefner said, beaming. “She’s a keeper.”

Crystal Harris looks like many of  the other women that Hefner has dated over the years.  Harris appeared in the December 2009 issue of Playboy.  To see Harris’ website, click here

Hefner will celebrate his birthday on April 9, emphatically says, “I will defintitely not be celibate– I’ll be celebrating.”    

Hefner found the nudie rich Playboy magazine in 1953 and has a reputation for dating several women at a time; though, when he was married for eight years, he emphasized monogamy. 

“I’ve never thought in terms of quantity, but more in terms of quality.” 

The Playboy King recently made news when he formally invited the President to the Playboy Mansion.  No word if the Prez is considering.

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ShoWest Brings A-Listers, Galas to Las Vegas

The statistic is mind-blowing:  Over $4 billion in ticket sales for Warner Bros. alone from its 2009 worldwide box office.   In the U.S. alone, the company raked in more than $2 billion. The staggering numbers were revealed recently when ShoWest announced that it will present the Achievement Award to the company at the final night’s banquet and awards ceremony March 18 as the four-day convention wraps up at Bally’s and Paris in Las Vegas. 

A huge number of A-list movie stars not only representing Warner’s upcoming films, but many celebrities and executives from other movies as well.  Expect award parties daily, starting March 15. 

Film awardees already announced: Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer, who will be awarded Showest’s Stars of Tomorrow.  Katherine Heigel, right, is being tapped as Female Star of the Year.  Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.   Sam Worthington will be vetted as Male Star of the Year.   Many, many more will be honored at the Las Vegas movie convention.

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Poker Pros & Celebrities Compete in Las Vegas on Saturday

Sat., March 6, starting at 10 a.m., celebrities and poker pros will mingle at Caesars Palace to play poker for NBC’s Heads-Up Poker Championship.  Slated to play are Don Cheadle, Orel Hershiser, Jennifer Tilly, Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chen, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu.  

You’re welcome to get out of bed early and try to see the spectacle on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Celebrity Shenanigans in Las Vegas

Lindsay Lohan is apparently back to her vintage shenanigan ways again, this time heading to Milan for fashion week when she had previously committed to hosting a club night Saturday at Las Vegas hotspot Pure nightclub.

The thrill-a-minute ditzy Lohan abruptly canceled her appearance at the club on the day of Saturday’s planned event, with no explanation to anyone, and was later spotted and photographed in Milan. 

Though Lohan may have stealthily skipped out from her Las nightclub engagement, still Sin City got a double dose of star-power on Saturday night when Mariah Carey and Ciara appeared at Haze Nightclub. Mariah was presented with a huge tiered cake after wrapping her Angels Advocate  tour at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, while Ciara hosted the evening at the ARIA Hotel & Casino hotspot at CityCenter, singing along to her hits “Goodies” and “Oh.”

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Eva Longoria Parker’s new nightclub in Las Vegas, Eve, to host birthday celebration for DJ Hollywood tonight

D.J. Hollywood will hit the turntables to kick-off the weekly event in celebration of industry’s A-list tonight, Jan. 6, with a birthday celebration at Eva Langoria Parker’s new nighclub, Eve, located in the new CityCenter, for DJ Hollywood.  

Eve is planning a celebrity event each Wednesday throughout the year. 

Those with local Nevada ID will receive complimentary cover and other select offerings, such as specials on bottle service. 

Eve envelopes guests in ultimate luxury with lavish VIP booths, floor-to-ceiling windows and 50-foot-tall arched ceilings that accentuate the glamorous interior. One-of-a kind colossal video screens surrounding the dance floor are a striking, state-of-the art feature unique to Eve alone. Renowned DJs and a premium sound and lighting system make Eve the ultimate nightclub to dance the night away. 

Eve is located above Longoria Parker’s celebrated restaurant, Beso, on the second level of Crystals at CityCenter at the entrance at The Park across from ARIA. Parking is conveniently located at the Crystals valet. Eve is open to Wednesday through Saturday at 10 p.m., and cover is $30 for men and $20 for women. Ladies with local ID will receive complimentary admission, excluding special events. For more information about Eve, visit the website at www.evethenightclub.com.

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Sean “Diddy” Combs to Open Las Vegas Nightclub

Sean “Diddy” Combs is about to open a new nightclub in Las Vegas.  Well, at least he’s going to help open one. 

“(The) Hard Rock is opening a club and I’m supposed to be opening up that new club for them,” so says the versatile artist. 

The new nightspot, Vanity, is set to open on New Year’s Eve. 

Still, the rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy won’t necessarily be at the Hard Rock when the ball drops on 2010. 

Instead, he said he is scheduled to host a day or two after the grand opening celebration, on or around Jan. 2. 

Still, he may very well be there at the Hard Rock on NYE. 

Maybe. 

“I may be out here, I may be shooting a television special,” he teased, adding with a smile, “I can’t give you any more details, that’s breaking news.” 

Still, it’s pretty safe to say Puffy is planning to party somewhere in Las Vegas on Dec. 31. 

The hip-hop heavyweight is no stranger to the Las Vegas club scene and likely has a litany of lucrative hosting offers on the table for New Year’s Eve. 

“I’m the Black Sinatra,” he said. “I’m supposed to be out here.” 

It wasn’t always this way for the rapper/actor/producer/fashion designer/fragrance developer/father/vodka czar.  Whew! 

“I used to come to Vegas maybe once every other year,” the outspoken 40-year-old icon said. “I’ve been out here already four times this year … This is the most I’ve been out here.”

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Ex-Madam Heidi Fleiss Back on Top- Again!

Las Vegas Backstage Access has written many times on the illustrious Heidi Fleiss.

Now, the ex-Madam Heidi Fleiss is back in the news again, and pretty much for the same reason she always made news, selling sex. 

This time however, her source of income is the airing of an HBO special about, Heidi Fleiss’ Stud Farm, her latest sex for money venture in Las Vegas – where anything is legal- well, er…almost.                                                       

Now, fresh off her inpatient drug treatment program stint on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab 2” with Dr. Drew Pinsky, in September Fleiss was sentenced to three years probation on felony drug charges stemming from her February ’08 arrest in Pahrump, a rural town 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas.

She needs to stay out of trouble, and away from drugs, through 2012.   She promised she would.

The former Hollywood Madam, 43, plans to leave her home in Pahrump and her many birds in January to be on the show, which is in its last season. It was announced in August that Britain’s Channel 4 would pull the plug on the series due to low viewer ratings. 

District Judge John Davis in Pahrump cleared her earliery in the week to travel to London early January for a paid appearance on the reality television show. 

This will be her second appearance on a reality television show, unless you count all of the times her real life has landed her on televison.

Fleiss told the Review-Journal that she was to be paid $10,000 per episode, money she needs as her most recent endeavor, a dog grooming shop in Las Vegas, is apparently all washed up. 

She continues to draw a paycheck from a laundromat she owns in Pahrump called Dirty Laundry. 

Fleiss originally achieved notoriety through her part in an illegal prositution ring in Hollywood, claiming she made in excess of $10 millon a year which involved high profile celebrities, drugs, and all the other assorted benefits of life down under. 

As for her latest venture, there is not much news as to how many episodes HBO will run, or the business end of the deal either.

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The Venetian & The Palazzo Welcomes the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s 5th annual Carnivale du Vin Saturday night in Las Vegas

The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas welcome the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s 5th annual Carnivale du Vin charity event this Saturday evening, Nov. 14. 

Ranked by Wine Spectator as a “Top Ten U.S. Charity Wine Auction,” the Carnivale du Vin celebration brings together the best in celebrity chefs and winemakers who serve a once-in-a-lifetime dinner to esteemed sponsors and guests. This group showcases its passion through unique culinary pairings with the season’s finest offerings. 

Held at the Venetian, the festive night will feature a live auction with rare wines and unique travel and lifestyle experiences as well as musical entertainment by the Neville Brothers. 

Ticket prices are $1,000 each and may be purchased online at www.venetian.com or by calling The Venetian Box Office at 702-414-7470. 

Celebrities expected to attend the event include: Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Michael Mina, Bradley Ogden, Kerry Simon, Charlie Palmer, Joe Bastianich, Karina Smirnoff, Rob Goldstein, Sammy Hagar, and the Neville Brothers. 

If you would like a pro article on this event, interview coverage and/or pro photography, please leave us a note responding to this announcement and someone from Las Vegas Backstage Access will be back to you promptly.

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Singer Toni Braxton & Hubby Splitting Up?

Soul singer and frequent Las Vegas performer Toni Braxton has reportedly split from her husband Keri Lewis after eight years of marriage. ToniBraxtonKeriLewis

The couple has two children, seven year old Denim and Diezel, six. 

The split news, reported by Essence.com, comes as the Unbreak My Heart singer faces the prospect of losing her home after she allegedly defaulted on her mortgage payments. 

The singer owes more than $12,500 on her mansion in Century City, California and officials at the Bank of America are now looking to foreclose on the property, according to TMZ.com. 

The news comes just a week after it was revealed that Braxton is facing a lawsuit from bosses at another financial institution, City National Bank, who claim the star owes them $900,000 in loan payments. 

Braxton has been facing financial difficulties ever since she scrapped a series of Las Vegas concerts in 2008 after she was hospitalised with a reported heart problem. She is currently embroiled in a legal battle with her insurance company, after the firm refused to pay out on the axed shows.

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Actress Eva Longoria Parker Shows Her Stuff on Stripper Pole

Actress and frequent Las Vegas partier Eva Longoria Parker gave comedian pal and Las Vegas imbiber George Lopez a thrill of a lifetime on his new late-night TV show on Monday– by slithering seductively on a stripper pole! EvaLangoriaParker

The Desperate Housewives star told Lopez she’d show off the pole dancing skills that Carmen Electra had taught her if the pilot of his programme, Lopez Tonight!, got picked up. 

And when the Latino funnyman debuted on Monday, sure enough sexy Longoria Parker fulfilled her promise. 

Dressed in a sparkly black mini-dress and sporting a new blonde look, the actress shrieked when she realised Lopez had a pole set up on his stage, insisting she wasn’t dressed appropriately, joking, “You’re gonna see my hoo-ha.” 

But the game actress made a valiant attempt, revealing it was more successful than the one she had tried at home on St. Valentine’s Day. 

“Carmen Electra is a friend of mine and she has these stripper poles that she sells, so she sent me a stripper pole for Valentine’s,” said Parker. 

“I set it up myself… and I was trying to do the sexy dance for Valentine’s and I got on it to swing and I went `whack’ and I fell, so I never really got to do it.” 

Proving that her business skills are just as finely honed as her slick pole dancing abilities, the actress plans to follow her upcoming promotional TV campaign with Dutch beer giants Heineken, by launching her second Mexican eatery, Beso, in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve 2010 and then branch out the yummy brand to airports across America, starting with L.A.’s LAX. 

Her first Beso restaurant was opened in Los Angeles in 2008.

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“Burglar of the Stars” Nabbed in Las Vegas

Rachel Lee, pictured on far right, the woman believed to be the kingpin of a burglary ring that targeted high profile celebrities was arrested in Las Vegas last Thursday on arrest warrants from California. RachelLee

Police say Lee can be seen on surveillance video burglarizing Lindsay Lohan’s posh California home. They also say she’s the mastermind behind several burglaries of Hollywood Hills homes, including celebrity vicitims Rachel Bilson and socialite, supreme LasVegas partier Paris Hilton. 

Las Vegas Metro Police found her at her father’s home on the northwest side of the valley. Police searched that house and found several items that were stolen from homes in Los Angeles, including high-end jeans and photographs of one of the victims. 

Lee is now facing charges in Las Vegas of possessing stolen property and charges of burglary in Los Angeles.

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Kim Kardashian’s Latest Dashin’ in Las Vegas Exploits

If you haven’t heard the latest scuttlebutt, now OLD Kim Kardashian brought her merry friends and happy-go-lucky dysfunctional family to the Tao nightclub in the Venetian in Las Vegas to celebrate her 29th birthday on October 16.  Yep, she’s a certified oldster now. KimKardashian

Reportedly, the reality-tv star and fashion icon is having some second- and even third thoughts – about turning the big two-nine.    Shhhhh.  Could it be that the pre-thirty angst is more about the Kardashian sisters becoming grown-ups rather than sorrow over losing their terrible twenties?  Oh my.  

Older sis Kourtney is expecting her first child in December.  Younger sis Khloe recently married Las Angeles Laker Lamar Odom.    So what will the future hold for Kim?  Stay tuned to Las Vegas Backstage Access.

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Celebrity Involvement Fuels Las Vegas’ 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction

Some serious celebrity star power will fuel excitement at the 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Collector Car Auction  (link for schedule and info) in Las Vegas starting on Oct. 7, preceeded first by a road rally at 1:30 p.m. down the Las Vegas Strip before arriving at the event headquarters at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. 

Bruce Willis and Don Johnson will sell vehicles from their private collections; and the “Father of the Mustang,” Lee Iacocca, will provide an exclusive chance to own one of only 45 limited edition Ford Mustangs. In a special charity auction, legendary TV host Jay Leno will sldo donate proceeds from the sale of a one-of-a kind Yamaha motorcycle to Bailey’s Café, an arts education program based in Brooklyn, NY. 

Ranging from a Lincoln Limousine used during the filming of “Die Hard,” to a powerful off-road SUV, a total of six vehicles from the celebrities will all sell at a No Reserve auction from Oct. 7 through 10. 

Because no collector car auction in Las Vegas would be complete without a nod to the “King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley fans will also have the chance to own a race car used in the iconic 1964 motion picture, “Viva Las Vegas.” 

Bruce Willis, action movie star and one of Hollywood’s most recognizable leading men, will sell his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 and 1988 Lincoln Limousine.  The Copper Maroon 1967 Corvette convertible (Lot #659.3) features a powerful 427 c.i.d., 435 horsepower Tri-Power engine with a 4-speed manual transmission. Tri-Power ‘Vettes are considered by many collectors to be some of the most collectible versions of the celebrated American sports car. Willis purchased the car in El Paso, Texas, while filming “Last Man Standing.” He later shipped the car to Sun Valley, Idaho, to enjoy during summer trips.  Also a convertible, the black on black 1968 Pontiac Firebird (Lot #659.2) hails from Willis’ hometown of Penns Grove, N.J., where he used to drive to and from the Jersey Shore with his father. Originally used to take Willis to the set of his TV series “Moonlighting,” his dark blue 1988 Lincoln Limousine (Lot #659.1) was also used during the filming of the blockbuster movie, “Die Hard.” 

Lee Iacocca, known as the “Father of the Mustang,” presented the Ford Mustang to the world during a dramatic press conference at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. During his time as Ford Division president and general manager, Iacocca made the Mustang a household name. Now, Iacocca is selling one of the most anticipated limited edition versions of this iconic classic, the No. 5 Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang (Lot #3000). 

Jay Leno, one of the most popular TV hosts and stand-up comedians in the country, and one of the world’s most ardent car and motorcycle collectors, will sell his Yamaha Star V-Max motorcycle (Lot #761.1) to benefit Bailey’s Café (www.baileyscafe.org) The educational program based in Brooklyn, NY, uses poetry, theater, video, writing, music, dance, cooking and fine arts to build community and inter-generational understanding and respect in inner-city neighborhoods.

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Celebrity Birthday Party Soirees Galore in Las Vegas This Weekend

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash was in Las Vegas Friday headlining the 20th anniversary birthday party at The Mirage, dubbing the event” Slash and Friends.” The axeman’s so-called friends included fellow GNR bandmate Matt Sorum and previously-mentioned fellow drummer Tommy Lee; Hole’s unladylike leading lady, Courtney Love; Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry; Maroon 5 hottie Adam Levine; Pussycat Dolls’ stunner Nicole Scherzinger; musician/screenwriter Rob Zombie; Led Zeppelin drummer Jason Bonham; and Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. What’s more, Keifer Sutherland served as master of (the star-studded) ceremonies. 

Whew, try saying all that in one breath- and we’re just getting started…

 If club hopping and spotting celebrities are your cup of tea, don’t forget to check out Her Greatness, the inimitable Paris Hilton as she graces Body English, the nightclub at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel.  This is THE favorite Las Vegas nightclub for Hilton, but don’t expect to spot her until around 11 p.m. – a gaggle of cackling groupies are a sure-fire sign of her presence. 

Hilton watchers will remember the mini firestorm that erupted about a month ago when a local gossip columnist suggested the scandal-prone heiress was “wasted” at Wasted Space via Twitter. 

Sober, tipsy, wasted or otherwise, Hilton will ensure Saturday night is a smash as she hosts “Smashtime” at Body English, along with E! Personality and BE Saturday night resident Clinton Sparks. 

But if being in a state of mindless DJ bliss is your ticket, might want to head down tonight to the Rain nightclub at the Palms Casino around 10 p.m. as Paul Oakenfold presents Perfecto. 

However, then again, if you’re a firm believer that a wholesome family celebrity life can indeed happen in Las Vegas, then put on your swimming trunks and head over to the Wet Republic ultra pool at the MGM this afternoon as the terrible actress, poor singer, and the sister of Jessica, an escalating train wreck and wife to an annoying band member, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz turns 25 today, blowing the candles out on her paparazzi pie.

Yep, the C-list celebritybirthday party guests will most likely celebrate by spending time with husband Pete and cute son Bronx Mowgli today and her family; though we’d really rather she would hang out with an acting coach. 

That said, it’s pretty safe to say the senior Simpson sister’s ex, Nick Lachey, won’t be anywhere near Wet Republic or the sisters’ SPF this weekend – though he will be in town this weekend. 

Lachey, however, has been spotted in and around the Venetian/Palazzo (including at First Food and Bar on Thursday) and will likely stay on property, for the most part. What’s more: Lachey’s current flame Vanessa Minnillo is rumored to be with him. 

There are a lot of other notable Las Vegas birthday candles to blow out this weekend.

The Mirage is turning 20; PT’s, a local dive chain, is celebrating an amazing fog-filled 27 years; Tao is toasting its fourth birthday; and Lavo is about to mark a year of success and excess on the Strip. 

All these birthdays mean three things: Lots of cake and lots of candles — and lots of celebrities, too. 

Paris Hilton was also at the Vision Expo yesterday, promoting her new line of sunglasses at the Gripping Eyewear booth (#18103), but the blonde ambition’s endorse-a-palooza didn’t stop there: Hilton took her fashionable show down the street to the Hard Rock Hotel, where she strutted her stuff in a poolside fashion show.  You might think of Hilton as a real life Barbie– you can dress her up, but be very careful when and where you take her out. 

Today, the Vision Expo will be graced by rapper Pitbull who will take to the Revolution Eyewear booth at noon. Also at the Expo on Saturday will be PGA Tour golfer Kenny Perry, swing coach Matt Killen, and vision trainer Larry Lampert, who will be appearing n behalf of Transitions Optical (booth #10053). While the trio of golf pros will be chatting up Transitions lenses, they’ve also promised to share a few tips to help fans improve their golf game, too. 

Meanwhile, Mario Barth’s “Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth” also got under way on Friday, across the street from MGM at Mandalay Bay, with some 1,000 of the hottest tat artists. The three-day ink fest also features a sizeable collection of celebs, including Tommy Lee, Jack Osbourne, Mark McGrath, Evan Seinfeld, and Duff McKagen. 

Barth’s action will move to the Hard Rock on Saturday, where tattoo legend will co-host Inked magazine’s first annual Inked True Colors Awards, which will feature a special performance by The Bronx.  After that he and his entourage will likely move the party to New York-New York after the awards, however, as Beastie Boys DJ extraordinaire Mix Master Mike takes to the turntables at a tattoo show afterparty at Rok. 

While the Tao restaurant-nightclub has released the mile long list of confirmed guests for this evening’s four-year birthday party, everyone knows the place will be crawling with more celebrities and VIPs that what is listed. 

The big names on the list now include actress Amanda Bynes; actor Mekhi Phifer; Dr. Allison Cameron from “House,” aka Jennifer Morrison; and “Blade” vampire Stephen Dorff.  But it doesn’t end there, oh no… Aaron Paul, Adam Gregory, Amanda Righetti, Beth Ostrosky, Brandi Cibrian, Carson Kressley, Clifton Collins, Danielle Panabaker, Eva Amurri, Jason Kennedy, Jennifer Gimenez, Krysten Ritter, Patrick Sebes, Selita Ebanks, Spencer Grammer, Terrence Howard, and last but not least, Zachary Abel.

Naturally, the pre-released list of celebs attending the Tao party will likely serve as a mere starting point in terms of the who’s-who’s of the party. And, considering the plethora of stars in town this weekend, it’s not hard to imagine how much the guest list stands to grow by the end of the night.

 Meanwhile, at the MGM Grand tonight, AC/DC will entertain at the Grand Garden Arena.

 Another, though entirely different, Australian-born act will step into the spotlight tonight, too, however the second Down Under-born and bred show will go down at The Palms: Kylie Monogue will mark her return to North American soil and the North American stage tonight with a performance at the Pearl. 

A very different show will take place at Texas Station tonight, as all-American country superstar Randy Travis takes to the stage. 

Also, tonight, L.A. party boy Brent Bolthouse will bring the West coast party to Privé, where he will serve as guest DJ for the night. 

And as if the weekend’s worth of birthday bashes and anniversary soirées isn’t enough, there will be yet another blow-out on Sunday at The Bank.  Suffice to say those attending the tattoo show’s grand finale party on Sunday – yes, God doesn’t rest in Las Vegas – won’t be making it into the office first thing Monday morning: Dave Navarro is hosting the event, while DJ Skribble and DJ Slynkee will also contribute to the soundtrack.

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Jessica Biel to Climb Africa’s Highest Mountain

Actress Jessica Biel, a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, is apparently moving up in the world. The 27-year-old star has signed on to climb Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, in January to raise awareness for the need for clean water worldwide. JessicaBiel

She will be joined by singer Lupe Fiasco and actress Isabel Lucas, who will be going on the “Summit on the Summit” expedition, which is the brainchild of Biel’s friend, singer Kenna, whose father suffered from waterborne diseases in Ethiopia as a child.

“This is a basic human necessity that needs to be addressed now,” Biel said in a statement about her decision to climb the more than 19,000 feet to the mountain’s peak. 

According to the Associated Press, more celebrity climbers will be announced in the next few months.

The climb will also raise funds for the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and PlayPumps International.

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Former Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss Sentenced to Be Sober for Three Years

Las Vegas Backstage Access continues to follow the trials and tribulations of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.  Now we learn she has been sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of methamphetamine use and possession of painkiller hydrocodone without a prescription in Nye County, Nevada. 

Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, who is a resident in Nye County and has a residence just outside Pahrump, Nevada, received sentencing for a drug arrest. 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Heidi Fleiss, 43, was sentenced Tuesday in Pahrump to three years of probation and ordered to give up drugs, alcohol, and gambling. 

While on probation she is subject to random drug testing and must go through a court-mandated drug seminar. 

Ironically, she has completed a drug treatment as paid cast member on the VH-1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” which will air in 2010. 

Fleiss commented to press that she should not have any issues keeping the terms of her probation. Fleiss said, “Anything that’s going to keep me on the right path, I’m all for. This whole thing was stupid on my part. I’m just irritated with myself.” 

On February 7, 2008 she was caught in a traffic stop outside a Pahrump plumbing supply store and possessed six hydrocodone pills without a prescription. After her arrest she took a mandated blood test that came back positive for methamphetamine. 

She pleaded guilty this July to charges of methamphetamine use and possession of hydrocodone without a prescription. 

The article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Nye Country District Attorney, Bob Beckett said that Fleiss was barred from gambling after a parole and probation report suggested casino games might fuel her addictions. 

Fleiss replied: “It’s probably a good thing. It’s like being barred from eating hot dogs, who cares?”  She quickly added, however, that getting permission every time she leaves the state “such a hassle.” 

Fleiss is far from being out of a passle of current legal troubles.  She faces some landlord issues after they filed a $40,000 lawsuit seeking damages from parrots to a rental house Fleiss was staying in.  And she is also being sued over her business venture, a dog grooming business called ‘Dirty Dog’ which is caught up in a messy divorce between the former owners. 

Fleiss said in the report, “Sometimes being Heidi Fleiss can be a pain in the ass.”

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Paris Hilton Immortalized?

Part-time Las Vegan and party maven Paris Hilton was immortalized this week when the new edition of the “Oxford Book of Quotations”Paris Hilton hit the book shelves.  Her contribution? Simply: “That’s hot.” The book also includes her quote: “Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in.”

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Carmen Electra Strikes Again in Las Vegas

As reported in July by Las Vegas Backstage Access (https://vbablogger.com/2009/07/14/carmen-electra-goes-topless-in-las-vegas/ ), Las Vegas regular Carmen Electra took her performance at the MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse ParisCarmenElectra2 beyond the expected by tossing aside her pasties and taking to the stage completely topless.  The positive response to this performance has led to a return engagement for the 37-year-old former Playmate.  Electra will once again be on the cabaret stage at the Crazy Horse Paris starring in two shows nightly starting Monday, October 7.  She will participate in the ensemble routine “Etoile de Paris” as well as solo routines choreographed around her personal dance style.

Tickets price begins at $75 and can be purchase at the MGM Grand or any MGM Mirage ticket outlet.  Guests to this performance must be 18 years or older.

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Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott Fall in Love with Las Vegas

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott spent Labor Day weekend at The Palazzo in Las Vegas with their children, Liam and Stella.  The family of four left Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, piling into their luxurious Volkswagen Routan for a holiday weekend road trip to Las Vegas. ToriSpelling

Tori and Dean were excited to arrive in Las Vegas and felt so at home with all of their favorite people surrounding them, including their handsome son Liam, their beautiful daughter Stella, and the Guncles— Scout Masterson and Bill Horn who were recently married.  The newlyweds were sporting bracelets with the word “GUNCLES” beaded on.  

After they arrived, Tori and Dean relaxed in their suite for a while and then went straight off to Canyon Ranch Spa Club for a hot rocks couple’s massage.  

Afterwards, they went back to their luxurious suite at The Palazzo to get ready to see Joan Rivers.  Tori and Dean were excited to see her perform and went backstage after the show to hang out with Joan. 

Dean, Tori and The Guncles were hungry after the show so they went to Wolfgang Puck’s CUT restaurant for dinner.  Fans stopped Tori in the casino to say how much they loved her.  Tori looked stunning in her long green dress, while Dean was sporting a seersucker Juicy Couture blazer.  The couple went to bed early so that they could get ready for their big day hosting the pool event at AZURE at The Palazzo Las Vegas for ABSOLUT Saturdays.  

On Saturday afternoon, Tori and Dean headed down with the Guncles to ABSOLUT Saturday at AZURE pool at The Palazzo Las Vegas.  Tori was decked out in a Point bathing suite, Costume National shoes and a pink romper by Ra Mona La Rue.  Hubby Dean was decked head to toe in his favorite brand– Affliction board shorts and an Affliction t-shirt. 

Tori and Dean walked down the infamous blue carpet together and then Tori did another walk with the Guncles, Scout and Bill. Regina King from NBC’s Southland and Melissa Rivers also walked the carpet.  Fans gathered as Tori signed copies of her book, “Mommywood,” and was very receptive to all the Palazzo guests.  Dean stood by Tori’s side the entire time, affectionately calling her “T” and made sure that she was drinking enough water.  

The couple lounged in the Las Vegas sun at AZURE in a cabana, spritzing each other down with Evian water and feeding each other cold, frozen grapes. Dean ate Wolfgang Puck’s signature Margarita pizza (Tori had 2 slices!) while Tori sipped champagne.  To top off the afternoon, Tori and Dean relaxed with a Champagne on the Rocks couples massage provided by The Palazzo’s Canyon Ranch Spa Club in their private cabana. 

Tori was so excited to learn that Barneys New York was located inside the hotel at The Shoppes at The Palazzo. The Guncles commented that Tori had been working so hard lately (she is designing her own children’s clothing line) and that this weekend was just what she needed.

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Celine Dion Paints Baby’s Room

Celine Dion is expecting her second child in May, her Montreal publicist recently confirmed. CelineDion

The former Caesars Palace headliner conceived after fertility treatments, as she did with son Rene Charles, born Jan. 25, 2001. 

Dion, 41, ended her world tour in February and later acknowledged during an appearance on “Oprah” that she was hoping to have another child. 

The Canadian singing star has hinted that she intends to return to Las Vegas to perform after a baby break.

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Michael Jackson’s Burial Plans Announced

The King of Pop will at long last be finally laid to, hopefuly, a long and peaceful rest. 

Michael Jackson will be buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. on Aug. 29 on what would have been the King of Pop’s 51st birthday,  his father Joe Jackson said. 

Joe Jackson, who has a home in Las Vegas, indicated that the burial plans had been made final just in the past few days. He discussed the burial over ribs and jalapeño corn bread at the poolside Simon at Palms Place at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

With him during the discussion was Crystal Marven, a singer he has signed to his new record label, and her mother. 

The elder Jackson says he will return to Las Vegas after his son is buried that Saturday to receive a celebrity star in the singer’s honor at the Brenden Theatres, a cinema at the Palms that Michael Jackson and his children frequented. The Brenden will also screen the 1988 film “Moonwalker” that day. 

Jackson said he is supportive of the Los Angeles Police Department current probe into his son’s June 25 death so far – but also said that cops may be making Dr. Conrad Murray “the fall guy for a whole lot of people.” 

He did not elaborate. Murray was Michael Jackson’s personal doctor and with him the day he died. Murray’s lawyer has confirmed the Vegas-based doctor is being investigated for administering the anesthetic Propofol and possibly other drugs. He denies wrongdoing. 

A Las Vegas pharmacy was searched Aug. 11 for evidence Murray sought Propofol there. 

Meanwhile, Joe Jackson, who previously indicated he would like a shrine for is son in Las Vegas, dismissed talk that the Neverland mansion would be disassembled and moved to Las Vegas, as his daughter, La Toya Jackson, told reporters last week.

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Ashton Kutcher in Las Vegas for Movie Premier, Diggnation Pow-Wow Today

Ashton Kutcher, actor and husband to Demi Moore and the face of Nikon’s Cool Pix camera campaign, will join Digg.com founder and former Las Vegas resident Kevin Rose for an episode of Diggnation this evening. The show’s regular co-host, Alex Albrecht, co-creator of podcast hit “The Totally Rad Show,” will also take part. ashtonkutcher

Kutcher fans and residents of Diggnation are invited to attend the Las Vegas-based broadcast, which will begin at 5 p.m. at the Palms Casino & Resort on August 5. 

The tech-savvy trio, who exchanged plans on Twitter, will set up at the Pearl at 5:30 p.m., according to a Palms spokesperson.

The three Internet addicts will discuss the top stories listed on the Digg.com, a site that allows users to submit and share links to stories, blogs, videos and other Web content. 

Yet Diggnation is not the only reason Kutcher is coming to town. The 31-year-old star is also headed this way for the premiere of his new movie, “Spread,” which hits theaters across the U.S. on August 14. 

In “Spread,” produced by Kutcher’s Katalyst production company, Kutcher plays a fun-loving freeloader who suddenly finds himself on the street after his sugar mamma, played by Heche, discovers he’s been cheating on her with a woman younger than Kutcher — one who is Heche’s age. 

Kutcher will also walk the red carpet about 6:30 p.m. today outside Brenden Theaters immediately following his guest spot on Diggnation.  

Kutcher’s co-star, Anne Heche, will also be at the Palms for the premiere but it has not been said whether Kutcher’s famous and famously older wife, Demi Moore, will be there. 

The May-December pair, who enjoy a 15-year age difference, tied the knot in 2005.

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Mariah Carey Makes Tracks to Las Vegas

Mariah Carey announced that she will be soon coming to Las Vegas for four shows, spotlighted in the 2,500-seat Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms. 

The quartet of shows at the Palms will be the most intimate of the multiple Grammy Award-winner’s career, and are scheduled for Sept. 11 and 12, and Oct. 9 and 10. 

Tickets for the four shows range from $129 to $254 and will go on sale at noon on Aug. 8. 

The September dates come just days before the release of Carey’s 12th album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.” The record, which features Mimi’s current single, “Obsessed,” is set to hit stores four days after opening night at the Pearl, on Sept. 15. 

The singer and occasional actress’s choice of venue is hardly a surprise: She and husband Nick Cannon spent a fair chunk of time on the Las Vegas venue in May and celebrated their one-year anniversary at the resort, as well. mariahcareynickcannon

Carey has spent a considerable amount of time in the resort’s recording studio during the weeklong trip this spring. And though no official details were announced, the fruits of her Studio at the Palms-based labor last spring will likely be featured on her soon-to-be-released record. 

Since first breaking onto the scene two decades ago, the 39-year-old star has become the top-selling female vocalist of all time. Carey and her impressive, five-octave vocal range has sold over 175 million records worldwide. 

With 72 total weeks at No. 1, she is currently tied with Elvis Presley for having spent the most time in the Hot 100’s top spot. She has 18 No. 1 songs and The King has 17, but both remain just shy of the all-time record for most No. 1 songs. The Beatles currently hold that title with 20, but if the Carey camp has its way, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” will achieve chart-topping perfection and render the Fab Four’s title a mere memory.

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Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s Relationship is . . . On-Again!

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s on-again, off-again relationship appears to be on again. The hot-and-cold couple was all smiles this weekend as they were spotted enjoying each other’s company, swapping gooey spit at Body English nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. tommyleepamelaanderson

The former husband and wife hit the town after Lee and the rest of Mötley Crüe performed at The Joint. Instead of laying low or attempting to shun the spotlight,  the attention-loving couple made their presence hotly known. Surprised fans cheered as the couple literally took center stage amidst an onslaught of blinding paparazzi cameras.

Lee, 46, and Anderson, 42, have a long history of giving their relationship another go.  “We’ve only given it a try 800 times – 801, here we go,” Lee told People in June of last year, as he and Anderson acknowledged they were giving things yet another try. 

“It’s awesome. It’s definitely working,” Lee said, noting that Pammy and their two sons had moved back in with him. 

Unfortunately, 801 proved to not be the magic number for the tumultuous couple and they soon went their separate ways again.

The Anderson-Lee saga dates to 1995, when the couple got married on the beach in Cancun after a short yet hot-and-heavy courtship. 

They had two sons, Brandon and Dylan, before they divorced three years later.

Anderson didn’t just file for divorce in 1998; she also filed charges of assault against her then-husband after he allegedly kicked her while she was holding their son, Dylan. Lee later pleaded no contest, was sentenced to six months in jail, and ultimately served four months behind bars. 

The couple gave things another go after Lee was released from prison, but the reconciliation was unsuccessful. 

They have since engaged in a seemingly never-ending game of cat and mouse, officially and unofficially. They have also dated – and, in the case of Anderson, married – others in the interim. 

Lee’s highest-profile, post-Pammy relationship was with Prince’s ex-wife, Mayte Garcia. They lived together in 2001 and were engaged at one point, too, but despite the ring they didn’t make it down the aisle before things went south. 

Hard rocker Lee had been married twice before, to a woman named Elaine Bergen for a month 25 years ago and to actress Heather Locklear from 1986 until 1993. 

Anderson, meanwhile, has been married twice since, to Kid Rock and Rick Salomon. She has also been engaged a time or two, too, including a brief diamond-encrusted encounter with model Marcus Schenkenberg, in 2001. 

Rock gave the former Playmate a rock on the outskirts of Las Vegas when he proposed in the outlaying desert in 2002 (he even borrowed the late Buffalo Jim Barrier’s pink 1961 Cadillac Eldorado convertible for the event). They broke up in 2003 before they exchanged their vows but got back together in 2006.

Once reunited, the couple picked up where they left off and were married in St. Tropez, France, that July. At the time, Anderson called the wedding plans “spontaneous but well thought through.” 

They reportedly tied the knot twice more, just to make things official, in both Beverly Hills and Nashville. But while three weddings might be a charm for some, they were not for Anderson and Rock: They couple filed for divorce a few months later, in November 2006. 

Anderson was officially single again in early 2007. 

She soon began dating Paris Hilton’s ex-boyfriend, Rick Salomon, and the two got married in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, 2007. Unfortunately, that marriage, which took place at the Mirage, was destined to be little more than a mirage itself, as Anderson filed for divorce two months later. The union was annulled a few months after that, after both bride and groom cited fraud as the reason for the split. 

While Anderson and Lee reunited for what seemed like (and may very well have been) the umpteenth time last year, Cupid’s arrow went astray and they soon went their separate ways. 

Still, reports surfaced of a nervous and still-very-much-in-love Lee who apparently was urging his former flame to reconsider after Anderson fell for former “Baywatch” star Jamie Padgett this year. 

While Lee was never cited as the reason why things didn’t work out for Anderson and her surfer boy, it would appear that it didn’t take her long to find her way back to her longtime, on-again, off-again, man.

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Millionaire Matchmaker Plans Las Vegas Wedding

Many people get a vicarious thrill from watching reality show host Patty Stanger work her magic on super-rich men, matching them with a bevy of eligible ladies.   Now, the Millionaire Matchmaker is getting her own turn at love and wedding planning – Stanger is engaged, Usmagazine.com reports. PattiStanger

The 48-year-old received a proposal from her boyfriend, real estate executive Andy Friedman, while the two were vacationing in Hawaii.

According to the website, a black swan named Raymond delivered the 4-carat engagement ring on Stanger’s birthday.

The host of the popular Bravo matchmaking show said that she and her fiancé are still deciding where to wed, but she’s partial to a destination wedding in Las Vegas in 2010.

“I want to elope, and he wants a big wedding. I’m like, ‘Let’s go to Vegas!'” Stanger told Usmagazine.com.

Stanger founded the Millionaire’s Club in Beverly Hills in 2000 as a way to find partners for extremely wealthy men. On her reality show, part of the fun is that she gives the men makeovers (both physically and emotionally) before they are considered “date-ready.”

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Las Vegan ‘Leverage’ Actress Beth Riesgraf Stars as World’s Best Cat Burglar – & More!

Las Vegas Cimarron-Memorial graduate Beth Riesgraf stars as Parker in TNT’s highly popular “Leverage” TV show, playing a cat burglar with unmatched prowess for stealing priceless works of art, a room full of orphans, and even the Hope Diamond- and putting it back, just because she was bored. BethRiesgraf

She’s back for a second season of “Leverage” that debuts 9 p.m. (PT) this Wednesday, along with her co-stars Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane and Aldis Hodge. 

Born in Minnesota, Riesgraf moved to the Las Vegas Valley while she was in junior high.  Her parents have two construction companies, and once her dad began working in Las Vegas and in California, it only took one visit for her mom to move the rest of the family away from the frigid winters. 

Riesgraf was a member of the Cimarron-Memorial high school class of ’96, with a list of extracurricular activities longer than your arm, including being the student body president, prom queen, and voted the most admired senior. 

She also was involved in photography and sports in high school- pretty much everything but acting.  “Acting I always loved,” she said during a phone interview from Portland, Oregon, the locale for this season’s show, “but I think I was always kind of a character in real life.  I was always goofing off and having fun.” 

Riesgraf is also an accomplished photographer, sponsored by Swedish clothier WeSC, and her work has been exhibited in London, New York and Los Angeles and published in the likes of GQ, Jane and Nylon magazines.  She moved to Los Angeles when she was 20 and took up modeling to learn more about photography from the other side of the camera. 

Eventually, her agents started sending her on commercial auditions, and she found her calling, making the leap to movies and TV. 

She works almost non-stop, taking a brief time out to chat while scrambling for some caffeine to help recover from her 19-hour days. “We’re working hard, working long hours. It’s a lot of work, but it’s awesome. It’s fun.”

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Hunt on for Michael Jackson’s ‘Doctor Death’

Doctors for hire which “freely” write prescriptions for the right price- willing pawns in an almost daily celebrity drama that is orchestrated expressly by and for entertainers and other high profile clientele for getting that legal high, which, many believe, contributed to Michael Jackson’s ultimate demise.  

Many doctors were apparently sucked into the scheme of coming when beckoned to numerous Jackson residences, supposedly to help the entertainer with this or that urgent personal malady, only to eventually find out the entertainer illnesses were largely feigned and dramatically orchestrated to merely try to get prescription drugs to make life and living more palatable. 

If one doctor didn’t play the game, it wasn’t a problem:  Michael Jackson’s handlers, it is alleged, merely went “doctor-shopping” anew, quickly filling the drug need vacuum. 

Drug and law enforcement detectives are now working day and night reviewing Michael Jackson’s prescription drug history and are feverishly on the hunt for his many former doctors throughout the world, especially in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. 

Dr. Conrad Murray from Las Vegas, with offices also in Texas and California, who regularly makes house calls to many high-profile clients, including those in Washingon and New York, is the doctor at the heart of controversy and who was admittedly administering care to Jackson in his Holmby Hills residence.   A lawyer for the physician said Dr. Murray did not administer Demerol or other life-threatening, powerful drugs and those reports were “absolutely false.” 

“There was no Demerol. No OxyContin,” Edward Chernoff, the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray, told The Times. Murray had not “furnished or prescribed” Jackson with Demerol, the lawyer said. 

At least that’s the proper thing to say, since, according to federal drug regulations, Dr. Murray couldn’t legally prescribe even a powerful cough medicine for the King of Pop in California, and he couldn’t go to the pharmacy to get drugs for him, either. 

Federal authorities recently told FOXNews.com that Dr. Conrad Murray is not licensed to administer certain levels of controlled medications in the state, and that if he gave Demerol or Oxycontin to Jackson, as has been reported, it would have been illegal. 

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office removed two bags filled with prescription medications from Jackson’s Holmby Hills home. Among the drugs recovered were bottles of Diprivan, at least some of which were found without labels indicating where they came from, law enforcement sources told FOXNews.com. 

At least two of Jackson’s doctors – Dr. Arnold Klein and Dr. Conrad Murray – who were cooperative with authorities in the beginning are now hindering the investigation into Michael Jackson’s death, sources tell TMZ. 

They have turned over some of Jackson’s medical records but not his entire file, as sought by the L.A. County Coroner’s office. 

As the investigation unfolds, Michael’s drug usage is appearing increasingly grim. 

One of Michael’s drivers reportedly told Coroner’s office officials that the singer was visiting Dr. Klein more than once in a week, spending as many as 3-4 hours in his office and appearing disoriented while leaving. 

During Michael’s child molestation case investigation a bodyguard had similarly told the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies in 2004 that Michael appeared disoriented when leaving doctors’ offices, including those of Klien. 

Records of that investigation reveal that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies recovered a large quantity of drugs from Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, including IV stands and oxygen tanks, consistent with the use of Diprivan. 

Amongst the documents recovered was a letter dated July 21, 2002 from a Dr. Alex Farshchian recommending that Michael use the drug Buprenex instead of Demerol because Buprenex was less addictive. 

A preliminary toxicology report submitted to the Coroner’s office says Michael Jackson had lethal levels of painkiller Demerol and heroin substitute methadone in his body at the time of his death, reports UK’s The Sun. 

It is likely that the investigation into the death of the singer on June 25 will ultimately result in manslaughter or homicide charges.

Michael also had very high levels of the OTC anxiety drug Xanax, high levels of Dilaud, a painkiller to numb post surgery pains and lower levels of other drugs such as the potent pain killer Fentanyl, Vicodin, Valium and Ambien.

Traces of Propofol, an anesthetic administered only in hospitals, were also found. The drug is rapidly absorbed by the body and is practically undetectable within 20 minutes of a single dose.

The drug levels found in his body could have killed any normal person instantly, but Michael was probably still walking around because he had developed some immunity following years of abuse.

Adding fuel to the speculative fire, Jackson’s’ outspoken father, Joe Jackson, recently told ABC New in an interview that he believed “foul play” was involved in his son’s death, but did not elaborate in the interview aired Friday on “Good Morning America.”

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19-Year-Old Las Vegas Jazz Jam Session Still Wails

West Las Vegas was historically a proving ground for many of a young musician. Ray Anthony, Lionel Hampton, Sy Zenter and others picked a spot at one of the six clubs on Jackson Street in Las Vegas on Monday nights and jammed, because most musicians were off on Mondays. HuckDaniels

Those old days still live on in Las Vegas at the Huck Daniels Celebrity Jam at 8 p.m. Saturdays in the Fiesta lounge in the El Cortez.   Usually the sessions are packed and last until 1 or 2 in the morning, with more than a dozen musicians and vocalist usually taking their turn onstage, providing some of the best “hidden” entertainment in Las Vegas at a price that’s hard to beat: a two-drink minimum. 

It has not been easy for the Huck Daniels Celebrity Jam session, which began 19 years ago at the Aladdin, then bounced around to the Maxim, Continental, and the Stratosphere before landing at its present home at the El Cortez. 

“Now it’s a struggle to survive,” says guitarist Huck Daniels, who moved to Las Vegas from Reno in 1962.  “Back in the day, young musicians with a lot of experience could play smaller clubs till they got up on their instrument and stuff.  We don’t have that anymore and as a result you have guys who don’t know how to act on stage. 

“About a third or the people here are singers and musicians, the rest are just fans,” Daniels says.

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Las Vegas Headliner, Impressionist Fred Travelana Dies

Yet another great entertainer has been sadly taken from us…  

Impressionist Fred Travalena, a headliner in many Las Vegas showrooms and a regular on late-night talk shows with his takes on presidents, crooners and screen stars, has died in Los Angeles. He was 66. FredTravalena

Publicist Roger Neal says Travalena died Sunday at his home in the Encino area after a recurrence of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that first surfaced in 2002. 

The Bronx native, who started his career in Las Vegas in 1971, was known for the sheer volume of celebrities he imitated, leading to the nicknames “The Man of a Thousand Voices” and “Mr. Everybody.” 

His act included presidents from Kennedy to Obama, musicians from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and actors from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise.

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Celebrities Turned Away By Las Vegas Nightclub Bouncers

The reason “why what happens in Las Vegas, stays there” could be merely because what is planned to happen there gets sometimes thwarted by nightclub bouncers.  bouncer

As reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access on June 18, Holly Madison was stopped from entering the Body English nightclub inside the Hard Rock for having an underage friend.  Now we learn that she’s not the only one.  

The NHL’s most valuable player, Russian Alex Ovechkin, was reportedly turned away from Lavo nightclub in the Palazzo on June 17 with two of his friends after showing up wearing flip-flops.   

Recently, Lavo nightclub also turned back NFL great Terrell Owens because of dress code infractions.  Tao nightclub in the Venetian did the same to NBA star Dwyane Wade. 

Eric Trump showed up at Light nightclub (now The Bank) with more than a dozen male friends on his 21st birthday in 2005, only to be turned away in part because of Light’s policy that limits parties of men to sex, to keep the female attendance ratio high, and because he played the “don’t-you-know-who-I-am” card.

NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, wearing shorts and sneakers, was also asked to leave Light nightclub about seven years ago. 

To prevent these unsavory mishaps, it might be well when coming to Las Vegas and planning a night out on the town to bring along your Sunday best to change into just in case you get turned away for wardrobe infractions.  

Besides, the always dapper Jermaine Dupri, whose crusade for Las Vegas partiers is to start dressing spiffier to the nines, will love your for it.

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Stevie D Keeps on Ticking in Las Vegas, Launching Sugar Factory Store

Still calling Las Vegas “Tinseltown?”  Pshaw!  C’mon, get with the times!  A-list celebrities are now calling it Candyland!  And that’s real good news for its Lollipop Creator. 

Nightclub czar Steve “Stevie D” Davidovici of prior Pure nightclub fame in Las Vegas keeps on ticking, not missing one sweet, ever licking beat.  Fresh from his opening of his ultra-trendy Griffin nightclub in Manhattan (reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access on May 14), he’s now feverishly planning his opening of the first bricks-and-mortar Sugar Factory in Las Vegas at the Mirage next to Rhumbar, supposedly with a grand opening party planned for June 26. 

The hip couture candy and lollipop store in Las Vegas will assuredly be frequented by the who’s who of celebritydom. 

[For more information on the online edition of Sugar Factory, please read the June 6 Las Vegas Backstage Access article.]

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Eva Langoria Parker & Todd English – – Hungry in Las Vegas

Eva Langoria Parker of “Desperate Housewifes” fame and star chef Todd English are teaming up on a Latin-themed steakhouse planned for the new CityCenter in Las Vegas.  ToddEnglish

The restaurant will be a spinoff from Beso in Hollywood and is planned to open later this year when the CityCenter opens.  Jonas Lawrence, formerly of Rokbar in Miami, is the managing partner for the celebrity venture. 

English, whose Boston-based Olives restaurant chain includes an eatery at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, will feature his Latin take on flatbreads, along with yummy tacos and chili-rubbed steak.  He also is planning a British pub at CityCenter. 

Langoria Parker will contribute her guacamole recipe and tortilla soup to the menu. 

Though not officially confirmed, there is talk that Victoria Beckham, wife of British soccer star David Beckham, will also be a partner in the venture.

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Poker Ace Annie Duke ‘All In’ at World Series of Poker in Las Vegas

Poker ace Annie Duke plays poker like she is running a business, not letting emotions rule her play, thinking quicklyAnnieDuke and accurately, as witnessed in her latest TV show stint.  With CEO-like skills, she is one of the most successful female poker players in the world.  The 43-year-old Duke has been playing in the World Series of Poker since 1994 and has cashed in on 37 events, earning more than $1.13 million through the Rio tournament annually held in Las Vegas. 

Her best finish in the tournament’s $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em Main Event was in 2000 when she placed 10th and won $52,160.  She won her first World Series of Poker champion’s bracelet in 2004 at an Omaha High-Low event. 

“I’ll probably play in about 15 to 20 events at the World Series,” Duke said. “It’s a long haul.” 

Duke drafted a new legion of fans and followers, boosting poker’s image in the process, as a contestant in the television series “The Celebrity Apprentice.”  She was one of 16 personalities trying to raise money for charity while trying not to be fired by the host, billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump.  Duke finished second ahead of a whole slew of sports stars, but it was her acrimonious verbal battles with comedienne Joan Rivers, the show’s eventual winner, that had the audience turning on in record numbers, driving ratings out the roof. 

Rivers said Duke was worse than “Hitler” and compared poker players to members of the Mafia.  Although the comments raised the ire of the poker community and officials at the World Series of Poker, the media boost couldn’t have been better for the game, Duke and Trump– it raised more than $1.5 million for various charities. 

But Duke believes that Rivers still owes poker players and Las Vegas an apology. 

“Poker is a legitimate profession,” said Duke, who is a graduate of Columbia University with degrees in psychology and English.  She also spent five years working toward a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in cognitive psychology, which she has set aside for now. 

Divorced, Duke is the mother of four children, ranging in age from 7 to 14.  

Her brother is poker standout Howard Lederer, who has two World Series of Poker titles to his credit.  On four occasions she and her bro have ended up at the same table during World Series of Poker play- each time she has knocked him out of the competition, adding “I guess I have bragging rights.” 

Duke is well known for her charitable giving efforts.  Through poker events, she has raised millions of dollars for children’s hospitals and educational foundations. 

In 2007, she and actor Don Cheadle established the Ante Up for Africa event, a $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold ‘em annual Las Vegas event in July that raises funds for the survivors of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.  The event attracts the best Hollywood A-list celebrities and the poker elite, raising $500,000 last year alone for the cause. 

Duke is also an activist on Capitol Hill in trying to change the federal law outlawing the Internet wagering.  She is one of the founding members of the Poker Players Alliance, which supports making online poker once again a legal activity.

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Hockey Pros, Celebrities Skate to First NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas

Team sports businesses haven’t been exactly brimming with kindness to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.   Try as he might – bless his ever-loving, gin-drinking pickled heart – efforts to bring a pro major league team to Las Vegas throughout his tenure have not produced results.   Apparently, for now at least, the long established Las Vegas gambling brand doesn’t mix well with courting pro sports teams in the City of Entertainment. 

The good news, though, is that the National Hockey League will at be having their prestigious 2009 NHL Awards in Las Vegas and the NHL Players’ Association will also hold its annual North American summer meetings here around the awards show. NHLawards

It marks the first time the annual awards show is being held in Las Vegas, an event usually reserved for Toronto,  coinciding shortly after completion of the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

For the Las Vegas Wranglers, a minor league hockey farm club of the Calgary Flames of the NHL, it will undoubtedly be a a dream come true to conveniently head down the Strip and perchance rub elbows with the best pro players in the game. 

In the twilight of the Las Vegas mayor’s last term, the biggest names in major league pro hockey will  assemble in Las Vegas on June 18 at 4 p.m. at The Pearl Concert Theater in George Maloof’s Palms Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, opting to briefly trade their rink ice for lots of ice to chill their drinks in the hot box of a town.   

For many Las Vegans, however, the event may be akin to witnessing a UFO experience of a different kind. Las Vegas denizens don’t bet on hockey games, let alone who is going to win the MVP Trophy or Coach of the Year. They have way to many other things to do these days- like worrying about their jobs and paying their mortgages. 

And, if you’re an Ordinary Joe, you’ll need to really dig deep in your tattered wallet to be a part of the history-making hoopla– attending will set you back $504 at least per seat. 

But, from most accounts, for those that are fortunate to attend (or go in hoc trying), it should be a pretty good bash, inasmuch as owner George Maloof knows a thing or two about sports and Las Vegas since he is the owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. 

“We are so thrilled to be the host of the 2009 NHL Awards,” Palms Owner George Maloof said in a statement. “Working with the National Hockey League in bringing this event to Las Vegas is something that will be great for our community.”

At the ceremony the league will announce top performers in a variety of categories including valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy), outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy), and best coach (Jack Adams Award).

To sweeten the attendance draw, award-winning multi-platinum recording artist Robin Thicke and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chaka Khan will perform, and Saturday Night Live bandleader Katreese Barnes will head up the NHL Awards house band.

Celebrity hockey-loving fans Snoop Dogg, Michael Buble, William Fichtner, Tricia Helfer, Lauren Holly, Colin Ferguson and others are scheduled to appear alongside such NHL stars as Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings, Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers and many more planning to attend.

Past and present NHL stars are also scheduled to participate in the 2009 NHL Awards include Tony Esposito, Sergei Fedorov, Ron Francis, Doug Gilmour, Kelly Hrudey, Pat LaFontaine, Igor Larionov, Brian Leetch, Reggie Lemelin, Mark Messier, Stan Mikita, Andy Moog, Joe Nieuwendyk, Luc Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick.

Athough it’s the inaguaral event for the City of Entertainment, it will be more than a one-night stand for the City of Entertainment.  The NHL and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority (LVCVA) have inked a three-year agreement to continue to bring the NHL awards to the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino & Hotel.

The awards will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on high definition VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.  NHL.com will provide streaming Internet coverage of the red carpet arrivals.  The Canadian band Arkells will perform.

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Don’t Expect Paris Hilton Back in Las Vegas Anytime Soon

BFFThe second season of  “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF” premieres Tuesday on MTV, but instead of hanging out and partying in Las Vegas, the filthy rich socialite heiress has plans for finding her next hot and fabulous cohort–in the United Arab Emirates. 

According to Variety, Hilton will head to Dubai later this month to begin the 17-day shooting process, with the finale shooting in Los Angeles. Hilton’s current boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt, is likely to appear in the show as well. (However, her other boyfriend, Real Madrid soccer star Christiano Ronaldo, appears to prefer the Las Vegas roulette tables, seen trying his luck at the Palms Casino last week.)

“Paris Hilton’s My New BFF-Dubai,” will be produced by Lionsgate and Ish Entertainment, who have struck a deal with the Dubai-based Uniqon. The deal is part of a larger Lionsgate initiative to locate new international partners. 

Michael Hirschorn, co-founder of Ish Entertainment, is enthusiastic about the project.  “I love it for the sheer wildcard aspect of it,” he said. “It’s so out of the ordinary.”

The show will include Hilton’s experiences and reactions to Arab culture and society, as well as the girl-on-girl competition that the show’s format typically features. Half of the potential BFF’s will be from the Middle East, and half from elsewhere who are currently living in Dubai. 

While testing the ladies’ character to see who fits her style, Hilton’s going to have to drastically tone down her behavior. Hirschorn said the Dubai production won’t be as risqué as the American and U.K. versions, given the cultural norms in the Middle East. 

Let’s see how long the party gal fares without alcohol, swearing and plunging necklines.

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Candy Spelling Footloose at Las Vegas’ Jewelry ‘Candy’ Show

Candy Spelling attended the luxury jewelry Couture trade show on May 28 – June 2 at Wynn Las Vegas, apparently loving every sparkling moment of it.  Spelling, whose jewelry collection occupies two rooms in her 70,000-square-foot home, enjoys attending Couture annually, where more than 200 global jewelry designers and retailers meet in Las Vegas. Candy Spelling

“I really do love jewelry,” says one of the most famous wives and notorious mothers of Hollywood. 

Spelling, who enrolled in a gemology course with the Gemology Institute of America (GIA) years ago, has recently released her new book, “Stories from Candyland,” and it has several Las Vegas shout outs.  Las Vegas is where she struck a $100,000 jackpot (the lucky keep getting luckier) and where she’s been making cameos at Couture for the past 18 years to remedy what she calls her jewelry “illness.”

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CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas Offers Movies Galore- And Much More

Running over six days and one weekend, the 11th annual CineVegas film festival, starting this Wednesday, June 10, at the Brenden Theatres inside the Palms in Las Vegas offers a broader range of movie screening opportunities than ever before, providing something for every discriminating taste and style, from world premieres to sneak previews of independent film features that will be soon playing in theatres around the country.  

If that’s not enough, many seminars, parties, and A-list celebrity awards are also on tap, offering participants the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the best filmmakers in the country. 

Not surprisingly, Las Vegas itself plays a major role in several of the world premiere movie selections. 

Although there are way too many movies and events to list here, Las Vegas Backstage Access has put together our best picks, listed in date chronological order: 

Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m.

“Saint John of Las Vegas”  Opening night world premiere movie starring Steve Buscemi as a gambling-addicted Albuquerque insurance adjustor, who returns to the scene of his temptation to investigate a fraud case, encountering a variety of offbeat characters, including a wheelchair-bound stripper and a human torch. 

Thursday, June 11 at 3:00 p.m. & Sunday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m. 

“Vegas: Based on  a True Story,” from Iranian director Amir Naderi,  the movie focuses on ex-gamblers trying to keep their family out of trouble- until the temptation of finding cash in the desert proves too irresistible. 

Thursday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, June 12 at 12:30 p.m.

“All In:  The Poker Movie,” is a documentary world premiere movie that was filmed in Las Vegas that focuses on poker as “a way to chase the American dream,” according to director Douglas Tirola.  

Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m.

“Thor at the Bus Stop,” is a U.S. premiere movie all about a Norse god that finds himself in a Southern Nevada suburb trying to save the world. 

Sunday, June 14 at 3 p.m.

Willem Dafoe receives Vanguard Actor Award 

Sunday, June 14 at 5 p.m.

Filmmakers and Honorees Awards Ceremony & Reception at Rain Nightclub inside the Palms.  In addition to awards to Jon Voight, Willem Dafoe and the Kuchar Brothers, Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago will receive the Planet Illogica Award for New Media. 

Sunday, June 14 at midnight:

“Lookin’ to Get Out,” is a totally revamped version of Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight’s 1982 made-in Las Vegas comedy movie filmed at the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s), which director Hal Ashby recut and donated to the film archives of the University of California, Los Angeles just before his 1988 death.    Voight will also receive the Marquee Award that accompanies the screening. 

Movie screenings listed here are at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms.  Individual screening tickets are $10, except for Wednesday’s opening movie premiere of “Saint John of Las Vegas,” which is $25.  Festival movie screening passes range form $40 to $500, with Las Vegas, senior, student and military discount packages available.  Tickets may be purchased at the CineVegas box office at the Palms, or online at www.cinevegas.com or by phone 888-883-4278.

Be sure to check out prior January 6,  April 25 and May 29 Las Vegas Backstage Access articles on the CineVegas film festival.

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Celebrities L-O-V-E Gourmet Lollipops

As a kid, it was always a good day when you went to the doctor, or other onerous visit, and  then when it was over, you received a big sucker to ostensibly ease your pain and reward the visit.  And getting an extra quarter from your parents was always a cool deal, letting you buy a sucker just for more fun. 

Now, those comfy chilhood feelings are being relived as celebrities love heading down the red carpet and hanging out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York nightclubs with gourmet, glamour suckers.  Carmen Electra, Zach Braff, Ice-T, Nick Canon,  Perez Hilton, Mickey Rourke, the hotties from The Hills and pretty much anyone else that’s been on reality television is hooked on the yummy and sticky fad. SugarFactory

For a paltry $32 apiece (there’s no recession, right?), you can snatch up the latest edible and completely customizable clubbing accessory and get your sugar fix at the same time.  First, select one of seven bejeweled handles on the www.SugarFactory.com and select your poison:  green apple, cherry, bubble gum, blue raspberry, creamy orange, pina colada or watermelon.   Three-pack refills are available for $12.     

For those that still can’t satisfy their sweet tooth, there are also $25 signature pops like the Britney Spears Circus Tour pops, Kim Kardashian’s Silver Rainbow or champagne pops or the very Vegas-ey Pussycat Dolls PCD Tour pop.  

The brainchild creator of the tantalizing celebrity gourmet pops is none other than the former Pure Management Group managing partner Steve “Stevie D” Davidovici who is the manager of Sugar Factory, LLC.    The company was formed in August of 2008, just six months after IRS agents raided Pure, LAX and offices of Pure Management Group. 

Davidovici is also in the midst of reportedly purchasing a New York club, as previously reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access in May 14, 2009 article. 

Apparently, Davidovici is getting the last laugh on red carpets of many prestigious U.S. nightclubs. 

What’s next?  Signature pop-designed fillings from the dentist?

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Stars of “The Hangover” Hijacked in Las Vegas Orgy-fication

Actress Heather Graham plays a single mom stripper in the new Las Vegas-filmed comedy movie “The Hangover,” which opens today.   During a break in filming, Graham went to see the Cirque du Soleil hot and naked “Zumanity” show in Las Vegas with co-star Bradley Cooper and director Todd (“Old School”) Phillips. Heather Graham

Every night, for the finale, cast members toss unsuspecting audience members onstage for a sexless orgy.  The night they visited, the Zumanity cast slipped Copper into the orgy, took off his shirt and rubbed him all over, according to Graham. 

Bradley CooperCooper was not only unsuspecting, but before the show, Cirque workers assured him, Graham and Phillips they would not be orgy-fied. 

“They were like, ‘We’re not gonna take you guys up onstage,’” Graham says.  “We were like, ‘Oh good’ – and then they grab Bradley, take his shirt off, and he’s like, ‘Ohhh!’ Really freaking out.” 

But it was all apparently in fun as they just laughed the incident off.

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Stryper Guitarist to Wed Former High-Class Prostitute Today in Las Vegas

OzFoxGuitarist Oz Fox of the reactivated Christian hard rockers Stryper will marry Annie Lobért, a 41-year-old former call girl who founded the international Christian ministry Hookers for Jesus, on June 5 in Las Vegas. Annie Lobert

Lobért worked for 11 years as a high-class prostitute and escort in Las Vegas, which included catering to celebrities and professional athletes.

Lobért gives lectures now in both secular and religious communities on the effects of the adult entertainment industry. Additionally, she has been heard on talk radio and interviewed in major news publications throughout the world, including the U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Australia and Africa. She is the author of “Hooker for Jesus”, a soon-to-be-released autobiography targeting both secular and religious audiences.

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Las Vegas TV Producer Allen Fawcett Plans New Vegas Show

Las Vegas TV producer and resident Allen Fawcett has starred in four Broadway musicals, including New YorkAllen Fawcett productions of “Shenandoah,” “Rex,” “King of Hearts,” and the American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,”  playing as Joseph for about nine months in the early 1980s. 

From there he went on to host and write 134 episodes of the 1980s comedy lip-sync game show “Puttin on the Hits,” produced by Dick Clark. 

Fans of “General Hospital” will recall him as Swedish heartthrob Lars Hansen.  And he played Kelly McGrath on “The Edge of Night” soap opera TV show. 

Now, Fawcett is reportedly in the process of creating, producing and hosting a Las Vegas-based show titled “Let’s Do Vegas TV,” planned to air mid-summer.

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Las Vegas CineVegas Film Festival Celebrity Honorees Named

JonVoightJon Voight, left, and Willem Dafoe, right, will be feted at the 11th annual CineVegas film festival starting on June 14 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.  Voight will receive the Marquee Award, and Dafoe, the Vanguard Actor award. Willem Dafoe

The fest will also honor directors George and Mike Kuchar and video game creators Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago. 

The CineVegas film festival will run June 10-15 in Las Vegas.

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Annie Duke Faces Rival Joan Rivers Today at Las Vegas Charity Poker Tournament

Fans of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice may need to do a double take on May 27th after seeing Annie Duke join forces with archrival Joan Rivers at a charity poker tournament today in Las Vegas.  

Online poker site www.UltimateBet.net announced the sponsorship of the “Sucking out on the Rivers” charity poker tournament in support of Refugees International. Annie Duke will be hosting the event alongside Frank Marino, a well-known Joan Rivers impersonator.  Nearly all of the top poker pros in Vegas are already on board to play in the charity tournament. 

“I think that after this poker tournament, the real Joan Rivers will quickly realize that poker players are good-naturedAnnieDuke people – professional people with respected occupations and families – who really want to change the lives of those less fortunate,” stated Annie Duke. “As poker players, we’re all banding together, not just to prove a point to Joan, but to actually change the world.” 

While the charity poker tournament will be co-hosted by a Joan Rivers impersonator, the real Joan Rivers went head-to-head with Annie Duke on the most recent season of Celebrity Apprentice. The often abrasive and brash comedienne told Annie, on camera, that all poker players were white trash and that none of them had last names, suggesting that those who love poker are automatically linked to organized crime.  Rivers’ opinion has drawn the ire of many in the poker world. 

The world’s top poker players and several Hollywood celebrities are slated to play in the charity poker event today to show that there’s a lot of good that comes from poker. Over 20 Joan Rivers impersonators will also be playing in the event and each one will have a bounty on his or her head. Poker fans can secure their spot in the tournament for $200 and the No Limit Texas Hold’em tourney features rebuys and add-ons to help the prize pool grow even higher. 

Although all the prize money will go to the winner, half of the winnings are being voluntarily directed to charity. While Nevada gaming laws prohibit money being given directly from the prize pool to charity, the winner may volunteer to donate half of their winnings to the charity in keeping with what had been done in previous charity events hosted by UltimateBet.net. 

The “Sucking out on the Rivers” Charity Event, sponsored by www.UltimateBet.net, DeepStacks University, Hard Rock Poker Lounge, and WSOP Academy, gets underway today, May 27th at 6 p.m. at the Hard Rock Casino Poker Lounge.

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Actress Teri Hatcher Teaches Daughter How to Gamble

Teri Hatcher may have just caught the gaming bug while staying at the Bellagio in Las Vegas during the “KeepTeriHatcher Memory Alive” charity fundraiser for the new Lou Ruvo Brain Institute back in March (Las Vegas Backstage Access March 7 article). 

Now word is that Hatcher is teaching her 11-year-old daughter how to gamble- so the youngster can hone her math skills. 

The Desperate Housewives actress, also an avid horse racing fan, candidly admits she has started taking her kid Emerson to meetings, so she can challenge her with betting equations. 

Hatcher insists the sport is helping her daughter learn how to add and subtract. 

She says, “I do use the opportunity to make her understand math and what you’re betting and what you get back… so we work on math. It’s fun.”

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George Clooney Films in Las Vegas

Iconic actor George Clooney was reportedly spotted yesterday shooting film scenes and reacting to fans outsideGeorgeClooney Bally’s in Las Vegas for Paramount’s “Up in the Air.”   Later, Clooney shot scenes at a vacant hotel across from Mandalay Bay.  When filming completed, he was seen hugging everyone he worked with.

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Nick Lachey Hooks Sexy Las Vegas Reporter

EmilyGimmelLas Vegas nightlife reporter Emily Gimmel is linked to Nick Lachey in the latest Star Magazine.

NickLacheyGimmel, 24, and Lachey, 34, “flirted up a storm” reportedly at the recent Kentucky Derby, according to the tabloid. Gimmel acknowledged that she ran into Lachey and chatted him up several times.

Gimmel, a native of Lousiville, is the entertainment reporter for 702.tv, which is part of the Greenspun Media Group. She is also cast in the upcoming reality show “Southern Belles,” on SOAPNet channel. The show premieres on May 21 at 10 p.m.

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Britney Spears’ Camp Slams Las Vegas College Kid

It’s never a dull day in ol’ Britneyland– always a circus, concert tour or not.

Jordan Miller, right, a 21-year-old University of Nevada, Las Vegas college student majoring in communicationsJordanMiller launched his breatheheavy.com Web site all about the pop star, literally out of a labor of love and admiration for the star, from his Summerlin, Nevada bedroom while being in high school in 2004. 

Now, his Web site gets a half-million visits a day. 

JamieSpearsMiller’s world started to turn upside down-last fall after he received an angry phone call from the Britney’s dad, Jamie Spears, left, accusing him of copyright infringement.

Miller is fighting back.  “I’m working my ass off to report on this girl,” Miller said from his attorney’s office.  “I just think [Britney] is a really cool artist; I feel inspired by her. It’s a healthy hobby.  It takes a lot of work and dedication, but it’s self-fulfilling.” 

Miller said father Jamie Spears replied, telling him:  “I am going to destroy your ass.” 

“I was really freaking out for a good three, four weeks,” Miller said, adding,  “Lately, I’ve been doing my own thing.  I just kind of want to keep going.” 

Each day, Miller scans the Internet for stories about Britney Spears, posting them on his Webs Site and adds his comments.  He also encourages her fans to send him concert photos and messages about her worldwide “Circus” tour.

Henderson, Nevada attorney Clarke Walton, who represents Miller pro bono, has been battling the Spears legal team tooth and nail. 

Spears’ New-York based attorney Brad Rose says the use of the star’s recordings, images, copyrighted works and trademarks constitutes actionable infringement under the law. 

Miller and Walton are puzzled that Team Spears would leave oodles of other fan sites alone and yet see fit to sic legal hounds on a kid who is simply a huge admirer of the singer.  Miller believes Jamie Spears is “trying to shut me down” simply because of Web site posted comments about the father’s control over his daughter.  Miller believe Jamie is keeping Britney a prisoner. 

And it’s not like Miller has an Internet goldmine- Miller pays $300 a month to keep the site going and receives an average of $100 each month from advertisers.  Miller is also not using images or lyrics for commercial purposes, like selling merchandise. 

“If they want to fight, I’d love this fight,” Walton said. “I feel confident we would win on the merits of this case.”

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Mariah Carey & Hubby Nick Cannon Plan Lavish One-Year Anniversary Bash in Las Vegas

Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon will be literally rolling the dice for their one-year-anniversary with a lavish celebration in Las Vegas. mariahcarey

The Glitter star stunned fans last year when she married hip-hop star Cannon in a private ceremony in the Bahamas on April 30. 

A year later, the duo is still going strong and are planning their one-year anniversary party in Sin City at the end of April, it’s claimed. 

The celebrations will reportedly begin at 11 p.m, on April 30 and go on until the early hours of the morning at the Palms’ Moon nightclub in Las Vegas. 

Mariah’s marriage to Nick was her second time – she split from recording-industry mogul Tommy Mottola in 1998, after five years together.

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Lindsay Lohan Shuns Stripping, Outed by Prive Nightclub for Drinking in Las Vegas

Although Lindsay Lohan is reportedly not going to strip down and perform in the newly opened Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas opposite Spice Girl Mel B, her behind-the-scenes boozing has been made public by bosses of a Las Vegas nightclub who claim to have seen the actress downing vodka. 

The Mean Girls star – who is newly-single after splitting from girlfriend Samantha Ronson – as been outed by management at Prive nightclub in the Planet Hollywood for drinking alcohol when she claims to be tee-toataling after several stints in rehab. 

According to TMZ, the nightclub released a statement saying:  “Mel [B] was drinking Merlot and Lindsay asked for a Vodka drink mixed with soda water and a splash of cranberry.” 

Lindsay lashed out at a reporter who quizzed her about her ongoing imbibing relationship with alcohol only last week, responding with: “I don’t drink…a**hole.” 

The actress attended rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for alcohol and substance abuse in 2007.

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Lindsay Lohan Spotted Shopping for Men in Las Vegas

Lindsay Lohan is apparently putting an end to her lady lovin’ ways and getting back on the straight and narrow. 

The “Mean Girl”- who was in Las Vegas last weekend – was spotted leaving several clubs with an unidentified man in tow only days after allegedly cozying up to Body of Lies megastar Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood.   lindsay-lohan

Lindsay also put in an appearance at the opening of Mel B’s new burlesque-style show opening, aptly titled Peep Show, where she reportedly proceeded to eye-up young, unsuspecting male prey. 

The actress told Mel she was “back on men”, after recently calling it a day with her lover of two years, DJ Samantha Ronson.  The couple ended their fiery romance over two weeks ago.

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Justin Timberlake Loves Swigging Tequila 901

Justin Timberlake may want to take a page from the book of illustrious Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman when it comes to promoting liquor in Las Vegas.  While Goodman occasionally makes appearances with showgirls and gin, justintimberlakeTimberlake now likes to dance and sing his way through Las Vegas appearances with his new 901 tequila buddy.  He’s been spotted at XS at Encore, the Playboy Club at the Palms, and elsewhere swigging on the yummy brew. 

901 is the area code of Memphis where Timberlake grew up and according to Timberlake, “It’s also the time that the evening stops and the night officially begins.” 

901 tequila will be available in May, sold exclusively in Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles.

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Marie Osmond Perserves, Stays on Top

Marie Osmond’s life is a blur.  She wouldn’t have it any other way.  And, amid all the hubbub in a topsy turvy and sometimes cruel entertainment industry, she stays on top. marieosmond

Marie, the only Osmond sister, lives in Las Vegas, says she is still a homebody as much as high roller — a mother to eight kids, a woman who struggles with her weight, time management, career choices and choosing a partner. 

“I really don’t think my life is all that interesting,” said Osmond as she boarded a plane to sign her new book, Might as Well Laugh About It Now.  “But I am flattered by the people that have read it and identify with it.”  Her book chronicles various events in her life, from defending her father’s leadership of the family business to extolling her parents’ influence on her value system. 

Recent TV gigs, ranging from her 2007 stint on “Dancing with the Stars” to appearances on “Oprah,” have reintroduced Osmond to a new generation or two who didn’t know her much beyond the squeaky-clean teenager of the 1970s-era “Donny and Marie” variety show. 

Now a doll designer popular on the QVC cable shopping channel, Osmond agrees life in the media fishbowl is a trade-off in privacy, but she uses the attention to benefit others. Osmond and actor John Schneider dreamed up the Children’s Miracle Network in 1983. It’s a charity, Osmond says, that annually helps 17 million children and their families. The charity idea grew out the death of her brother’s infant daughter. 

“We are all in fishbowls,” she said in an interview. “You just have to learn to be OK with yourself.” 

As much as her later career has been separated from her family act, her life is still very much tied to the brothers with whom she traveled the world last year in performances marking the family’s 50 years in show business. 

Her Las Vegas stage show at the Flamingo with brother Donny is on hiatus until April 21, but she has contracted for two more years and a solo syndicated TV talk show is in the works for this fall. 

It’s all just another day for the work in progress Marie Osmond.

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Criss Angel Blasts Perez Hilton in Las Vegas

criss-angelDefinitely no love is lost between “Mindfreak” Las Vegas illusionist Criss Angel and celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton. perez-hilton

As Angel was ending his magic show Friday at the Luxor in Las Vegas, he announced that he had someone special in the audience, asking Perez Hilton to stand up. 

“We have the world’s biggest douchebag asshole in the house!” shouted an agitated Angel. 

Perez Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, smiled broadly and fired back:  “Thanks for the free tickets.” 

The buzz is that Angel berated the blogger after his camp saw Perez Hilton’s Twitter site, which carried real-time comments dissing Angel’s show, including “unbelievably BAD!” and “I would rather be getting a root canal.” 

So what you say? Perez Hilton has reportedly 600,000 “followers” on his Twitter social networking site.   That’s a whole lot of free marketing publicity.

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Mary Tyler Moore to be Honored at NAB Dinner in Las Vegas

Mary Tyler Moore will be among those honored at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Television Chairman’s Award dinner on April 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. marytylermoore

The NAB advances the interests of more than 8,300 radio and television stations through legislative, regulatory and public affairs actions. 

At the 2009 event long-time entertainer Mary Tyler Moore will be honored with the NAB Distinguished Service Award which recognizes broadcasters who “have made significant and lasting contributions to the broadcasting industry”.  Past winners in this category have included President Reagan, Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope, Walter Cronkite and Oprah Winfrey. 

NAB President and CEO David Rehr said of Moore “We are proud to honor her with our Distinguished Service Award for the tremendous impact she’s had on broadcasting and for her many years of public service.” 

The NAB Show will be April 18 through 23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Hilton.  Exhibits begin on April 20.  NAB Show information:  http://www.nabshow.com/2009/eventInfo/default.asp

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Miss Nevada’s Gown to Win the Crown?

For decades there’s been a standard beauty pageant look- Aqua net hair, bright red lipstick and that too bright never fading smile.  But in the last 10 years, a new image has emerged.   The padded shoulders and brittle taffeta skirts have slowly been replaced with more current fashion designs including an evening gown created by Project Runway designer Kayne Gillespie. 

This year, Miss Nevada-USA Georgina Vaughan will take the fashion focus all the way to haute couture with a wardrobe of designs by Lana Fuchs of Lana Fuchs Couture. 

A Las Vegas resident since 1995, Lana Fuchs has designed one of a kind clothing worn by celebrities such as Paula lanafuchs1Abdul and Meaghan Martin.  And now she has created a weeks worth of looks for Georgina Vaughan including a fashion forward evening gown that is expected to help set the Las Vegas local apart from the other 50 Miss USA contestants. 

“There’s such a mold of the typical pageant girl,” she says. “Being blond, people prejudge you.”  

Lana Fuchs had a successful runway debut at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Los Angeles in October 2008.  She’s also been featured in Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, In Touch Weekly and 944. 

The Miss USA Pageant will be televised live from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas on Sunday, April 19th, starting at 7 p.m. on NBC.

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Jessica Simpson: Blond if you do, blond if you don’t

Jessica Simpson, a frequent Las Vegas visitor, is one of those talented types who can’t seem to catch a break.  As a pop singer she was constantly compared to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera – too voluptuous to be nice and not jessicasimpsongritty enough to be naughty.   

Her personal life has been the used as the source to create tabloid top sellers with pictures and stories of men who have, and who haven’t, spent time with her.  

And now only months after settling into her single woman skin and stepping up to the country music mic, Simpson appears to be ending her foray into her musical roots.  While she remains part of the Sony Music Group on the Epic label, Simpson is no longer involved with Sony Music Nashville.  Lauren Auslander a former spokesperson for Simpson said, “She (Simpson) was on loan to Sony Nashville for her country album.”   

Many fans believe that Simpson is a favorite target of the media and is often portrayed in a less than favorable light because of petty jealousy.  In a recent interview, Rascal Flatts’ lead singer Gary Levox said Simpson “..is in a spot where whatever she does, they pick her apart. They need to just leave her alone and just let her sing.” 

“She’s a wonderfully gifted singer,” added bassist Jay DeMarcus. “All the other stuff overshadows what she’s really about and it’s unfortunate, because there’s more to her there than just tabloid fodder.” 

It could be Jessica Simpson will spend her time in the spotlight being the blonde everyone loves to hate.  But with her talent, it’s more likely, Las Vegas Backstage Access believes, that she’ll find a way to rebound like blonde archetype Madonna than fall into the archives like Taylor Dayne.

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Ne-Yo has come a long way . . .

While studying at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies as a performing and visual arts major, Shaffer Smith neyolearned that it’s okay to be different.  Today, 29-year-old Ne-Yo – Shaffer was renamed after Matrix movie character Neo – doesn’t need to be concerned at all about being different.  He appears to be quite comfortable in his role as a three-time Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter, actor and record producer. 

Ne-Yo has accepted his fourth acting gig, being part of the cast of George Lucas “Red Tails” – a film about the World War II Tuskegee pilots.  Yes,  it’s that George Lucas and it’s those Tuskegee pilots.  

This will also be the feature film directorial debut for Anthony Hemingway.  In addition to Ne-Yo, the ensemble cast includes Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker and Method Man.

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Holly Madison Strikes Again

Holly Madison, the former Playboy playmate, commenting on what she missed most about living with Hugh Hefner, her ex-boyfriend, at last weekend’s 83rd birthday bash for Hef in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino & Hotel:hughhefnerholly 

“The mansion has a fantastic zoo with birds and monkeys – I used to work in the zoo a lot and was really close to the zoo staff.  I fancied myself as an amateur zoologist.”

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Playboy Icon Hugh Hefner Turns 83 in Las Vegas this Weekend

hugh-hefnerHugh Hefner will be prancing around all this weekend in his aged red robe all over the Palms Casino in Las Vegas celebrating his 83rd birthday. 

There’s a Palms Place pool party scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4 at the Playboy Club & Moon Nightclub. 

And there is great potential for some memorable catfights, as Hef’s “old” flame, Holly Madison (and, recently, Criss Angel’s ex), is reportedly joining her “Girls Next Door” gal pals, Kendra and Bridget.   During this fray, Hef will meticulously grooming their replacements with tender loving care: Crystal Harris and 19-year-old twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon.   

If you’re planning on going, be sure to bring Hef a birthday present:  Viagra

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Nevada Film Industry Weathers Economic Storm with Gusto

While most segments of Nevada’s economy have been shrinking, if not temporarily disappearing all together, there’s one area that not only met budget projections but those projections earned more than $100 million dollars for various Nevada coffers.  witchmountain

The Nevada Film Office (NFO) announced that film related production revenue for 2008 totaled $110,552,900, making it the 9th year that the NFO has met their $100 million benchmark. 

“The figures from the last decade confirm that Nevada is at the forefront of the film industry as a production destination.” said Luis Valera, Commissioner for the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. 

The NFO assists a variety of productions including commercials, television series and student and feature movies.   The movie “21” and CSI: Las Vegas are favorites that come to mind.  But already in 2009 the reality program The Locator, comedy show Howie Do It and the news program ABC Primetime have all completed Las Vegas filming segments. 

In 2008, the current box office smash Race to Witch Mountain spent several weeks filming in downtown Las Vegas- and it didn’t just spend time under the glitzy neon glamour lighting.  As with other productions, non-Strip Las Vegas facilities served as useful and realistic filming locations.   The Fergusons Motel on 10th street was the home of down on his luck hero cabbie Jack Bruno (aka Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson).  The El Cortez Hotel and perennial filming favorite, Planet Hollywood, was featured prominently.  And in addition to filming on the Strip and through Fremont Street, the Race to Witch Mountain crew spent time working at Red Rock Canyon – which once again appears to be the perfect setting for another far, far away and very arid planet. 

With a growing list of Las Vegas film projects already approved and permitted for 2009, this is sure to be another banner year for NFO revenues.  That should translate into more revenue in the bank for hotels, caterers and equipment rental agencies.  And, of course, Las Vegas residents who earn extra bucks playing extras, will continue to bring Nevada to life on plasma TVs around the world.  

With this amount of money spent by film crews each year, Las Vegas won’t even mind if the hero makes a grand exit through the side door of the Tropicana and walks out under the blinking winking lights of the Fremont Street canopy (Angel – Season 4 – The House Always Wins).   

After all, the buck stopped in Las Vegas, right?

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Changing of the Guard for Las Vegas Burlesque Shows

In Las Vegas the only real certainty is uncertainty itself.  Entertainment acts change, shows come and go.  And G-string revues are as much a part of the Las Vegas entertainment fabric as gambling itself.  Some say they harken way back to the days of the Dunes Hotel & Casino where it was fashionable to head out and watch the glamorous shows.  Fast forward to today, even the hugely popular sex goddess and entrepreneur Tera Patrick is contemplating a switch from a steady diet of porn to burlesque in Las Vegas. 

Following the footsteps of “Lido” that closed in 1991 after 32 years, this Saturday, March 28 after 49 years the iconic “Folies Bergere” burlesque revue at the Tropicana in Las Vegas will sadly go dark forever after performing 29,000 shows- along with the feathered showgirls the the style, spirit, and very essence of classic Las Vegas entertainment.  

But, even if you’re not one of the lucky 100 people that got a ticket for the final Folies show or one of the 750 invited guests and alumni, there’s still hope.

You can still watch  sexy cabaret revues like “Fantasy,” “Crazy Girls,” “X Burlesque,’ or the full-blown old-Vegas style revue “Jubilee!,” that’s been going since 1981.   Then there is  the female attraction of  “Men of X at Hooters.”  

But if you are game for a brand new Las Vegas burlesque treat you might want to catch the first previews of “Peepshow” that start on March 30 and run through April 17 at Planet Hollywood.  Billed as a “modern contemporary burlesque” the sexy show features Scary Spice Girl Mel B. (Melanie Brown) and “Dancing With the Stars” champion Kelly Monaco, who also played on “General Hospital” and posed for Playboy- watching them perform alone is worth the price of admission – and a cast of 29 principals, tightly choreographed dancers, and a band of all female musicians.  peepshow

Neither Mel B nor Monaco will be topless, but several of the dancers will be for the cabaret show.  Mel B plays Peep Diva, the mistress of the ceremonies, and Monaco is Bo Peep, who falls asleep in a short movie that starts the show. 

Broadway director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell says, “It really isn’t a musical because there isn’t really a written book and scenes that string the show together in that sense.  It’s a story told through song and dance.  It’s really modern day burlesque.  We’ve taken song and dance and the arte of striptease to tell a story.” 

BASE is producing the Las Vegas show.  Architect David Rockwell (“Phantom, the Las Vegas Spectacular”) designed the lavish set.  And Greg Barnes, who won a Tony Award for “The Drowsy Chaperone,” is creating the costumes. 

The music includes Michael Bubble’s “Feeling Good,” Connie Francis’ “Teddy,” Madonna’s “Hung Up,” and original tunes by Andrew Lippa. 

“We took the bones of what I created in New York and tailored it for the Las Vegas market,” says Mitchell. “We couldn’t do this show in New York City.  This is a Las Vegas show, for sexy adult men and women who want to go out together and have an amazing time.  We’re not trying to pound anything over anyone’s head.”  

Mitchell says he doesn’t want to reveal too much else about the show.  

“I don’t want to be coy, but isn’t that the fun of striptease- what you don’t see as opposed to what you see?” says Mitchell.  “It’s one of the things I think is desperately missing here in Las Vegas and something I’m a huge fan of- the right time to take it off.  It’s about how you take it off.”

Tickets range from $65 to $100 and previews for the tale with a tease start on Monday, March 30 through April 17 at the showroom at Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas (702-785-5000).

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Las Vegas Mayor Gets Permanently ‘Waxed’

The gin-loving, always jovial Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman gave his classic toast and thumbs-up pose, then joined the historic ranks of Madame Tussauds’ collection of wax-recreated oscargoodmancelebrities  in Las Vegas on March 26. 

The former mob attorney, who has served as the Las Vegas mayor for a decade,  now is in his last term of office, had his likeness enshrined as a new part of the permanent Las Vegas collection at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at the Venetian, being part of the launch of the “Viva Vegas” group of celebrities who have elevated Las Vegas’ fame.  

The Goodman statue cost $250,000 to $300,00, looked a little taller and slightly slimmer (maybe it was the Gin imbibing from the prior night?) than the real deal, who also was sporting a wilder hairdo than the wax model.

Mayor Goodman quipped during his induction that his likeness was ‘scary,’ but the wax hall of fame was an “important step for Las Vegas,” then questioned:  “Is it strange to be named a celebrity when you have a fairly serious day job?”

Madame Tussauds representatives said “Viva Vegas” represents one of the most ambitious and interactive presentations in the attraction’s 10-year history.  The new exhibit not only features Goodman but 26 other wax figures from Las Vegas’ storied entertainment annals, including Elton John, Bette Midler, Blue Man Group, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and, of course, Elvis Presley.

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Holly Madison Sets Sights on New Las Vegas Gig?

After being the main love squeeze for Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner for seven years, breaking up, and recently breaking up from Las Vegas illusionist and Luxor headliner Criss Angel following a four-month live-in relationship, Las Vegas resident, actress, and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Holly Madison, 29, says she is has no interest in hollymadisongetting back into another relationship anytime soon. 

But what she is wanting is to stay in the TV reality show business but move into “the production side of things.”  One of the three co-stars of the hit TV reality show “The Girls Next Door,” Madison now has her sights set on a Las Vegas project to be a reality show producer.  The concept reportedly would be a combination of “Girls Next Door,” and “The Hills,” with a little bit of the “Crazy Horse Paris” style topless revue thrown in just for good measure. 

“I want to establish my own brand and my own career and not be mooching off something else,” says Madison, who is now immersed into dance rehearing six hours a day at the Delgado Dance Studio in Summerlin.  Madison had no prior dance background before becoming a last-minute addition to replace the injured Jewel on “Dancing with the Stars” and remains in the competition with her dance partner Dimitry Chaplin.

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Acrylic Nails are Dead

Throw out your nail polish remover.  Trash your nail dryer.  Spring’s hottest new beauty fad, if not budding long-term trend, is Minx.  These vinyl, stickerlike sheets have all but replaced nail polish and have stirred up a large appeal ranging from Rihanna, Beyonce, Pink, and Fergie to ordinary housewives with fashion maven tendencies. minx1

Making economic sense, pedicures can survive longer than a month and manicures, depending on the user’s lifestyle, range from five days to two weeks.  With many style options and colors to choose from, the long lasting wears also make the $70 manicures and $105 pedicure that Amp Salon (at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas) charges seem more palatable. 

The other benefit:  There’s no drying time.  Minx clients can dig into their purses for keys and cell phones with destroying their nails or their day. 

The application consists of a heating process, during which the vinyl sheet sticks to the nail.  From there the excess is filed off and the clients are good to go.  With the manicure included, the entire appointment process requires about a half-hour of time.

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Dennis Quaid to Receive ShoWest’s Male Star of the Year Award in Las Vegas

Dennis Quaid will receive the coveted ShoWest male star of the year nod at the upcoming confab of theater owners. dennis-quaid1

ShoWest runs March 30-April 2 in Las Vegas at Bally’s and the Paris Hotel & Casino. 

Quaid will be seen in theaters with Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions’ CG-animated “Battle for Terra,” which opens May 1. Later this summer, Qauid will be acting in Paramount’s actioner “G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra” and then in Overture’s horror pic “Pandorum.” 

Quaid will receive the ShoWest award at the closing banquet on April 2.

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Jennifer Harman Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament on April 17

Once again poker great Jennifer Harman will be hosting the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Nevada SPCA.  This is the third year for the Las Vegas event which has raised more than $200,000 to fund the local charity. jenniferharmon

Harman, a Reno native who graduated from UNR, made her first World Series of Poker debut in 1996 where she placed 6 in a Limit Hold-Em tournament.  She now holds two World Series of Poker bracelets and is regarded as the best female poker player in the world. 

This years charity event is scheduled to begin April 17 with a No Limit Hold’em Poker Tournament at the Venetian Poker Room.  In addition to the tournament there will be a celebrity and pets’ red carpet, a silent auction, raffle and video presentation.

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DISH Las Vegas Culinary Fundraiser on April 3

In the depression of the 1930s, soup kitchens and breadlines were the primary sources of nutrition for a large portion of the country.  Now, in the recession of 2009, organizations like Three Square in Las Vegas are serving as disbursement hubs for donated foods and trying to keep meals on the tables of lower to middle class families in Southern Nevada. 

To support Three Square, local Las Vegas chefs and entertainers will be participating in DISH Las Vegas – a first time fundraiser at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve on April 3. 

Planned to participate will be Chef Kerry Simon, Chef Rick Moonen, Chef Peter Sherlock, Chef Rock of Hell’s Kitchen, Carrot Top, George Wallace, Clint Holmes, Louie Anderson, Susan Anton and UFC Fighters. 

The one-day event will include an art exhibit of personally designed plates, exceptional food, wine and musical entertainment.

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Jerry Lewis Has A Love Child?

jerrylewisDNA test results, according to United Press International, recently revealed that Suzan Minoret, also known as Susan Lewis, and Jerry Lewis’ oldest son, Gary, share a very rare DNA marker that indicates with an 88.7 percent probability that they are half brother and sister- and iconic comedy legend Jerry Lewis is indeed their biological father.

 

Jerry Lewis, a longtime Las Vegas resident, has never confirmed or denied that Susan is his daughter. 

 

Asked for comment, the comedy and film star’s spokeswoman, Candi Cazau, said, “Mr. Lewis has no comment – period.”

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ShoWest Awardees Announced

“Where does one begin when referring to Michael Caine,” said Mitch Neuhauser, ShoWest co-managing director.  “With over five decades of films to his credit, Michael Caine has quietly commanded the screen in well over 100 roles. He simply does it all, and he does it all so incredibly well be it comedy, drama or action. With such films as ‘Alfie,’ michael-caine‘Funeral in Berlin,’ ‘Sleuth,’ ‘The Man Who Would Be King,’ ‘Educating Rita,’ ‘Hannah & Her Sisters,’ ‘The Cider House Rules,’ ‘The Quiet American,’ and of course, ‘The Dark Knight,’ Michael Caine’s diversity has accorded him this incredible ability to draw movie audiences in worldwide throughout his career. We could not be more honored to present this brilliant actor with the ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award.” 

Michael Caine will receive the ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award at ShoWest’s Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony at Bally’s and the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 2.  

Also being recognized at the 2009 ShoWest event are Zack Snyder as the ShoWest 2009 Director of the Year Award, Zac Efron – ShoWest 2009 Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award (previous Las Vegas Backstage Access article), Bradley Cooper – ShoWest 2009 Comedy Star of the Year Award, Sienna Miller – ShoWest Supporting Actress of the Year and Chris Pine – ShoWest Male Star of Tomorrow (previous Las Vegas Backstage Access article).  

Kerasotes Showplace Theatres Chairman and CEO Tony Kerasotes and President and Chief Operating Officer Dean Kerasotes, will also be honored as the “ShoWesters of the Year” at the 2009 convention.

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Lindsay Lohan Goes Bonkers in Las Vegas

lindsaylohan1With Paris Hilton’s 28th birthday celebration just this past Saturday, March 7 and all her zany friends and guests showing up at Body English nightclub in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, we at Las Vegas Backstage Access predicted it wouldn’t be long until her other buds would soon follow suit. 

We were right. 

Lindsay Lohan joined her girlfriend Samantha Ronson in the DJ booth at Prive nightclub at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas on March 9.   Later, Ronson was seen taking off in a car at the valet about 3:15 a.m. and a few moments later a “visibly upset” Lohan retrieved her car and took off racing after Ronson.  No other cars, thankfully, received any bruises. 

Now, for the hat-trick- we really need some kitchy Las Vegas antics from Britney Spears.  But who knows, maybe her Circus tour is tiring her out?

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Steve Wynn Calls it Quits

Las Vegas Backstage Access has been covering this story since the inception and has now confirmed that the Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn’s marriage is all but over- for the second time.  A divorce petition was filed in Clark County Court in Las Vegas on March 5. steveelainewynn

On the surface, everything appeared good.  The Wynn’s celebrated the gala opening in late December of his newest $2.3 billion, 2,034-room casino gem, Encore Las Vegas.   Then, in January, Harry Connick Jr. was in Las Vegas and partied hearty with Steve and Elaine Wynn, serenading them with such memorable Frank Sinatra songs as, “Luck Be A Lady,” and “Here’s to the Losers” during Wynn’s 67th birthday celebration in Las Vegas. 

But during these gala and festive times, details largely hidden from prying eyes, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Wynn Resorts marriage to his wife, Elaine, was already on the rocks- Steve was in the midst of separating from his wife, a former Miss Miami Beach in 1960, and significant contributor to Wynn’s enterprises.

Wynn’s roving eye attracted British socialite Andrea Danenza Hissom, a 40-something divorced mother of two teenage sons, who was married to London-based investment broker Robert Davis Hissom.  It was the best of times- and the worst to times. The lovebirds were spotted in the posh Swiss ski resort of St. Moritz and also enjoying the sun’s rays while rendezvousing on Wynn’s yacht on the Carribean island of St. Bart’s. 

Meanwhile, Elaine kept a stuff upper lip, denying divorce rumors at all turns. 

Steve Wynn married Elaine in 1963 and they divorced in 1986, but married again in 1991. They have two children.

Hardship and controversy is no stranger to the Wynn’s.  Steve and Elaine Wynn were also victims of a kidnapping – one of their daughters was taken for ransom in 1993. She was returned after the Wynn’s paid $1.45 million to the kidnappers.  The culprits were later caught when they tried to buy a Ferrari with the moola. 

Wynn’s fortune was estimated at around $3.9 billion before our economy tanked.

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Happy Birthday, Paris Hilton!

Paris Hilton’s 28th birthday celebration is this weekend in Las Vegas at the Body English nightclub inside the Hard parishiltonRock Hotel and Casino on Saturday, March 7th  and she is inviting 50 of her closest Hollywood friends. The social maven is always controversial.  Earlier in February she received THREE losing awards at the Razzies, a spoof on the Oscars.  However, Parlux Fragrances just named Hilton as their celebrity of the year, where she will be honored on May 27 in New York.

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Las Vegas World Movie Premier: “Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective” on March 8

Celebrities galore plan to walk the “green carpet” for the world movie premiere of “Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet ace-venturaDetective” on Sunday at Noon (line forms at 10 a.m.) at the Springs Preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. in Las Vegas. 

The event, sponsored by Johnny Brenden (Brenden Theatres at the Palms) and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, features celebrity hosts Ryan Malgarini (CBS’ Gary Unmarried) and Brittany Curran (Legally Blondes).  And walking the carpet from the film will be Josh Flitter (Nancy Drew, License to Wed), Emma Lockhart (Batman Begins), Austin Rogers (Drillbit Taylor), Reed Alexander (Nickelodeon’s iCarly), Adam Hicks (How to Eat Fried Worms, Shaggy Dog), Hunter Clary (Fuel, The Transporter II, Meet the Spartans) and Dan Curtis Lee (Upcoming Zeke & Luther, Ned’s Classified School Survival Guide). 

Attendees can receive autographs from their favorite celebrities and then all are invited to a special movie showing at the venue. 

The movie follows the Ace Ventura motion picture series made popular by Jim Carrey.  Actor Josh Flitter, 12, plays Ace Jr., the son of the eccentric detective who steps into his father’s shoes after his mother is wrongly arrested for stealing a baby panda.  The movie provides a new generation of family fun and goof-brained comedy panda-monium as Ace Ventura Jr. teams with adventurous girl-next-door Laura (Emma Lockhart) and nerdish gizmo-wiz A-Plus (Austin Rogers) to chase down leads and laughs.

Ready for fun? Allriiiighty-then. Ace – Ace Jr. is on the case!

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Brande Roderick Next ‘Celebrity Apprentice’?

branderoderickDonald Trump through contract provisions isn’t letting the Playboy model, film star, and entrepreneur tell for certain if she’ll be one of the two finalists left standing in “The Celebrity Apprentice” when The Donald makes a decision in the live May TV finale.    

Although Brande Roderick, tonight’s celebrity “host’ at Tao nightclub inside the Venetian in Las Vegas, says she has no idea if she’ll be selected, she added that Trump “never yelled at me.”  Could this be her subtle prediction?

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ShoWest to Honor Zac Efron as Breakthrough Performer of the Year in Las Vegas

High School Musical star Zac Efron will be recognized as ShoWest 2009 Breakthrough Performer of the Year at the zacefronannual Las Vegas event during the Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony on April 2 at Bally’s and Paris in Las Vegas. 

Efron’s first appearance at ShoWest was as Nicky Blonsky’s love interest Link Larkin in the 2007 movie Hairspray.  He is best known as Troy Bolton, acting in three Disney High School Musical films. 

Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of the event, said, “[Efron’s] undeniable onscreen presence and charm have connected with fans around the world, and with the impending release of the comedy ’17 Again,’ Zac Efron is poised to break out as a true Hollywood star.”

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Illusionists Siegfried & Roy – & Career-Ending White Bengal Tiger -Take Final Las Vegas Curtain Call

Future performances from iconic Las Vegas illusionists Siegfried and Roy – and the white Bengal tiger that ended their prior careers – are, sadly, over.  siegfried

For their last hurrah the trio shared the stage on February 28 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for their haunting final performance for the 13th annual “Power of Love” gala benefit for the Keep Memory Alive organization, proceeds going to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. 

Hosted by Robin Leach, in the audience were Teri Hatcher, Leeza Gibbons, Hilary Duff, Danny DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman, comic actor (and former Riviera entertainment director) Steve Schirripa, Muhammed Ali, Kristin Davis, and Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Ferrell.

The gala began by feasting on mouth-watering cuisine from chef’s Todd English, Wolfgang Puck, David Robins, Martin Heierling, and Jean-Philippe Maury. 

Then the abbreviated charity show saw Roy Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher side by side with Montecore, the massive white tiger that brutally mauled Horn during a 2003 performance.

Horn re-emerged Saturday dressed in a Gothic-style black-and-white robe, his face covered with a skeletal mask. The dark stage was covered in smoke.  Horn limped slowly onstage, often steadying himself on Fischbacher’s shoulder.

The two slowly performed a signature illusion as Fischbacher, dressed in white robes and a mask, stood inside a cage, which was cloaked in drapes.  As Horn removed the curtain seconds later, Fischbacher appeared across stage, a hulking white Bengal tiger in his place- it was Montecore.

As the crowd took to its feet, the men removed their masks and Fischbacher was standing between Montecore and Horn. They waved and blew kisses at the audience, but said nothing.

An announcer left the crowd with this final thought: “Within all of us there is an illusive melody, which when heard and followed will lead you to the fulfillment of your fondest dreams.”

On October 3, 2003, Montecore sank its teeth deep into Horn’s neck, dragging him offstage in front of a horrified audience. The illusionist, now 64, was partially paralyzed, suffering a damaged neck artery and crushed windpipe. 

After 13 years and more than 5,000 performances, the “Siegfried & Roy” show at The Mirage immediately went dark, ending one of the most successful shows in Las Vegas history.

During Horn’s long rehabilitation, though, both men remained devoted to their exotic habitat on the Las Vegas Strip. The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage hotel-casino houses lions, tigers and leopards. Fischbacher, 69, has called it Horn’s “reason to get up in the morning.”

The benefactor for the event, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, will treat brain disorders like those Horn now suffers, is set to open later this year in a building designed by architect Frank Gehry.

An estimated $12 million was raised by the event for the Ruvo center, punctuated by  a $450,000 bid on a Rolls-Royce trimmed with the Keep Memory Alive logo, and a $5 million donation by Chuck Mathewson, CEO emeritus of IGT.   Steve and Elaine Wynn donated another $1 million.

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Criss Angel’s Girlfriend Holly Madison ‘Disappears’

Criss Angel, 41, magician extraordinaire performing at the Luxor in Las Vegas, and his girlfirend Holly Madison, 29, are no longer a couple.    Word is that they broke up when Madison moved back into her parent’s home.   According to Angel’s publicist, Steve Flynn: “They remain very close friends and wish each otherhollymadison the very best.”

Madison is best known for her work on the reality TV show “The Girls Next Door.” She had been dating Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner until last October.

“All she’s doing is following Criss Angel around to all of his magic shows, with no legitimate job to speak of,” a source told USmagazine.com. “She’s still heartbroken and regretful about how things went down with Hef.  Then she ran into the arms of Criss Angel, but then it’s like, ‘This is not everything I thought it would be.'”

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Boston’s Vinnie Favorito Packs ‘Em In at the Flamingo in Las Vegas

Times are tough, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the insulting Boston comic Vinnie Favorito throw down a torrent of smack and pack ’em in nightly at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.vinniefavorito

Although we’re all perhaps feeling a little down on ourselves right now, Favorito has refined his ethnic humor to fit our blended and ever evolving society.  He has his black jokes and his Mexican jokes, but when he finds a couple in the audience with of each he asks, “When something’s missing, who do you blame?”

Why is Favorito’s style so popular?  It’s hard to know for certain, but maybe there’s an undercurrent of nostalgia for the simpler era of chop-busting.

Or perhaps it’s because we have moved so far past those simple definining lines in the real world, and it’s now just harmlessly ridiculous when Favorito acts mock-astonished that a Mexican couple has no children.

Either way, there is something direct and kinetic about a guy that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering if you’ll be the next victim.

Vinnie Favorito carries on the Don Rickles torch daily at 8 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.

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Jailbird O.J. Simpson: Busted, Not Broke & Suffering

Unless his planned legal appeals go through, O.J. Simpson, 67, faces the prospect of spending at least 15 years and up to 33 years in jail.  Simpson, as it stands now, will be eligible for parole in 2017.oj

Simpson and Clarence “C.J.” Stewart were found guilty on 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from their October 2008 case that involved a Palace Station hotel confrontation in Las Vegas over sports memorabilia. Simpson contended the items had been stolen from him.

Simpson, a frequent Las Vegas nightlife visitor before his trial, sat quietly and showed little emotion at the defense table as he listened to the verdicts being read.

Some say the ruling provided fitting justice and a degree of family payback for the verdict that came 13 years earlier to the day when a Los Angeles jury acquitted Simpson of double-murder, in what many called the trial of the century, for allegedly killing his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. 

After the murder trial, Simpson was  then dragged into civil court, where the burden of proof wasn’t as strict, and was found guilty of wrongful death.  Although he was ordered to pay the estates of his victims $33 million, he has only paid the Goldman family $500,000 – the proceeds of an auction of his coveted Heisman Trophy.

Life is not woe and suffering for the gridiron star and actor.

Simpson has the dough- and plenty of it.  While cooling his heels in prison, he still continues to collect his NFL pension, Screen Actors Guild pension, and a private pension, all earning him, depending on the market conditions, anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000 a month, says his lawyer, Yale Galanter. 

The Goldmans and Browns can’t put a lien on Simpson’s money because all his pensions are protected from creditors by federal law.

Simpson now laments (?) and spends his leisure time at the Lovelock Correction Center, a small and relatively new prison located near Reno, Nevada.

Spartan existence you say?  Pshaw!  Simpson now benefits from such amenities as a television in his cell, although he lamented the lack of HBO, and is allowed to play checkers and cards with his fellow convict roomies. “If I have to be in prison,” Page Six recently quoted him as saying, “this is the place to be.”   

And he apparently loves the prison chow, getting back up to “fighting” weight- a whole lot better then his stay at the Clark County jail in Las Vegas where he lost 25 pounds eating ‘mystery’ meat.

Simpson never ceases to amaze and run out of rabbits to pull from his plush, velvet scull cap.

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Hip-Hop Star Nelly Gambles on New Las Vegas TV Show

Hip-hop star Nelly is pacting with “The Biggest Loser” producer 25/7 Productions to take a stab at the popular variety TV genre.nelly

“Nelly’s Night in Vegas” is currently being pitched to networks as a weekly series that would feature Nelly performing and interacting with celebrities.  25/7’s Dave Broome is set to be the executive producer along with Nelly and “The Daily Show” co-creator Madeleine Smithberg.

“I was thinking about what was missing on TV, and when this idea came about, it made sense for me,” said Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. “We do have talkshows, but no one’s speaking from the pop culture perspective. Let’s get a little more pop, a little more edge, a little bit younger, and not look like you’re sitting in the principal’s office. As a performer, that’s the type of show you look forward to going on.”

Broome said the producers have reportedly already sealed a deal with Planet Hollywood to film the weekly show at its Las Vegas hotel; 25/7 is also in conversations with other sponsors about potential pacts.

“Nelly’s Night in Vegas” would be a talkshow-variety hybrid, Broome said, with a sidekick and house band, as well as guests and performances. Because it will shoot in LasVegas, there may also be an in-studio gaming element.

Nelly has sold more than 20 million albums throughout his career and has picked up several Grammy Awards. As an actor, Nelly appeared in feature “The Longest Yard” and in a multiepisode arc on CBS’ “CSI: NY.”

Nelly is the latest star to dabble in reviving the variety genre; CBS is working on a variety special starring musician John Mayer, while Fox is set to launch a show this spring starring the Osbournes.

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‘Legends in Concert’ Las Vegas Show Upgraded After 26 Years

legendsTomorrow, February 21, the third longest-running show in Las Vegas, behind only “Follies Bergere” (closing this March) and “Jubilee!” gives its last performance in its longtime home at the Imperial Palace on The Strip.  It reopens on Monday, February 23 at Harrah’s Las Vegas, sharing the main showroom with comedian Rita Rudner (prior Las Vegas Backstage Access blog article).

“Legends in Concert” is marking the move to make some long-delayed upgrades and relaunch their show that’s somewhat become a victim of its own success.

When original producer-director John Stuart introduced the show to the Strip in May 1983, it was quite the in place to go.  Departed Las Vegas greats such as Bobby Darin returned and shared stage time with other ill-fated stars who never made it to the Sands.  Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin were part of the opening-week lineup.

But now, costumed impersonators- or “tribute artists” as they are affectionately called- are so widely accepted and a staple of entertainment, that few blink an eye when a new artist enters the fray.  Tributes to everyone from John Denver to Ozzy Osbourne are a regular staple of off-Strip local casinos, as well as tribal-owned casinos around the country.  And lately, the official versions of classic rock bands such as Journey and Styx have blurred the faux line even more by pulling in singers from the tribute circuit.

With so many look-alike and now sound-alike acts in Las Vegas and around the country, it’s been hard for “Legends” to maintain its authenticity and dominance.  What makes Elvis One better than Elvis Five?

Answering the challenge, the new “Legends” at Harrah’s has been reinvented and will feature a new accompanying video to put each act into the context of its original times.  And the format is trying harder to blend the “modular” approach that allowed acts to easily be swapped in an out and provide a refreshed audience experience over time. 

The show also has grown bolder about exploring its fanciful and alluring premise, letting some of its acts – and their underlying new visual technology – appear together and thus magnify the illusions.  One Christmas themed episode re-created the famous “Little Drummer Boy” duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie.

Has “Legends in Concert” truly experienced a New Age rebirth?

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“Menopause” Musical at the Las Vegas Hilton Set to Close April 5th

Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, writer/producer Jeanie Linders created the show as a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived “The Change.” Since its first performance, the show has evolved as a “grassroots” movement of women who deal with life after 40 and all the challenges that result in the mental, physical and spiritual freedom of the post-World War II baby boomer generation.

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Las Vegas Rain Nightclub Rains on Oscar Awards

The Oscar Night America event, which was to have been held February 22 at the Rain nightclub at the Palms Casino & Hotel has been cancelled due the economic downturn.  Organizer Jimmy Foster, president of Whispering Giants, the special events company in charge of organizing the event, says, “We feel it is better to skip this year and revisit our fundraising initiatives in 2010.”

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Captain Kirk Beams Down to Las Vegas in ShowWest Starship

showwestBefore Chris Pine walks the red carpet during the May Star Trek movie premier this May, he will first be attending the ShoWest Final Night Banquet on Thursday, April 2 to accept the ShoWest Male Star of Tomorrow award.  

Past winners of ShoWest Male Star of Tomorrow have included Emile Hirsch, Shia LaBeouf, Heath Ledger, and Matt Damon. 

ShoWest is an annual event for motion picture professionals and theatre owners.  This year it will be held at Bally’s and Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from March 30 through April 2.  

Although current economic trends have cut into the entertainment budget of most families, ShoWest provides an opportunity for theatre owners and operators to find enhancements and offer incentives that will not only bring those crowds back but keep them at the theatre longer.

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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Prove Life Exists After Football

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ModelsThe NFL football season is history.  But that doesn’t mean excitement needs to be put on hold. Oh my gosh, no.  The folks over at Sports Illustrated were creatively up to the challenge, responding by providing the ultimate in eye-popping candy when 19 swimsuit models arrived in stunning fashion at LAX nightclub in the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 12, to launch their new promotion for the much awaited 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.  

The event marks the first time the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model team decided to make Las Vegas their destination promotion site.  Earlier in the week they were in New York.  The models arrived in grand style aboard “SI One,” a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, which was completely wrapped in Sports Illustrated swimsuit imagery- something unique to no doubt soothe weary pilots’ eyes as they fly the airways.  This is also the first time that Southwest Airlines has wrapped a plane in virtually nose-to-tail imagery. sportsillusplane

Although the Sports Illustrated 46th swimsuit edition is now available on newsstands, Las Vegas Backstage Access thought you might want to see a quick teaser flash slideshow of the 19 models arriving on the red carpet at LAX. (please click on underlined words to view show; view their names by clicking on captions button in lower right).  Our professional photographers have assembled a quick exclusive glimpse of the beauties.  Included is cover girl Bar Refaeli (pictured in this article), the girlfriend of actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brooklyn Decker, fiancée to Andy Roddick.  Six-time Grammy award-winning recording artist John Legend performed at LAX for attendees. 

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit franchise reaches more than 66 million satisfied adults annually in over 10 countries including China, Czech Republic, Greece, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, and Taiwan.  

Approximately one in three Americans over the age of 18 “read” the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model edition.

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Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss Drops Desert Stud Farm Plans

There are many things that former Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss isn’t.  (Though, we’ll just save those for a rainy day heidifleiss2article.)  However, there are many things she is:  quirky and unpredictable are words that immediately come to mind.   But Fleiss is also a consummate businesswoman. Testimonial to that fact, her Pahrump, Nevada “Dirty Laundry” coin-operated laundromat that started a year and a half ago continues to be very successful.  In fact, she plans to open another, perhaps many of them.

She also can intuitively sense when her karma isn’t right. In 2005 she concocted a unique plan to open a Nye County brothel on 60 acres of land, close to tiny town of Crystal, Nevada to exclusively cater to women.   Planning to feature a stable of peck-endowed hunks, Heidi’s Stud Farm would have been the first bordello of its kind.   She was featured in many newspaper and magazine articles and even did a HBO documentary espousing the virtues of being unvirtuous. 

Only one problem about her plans:  Fleiss failed to take the first step of submitting an application for a brothel license. 

Now it appears she never will.  “I think I’m going to put all my property up for sale in Crystal,” Fleiss said. “I don’t want to work so hard . . . and deal with all the nonsense of the sex business.”

 But she’s definitely not into retiring and watching sunrises and sunsets either.  Plans, although not elaborated on, are for the colorful and controversial Fleiss to embark on a new Nevada alternative energy project.  

She also plans to build her dream house somewhere- it’s just she’s just not sure where yet.  

However, one thing is for certain- her lifelong steadfast commitment to her 25 pet parrots that freely roam inside and outside of her home- a double-wide trailer atop her hillside property in Pahrump.  “My birds come first,” she said. “I’ll live wherever’s best for them.”

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‘Monster Circus’ Transforms Las Vegas into Rock ‘n Roll Extravaganza- and Freak Show

monstercircusWhat’s a “monster circus?”  It’s yet another new spectacular production for Las Vegas that never ceases to have enough aces up their entertainment sleeve.   Monster Circus is truly a freaky circus that combines a high-octane live rock concert – no DJs here – with sexy dancers, human circus acts, aerials, freaks of nature, and, of course, a tour bus full of platinum certified real rock stars that play their award-winning rock and heavy metal ballads of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s- all while interacting with their audience. 

It’s a first for Las Vegas. 

Rock star debauchery begins with an all-star lineup of the jaw-dropping Monster Circus band featuring artists  Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio) John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, Ratt), Fred Coury (Cinderella), Bruce Kulick (KISS), and Tony Montana (Great White). Various guest artists will “join the circus” and perform the hits they personally rock out to, creating an ever evolving talent and set list. In addition to these rock and metal masters, special theme nights will be dedicated to the songs of a single legendary band. 

All the non-stop zany action kicks off on March 19 inside the legendary Hilton Theater in Las Vegas where the biggest names in music, from Elvis Presley to Barry Manilow, have performed. The circus is in Sin City six nights a month on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with an 11 p.m. show time. March dates are 19-21 and 26-28.  And for those that still can’t get enough rock ‘n roll, a nightly after-show party will keep you blood pumping as the circus action continues till the wee hours of the morning. 

Tickets can be purchased at the Las Vegas Hilton box office, online at www.lvhilton.com, www.vegas.com, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 702-732-5755 or 800-222-5361.

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Joint Closes Iconic Chapter in Las Vegas Music History

jointThe best bands and entertainers have performed at the legendary Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.   During its near 14-year run, The Joint has hosted the biggest names in entertainment as The Eagles, the Rolling Stones, The Beastie Boys, David Bowie, The Strokes, Robert Plant, Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Petty, Metallica, The Who, Steely Dan, Billy Joel, The Deftones- way too many to list.  But come this Saturday, February 7, the doors will shutter to the 2,000-seat venue as it is prepares for a bigger 4,000-capacity new The Joint that is planned to open in April. 

Saturday’s venue-closing performance will be from none other than the iconic rock ‘n roll Motley Crue, comprised of Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, and Mick Mars.  

Be ready for action through the last beat- and, perhaps, beyond.  The last time a similar venue closed was the Aladdin Theater in 1997.  With that closing the people left the concert and many yanked up their chairs as commemorative souvenirs.   Who know what will happen this time

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Carey Hart Strips for PETA in Las Vegas

Carey Hart, the motocross superstar phenom and co-owner of Las Vegas-based Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company in Las Vegas, was a poster boy for PETA on February 3, appearing in the nightclub Wasted Space (a club that he also co-owns) in the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel to “expose” the cruelty of the fur trade by showing off his amply tattooed body in a poster.  Hart stood next to the poster, with the tagline: “Ink, Not Mink” in a brand-new ad for PETA that espouses, “Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs.” 

Other notables appearing in PETA’s “Ink, Not Mink” ad series will later include Dennis Rodman, Tommy Lee, and Miami Ink star Ami James.  

PETA says animals that are trapped for fur suffer excruciating pain before trappers crush their chests or bludgeon them to death. On fur farms, animals are poisoned, gassed, or anally electrocuted or have their necks broken. In China, now the world’s leading fur exporter, animals-including cats and dogs-are often skinned alive.

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‘Power of Love’ Celebrity Fundraiser for Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas

A gala celebrity fundraiser to benefit the planned Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas will be held on February 28, louruvotime TBA.   The event will feature cuisine of chefs Todd English and Wolfgang Puck, auction, and a long-awaited performance by Siegfried and Roy.  Admission is $1,500 per person or tables can be reserved.  For information, contact the Bellagio at 702-263-9797 or www.keepmemoryalive.org

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Las Vegas is THE Place for Super Bowl Partying

superbowlThere is no better place to take in all the football gridiron action this Sunday at Super Bowl XLIII then to watch and join in on the many parties in sunny Las Vegas.   There are lots of options to choose among before the kickoff between the Arizona Cardinals and the favorite Pittsburg Steelers.  (But for a championship game like this you can throw out favoritism, as anything can, and usually does, happen.)

Action kicks off not on game day Sunday, but Saturday when Kenny “The Snake” Stabler, who led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XI victory in 1977, and Jim Plunkett, who led the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories in the ’80s, will be on hand to greet and mingle with fans at the Sportsbook Bar and Grill at The Palazzo.   

Then, Notre Dame football legend and motivational speaker Dan “Rudy” Ruettiger will be appearing at the Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 31.

The Las Vegas Hilton plans to offer Super Bowl viewing on many 25-foot HD TVs using their state-of-the-art sound system at the Hilton Theater.
 
Not to be outdone, the Rockhouse Bar & Nightclub will host the game with a 100-ounce super-yards mega-cocktail. 

The New York-New York Casino will offer many delectable foods while having game action show on 165 televisions placed throughout the ESPN Zone restaurant.

After the victor is declared, there will many Las Vegas hotspots entertaining until the wee hours of the morning.   The new Encore will have partying going all hours in their new XS nightclub, as will non-stop action at the LAX at the Luxor, Pure nightclub, and the Rain nightclub at the Palms. 

Also, at the Palms rocker Bret Michaels and his “Rock of Love” girls will have an 8 p.m. performance at the Pearl. 

 

For a little comedy infusion after the game, consider attending the “Improv All Stars” showcase at MGM Grand.  Jerry Sienfeld, Drew Carey, and a host of top name entertainers will be on hand for their Super Bowl of Comedy.

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‘Weddingmooning’ in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day

What’s a “weddingmoon?”  A weddingmoon is a new word for a growing trend to combine your solemn marriage weddingvows with the fun of the honeymoon.  Las Vegas, the destination wedding capital of the world, remains at the top of the weddingmoon list by offering sumptuous locations, unique ways to say your “I Do’s,” and cap it off with affordable reception celebrations.  And this year, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, the Las Vegas wedding chapels and locations are gearing up for extra business and starting to advertise many online specials and hotel combo discounts.  

 

If you want something kitschy, you could consider having your vows from the same Elvis impersonator who wed ‘Entourage’ star Kevin Dillon to actress Jane Stuart.  Or you could select a poolside wedding at the Bellagio and follow in the footsteps of “King of Queensactress Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan.  

 

However, more visitors are opting for a different view of the Las Vegas wedding this year- making it not just a location to visit, but their complete destination wedding spot.  And, if the Valley of Fire and Mount Charleston areas in Las Vegas aren’t the backdrop you’re looking for, you could trying look down instead – from the gondola of a hot air balloon during a sunrise or sunset marriage ceremony.

 

There are, of course, many stories of quick and failed marriages that line the chapel walls – Nicky Hilton and Todd Meister married at the Vegas Wedding Chapel on August 15, 2004 and just two months later the party was over.  Yet, successful unions have also begun along the Vegas Strip.  Look at the longevity of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward married at the El Rancho hotel-casino in 1958 or Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa who married May 1, 1996- at what Miss Ripa calls the “chapel of cheese”.

 

There is one thing to know if a Vegas weddingmoon is in your future:  At least one year before you plan your walk down the aisle bring some I.D. and $55 to the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau at 201 Clark Ave between the hours of 8am to 12am.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try now, but the earlier the better.  Because while you can gamble on everything from a horse race to your future 24×7 in Vegas, the county offices will be closed after midnight.

 

And, if you need some professional photography or videography of your special day to last a lifetime, don’t forget to contact us:  http://www.BackstageAccessVegas.com   and please complete the contact link. We do hundreds of weddings each year, tailoring to your needs, while being very economical in these challenging times.

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B-list Celebs Bring Focus to Brands at CES in Las Vegas

You couldn’t find hide nor hair of Mary J. Blige or Yoko Ono this year at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.   And, surprisingly, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn’t deliver a star-studded CES keynote address, as was done in years past when Bill Gates was at the helm.  Ballmer simply made a few austere Microsoft product announcements and discussed the economy woes before calling it a day.  

 

As company marketing budgets are cut to the bone and show exhibitors scramble to just keep up and survive, it’s no wonder that big ticket celebrities are harder to come by this year. However, could this have a positive flip side – a more targeted marketing effort where celebrities actually have a connection with a brand?

 

SHARP,  the official HDTV of Major League Baseball, brought in a slew of MLB All-Stars to try and hit a home run in their booth, including Prince Fielder, a first baseman for the Brewers, Big Papi, David Ortiz, and the Red Sox, New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine- and that’s just on the opening day.

 

NBA Hall of Famers dribbled in to the booth of Haier America, an official NBA partner.  They got hoopsters Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, Robert “The Chief” Parish, and “Big Red Head” Bill Walton to hawk their wares.

 

Digital entertainment leader Creative blasted in Johnathan Fatal1ty Wendell, a world Quake champion and commentator for Championship Gaming Series telecasts on DirecTV, to introduce their new line of Fatal1ty branded Sound Blaster sound cards for gaming.

 

How does the return on investment compare, especially factoring in the economy? Will this just be a passing fad that will usher back in the A-listers next year- or will this be the new trend in branding?

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