STRIP SCRIBBLES
*It was the day that would have been Elvis Presley’s 73rd birthday, and his daughter Lisa Marie was at TAO’s ultra-lounge in The Venetian for a quick visit. Her group enjoyed Absolute Vodka with Red Bull and grapefruit as mixers—but they left after an hour, explaining they were so tired from the long trip to Vegas. Meantime, Lisa’s former husband, Michael Jackson, who has now moved back into his parents’ Vegas home with his three sons, took them to an after hours tour of the Madame Tussaud’s wax museum—also at the Venetian. Their paths didn’t cross!
*Shopping up a storm: legendary rock musician Alice Cooper hit the Elton Men’s Store inside Mandalay Place shopping center that links to the Luxor before attending a celebrity dinner at Mandalay Bay. The store is a rocker’s favorite with stars Ace Frehley, Dusty Hill and John Rzeznik always stopping by for the latest and newest fashions whenever they are in town.
*Dancing with the Stars blonde beauty Sabrina Bryan is relocating to Vegas with her new boyfriend, dance partner Mark Ballas—and she credits our hometown hero Wayne Newton for encouraging them to make the move.
The couple plan to set up a company here to market and merchandize their dance skills and fashions. The former Disney Cheetah Girl was surprisingly KO’d from the most recent season of DWTS in the audience voting, but won raves from fans and judges for her extraordinary dancing.
*It’s the debut of season 2 of Rock of Love on VH1 with Poison’s flamboyant Bret Michaels this Sunday.
Four of his 20 eligible women seeking to marry him are local lasses, including model Andrea Robinson and her friend, divorcee Catherine Brown, who is the mother of twin 16-year-old sons. Catherine’s recovery from life-threatening heart surgery for constrictive pericarditis will be featured on the reality show.
*Our good friend, Harrah’s headline comedienne Rita Rudner has a “full sell-out” on her hands for the debut of her new play, Room 776, which has a one-night preview reading on Monday at our Little Theater. Rita has Hooters comedian Bobby Slayton as her co-star in the tale of two strangers forced to share a Vegas hotel room on a “fully sold-out” visit. The idea germinated while she was writing her latest book centered on a fictional Vegas casino—and Rita hopes, if reaction is positive, the production can go all the way to New York!
Meantime, we have another “sold out” weekend in Vegas, so here are all the crammed-together highlights in what we refer to affectionately around here as the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN:
FRI (Jan 11)
*Tonight Show host Jay Leno, now back on the air nightly despite Writers Guild strike protests, is also back at the Mirage tonight and tomorrow.
* When I was in my late teens and early 20’s, Eric Burdon and the Animals were England’s best R&B band. When I was doing record shows for the Radio Caroline pirate radio station, we featured them on the very first broadcast. His only American no.1 hit “House of the Rising Sun” was based on a New Orleans brothel. He declared “WAR” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Tonight his classic rock concert gets a one-night gig at Green Valley Ranch.
*Saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who started his career in 1979 while at Texas Southern University, is still going strong with his smooth jazz—and proves it at the Santa Fe Station.
*Super-hot rockers OneRepublic, with Entourage star Kevin Connolly leading their celebrity contingent of fans, will be at the new The Bank nightclub at the Bellagio.
* Heavy metal’s Skid Row have hit platinum status five-times since their 1989 debut—they rock out at the Sunset Station.
*It’s three nights of yesteryear shows with music veterans Jay and the Americans at the Suncoast, Bill Medley joins Paul Revere & the Raiders at the SouthPoint, while Tower of Power is at the Orleans.
*Johnny Fortune celebrates Elvis Presley in the King’s Life salute at the Cannery today and tomorrow. Three of Elvis’ original backup singers from the church-gospel Stamps Quartet—Bill Baize, Ed Hill and Sherrill Nielson—will also be performing. Presley’s bodyguard Sonny West, his cousin Jerry Presley, his Kissing Cousins co-star Cynthia Pepper and Blue Hawaii co-star Darlene Tompkins will attend. Memorabilia dealers and fan clubs have been permitted to set up displays.
*TV sitcom actress and former teen heartthrob Tiffani Thiessen, from Saved by the Bell and Beverley Hills 90210, celebrates her birthday at PURE nightclub in Caesars Palace.
*The Extreme Monster Truck Nationals are at the SouthPoint through Sunday.
*AVN Awards show hostess Tera Patrick will be dancing with the world-famous 40-Deuce burlesque dancers at the Mandalay Bay club.
*Rocker Dave Navarro, who has become a porn-producer and director, premieres his debut XXX-movie “Broken” with a party at PURE nightclub in Caesars Palace with the stars of the flick.
*XXX-actress of the year, Jesse Jane hosts the two-year anniversary of StripLV magazine at the JET nightclub in the Mirage. The AVN Awards cutie, nominated in eight categories, is the current StripLV covergirl.
*Hustler lingerie models along with adult actress Brianna Banks hosts her party at TAO in the Venetian, awards nominee Nikki Benz teams with Sweden’s no.1 sex star, Puma Swede at Studio 54, and Brittany Andrews celebrates her multiple Hall of Fame Inductions over her 15 year career at Tabu—both in MGM Grand, and The Girls Gone Wild official AVN party is set for the RAIN nightclub in the Palms.
SAT (Jan 12)
*The AVN Awards at Mandalay bay Events Center with Tera Patrick, Dave Navarro, and Artie Lange from the Howard Stern satellite radio show. Afterwards, Tera hosts the official after-party at the JET nightclub in the Mirage. Rival bombshell Stormy Daniels hosts her Desert Stormy after-party awards bash at TAO in the Venetian.
*With more than 70-million records sold over his four-decade long career, BJ Thomas has been “Hooked on A Feeling” since 1968 while keeping the raindrops from “Fallin’ On My head” (from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie). He’ll sing both in his show at Boulder Station.
* British rocker and guitarist Al Stewart has been making hits since his 1967 debut, and his “Year of the Cat” is a purr-fect show at Sunset Station.
*Congratulations to the cast of Menopause at the Hilton as they celebrate the 1,000th show of their current run that began back in February 2006.
*World Championship Muay Thai fighting at the Hilton—there’ll be nine fights on the card—and at least two sets of fighters will be women.
SUN ( Jan 13)
*It’s nothing to sneeze at when Cross Canadian Ragweed plays at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.
* Gold Diggers night at the new The Bank nightclub in the Bellagio is hosted by baseball great Jason Giambi and Jeff “Madhouse” Beacher as MC.
*Sexy Jenna Jameson takes her Club Jenna Girls off to the Playboy Club’s After Dark party at the Palms to close out the AVN convention.
Adult film conglomerate Vivid Entertainment celebrates the wrap with a party at the Body English nightclub in the Hard Rock. Vivid girls Sunny Leone, Monique Alexander and Lanny Barby will be joined by adult industry beauties, Daisy, Penny Flame and Carolyn Reese to host the event themed as “Sunday School with Vivid.”