STRIP SCRIBBLES
*Congratulations to the 21 movie team led by Kevin Spacey who were dealt the No. 1 winning box office slot according to official figures released yesterday (MON).
The casino counting cards caper—filmed at many Vegas locations—starred Kevin, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess who headquartered at the Planet Hollywood Resort for the filming here.
Ticket sales showed it took in nearly $25 million in its first weekend outing. Dr. Seuss fell to the No. 2 slot and our galpal Pamela Anderson’s Superhero Movie she made for her two kids popped into No. 3 at almost $10 million. It took Kevin six years from the time he acquired the book rights of the true-life casino crime story to get it to the screen.
*Celebrity chef Kerry Simon, who won the Food Network’s Iron Chef
contest has set a May 15 opening date for his new spectacular sixth-floor poolside restaurant at the Palms Place and hotel owner George Maloof will have the official star-studded party on May 31—the first weekend after Memorial Day. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with three-distinctive dining areas including its own sushi bar and fireplace pits Simon at Palms Place is destined to be the hot new hangout for the beautiful people.
Tao’s new Lava Roman & Turkish bathhouse-themed restaurant gets its opening in The Palazzo in time for Memorial Day weekend too. Two other upcoming Palazzo openings are the extraordinarily unique Lamborghini museum and café set for a month’s time plus my friends who run the Sushi Samba restaurant club empire and its Sugarcane ultra lounge will be next with an early May opening.
In other chef news congratulations to our friend, chef Vincent Pilon from Mandalay Bay for being named one of the “Top Ten Best Pastry Chef’s in America” by the editors of Pastry Art & Design magazine and the award presentation is June 9 at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. Vincent was the only Vegas chef recognized with the prestigious award for the second-consecutive year!
*Vegas locals Ronnie Vannuchi and Mark Stoermer of the Killers had dinner together in Mr. Lucky’s at the Hard Rock and then joined their manager down in the Body English nightclub. … Yes that was Shayna Steele, one of Bette Midler’s back-up Caesars Palace show singers performing with Moby last night (MON) on Conan O’Brien’s NBC- TV talker.
*You know the new season has arrived when “the boys of summer” start to play. The President may have been teased when he threw the first ball at the new Washington Nationals stadium but our Merry Mayor of Mirth got raves and cheers when he tossed out the first pitch at the first ever local Cashman Field major league game between the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners.
Even the Mayor’s favorite showgirls were on hand for the unique sporting occasion. Now that baseball teams are moving en masse from Florida to the Southwest for Spring Training maybe Vegas can pick up a couple of teams on their way to Phoenix? Our intrepid photographer Tom Donoghue was right on the
mound for these history-making souvenir Luxe Life photos.
* Forty “nightclub queens”—the fantastic femme fatales who run Vegas nightlife—were honored with a “Queen of Clubs” party at the new Blush boutique nightclub in the Wynn. Nice to see my friends Tiffany Masters and Las Vegas Weekly writer-colleague, Xania Woodman acknowledged.
Everybody from Amy Rossetti, Cara Luttrell, Jodi Myers, Kalika Moquin, Maggie Feldman, Molly Sullivan, Ruth & Ryan Wahrenbrock, Tracey Lee—and former beauty queen Katie Reese do “run the show.”
*Guests at the Flamingo won’t quite be able to make new magic headliner Nathan Burton “vanish”—but they can keep him outside their suites! Infact, he’ll be appearing and disappearing every night on the new “Do Not Disturb” & “Make Up My Room” door hangers there—and here’s the sneak peek at that magic prop!
*EXTRA’s Tanika Ray will host the Lili Claire Foundation’s 6th Annual Benefit Dinner and Concert on Saturday, April 26 at Mandalay Bay when Josh Kelley and Sugar Ray, which stars her EXTRA co-host Mark McGrath will open for Goo Goo Dolls. “I have had so much fun covering the Lili Claire benefits, now I get to host one,” she said. “It is such an important cause to raise much needed funds for children with neurological development problems—and I’m thrilled to be a part of the event.”