May '09 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 04-25-09

Phelps spending time with Prejean

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean and Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps have kept a lid on the status of their still hazy relationship.

This much we know:

They met last September at the Palms Hotel Casino, when she was better known as a beauty pageant contestant with a deadly jump shot than for her opinion on gay marriage.

Phelps, fresh from his eight Olympic gold medals in Beijing, was in town on a club-hopping celebration tour. Prejean, two months away from being crowned Miss California USA, was with a group of girlfriends.

"I introduced them in the Hardwood Suite," said Jon Gray, assistant to Palms owner George Maloof.

The two groups joined in shooting baskets.

Prejean stood out for several reasons. "She's got a great shot. She was throwing 'em down. I was impressed," said Gray.

So, apparently, was Phelps.

"She was a really cool girl," said Gray.

Prejean was a basketball standout at Vista (Calif.) High School, captain of the varsity team and was offered a college scholarship for basketball.

Prejean's fame exploded this week after she indicated her opposition to gay marriage in response to a question during the Miss USA telecast from Planet Hollywood Resort. Prejean, who finished first runner-up to Miss North Carolina USA Kristen Dalton, said the comment cost her the Miss USA crown.

A photograph of Prejean, with a drink in her hand, and Phelps, who looked like he just came off a 24-hour flight from China, appeared in Radaronline.com on Friday.

Prejean's grandmother Jeanette Coppolla told Radaronline that Phelps "always calls her when he is in town and they go out." Prejean, 21, grew up in Vista, Calif., and is a junior at San Diego Christian College.

Phelps took Prejean to a University of Michigan football game last fall and a Cleveland Browns game.

"Carrie knows that he has dated a lot of girls but she enjoys going out with him and isn't serious about being in a relationship with him," Coppolla added. "He's a nice guy and she likes him."

Meanwhile, Phelps continues to date Carolynn "Caz" Pal, a cocktail server at Moon nightclub at the Palms, according to published reports.

The Scene And Heard

Local free-lance writer/blogger/podcaster Steve Friess has joined the Miss California USA-Perez Hilton fray. Writing Friday on his VegasHappensHere.com Web site, Friess, who, like Hilton, is openly gay, concluded: "The vermin Perez Hilton did more to firm up the resolve of straight-only-marriage proponents and provide them with a widely sympathetic figure around which to rally around than anything in recent memory." Asked for a response, Hilton, the celebrity gossip blogger who asked Prejean the question, told Vegas Confidential, "I am praying for Steve Friess." ...

Actress Elizabeth Berkley's appearance at "Peepshow" (Planet Hollywood Resort) on Thursday is raising eyebrows. The question is whether Berkley, whose acting career was damaged when she played a stripper-turned-showgirl in the universally panned "Showgirls," is being considered for a role in the show. Last week Lindsay Lohan attended the premiere and discussed a co-lead role with the show's creator, Jerry Mitchell. Lohan's rep told reporters this week that the struggling actress is not interested "at this time."...

Sightings

Rio headliner Penn Jillette, backstage after Thursday's 9:30 p.m. "Peepshow" to say hello to co-star Mel B. They met during "Dancing With the Stars." ... Actor Antwon Tanner of "One Tree Hill," taking in LAX (Luxor) on Thursday. ... Hollywood director Brett Ratner, with Steve Wynn, at Danny Gans' show at Encore on Friday. ... Esquire restaurant critic/food writer John Mariani, dining at Sinatra (Encore) on Friday. ... Jon Bon Jovi, spotted on the treadmill at the Hard Rock Hotel gym on Friday before his show at the new Joint.

Sunday 04-26-09

Report: 'Top Chef' to be filmed here

Bravo's "Top Chef," the popular reality series that puts budding talent on the grill, will shoot in Las Vegas, according to reports.

Filming for season six will begin Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The host site has not been disclosed, although there has been speculation that newly opened M Resort is involved.

Rising stars in the Las Vegas culinary community have played a prominent role in previous seasons, which were shot in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, Chicago and New York City.

Hung Huynh of Restaurant Guy Savoy won season three while three other Las Vegans finished second: Tiffani Faison of Tao Bistro (season one), the villainous Marcel Vigneron of Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand (season two) and Stefan Richter, a member of Bellagio's creative team when it opened, last season.

And who can forget the drama provided by quirky scoundrel Stephen Asprinio, who hooked viewers with his stuffy pursuit of perfection.

Another upcoming "Top Chef" spinoff has several Las Vegas star chef connections.

"Top Chef Masters," which begins airing June 10, will feature 24 prominent chefs, including Hubert Keller, Rick Moonen, Roy Yamaguchi and Ludo Lefebvre.

Keller has Fleur de Lys restaurants in San Francisco, his home, and Mandalay Bay; Moonen co-owns Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Yamaguchi has two Roy's Restaurants in Las Vegas and Lefebvre recently left Lavo at The Palazzo to open Ludo Bites in Los Angeles.

BENEFIT CONCERT

There have been several developments in the case of celebrity impersonator Trina Johnson-Finn, who has been jailed almost two months in Suriname.

Her May 7 trial date has been changed due to a new judge being assigned to her case. She will appear in court May 5 to learn when she will have a new judge.

She has been incarcerated on charges of being involved in a concert that advertised her as Toni Braxton. Her contract with the booking agent stipulated she should not be promoted as the real Toni Braxton.

There are health concerns. In a letter to her husband, Raymond Finn, a Las Vegas real estate agent, she said she's lost 14 pounds. She was recently moved to a new prison facility that allowed her to have her own cell.

A May 2 benefit concert is scheduled at the ranch of longtime "Legends in Concert" operator John Stuart.

It will run from noon to 8 p.m. General admission is $10.

The Scene And Heard

KVVU-TV, Channel 5's new evening anchor, Olivia Fierro, made her debut Wednesday. "We had our biggest 11 p.m. ratings number (since adding an 11 p.m. newscast in September)," said news director Adam Bradshaw.

Fierro replaces Shelley Bruner, who notified the station last year that she would not be seeking a contract renewal. Fierro, a native of Whittier, Calif., was a morning anchor at KTVK in Phoenix for the past six years. She will join John Huck on the 5, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Sightings

Paris and Nikki Hilton, at Britney Spears' concert at MGM Grand Garden on Saturday with Paris' beau Doug Reinhardt and Jeff Beacher, in from Biloxi, Miss., where the road show version of "Beacher's Madhouse" performed on Friday. Look for Jason Bracelin's review of Spears' concert in Monday's Review-Journal. ... American Idol" judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, and "AI" host Ryan Seacrest, at XS nightclub (Encore) on Friday. ... Superstar Kenny Chesney, joining members of Bon Jovi in the green room Friday. Also there: model and television host Leeann Tweeden. ... Barry Manilow, catching lunch with friends Saturday at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas. At another table: country rock music singer Jimmie Lee. ... Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka of NBC's "Heroes," with a group that included British import and Tony Award nominee Ben Chaplin. ... DJ AM, making his residency debut at Rain Nightclub (Palms) Friday in front of a packed house. ... Kissy Simmons, the lead in the upcoming "Lion King" at Mandalay Bay, in the audience Friday at "Voices" (Hilton) featuring Earl Turner and Lani Misalucha.


Monday 04-27-09

Actress suffers unwanted visitor An intruder who entered a Las Vegas penthouse suite while "General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco was sleeping was quickly apprehended by police, a source said. Monaco, who won the first season of "Dancing With the Stars" and co-stars with Spice Girl Mel B in "Peepshow" at Planet Hollywood Resort, was asleep but then heard someone rummaging in her living room area at the hotel. "It was a random act. She was not targeted," and she did not encounter the burglar, the source said. The incident occurred early Thursday, and a man was arrested that same day, the source said. The Scene And Heard A first? Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in Las Vegas on the same weekend, and nothing scandalous happened (that we know of). Spears, said to be on a short leash, had her after-party at Phil Maloof's rooftop suite at Palms Place early Sunday, with jugglers and contortionists providing the "Circus" theme. The 50-some attendees included Robin Antin's Pussycat Dolls, Spears manager Larry Rudolph, with dancers and performers from Spears' "Circus" tour. Spears' father, Jamie, took Hilton and sister Nicky backstage for a post-concert chat. The Hiltons were accompanied by Paris' beau, Doug Reinhardt, and pal Jeff Beacher, frontman for "Beacher's Madhouse." Sightings At XS nightclub, in Encore, on Saturday: the Hilton sisters, arriving about 3 a.m. with poker star David Williams and Beacher. "American Idol" judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, with "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, for the second night in a row. Also at XS: reality TV star Beau Beasley of "Big Brother."... Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger, in a cabana at Tao Beach, in The Venetian, on Sunday. Jorge Garcia of "Lost" took in the scene on Saturday. ... At Poetry, in the Forum Shops at Caesars, on Saturday: the cast of "Lion King," which previews May 5 at Mandalay Bay. ... At Lavo, in the Palazzo, on Saturday: the Hilton sisters, Garcia, Stacy Keibler of "Dancing With the Stars" and actor Dash Mihok. ... Actress Jaime King, celebrating her 30th birthday at Tao and Tao Beach over the weekend with her husband, movie director Kyle Newman, her parents and friends. ... At Lavo on Friday: actors Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka and Tony Award nominee Ben Chaplin at a bachelor party for Mihok. Director Brett Ratner, comedian Pauly Shore and Evan Seinfeld of The Spyderz were at a nearby table. ... At Tao on Friday: DeAnna Pappas, reality star of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." With her group was Jeremy Anderson, who unsuccessfully vied for her love on Season 4 of "Bachelorette." ... Actor Josh Henderson of "90210" and "Desperate Housewives" fame, at The Bank on Saturday, in the Bellagio, with friends. ... At Pure on Saturday: the Pussycat Dolls. ... NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, newly acquired by the Seattle Seahawks, at the Playboy Club on Saturday with his wife and friends. Also there were Oka, Ventimiglia and Shore. ... At LAX, in the Luxor, on Saturday: Quest Crew, winners of "America's Best Dance Crew" Season 3, performing hip-hop routines. ... Rock Newman, who managed boxing champs Michael Spinks and Riddick Bowe, at Alicia Taylor's party at Simon at Palms Place to celebrate her Women of Wall Street pictorial in Playboy's May issue.

Tuesday 04-28-09

Norm took the day off

Wednesday 04-29-09

Paris Hilton says Lady Gaga 'rocks'

Sounds like Paris Hilton has a new BFF.

I asked Hilton, who was in town over the weekend to catch her first look at Britney Spears' "Circus" tour, who she sees as the Next Big Thing on the music horizon.

"Lady Gaga," said Hilton, in a blink of her eyelashes.

"She rocks. Her future -- and I told her this -- she's definitely the next pop princess. I love her style and all her songs are hits. She's very unique. There's no artist out there like her.

"I find her very intriguing," Hilton said of the New York phenom.

She's still friends with Spears, although they hadn't talked for several months before they met backstage after Spears on Saturday.

"She looked really happy and proud," said Hilton. "She rocked the stage."

"I've been out of the country a lot, traveling," said Hilton, who just wrapped the second season of "My New BFF," which includes her new boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt.

Her BFF franchise is going global. "Paris Hilton's British Best Friend" was shot in London and aired earlier this year. She's just signed on for "BFF Dubai," which may present some challenges, given her party-girl rep in a region with delicate cultural sensibilities.

The contestants will be "from all around the (United Arab Emirates) area," she said.

"People all over the world" want her to take the BFF concept to their country, she added.

As far as her once-closer relationship with Spears, they are still pals, but not party pals.

A telling sign, perhaps, of where their relationship is now was how they celebrated after the show. While Spears went to a booze-free party in Phil Maloof's suite atop Palms Place, Hilton went club-hopping, with stops at Lavo (Palazzo), Tao (Venetian), XS (Encore) and the Beatles Revolution Lounge at The Mirage with sister Nikki, boyfriend Doug Reinhardt and pal Jeff Beacher.

Hilton is in the process of mixing the new album she just completed.

"I've got a few more songs left and then I start rehearsing and getting ready to go on tour."

She's not sure of the title but she's convinced her music career is about to take off.

I asked if she sees a Las Vegas showroom in her future.

"I'm friends with all the hotel presidents and they're always asking, 'when are coming to Vegas (to headline)?'"

That's going to happen, she said.

"It's going to be huge."

THE CATFIGHT OF CATFIGHTS

World Series of Poker commissioner Jeffrey Pollack wants an apology from Joan and Melissa Rivers.

Pollack is upset over comments the mother-daughter duo made during Sunday's superheated episode of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice."

In what will be remembered as one of reality TV's legendary catfights, the Riverses raged at Las Vegas poker star Annie Duke and Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick after Trump fired Melissa.

Before storming out of the Trump Tower, Melissa called Duke and Roderick a "cabal" of "whore pit vipers."

Her mother, a longtime Las Vegas headliner, called Duke a "Nazi" and Roderick "a follower."

But that was just a warm-up for the potty-mouthed mama Rivers, who turns 76 in June.

"You are a piece of shit," she said to Duke, before calling Roderick "a stupid blonde."

When Roderick protested that she was playing for keeps so her charity would get $250,000, Joan Rivers snapped, "I don't want to hear this charity nonsense" and added "your people, you give money with blood on it."

Turning back to Duke, Joan Rivers said "and you're a poker player--a poker player! That's beyond white trash. Poker players are trash, darling, trash."

Duke held her ground and defended poker players.

So did Pollack, who told me he "resented the comments."

"I think Annie as a participant has played the game masterfully and strategically and is showing the world just how smart great poker players are."

Duke, who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004 in the $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-or Better event, is no stranger to cutthroat play and it's no secret that she's among the more unpopular players on the professional circuit.

Sighting

"Peepshow" co-star Kelly Monaco, at the tops-optional Bare pool lounge on Tuesday at The Mirage. She was covered.

Thursday 04-30-09

Unpaid Braxton sues British insurer

Former Flamingo headliner Toni Braxton wants insurance giant Lloyd's of London to pay her for the months of work she missed because of an alleged heart condition.

The celebrity Web site, TMZ.com, reported Wednesday that the six-time Grammy winner has filed suit against the British company after it refused to pay for her losses.

Braxton signed a headliner deal with the Flamingo in 2006 and, after an extension, was scheduled to perform until late 2008.

However, she was rushed to a hospital on April 7, 2008, with chest pains and walked away from the contract.

According to TMZ.com, Braxton is suing for undisclosed damages, claiming she bought "non-appearance" and "cancellation" insurance which protects entertainers in case of cancellations.

Published reports indicate Braxton told a crowd that she discovered she had pericarditis, an inflammation of the sack surrounding the heart, after the birth of her second son, Diezel, on March 31, 2003.

Not long after leaving the Flamingo, Braxton competed on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Flamingo president Don Marrandino said Wednesday, "We worked with her for months and the way it went down wasn't great. It was a very frustrating period of time.

"She still had another nine months on the contract. She said it was health issues. We moved on."

BAD START, HAPPY ENDING

For all the exemplary acts of hospitality that boost this city's image in these tough times, there's still a knucklehead or two out there.

A taxi recently pulled up in front of Badda Bing gentlemen's club at 3500 W. Naples Dr. and dropped off a couple in their 60s.

After getting his $50-per passenger tip, the cabbie gunned it out of the driveway.

When the couple entered the club and saw half-naked dancers, Badda Bing owner Rick Belcastro noticed the couple turned around and headed for the door.

Belcastro approached the couple and asked if there was a problem.

Yes, said the husband and wife from Minnesota. They had asked the cabbie to take them to a "nice Italian restaurant."

"We weren't told it was in a strip club," one of them said.

Belcastro, who has an Italian restaurant upstairs at the club, offered a complimentary dinner for their trouble and they accepted.

A week or so later, after the couple got back home, Belcastro received a letter from the man thanking him for showing them the kind of hospitality "Las Vegas is famous for."

And, he added, they said it was the best time they had had in years.

The Scene And Heard

Las Vegas remains at the top of Bravo's list, I hear, for "Housewives of Las Vegas" but it's not a done deal. In addition to the married candidates, they've interviewed a single woman, and, here's the potential bombshell twist, a high-profile gay man with a show business connection. No, not former "La Cage" star Frank Marino. ...

Playboy's Playmate of the Year announcement on Saturday at Palms Place will include 68 former Playmates. It's the first time the event has been held outside the Playboy Mansion.

Sightings

Mel B, heating up the scene at at the Palms Place pool on Wednesday. ... Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show," attending a friend's 40th birthday party at Blush Boutique Nightclub (Wynn) on Tuesday. ... "Peepshow" co-star Kelly Monaco, having a cocktail at Palms Pool & Bungalows with friends on Tuesday. ... Sacramento Kings player Spencer Hawes, celebrating his 21st birthday at N9NE Steakhouse (Palms) on Tuesday with a large group that included Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof.

Friday 05-01-09

Hatton a shot in the arm for pub

Thanks to a Ricky Hatton-led British invasion, the recession is taking a pounding at the Crown & Anchor Pub.

European soccer fans have adopted the popular watering hole at 1350 E. Tropicana Ave. for more than a decade, some showing up at 4:30 a.m. to watch a match.

But this weekend, the pub is headquarters again for the loyal and often loud fans of Hatton, the British boxing star who is fighting Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao.

"It's just a big party, a little bit of home," said Crown & Anchor owner Ron Schultz, whose said his business soars 40 percent the week Hatton's followers pour through the doors.

It's not just Hatton fans who have embraced the pub, known for its fish and chips and vast choice of beers. Hatton himself has shown up in the past to have a pint, play darts or watch his favorite soccer team.

That started in late 2007, when Hatton trained in Las Vegas for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"He'd come in play darts with our customers and members of our staff, not just his own group," said Schultz, who opened the Crown & Anchor in 1994 in the space formerly occupied by Rafters, a steak and seafood eatery.

"He's a very normal guy who just happens to be a very good boxer," said Schultz.

"He's not one of those showy people," said Schultz. "You won't see him squirting Cristal (champagne)."

The regulars at the Crown and Anchors still buzz about the day of the weigh-in between Mayweather and Hatton.

The flashy Mayweather arrived for the weigh-in with his fleet of luxury cars and a covered with diamonds.

Hatton asked Schultz if he could borrow the pub's boxed-shaped London cab for his ride to the weigh-in. "And he asked our staff to accompany him.

"He wanted to downplay the hoopla."

May I Recommend

Serendipity 3, a spinoff of a longtime New York City favorite, has opened next to the fountains at Caesars Palace. The pink ice cream shop offers a full menu along with the famous sundaes that brought in a celebrity crowd, from Cher and Cameron Diaz to Anderson Cooper and Barbra Streisand. The Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is an icon in the Big Apple. Open Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight.

The Scene And Heard

Gerry "The Mentalist" McCambridge is ending his run at Hooters Hotel Casino on May 14 and opening the next night at a new 300-seat venue inside the V Theatre at Planet Hollywood Resort. Like omens? Opening night will be his 777th performance since arriving in Las Vegas. ...

Former Las Vegan Julianne Hough, two-time winner of "Dancing With the Stars," made People's Most Beautiful list. Hough, 20, attended Las Vegas Academy in her mid-teens after spending five years in London studying performing arts. She's leaving "Dancing" to concentrate on her country music career. ...

Cox Cable has the live telecast tonight of the Pride parade, starting at 8 p.m. on channel 96. Emceeing the parade will be Reichen Lehmkuhl of "Dante's Cove" and winner of the first "Amazing Race," and KLAS-TV, Channel 8 anchor Chris Saldaña. Organizers are expecting "American Idol" alum Dezmond Meeks and Andrew Christian of Bravo's "The Fashion Show."

Sightings

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, celebrating their one-year anniversary party Thursday at Moon (Palms). ... Tony Orlando, making a cameo appearance Wednesday at Terry Fator's show at The Mirage. Orlando, just back from performing two shows in Baghdad and Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, introduced Lynette Cook of Las Vegas and her three children. Orlando had met her husband, Steve Cook, who serves in Iraq and had passed along to Orlando that his wife was a big fan of Fator's. Fator sang Michael Buble's "Home" in honor of the military and Orlando sang his classic "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" to honor Lynnette's husband's service.

Order Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales

Norm Clarke's newest book, Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales ($12.95, Stephens Press, February 2008), dishes up a feast from Sin City's Ace Insider on celeb's club hopping, spending sprees, outrageous behavior, feuds and meltdowns, and the best (and worst) tippers.