Las Vegas Weekly

July 29, 2008 · 2:44 PM

Strip scribbles: Longoria-Parker looking to branch out in Vegas

By Robin Leach

Eva Longoria Parker, shown here at Company at the Luxor, is reportedly seeking to expand her restaurant interests to Las Vegas.

“Desperate Housewife” Eva Longoria- Parker wants to open a branch of her successful Hollywood restaurant here in Vegas. While husband, San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, played poker at a private table in the Strip’s largest poker room she went exploring -- possibly to find a location for her eatery! She went window-shopping throughout the Forum Shops at Caesars and twice dined at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. She confided her dream of a Vegas restaurant to friends who insisted Luxe Life should know her plans. Eva and Tony stayed in the newly renovated Fantasy Suites that were originally featured in the Tom Cruise- Dustin Hoffman movie Rain Man.

* Actor singer Jamie Foxx continued his two-week Sin City vacation taking over the Prive nightclub’s exclusive Table 69 during recently retired basketball star Chris Webber's Bada Bing Welcome Party at Planet Hollywood. Also attending Chris’s charity fundraiser event were Flamingo headliner comedian George Wallace, actor Joe Torry, Utah Jazz basketball player Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Laker star Brian Shaw, Phoenix Sun hero Matt Barnes, former basketball star Moses Malone, former NFL starter Terry Crews and rapper Too Short, who was performing on the DJ booth.

Photo: Prive

Chris Webber relishes the attention at Prive.

* Martha Stewart’s daughter, Alexis Stewart has brought her Whatever Girls radio show co-host Jennifer Koppelman to the Palazzo for the week. As stars of Martha’s Living Radio show on the Sirius satellite radio network they’ll broadcast their shopping and dining adventures in Sin City through Friday live from the second floor of The Shoppes at the Palazzo daily at 11a.m.-1 p.m. for the East Coast time zone transmission from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. It airs again in our West Coast time zone daily from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

* Photographer Erik Kabik is recording the double Improv celebration over the coming weeks by capturing unique images of the comics who’ve helped make it 45 successful years for the Improv -–15 years in Las Vegas at Harrah’s. Here’s his first installment, showing accordion-playing comic Judy Tenuta with fellow comics Adam Richmond and Jeff Capri. Judy, who is licensed to perform wedding ceremonies, ended her run there Sunday. Comedian Bobby Collins joins Lowell Sanders and Shayla Riviera for a six-night run starting tonight. Find Erik’s work here.

* Star Surveillance: Music star Ludacris made a late-night appearance at Tryst where Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick and former UNLV basketball star Louis Amundson were enjoying the festivities … Bridget Marquardt, one of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's girlfriends and star of their hit TV reality show, The Girls Next Door, was at Drai's After Hours club inside Bill's Gamblin' Hall at center-Strip, along with former heavyweight boxing champion Shannon Briggs -– but at separate tables! ... For two consecutive days, alluring actress AnnaLynne McCord relaxed at the adult topless optional Venus pool club at Caesars Palace. The blond beauty, who is set to star in the highly anticipated upcoming series 90210, took a luxurious VIP cabana with friends and shared fresh fruit and Fiji waters enjoying the hip sun-soaked scene.

* The Neil Leifer Gallery at Caesars Palace is spotlighting a one-of-a-kind collection of the master photographers most notable images of Olympic stars in history. Located on the casino level of the Augustus Tower, the Neil Leifer Gallery is the only permanent art gallery highlighting the renowned photographer’s legendary images of sports and culture. This distinguished Olympic set is presented in time to honor this year’s summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. It embraces Leifer’s remarkable moments in Olympic history, including images for Time magazine that chronicle his 18-month journey across the world leading up to the 1984 Olympics, photographing individual Olympic hopefuls in distinctive landmarks of their home countries. During that period Leifer photographed the captivating shots of Japanese Olympic gymnast Koji Gushiken balancing on rings at Mount Fuji, Japan, Chinese Olympic gymnast Zhou Qiurui gracefully soaring on the Great Wall of China and African distance runners Kipkoech and Charles Cheruiyot running with giraffes in Kenya, all artfully displayed in the gallery. Other acclaimed Olympic photos include “The Black Power Salute” with Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the1968 Olympics in Mexico City, depicting one of the most controversial and notable protests in the history of the Olympics. That same year, after winning the gold medal for heavyweight boxing, George Foreman walked around the ring holding the American flag. Leifer’s photos also capture the U.S. hockey team’s victory at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka winning the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, U.S. gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee throwing a javelin at the 1992 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the famous Dream Team photo, with U.S. basketball stars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the1992 Olympics, a photo that has adorned the walls and lockers of basketball fans worldwide.

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