Las Vegas Weekly

June 30, 2008 · 10 AM

Walters: Caesars has a great View

By Robin Leach

There was no mime like the present for Barbara Walters and The View during the show's run in Vegas.

Photo: Steve Fenn

The best! The biggest! The first HD remote from Vegas! Legendary broadcast journalist Barbara Walters was thrilled with last week’s location broadcasts of her hit daytime network show, The View. A record 4,000-plus fans turned up for the three days of filming the five shows -– and they were lined up three and four deep on two sides of the stars’ walkway to the set.

Now Barbara has promised her co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd they will return to Vegas for a fourth visit! All of them took part in regional interviews with ABC affiliates that sent in their own crews and hosts from stations throughout our neighboring states!

Barbara’s producers, crew and staff were all ecstatic with the ratings bonanza they won for the five shows with guests including our local heroes Danny Gans, Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, Bette Midler, Rita Rudner, George Wallace, Wayne Brady, the Jubilee dancers from Ballys and the Chippendale hunks from the Rio. Even Caesar, Cleopatra and their Centurions from Caesars turned up on screen! Other guests included Rihanna, Jessica Simpson, Hills actress Heidi Montag, some of the cast of Entourage, American Idol dueling winners David Cook and David Archuleta and the Keeping up With the Kardashians sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe.

Jessica also took time to debut her new C&W single, “Come On Over” dropping in to country-music radio stations here in Vegas. On the two previous Vegas visits Barbara has interviewed Celine Dion and Elton John, cooked with Spago starchef Wolfgang Puck and sailed with the gondoliers in the Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes.

Luxe Life has put together a memory album of star photos from Barbara’s Vegas visits -- and you can click here to enjoy it with her.

“This third set of shows from Vegas grabbed great ratings so for us it was our biggest and best. The star guests were fabulous and the debut HD remote was flawless. Everybody had a great time in Vegas and now we can’t wait to return again,” one of the producers confirmed to me.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Holly Madison, single and wearing it well.

HEF’S SPECIAL NO. 1 ‘GIRL NEXT DOOR’ HUNTS PERFECT NEW BUNNY BUT DOESN’T YET WIN HIS MARRIAGE COMMITMENT:

Playboy king Hugh Hefner’s No. 1 Girl Next Door, beautiful blonde and busty Holly Madison, still hopes to marry him -– and have his baby. But her plans to snag him to the altar haven’t progressed further along than when I talked to them three months ago -- as we reported here in Luxe Life on Friday.

She admits he’s given her a special diamond-studded Playboy watch, but she’s still waiting for the ring! “It’s very much still the plan and hopefully that will happen someday sooner rather than later -- but unfortunately so far my nagging and my scheming haven’t been successful,” she said on a visit to the Playboy Club at the Palms over the weekend. “I’m still hopeful though, and I know we’re getting closer. I know I’ve won his heart so it’ll happen when it’s right. He won’t be allowed any more girlfriends though after that! We’re very comfortable hanging out together at the mansion by ourselves watching movies.”

Photo: Scott Doctor

Potential Bunnies go through processing.

She headed up the new Bunny Hunt on a jam-packed, 12-hour visit here. Holly cut more than 250 bikini-clad candidates down to a final seven. They will now be further tested and interviewed to decide on just one, who will win the Bunny costume and job at the world’s only current Playboy Club here at the Palms, and then camera-tested for a possible Playmate layout! Said Holly: “Personality is the most important asset. Of course, she has to be beautiful and sexy, but the thing I was looking for the most was that fun factor. A girl who is approachable and friendly who everybody likes immediately and can make our club full of life from the moment she walks in.”

Playboy will open its second club in a new casino resort property under construction now in Macau.

Photo: Pure Management Group

The Kardashian sisters cut a swath through the Strip to celebrate Khloe's birthday.

TV STARS CELEBRATE IN TRIPLICATE WITH STRIP PARTIES- PLUS ONE!

A trio of Hollywood television stars hit the Strip for weekend parties to celebrate their birthdays and –- in one case, a graduation! Tinsetown is no different than any other place in America, except they all hop to our desert playground to let off steam and enjoy the excess!

It began with Luxe Life trying to “Keep Up with the Kardashians” when Khloe Kardashian came to celebrate her birthday. She and sisters Kim and Kourtney all appeared with Barbara Walters on The View and after Kim zipped back to Los Angeles, Khloe and Kourtney dined at the BOA Steakhouse in the Forum Shops at Caesars, and then enjoyed the Bette Midler show at the Colosseum. The next day they relaxed poolside at the topless optional Venus Pool club at Caesars to get their strength on for the long birthday night that lay ahead. Kourtney and her fiancée, Scott Disick, booked a premiere VIP cabana and enjoyed margaritas until birthday girl Khloe arrived when they switched to champagne and strawberries before a lunch of chicken Caesar and crab-caprese salads.

Photo: Pure Management Group

Adrienne Ballon, Kim Kardashian and New Orleans Saint Reggie Bush, at home at Social House.

The first stop of the night was at the Social House in Treasure Island, and New Orleans Saints star Reggie Bush had joined his steady galpal Kim Kardashian, brother Robert Kardashian Jr. and his fiancée, Cheetah Girl, Adrienne Ballon. Mom Kris and Bobby McCray also from the Saints. Luxor headliner Carrot Top and Pantera’s Vinnie Paul stopped by the table to offer birthday congratulations. The Kardashian entourage feasted on yellowtail with jalapeno, mini Kobe burgers and sushi assortments.

Photo: Pure Management Group

Deron Williams, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carlos Boozer (from left), on a fast break at Pure.

After sensational sashimi, it was time to work off the calories with a night of dancing. At Pure nightclub the packed house went wild as the trio of beauties partied like rock stars. Shortly after midnight the shapely, stockinged Vegas Pussycat Dolls presented her with a pink rose birthday cake and a sexy Happy Birthday sing-along. Hip-hop star Young Jeezy seemed to spend extra attention on the birthday girl! Also joining the birthday bash were several members from Team USA Basketball: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers; Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat; Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets; Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets; Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, Utah Jazz along with Jordan Farmer of the L.A. Lakers, actor Antwon Tanner of One Tree Hill and UFC interim heavyweight champ Antonio Nogueira. Before the night was over Kourtney and Khloe continued their partying from the VIP stage table at the sister LAX nightclub in the Luxor dancing the night away to Grey Goose cocktails and Arman de Brignac champagne.

Photo: Chris Farina

Ed Westwick hits 21 at Tao.

Over at Tao in the Venetian, Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick celebrated his 21st birthday. Some 30 of his family and friends, flying in from New York and London, joined him for dinner at the long table alongside Tao’s glass cabinet collection of opium pipes. Ed was seated with his parents and they all feasted on kobe beef, sea bass and assorted sushi platters.

Paparazzi had been hoping that other Gossip Girl heartthrob Chace Crawford would show up so they could snap photos of the two bachelors who have been the subject of intense gossip the past few days. They were reported seen kissing outside a film-set trailer, but Ed laughed off the gossip, adding, “People who know me and Chace know we are all great friends -- and that’s all. Those rumors that go around simply amuse us.” But he did admit he’d been hoping that Chace would show for the birthday bash!

Photo: Denise Truscello

Lo Bosworth graduates from UCLA in grand fashion at Prive.

Tao’s restaurant servers presented him with a round cake topped with sparklers and he got slightly embarrassed when his table and the restaurant all sang “Happy Birthday to You” to him. Then up in the Tao nightclub he got another surprise of cupcakes and sparklers from the sexy servers. “It was a memorable 21st party,” he said while drinking champagne legally for the first time in a Vegas club with his family.

Photo: Denise Truscello

Juliette Lewis, inviting us to her 35th birthday party at Prive.

Over at the Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood, Lauren “Lo” Bosworth from The Hills celebrated her graduation party from UCLA. She’d continued her studies while filming the MTV semi-reality show. Lauren was with castmate Lauren Conrad just three weekends ago in Vegas for the opening of George Maloof’s new Palms Place condo-tel. She studied as a communications major at USC and her parents gave her a Volkswagen Jetta during her senior year there as a graduation gift, which she sold on eBay for $15,000 to transfer to UCLA. She is reportedly dating UCSB soccer-playing student Patrick Scott.

Also at Prive, actress and sometime rocker Juliette Lewis celebrated her 35th birthday with a group of galpals after they’d all had their birthday dinner at the neighboring Strip House restaurant. No word if they all polished off the super-sensational 24-layer chocolate cake for dessert, though. Executive chef John Schenk loves to see diners’ faces when he serves up the famed feast!

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

The cast of Love, celebrating its third anniversary at the Fest for Beatles Fans last year, hits the Mirage.

BEATLES LOVE SHOW STARTS YEAR 3 AS THOUSANDS OF FANS ARRIVE FOR FESTIVAL:

Congratulations are in order today for the cast, crew and Cirque officials of The Beatles Love musical at the Mirage as they celebrate their second anniversary and begin Year 3 on Tuesday. It will be a low-key cast-, family- and friends-only celebration backstage, but meantime more than 1,000 Beatle fans arrived Sunday for the second annual Las Vegas Fest for Beatles Fans, a three-day affair with everybody from Donovan, Billy J. Kramer, George Harrison’s first wife Pattie Boyd, Spencer Davis, and my friend Ken Mansfield, who was the group’s U.S. manager and head of Apple Records America. Ken is the author of two Beatle books, including his latest, The White Book: The Beatles, The Bands, The Biz -- An Insider’s Look at an Era.” It is his first Fest.

Another pal, fellow Brit Martin Lewis, emcees the Fest, and he told me: “When we organized this for the first time last year, we really had no idea how it would be accepted in Vegas. Our Fests in New York and Chicago have been sellouts, but I didn’t think it would survive in your desert. But it has flourished and it’s going to become a regular highlight of the year now on the Strip.” Martin has been emcee at Beatles Fests since 1992 ands today marks his 43rd convention role.

One large group of fans even came in on a ‘”Magical Mystery Tour” bus from Los Angeles on Sunday, and the passengers listened to Beatles music nonstop and even played Beatles trivia games with L.A. DJ Chris Carter, who hosts the Breakfast with the Beatles weekend radio show there.

It was back in 1974 that Fest creator Mark Lapidus organized the first convention to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America. He met with John Lennon to discuss a Beatles fan fest – and Lennon said, “I’m all for it. I’m a Beatles fan, too.” John even donated a signed guitar and Ringo, Paul and George also donated items. Today in Vegas marks the 10th national Fest, and this time around Ringo has donated autographed copies of his new photography art book Painting is my Madness.

Another former New York photographer colleague of mine, Alan Tannenbaum, is attending the Fest to show and discuss his book of Beatle photographs taken back in the ’60’s. Vegas residents who are Beatle fans are invited to attend the convention to see the exhibits and listen to the guest speakers.

Photo: Getty Images

Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan star in the film version of the musical Mamma Mia!

MAMMA MIA’S WORLD MOVIE PREMIERE FOLLOWS UNIQUE GREEK ISLES PHOTO MEET WITH ABBA:

Cast and crew from the Mandalay Bay production of Mamma Mia! will join resort executives over the next few days watching results of the world premiere of the movie version which takes place tonight. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth lead their castmates down the red carpet in London’s West End. At the weekend all the stars were united with the original ABBA musicians from Sweden for a special photo shoot on the Greek Isles near Athens -- and as promised on Friday Luxe Life now has the photos.

Our Mandalay Bay production was due to end its successful five-year-run this summer but because of renewed interest in the film spiking up box-office sales casino bosses have extended it to next Spring! I’m told that if the movie gives it a further boost it will get yet another longer extension!

Photo: Getty Images

The cast of Mamma Mia!

The musical was created and written using ABBA hits as the story thread around them. Broadway producer Judy Kramer, a regular Vegas visitor, spent 10 years bringing her dream of the project to the stage -– and now with theatrical companies around the world here comes the movie version.

Meryl, Pierce and their co-stars now start a world jaunt Tuesday to host premieres in as many countries as the stage show is playing in -- and they’re hoping to squeeze in a Vegas visit after the New York premiere! Mamma Mia is set for theatrical release here as of July 19.

STRIP SCRIBBLES:

-- Exactly as Luxe Life predicted: Boston Celtics superstar Paul Pierce, who was voted Most Valuable Player in last week’s NBA Finals victory over the L.A. Lakers -– and owns a condo here -- brought his teammates to town. All 16 –- the entire roster -- were on hand at the weekend WBC lightweight championship fight at Mandalay Bay. They watched Manny Pacquiao win by TKA at 2.24 or the ninth round over David Diaz and make boxing history, becoming the first Asian to win title belts in four weight classes. Also at the fight Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am, boxers Mike Tyson, Sugar Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas, former NBA all-star Kendall Gill and singer Steve Lawrence, who will take over the late George Carlin’s August dates at the Orleans. Paul, along with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, also partied hearty at the Palms pool bungalows.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Bette Midler owns up to using recycled material.

-- Now that Bette Midler has returned to another run of The Showgirl Must Go On production at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, she has begun her exploration of our city’s attractions. After appearing on The View she toured the Liberace Museum, raving afterward about the costumes, cars and jewelry. Midler treated some of the cast of her show to a night at the Tryst nightclub after dining next door at Steve Wynn’s famed Wing Lei Chinese restaurant.

-- Star Surveillance: Superstar chef Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant is still the top celebrity hangout even after 14 years. All on the same day, our spywitnesses spotted, master illusionist Siegfried of Siegfried & Roy making a meal of it with manager Bernie Yuman while Midler was at a nearby table -– and then comics David Brenner and Bobby Slayton laughed it up with each other and the waiters over Wolf’s delight … Newcomer Katy Perry, best known for her new No. 1 hit, “I Kissed a Girl,” got lots of adoring fans congratulating her when she went to see rockers Gym Class Heroes at their jam-packed Joint concert in the Hard Rock Hotel … Basketball stars LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets were at the draft party in Jay Z’s 40/40 Club at the Palazzo … Private Practice star Taye Diggs was at Tao nightclub just a few tables away from So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Wade Robson, who danced up a storm and I’m told is hatching a secret new adult cabaret dance show here on the Strip … Actor Branscombe Richmond took his wife and two children for supper at Nove Italiano in the Palms Fantasy Tower.

Photo: Jet

Pauly Shore lends his ample celebrity to the BlondeShell Awards at Jet.

TONIGHTS TIP:

Bette Midler’s trio of sassy sexy singers known as the Harlettes are joined by the 18 long-legged Caesars Salad dancers to kick off our Las Vegas 51’s baseball game at Cashman Field. The Harlettes will sing the National Anthem, and the dancing dames will group together to throw out the ceremonial first pitch … It’s the second round of the Vegas BlondeShell awards at Jet nightclub in the Mirage and last week the 30 finalists watched over by comedian Pauly Shore were whittled down to 20. Tonight they are cut to the final 10 as they compete for a pink custom Corvette that will be awarded next Monday … Slick Rick is the hip-hop artist to “make it rain” with Benjamins and other bills at Prive in the Planet Hollywood resort casino … The world’s best dart players from Europe and North America are back for seven days of play competing for the bullseye prize of $250,000 in the 7th annual Desert Classic at Mandalay Bay. The premiere dart challenge which will feature defending champion Raymond van Barneveld from Holland and three-time winner Phil Taylor from England is being televised throughout Europe on Sky Sports TV and here on Fox Sports.

TOMORROWS TEASE:

The $400,000 engagement ring sparkles brightly on a Vegas honeymoon trip and hometown rocker Vince Neil sings out loud as Motley Crue kicks off the American leg of a new world tour plus Nathan Burton wins athe Magician of the Year award!

— From Vegas Deluxe

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