Las Vegas Weekly

September 19, 2008 · 3:30 PM

Strip Scribbles: Events this weekend in Vegas

By Robin Leach

*Former NFL superstar linebacker turned movie actor Brian Bosworth dined at the swank Dos Caminos mod-Mex restaurant in the Palazzo and talked about a new slot machine he’s making and promoting. The former University of Oklahoma and Seattle Seahawks sports great was with singer Anita Bryant’s husband, Charlie Dry, from Oklahoma, who is involved in gaming interests there. They told me the new slot machine will be unveiled early next year and it shows the often radical-hairstyled Brian at full-speed on the field.

*Showman extraordinaire Liberace put the glitzy over-the-top Vegas entertainment scene on the world’s map -- and this year's 2008 Liberace Piano competition keeps the legacy alive. Eleven men and women age 6 to 68 are the finalists who will compete at the Community Lutheran Church Auditorium. They are amateur and professional pianists who will tickle the ivories this weekend here in memory of the flamboyant entertainer. Carmen Lai, Grace Kim and Seth Thompson are three Vegas high school students who will represent our city competing against 10-year-old Kevin Meng, a violin-playing soccer player, and 68-year-old Hector de Oca Ruiz from Mexico. All will play on one of Liberace’s own rhinestoned pianos moved over from his Museum for the challenge.

*Vegas-based singer Brian Evans, who has just wrapped appearances at the Palazzo, is commuting back and forth to Los Angeles completing record sessions for his major label debut. It features a duet with Kelly Osbourne. Brian took a break from his travels to check up on friend Carrot Top at the Luxor, where the zany comic played to his own mother visiting from Florida and Luxor president, Felix Rappaport.

Photo: Brian Evans

Arman Zajic, who wrote "I'm Everything Smooth" for Brian Evans' forthcoming debut CD, Carrot Top, and Brian Evans hang out backstage with the star of the Luxor show.

*One acclaimed award-winning artist is “painting the town red” during Art Expo running all weekend long at Mandalay Bay. Russian-born painter Sergey Cherep will be filmed completing four small canvases each day. He normally paints up to seven paintings a day, racking up 300 new works of his Post Impressionism art a year. Cameras will be rolling for a new art reality TV show created by longtime Vegas resident Audrey Roberts.

*Highlight of the weekend is the two-day-long official opening celebration for the new Sushi Samba restaurant at the Palazzo. Can you say “Pra Caramba?" That’s the Brazilian expression for “absolutely amazing” and that’s the theme when cast members of the hit HBO show Entourage and the Jersey Boys musical, supermodel actress Rachel Hunter, comedienne Rita Rudner, actor Simon Rex and TV personality Jack Osbourne are led down an orange carpet by more than 40 geishas, samba dancers and taiko drummers tonight. They will perform first at the Palazzo’s three-story waterfall that will be colored orange for the party. The parade will move right through the casino floor as if it's "Carnival in Rio de Janeiro" and up the escalators to the restaurant. Sushi Samba blends the foods of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cultures. After dinner, rap artist Mickey Avalon will perform at an invitation-only concert in the restaurant’s SugarCane ultra lounge.

I’ll be on the red carpet the moment I finish watching my producer pal, Norbert Aleman, marry his leggy dancer girlfriend, Jennifer, at sunset. Norbert presents the nightly “La Cage” show with Frank Marino and the Crazy Girls topless revue at the Riviera and members of both will be on hand when he says “ I Do!"

Click back here to Luxe Life on Monday for all our celebrity photo coverage of the festivities and our LasVegasWeekly.com website will have our red-carpet celebrity video interviews running later this weekend.

Now its time for us to yell “Pra Carambai” and dance samba style through all the other events making noise this weekend in what we affectionately refer to around here as the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN.

Friday, Sept. 19

*Will Michael Jackson sneak in to watch his sister Janet perform at the Mandalay Bay Events Center? It’s the Rock Witchu tour -- her first in seven years. Janet’s boyfriend, record producer Jermaine Dupri, has been backstage masterminding the song and dance spectacular. After her opening night a week ago in Canada she taped this message for her fans:

Her 10th studio album, "Discipline," last year was the first to top the charts since the 2001's "All of You." The youngest of the Jackson clan, Janet has had her fair share of tabloid tribulations over the years, so this new tour is something of a comeback for her and from all the show reviews to date, she’s on a winning streak again.

*The most commercially successful R&B group of all time, those soulful powerhouses Boyz II Men, go to the "End of the Road" with their Cooley High Harmony at the Orleans for three nights through Sunday. Get down "On Bended Knee" for "One Sweet Day" of the best soul sounds ever.

In direct head-to-head competition Tower of Power shows its soaring strength for three nights up at the Suncoast.

*Tony Bennett, 14-time Grammy winner, is deservedly the legend and senior statesman of music and art and at 82 years young he still keeps on ticking! He returns for two nights at the Hilton and you can bank on it that he will still leave his heart in San Francisco. If only he’d put Las Vegas in that title!

*Late-night talk-show king Jay Leno jets commuter-style from L.A., back and forth eight times for his two nights of comedy at the Mirage this weekend and next ... Paul Williams brings his special material to the South Point starting tonight through Sunday and Latin Lunatic J. Ramirez continues his comedy run at the Riviera through Sunday night.

*Two fast-fingered Mexican acoustic guitarists – based in Dublin, of all places -- headline at the Hard Rock. Rodrigo y Gabriela straddle rock with timeless Hispano influences and their lifelong passion for heavy metal is shown with shades of Metalica and Led Zeppelin. For something completely different, jazz saxophonist Michael Lingston, a new American citizen from Copenhagen, plays his contemporary pop-stylings at the Santa Fe Station. His newest album “Heat” was released just a few days ago. Rap-star Rob Base will go off in totally different directions in a “Music is the Currency” showcase at Rain in the Palms.

*Edgy magician Jeff McBride has lined up TV’s Phenomenon Aaron Crow, martial arts magician author Tom Meseroll and the comic magic of the Bellini Twins as the added extra bonus entertainment at his Wonderground interactive magic lounge that follows his show tonight and tomorrow at the Sound Trax showroom in the Palace Station.

*It's party time when porn princess Tera Patrick hosts the dancing and debauchery at Prive inside Planet Hollywood’s casino resort. The adult superstar will also showcase her erotic models in her sexy new clothing line of lusty lacy lingerie ... Singer-actress Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical fame celebrates her sister Jennifer’s birthday at the Bank nightclub in the Bellagio. Next-door at Jet nightclub in the Mirage, Dania Ramirez celebrates with a power-party for the new upcoming season of her hit Heroes show.

*The tradition of tapping the keg of beer to celebrate Oktoberfest at the Hofbrauhaus near the Hard Rock continues with the cast of The Sopranos Last Supper doing the honors this evening.

*The boxing event down on the stateline at Primm Valley’s Star of the Desert Arena is headlined “Diamonds in the Desert." Top lightweight contender Kid Diamond, one of our hometown fighters, goes into a tough main event taking on rugged Javier Jauregui of Mexico. Several other Vegas fighters, including Anthony Lenk and Diego Magdaleno, will be in the ring for the seven fights, plus USA Olympian Vanes "Nightmare" Martirosyan from Glendale.

Saturday, Sept. 20

*It's official that after a 12-month hiatus UFC heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon to defend his title against rising star Brock Lesnar. Tickets go on sale Saturday for the Nov. 15 MGM Grand Garden Arena clash of the titans, which should shake the foundations of the sport.

*Superstar Seal is the poolside powerhouse at Green Valley Ranch and you know his supermodel wife, Heidi Klum, will be there with the kids on a weekend getaway. The British singer songwriter made his solo debut back in 1991 and his single "Kiss from a Rose" from the Batman Forever soundtrack spent 45 weeks on the charts. Heidi does the Wedding Day duet with him on his latest album "System’." Meantime jazz pianist princess Keiko Matsui from Tokyo has another GVR concert, Under Northern Lights, but indoors at the Ovation lounge.

*Please don’t ask as I have not even a whisper that Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana’s frenzied fame will attend her dad Billy Ray Cyrus’ concert at the Cannery. “It Could Have Been Me” that had that "Achy Breaky Heart!"

*A member of legendary Fleetwood Mac, daring musical genius Lindsey Buckingham on the heels of his fifth studio album "Gift of Screws," goes solo at the Hard Rock. “Go Insane” if you have to in order to watch this rare rock god guitarist show why he’s such an influential rock classic ... Kid Rock stars with his unique musical blends of hip-hop, country and southern rock at The Pearl in the Palms with special guests ‘Rehab”. Just a year ago he was in the same place fighting Tommy Lee at the VMA’s over their marriages to Pamela Anderson – so in a sense a much more graceful homecoming! The rapping rocker is backed by his 11 Twisted Brown Trucker group ... New York rockers Foreigner are no strangers to the charts having sold over 50 million records worldwide. There’s “No End in Sight” for the "urgent" five men of music who make the drive south down to stateline well worth while for their Star of the Desert arena concert ... Joe Bonamassa headlines the free Moonlight Concert at the Clark County Amphitheater and you can bring blankets and picnic supplies ... and Children of Bodom, Black Dahlia Murder and Between the Buried & Me make up a triple powerpack at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.

* Actors Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda won rave reviews at the Sundance Festival for their hit Diminished Capacity. Tonight it's screening outdoors at the Springs Preserve in "Dinner & A Movie” at Wolfgang Puck’s café there. It’s a unique part of our Cine Vegas Film Festival that provides a platform for unique showcases of new films.

*Party favors: Congratulations to Emmy award-winning choreographer Wade Robson, who is Criss Angel’s dance director at Cirque du Soleil’s new Believe show on his birthday. He’ll celebrate with some fancy footwork of his own when the cast joins him at Blush in the Wynn for the blowout party! Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton will lower her zipper, loosen her buttons and let her hair down to celebrate her 24th birthday at Prive in the Planet Hollywood resort casino ... reality starlet and self-described Hills hottie Heidi Montag celebrates her 22nd birthday at the new Christian Audigier nightclub in Treasure Island ... there’ll be celebrations at the sixth annual Hoodie Awards in the Orleans Arena hosted by Steve Harvey with Jennifer Hudson, Cedric the Entertainer, Doug E Fresh and Patti LaBelle honoring community leaders and teachers from across the country ... and Crazy Girls dancer Liz Grantham bares her busty assets to celebrate her Strip Las Vegas October cover release with a rock-star styled celebration at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile.

Sunday, Sept. 21

*The finals of the 2008 Liberace Piano Competition take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Community Lutheran Church Auditorium -- and anybody from a 10-year-old soccer player to a 68-year-old could tickle the ivories so well they will wind up a winner for showmanship and talent at the keyboard.

*Hip-hop mogul and superstar Pharrell Williams launches his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line at the Barneys New York tri-level superstore in the Palazzo.

*Rock fans rejoice over the double-teaming of Common and N.E.R.D. and there’s nothing geeky about that at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.

*Proving that ‘diamonds are a girls best friend, the Bank nightclub at the Bellagio has a $10,000 jewelry shopping spree as first prize for the competing ladies.

Monday's tease

We’ll have the full photo report on the Entourage stars from the gala opening of the new Sushi Samba hotspot at the Palazzo, plus our candid up-close coverage of the fabulous Fantasy femme-fatales as they unveil their new calendar. Later in the week the first sneak-peek preview of the new Minus 5 “frozen ice play-palace” and our exclusive interview with Mr. Olympia who reveals just what it takes – including 7,000 calories of eight meals a day - to keep those bulging muscles in shape.

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