Las Vegas Weekly

February 11, 2009 · 11:58 AM

Strip Scribbles: Siegfried & Roy’s new leopard cub Java makes his debut

By Robin Leach

Leopard cub Java is the latest addition to Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden.

Photo: Denise Truscello

Although the adorable little leopard Java was born Nov. 18, it’s only this morning that the world gets its first look at the new male cub. He is the offspring of Asahi and Mu-gamba, who live at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage. Java is the pair’s second litter; the previous litter also resides at the Secret Garden.

Siegfried & Roy’s garden is now home to six leopards, one snow leopard and one black panther -- all of which are endangered species. Java weighed just 1 pound at birth and nursed with his mother for the first three weeks before being switched over to bottle-feeding by the garden nursery staff. Java could grow to as much as 200 pounds with a life span approaching 20 years.

Photographers had their first glimpse of Java this morning, and the public will be allowed in beginning today from 12:30 to 5 p.m. daily.

The illusionists’ schedule today includes rehearsals and 20/20 interviews with Elizabeth Vargas in connection with their “One Moment of Magic” reunion set for Feb. 28 at the Bellagio for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute fundraising gala dinner.

*Who was the biggest fan leading the cheering squad at the Spyderz concert at Ovation in Green Valley Ranch? None other than reigning princess of the adult film world Tera Patrick! That’s because she’s married to Spyderz frontman Evan Seinfeld, and our contributing photographer Scott Harrison snapped her waiting for the show -- with her champagne!

Star surveillance

For those wondering about the current status of love bugs Holly Madison and Criss Angel, let me assure you that the hot couple are still very much together -- and they’ve returned to their favorite main-stage VIP table at LAX in the Luxor, where his Believe show for Cirque du Soleil runs twice nightly. They also were spotted at Body English, where spies reported, “They were making out like there was no tomorrow!” … UFC fighter Michael Bisping celebrated his birthday with friends on the main stage of Pure at Caesars Palace. … Arizona Cardinals cornerback Eric Green stuck to Fiji water along with pro boxer Fernando Vargas on a night out at Christian Audigier in T.I. … It must’ve been time to talk sports at N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms because Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian was at one table while Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had dinner at the bar! Jerry, known for chewing towels during games, chose finer food of a chopped salad and a sliced filet with Fiji water before going back into the kitchen to sign chef Barry Dakake’s autographed-filled door! Andre and Steffi also went back into the kitchen after enjoying a special veal piccata dinner to sign the chef’s kitchen door. All three sports stars got a pots and pans applause from the kitchen line of backup chefs!

*I’ve just learned that Usher was dining upstairs in Nove Italiano at the Palms, relaxing after Chef Geno Bernardo’s mozzarella pizza and a thick spaghetti pasta with mixed vegetables, when he received the call about his wife Tameka Foster’s illness in Brazil. He used his cell phone to immediately organize a private jet from Las Vegas to L.A. and had his doctor recruit a specialist so they could hop another jet down to San Paolo. Usher promised to return to the Palms restaurant when he returned to finish his recording session.

Meantime, the Brazilian news Web site G1 reports that Tameka was rushed to Sirio-Libanes Hospital’s ICU after a medical emergency during liposuction. We have no way of fact-checking the story, which also said she suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest as she was being anesthetized for the cosmetic surgery. Subsequently, it reported that Tameka had been put into an induced coma for the first 24 hours of her recovery. Usher has requested a news blackout on her condition and privacy from media.

*It’s always nice to help one of our regular readers when they ask. Jennifer Bradley, who used to work with the Lili Claire Foundation here, is now with the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, and she told me that because of the tough economy, they are forgoing a large gala and making the April 30 fundraiser a more intimate affair for just 500 supporters. The 30-year-old nonprofit needs help for children’s’ cancer patients and is hoping restaurants will donate food and wine. Jennifer also asks for local businesses to donate silent auction items.

*Superstar singer Cher and the executives at Caesars Palace have come up with a special “show and room package” for her Feb. 22 monthlong return to The Colosseum. It’s their answer to the economic downturn that has been badly affecting our tourism counts in the past weeks. For $239, a couple can get two tickets to the entertainer’s sensational show and a one-night stay at the casino resort. It doesn’t get any better than that! Cher’s high-energy, flamboyant production features all those one-of-a-kind Bob Mackie costumes, and that alone is worth the price of admission!

*I swear the following deal is true even though it’s difficult to believe. U.S. Airways Vacations is giving away two free tickets to Cirque du Soleil shows here with its round-trip vacation packages of four nights’ stay at leading Strip hotels. You have to book by Feb. 20 and complete travel by June 1, and you can snag free tickets for Love, Zumanity, O or Believe. Sample prices include stays at Treasure Island for $180, The Mirage for $208 and even the Bellagio for $338! Prices apparently have never been lower in the past 20 years!

Tonight’s tip

Hip-hop icon LL Cool J has stayed at the top of the rap scene for 25 years and still leads the pack with 12 hit albums, including his latest, Exit 13. Additionally, he’s appeared in more than 30 movies, and the mogul “Does It Well” at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm for a one-night-only concert. … Those barons of basketballs, the magic miracle men of the Harlem Globetrotters star with their wizardry at The Orleans Arena and make the impossible possible right before your eyes in the three-point zone! … Congratulations to everybody at the Cirque du Soleil Revolution Lounge in The Mirage on its second anniversary! … Check out the Palms Pool and Bungalows job fair all afternoon long if you want to work at the hip party scene there this summer!

Tomorrow’s tease

The breathtakingly beautiful swimsuit models from Sports Illustrated arrive on the Strip and find themselves competing with the topless temptresses of the Flamingo’s X, who are celebrating their second anniversary. Plus my mini-vacation under the sun in Cabo San Lucas, where not only the stars hide out but also where our hotel executives go for a little R&R.

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