Las Vegas Weekly

February 13, 2009 · 12:04 PM

Young or old, Valentine’s Day is for everyone — even on the Strip

By Robin Leach

Valentine's Day at the Ritz Carlton.

Photo: Ritz Carlton

Although Hollywood stars with romance on their mind have launched a full-blown invasion of the Strip for this happy hearts weekend, all eyes will be on a couple of unique weddings!

Gene Adler, 80, and Mickie Hollander, 72, will exchange vows following tomorrow afternoon’s performance of Defending the Caveman at the Excalibur. Actor Kevin Burke, who stars in the one-man play, is an ordained minister and will perform the ceremony!

It was last summer that the couple met and fell in love while watching the show in its former downtown home. They felt celebrating their marriage as part of the show would provide a wonderful experience.

“Even at our age, it will still be a memory we can cherish forever,” said Mickie! Friends and family have promised to attend the ceremony, and audience members at the matinee will be invited to witness the “I Do’s.” Excalibur executives are providing a wedding reception for the crowd after the vows are exchanged!

Caveman, which opened on Broadway in 1995 after its San Francisco debut in 1991, has been seen by more than 8 million people worldwide. It is a hilarious look at how men and women relate and tackles such sensitive subjects as masculine weaknesses and feminine strengths, plus the real meaning of erogenous zones!

Eiffel Tower exchange

At the crack of dawn tomorrow, to take advantage of next-to-none crowds and a discounted rate, one visiting couple has booked the Eiffel Tower experience at the Paris. They will exchange their vows some 50 stories high! The tab is $2,500 for the hour of privacy and includes champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and strolling musicians.

Anybody can rent the observation deck and be assured of privacy for whatever romantic urge take over to quicken the pulse. A hotel rep told me that the one security guard posted up there will discreetly turn his back if the pleasures of passion get explosive! And, yes, it has happened, but they don’t like to talk about it!

A wax wedding

The most unusual wedding offering this weekend comes from Madame Tussauds at The Venetian. You can have Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe stand beside you for the exchange of “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” vows. The museum has packaged a Chapel of Dreams wedding for $199, and the minister will sign the souvenir photo and certificate. My bet is that there’ll be a ceremony every 15 minutes -- how often do you get Elvis and Marilyn to stand as your guests?

Now here’s the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN of Valentine’s Day weekend star highlights:

*Pop princess Katy Perry is single and doesn’t even have a date for Saturday night when the “I Kissed a Girl” star performs at Carey Hart’s Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel. Following her Best Female Pop Vocal Performance win during last weekend’s 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Katy admits that she’s flying solo. Katy broke up with Gym Class Heroes rocker Travis McCoy after New Year’s and says she’s too busy with her current tour to find a new boyfriend.

That might come as a relief to her 82-year-old grandmother who lives here in Vegas and will watch the show at the Hard Rock! Incredible that Katy, who has a sophomore hit with “Hot N Cold,” has already sold 1.5 million albums and 10 million singles worldwide! Before her show, Katy will be honored with a case of her music memorabilia that will go on display at the resort after the presentation.

*On- and off-screen sweethearts Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt will spend their Valentine’s Day in the spotlight at Pure in Caesars Palace. The duo hosts the love party. Maybe this will be the weekend they squeeze in a Vegas wedding? They didn’t do it when they were here for New Year’s, and the legitimacy of their Cabo San Lucas marriage before Christmas filmed for The Hills is still the subject of debate and mystery!

*Sexy February Playboy magazine cover girl Bridget Marquardt, who was escorted to the Grammys by movie director Nick Carpenter, will host her Valentine’s Day affair at Studio 54 in MGM. The Girls Next Door blonde bombshell who lived at the Playboy Mansion for seven years has moved out and on! Bridget’s been filming the Travel Channel’s new Bridget’s Beaches, which premieres next month.

*Over at Lavo in the Palazzo, gorgeous Jessica Hart, one of the visiting Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, hosts the Valentine’s Day party! Click HERE for our early morning photo gallery of the glamour girls out on the town!

*It’s not just about the girls! Cupid hits the mark (pun intended) when singer-songwriter Richard Marx headlines at the Access showroom in Aliante Station. The multi-platinum Grammy winner promises to be “Right Here Waiting” for you “Now and Forever.”

Other Valentine’s highlights

*Reality star Khloe Kardashian says she’s newly single and without a date, so she will kick off the weekend tonight (Friday the 13th, folks!) with an Anti-Valentine’s party at Tao in The Venetian. … Recording artist Jeremy Carr also says love stinks when he hosts and performs at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile. … There’s even a “burn box” at Studio 54 tonight where you can watch with glee as a photo of your former lover goes up in flames!

*One of the most unique events on Valentine’s Day is the bare as much as you dare “Naked Hearts” party at Krave. It’s the fourth annual Golden Rainbow HIV/AIDS fundraiser. The fetish- and fantasy-fueled feast attracts dozens of Strip show dancers, including from Jubilee!, Le Reve, Chippendales and American Storm.

*Lusty lacy lingerie in racy red, passionate purple or hot and bothered black seems to be the de rigueur uniform on the day of love! The ladies of La Perla present a “Fallen Angel” fashion show at LAX, where they will strut the barely there unmentionables. … Meantime, the femme fatales from Frederick’s of Hollywood will pose provocatively at Tao. … And the “Naughty Valentine” fashion show of next-to-nothing underwear from Fantasy Fairytails is tonight at the Cathouse in the Luxor.

*If theater is more your style, The Venetian has two special sweetheart offerings. Romance is always the theme at Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular, but lovebirds get a Valentine’s Day bonus tomorrow with a backstage tour after the performance, along with a meet and greet with the stars. It’s the next best thing to starring in the lavish production yourself! … Next door at the Blue Man Theater, the performers will host a meet and greet and serve champagne and strawberries as part of the Valentine’s VIP package.

Dining out delights

*Fancy food isn’t forgotten this weekend, either! You can uncork your passion with a Valentine’s Day wine tasting at Napoleon’s in the Paris. They are pouring the Saint Amour wines from Georges DuBoeuf!

*Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has cooked up an aphrodisiac menu for his CUT steakhouse in the Palazzo.

*Strip House inside Planet Hollywood has created its own love potion of a Blackberry Flirt cocktail that includes champagne served in a chilled martini glass!

*Chef Geno Bernardo at Nove in the Palms has a special “Forbidden Love” menu atop the Palms Fantasy Tower.

*Celebrated chef Andre Rochat conjures up romance with his heart-pounding, eye-popping views of the Strip from his rooftop Alize restaurant at the Palms and his new Andre’s with the only cigar bar on the Strip in the Monte Carlo. Everybody knows there’s nothing like a great smoke -- after a great meal!

*Couples receive free VIP admission to Christian Audigier upstairs with your sake and sushi four-course dinner at Social House in Treasure Island.

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