Las Vegas Weekly

February 25, 2009 · 8:34 AM

Strip Scribbles: Donny & Marie honored for helping to raise $4 billion for CMN

By Robin Leach

Donny and Marie Osmond.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

More than 170 hospitals throughout North America and affiliates in Ireland and Australia benefit from the amazing work of the Children’s Miracle Network, and in celebrating its 25th anniversary, co-founder Marie Osmond, along with brother Donny, were honored for helping to raise nearly $4 billion in that time!

CMN began as the Osmond Family Foundation, and at the Mardi Gras ball in the Bellagio, the brother and sister stars invited several of the children onstage to sing a final song about children. My young pal Josh Capp presented Marie with flowers, and another Miracle Child Tabby made a presentation to Donny. Josh, who is a Miracle Child, played an original song at the piano titled “Something New.”

Our local St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and Health Foundation organized the event. Entertainers Deborah Gibson, Louie Anderson, Domenick Allen (formerly of Foreigner) and his wife Leigh Zimmerman, along with David and Alan Osmond and members of the Osmond 2nd Generation, also participated. Rock manager Doc McGee, Tommy Thayer of KISS, members of Ratt and Survivor producer Mark Burnett also added their support. Magician Siegfried Fischbacher was between the VIPs at my friend Sandy Peltyn’s table. The night’s gala was filmed for the new philanthropic cable TV network Starfish; Joe Lake, one of the CMN founders, is the CEO of Starfish.

*I was waiting for official confirmation, but it’s now definite that Ben Roethlisberger will lead his winning Pittsburgh Steelers teammates into a victory party at Tao in The Venetian on Friday night. The guys will first feast in the restaurant and then show those winning moves on the dance floor upstairs afterwards. I don’t have the full list of players who will be making the journey west to party, but we’ll be on hand to have it all for you Saturday!

Photo: David Copperfield

David Copperfield.

*Incredible illusionist David Copperfield has donated a three-day stay at his magical Bahamas island on Musha Cay to the winning bidder in the live auction at Saturday’s “Keep Memory Alive” gala at the Bellagio, where Siegfried & Roy will reunite for their final magic performance. Mirage headliner Terry Fator has donated two private, customized performances of his singing ventriloquist impersonations for a children’s party of 100 kids apiece. Fashion king Karl Lagerfeld has stacked a lambskin-lined, perch skin-covered guitar case with six of the rarest bottles of Dom Perignon for another out-of-this-world auction item. Click www.keepmemoryalive.org for details on how you can bid online through CharityBuzz! Tomorrow, we’ll have details on how you could get to join Paula, Simon, Randy, Kara and Ryan at the finale of this season’s American Idol.

*Today’s the day we should learn all about the proposed Las Vegas Entertainment and Sports Hall of Fame. There’s a media event planned for 2 p.m. in the Shimmer Theater at the Hilton, at which details will be unveiled about 50 honorees from various Strip stage shows along with stars of movie and TV shows connected to Vegas. There’s talk that it also will become a TV awards special.

*Please support the one-day Bloomingdale’s “Fashionable Fundraiser” today at Fashion Show mall. Customers can shop for a cause and meet Mentoring USA representatives who have pledged $75,000 from Bloomie’s to provide mentors to children in need. The program was founded by former New York first lady Matilda Cuomo and has provided mentors for more than 5,000 children since its inception. Her daughter Maria Cuomo Cole, wife of design king Kenneth Cole, now heads up the charity effort.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

Kansas City Chiefs teammates Jamaal Charles and Brandon Flowers.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

Jarrad Page of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dashon Golson of the San Francisco 49ers.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers.

Star surveillance

NASCAR driver David Stremme, who will drive the #12 Penske at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, was with a group of friends letting loose at Coyote Ugly in New York-New York for a night of fun. … It was a 3:15 a.m. arrival for hip-hop artist and music producer Jermaine Dupri at Victor Drai’s luxurious XS club in the Encore. He just missed MTV reality star Audrina Patridge but still had time in the pre-dawn hours to catch up with actress Tichina Arnold, San Diego Chargers star Shawne Merriman and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Brandon Flowers and Jamaal Charles, all of whom had watched the Creative Recreation/Hudson Jeans fashion show. … Also at XS after the fashion party were UFC fighter Dan Henderson, rapper Too Short and Kansas City Chiefs' Jarrad Page and San Francisco 49ers defender Dashon Goldson.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

Tichina Arnold.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

Too Short.

Photo: Jacob Dallegos/XS

UFC's Dan Henderson.

Tonight’s tip

Cowboy Troy mixes rap, rock and country in what he describes as “hick hop” at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Harrah’s for NASCAR weekend starting tonight. Troy Coleman is a Texas native who was formerly with Big & Rich. … Twenty-five of the most influential heavyweights of the Vegas nightlife scene receive awards at Revolution in The Mirage. … Label Junkie throws a fashion show party at Lavo in the Palazzo. … It’s only $20 for bottomless drink refills at Pink Taco and Center Bar as the Hard Rock Hotel combats the economic tailspin.

Photo: Miss USA Pageant

Miss Nevada USA Georgina Vaughan.

Tomorrow’s tease

As Siegfried & Roy prepare for their final show and the ultimate magical reunion, Vegas DeLuxe has the inside look at the last-minute preparations for the “Keep Memory Alive” gala at the Bellagio on Saturday. … Barry Manilow begins his fifth year at the Hilton, and we’ve also got an exclusive interview with beautiful 21-year-old beauty queen Georgina Vaughan, who is representing Nevada in the upcoming Miss USA Pageant, plus a photo gallery of Audrina Patridge’s night on the town and the musicians who make up Adler’s Appetite.

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