Las Vegas Weekly

October 16, 2009 · 11:25 AM

Terry Fator says Taylor Dew and he are ‘very much in love’

By Robin Leach

Terry Fator and Taylor Makakoa onstage at The Mirage.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Mirage $100 million headliner Terry Fator has spoken candidly for the first time about his romance with his former onstage assistant Taylor Dew (formerly Taylor Makakoa). The first $1 million winner of America’s Got Talent (Season 2 in 2007) and the Hawaiian-born beauty are now living together in a new $6 million estate in Summerlin.

“We love spending time with each other, and we do love each other,” Terry told me yesterday in an exclusive conversation. “We have become very close. There is no engagement yet, but that very well could possibly happen.

“The moment there is a ring on her finger, you will be the first to know -- right after us! For now, though, there are no long-term decisions. We’ll just let happen what whatever comes naturally. We’re just having the best of time with each other, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Terry Fator and Taylor Makakoa.

Terry explained that he’d moved from the Strip into the house so he was able to “sit out and chill away from the Strip rat race.” He told me: “My mom and my brother are here with us also. There’s plenty of room for everybody when they come to visit. I just needed to have quiet during the day and be able to be creative and relaxed before going to the Strip at night. Being there 24/7 just wasn’t working for me.”

Taylor, who celebrated her 21st birthday in July, and Terry will be together tonight at 10 at Emily Jillette’s Celebrity Tarot Lounge in Town Square right after my 7 p.m. show. Come on down and see us! Then this weekend, another dream comes true for Terry when he performs his first -- and largest to date -- stadium rendition of the national anthem at the Arizona Cardinals-Seattle Seahawks game in Seattle.

“I’ve performed the national anthem many times at rodeos and county fairs over the years, but this is the biggest so far. I’m not nervous, but I am very excited. I’ll just go out and do it -- by myself and without any puppets,” Terry said. “One of the Seattle folks saw my Mirage show recently and invited me, and it was such an honor, I just had to accept. Now I’m hoping that Jerry Jones will hear about it and give me a call and invite me to sing at the new stadium for my hometown team of the Dallas Cowboys!”

Photo: Cashman Photo

Terry Fator and Nicole Scherzinger.

This holiday season, Terry is already at work on a Christmas show. Rehearsals are underway, and the new production will start the day after Thanksgiving. “I’ve even got Vikki the Cougar doing ‘Santa Baby’ in Eartha Kitt’s purring voice,” he added.

His new DVD Live From Las Vegas was released nationwide last month. The Mirage show is still doing bang-up business, and recent celebrities there have included Mel Gibson, Slash, Ray Romano, Kevin James, Holly Madison and Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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