Las Vegas Weekly

September 10, 2009 · 2:02 PM

Strip Scribbles: Whispers about Zowie Bowie, Andrew Dice Clay, Teller

By Robin Leach

Zowie Bowie's Marley Taylor and Chris Phillips during "Las Vegas Celebrates the Music of Michael Jackson" at The Pearl in the Palms.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

I’m hearing that Strip stars are lining up to join Zowie Bowie’s “Vintage Vegas” big band premiere at the Monte Carlo, with Motley Crue rocker Vince Neill wanting to sing the Sinatra classic “Fly Me to the Moon,” while ventriloquist Terry Fator will sing another classic lounge song. … I’m hearing that comedian Andrew Dice Clay had such a great two-week run of shows at the Riviera, negotiations are continuing to make him a resident. … I’m hearing that Teller, the silent member of The Rio’s Penn & Teller, will direct the new off-Broadway workshop production Play Dead about seances and psychics starring magic star and carnival king Todd Robbins. Apparently, the New York cast will relocate here for rehearsals so as to not disrupt Teller’s schedule, and then Teller will fly to Manhattan for opening night!

*It’s taken 11 years of separation, but Playboy king Hugh Hefner has finally made legal moves to end his marriage to former Playmate Kimberly Conrad. Hef always cited the marriage as the main obstacle to marrying Peepshow star Holly Madison when they lived together at The Mansion with The Girls Next Door co-stars Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt. With the filing of declarations citing irreconcilable differences in L.A. County Superior Court, insiders say this will clear the way for Hef to marry his new companion Crystal Harris while staying friends with 19-year-old twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon.

Wed in July 1989, Hef and Kimberly separated in January 1998, and the Playboy mogul revealed that he’s already paid her more than $11 million in support over the years and wants it cut to $20,000 a month. Meantime, yesterday our Planet Hollywood headliner Holly was back at the bunny hutch filming an episode about Kendra’s baby shower.

*Taping of Wayne Brady’s CBS series Let’s Make a Deal begins Tuesday. The one-hour daily shows, which will start broadcasting Oct. 5, will be filmed at the Tropicana, which was recently acquired by former MGM executive Alex Yemenidjian. He is planning a total conversion of the 1957 property into a South Beach-themed vacation escape and expects it to be completed by next fall. Wayne will continue with his comedy headliner shows at The Venetian while hosting Deal. Admission for the tapings will be free. The original Deal was a hit game show hosted by regular Las Vegas visitor Monty Hall from 1963-1977. Monty is serving as a creative consultant on the CBS show.

*Hair king to the stars Michael Boychuck recently had celebrity lawyer Erin Brockovich, reality star Megan Hauserman, Monte Carlo song and dance duo Zowie Bowie and rapper T-Pain in his Amp salon all at once at the Palms. Grammy winner T-Pain had his signature dreadlocks lightened to a platinum hue, while his wife had her hair styled in the chair alongside him. Over at Michael’s salon Color in Caesars Palace, he threw a launch party for the new Oribe hair care product line. Oribe, one of America’s top magazine cover hairstylists who works with Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen, demonstrated his signature hairstyles. Zowie Bowie’s Marley Taylor had her hair done over along with Miss Nevada Georgina Vaughan and, as a special treat, many of Michael’s staff! Next day, Oribe went to Amp to treat the staff there, too.

*Plans are starting to firm up for the gala opening of the new Crystals retail space at the giant MGM CityCenter complex opening with the Aria in December. Celebrity chefs Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Julian Serrano and restaurateur Sirio Maccioni will all provide an unprecedented range of award-winning dining choices. For the first time, Michelin three-star chef Masayoshi Takayama brings his Japanese mastery to town with Bar Masa, and James Beard award winner Shawn McClain introduces his innovative Chicago cuisine that has the food world abuzz at his restaurant Sage. For those who like to shop before or after dining, retailers include Bulgari, Cartier, H. Stern, Tiffany and Van Cleef & Arpels. For fashion fanatics, Louis Vuitton is promising its largest store in America, there’s Tom Ford’s first Las Vegas retail store, and Roberto Cavalli, Prada, Hermes, Ermenegildo Zegna, Pucci, Assouline and Caroline Herrera join the group.

*Here’s our photo gallery, shot by leading lens lady Denise Truscello, of Carrot Top’s new music video produced for the opening of his Luxor comedy shows. It’s a zany version of the Broadway musical winner “Send in the Clowns,” and drummer Vinnie Paul even dressed as a clown for the shot! Singer Paul Shortino and guitarist Ira Black took part in the shoot, and our Executive Editor Johnny Katz was on hand for the making of the video and recording. Click HERE for his full report of the tension over the delays and all the antics that followed.

*Congratulations to Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and his wife of 47 years Carolyn Goodman on the renewal of their wedding vows in a ceremony conducted by Elvis tribute artist Jesse Garon at the Fremont Street Experience last night.

Star surveillance

Yesterday, we told you about George Clooney’s ex-girlfriend Sarah Larson and her new life in Los Angeles as a yoga instructor. She returned home to Las Vegas to join the party at Prive in Planet Hollywood. Also at the hotspot to watch Jermaine Dupri handle DJ duties was superstar singer Usher, and the twosome took photos with fans. Also returning to Prive was DJ Samantha Ronson, and for her set, she wore a vintage Foreigner sweatshirt in honor of her stepdad, Foreigner frontman Mick Jones. Mariah Carey’s hubby Nick Cannon also played DJ at Prive and hit the decks with friend DJ Franzen, shouting out to his former Nickelodeon fans in the crowd. … Boxer Zab Judah was over at Moon in the Palms with friends after midnight and partying through to pre-dawn. … The Cannery casinos hosted two end-of-summer concerts with two legendary groups and a veteran British pop singer! Tommy James and the Shondells and Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals were at the Cannery, and Petula Clark dazzled at the Rampart.

Tonight’s tips

Music fans and video gamers will be out in force for the Santana Guitar Hero 5 Challenge at Carey Hart’s Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel. Ten contestants will go head-to-head playing Santana’s “No One to Depend On,” and the guitar legend says he will meet the winner backstage after one of his concerts now at The Joint through Sept. 16. Santana lead vocalists Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay, percussionists Karl Perazzo and Dennis Chambers and keyboard player Freddie Ravel will be at the contest. … The third Las Vegas location of our local Sin City Brewing Co. opens in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. Award-winning brewer Richard Johnson, adhering to German beer purity laws from 1515, launched the microbrewery. … Wayne Newton, Tom Brokaw, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Stephanie Zimbalist, Shari Belafonte, Paul Williams and J.D. Nicholas of the Commodores will join six of Nevada’s governors at Trump International Hotel in a fundraiser to fight autism, with entertainment by Clint Holmes, Larry Hart and Jimmy Shubert. Gov. Jim Gibbons and estranged wife Dawn Gibbons are putting aside differences for this event that also celebrates the Governor’s Mansion’s Centennial.

Tomorrow’s teases

Superstar singer Mariah Carey has her intimate, up-close concerts at the Palms -- click HERE for our rehearsal photos yesterday -- as an invasion gets underway to shout “Ole!” for our south-of-the-border friends’ fiesta fun holiday. We have the details to clue you in on the CSI exhibit opening at the MGM Grand with Marg Helgenberger and her cast mates.

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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