Las Vegas Weekly

June 29, 2010 · 5:43 PM

Strip Scribbles: Online chatter is abuzz over Pacquiao-Mayweather

By Robin Leach

Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. vs. "Sugar" Shane Mosley at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Tons of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. online fight chatter today. It started with sportscaster Molly Sullivan saying the fight is on in November in an outdoor venue to be built by Steve Wynn. But promoter Bob Arum countered, saying the date is definitely Nov. 13 but at Thomas & Mack Center.

Contracts still aren’t signed, but everybody is optimistic that they will be, and that it’s the end of the drug testing squabbles. Manny’s last fight grabbed 700,000 pay-per-views, while Floyd’s fight drew 1.4 million PPV viewers. Combined, they’ll ensure the biggest payday of their careers.

Meantime, Manny has just been sworn in as a member of the Philippine Congress. Tomorrow, he’ll be at the Manila presidential inauguration, which has another Las Vegas connection. Pint-sized 18-year-old singer Charice Pempengco will sing the national anthem. She’s the talented teen discovered by Oprah Winfrey and David Foster, now her godparents, and presented here in many concerts. She joins Fox’s Glee this fall as an exchange student who becomes competition for New Directions diva Rachel Berry (Lea Michelle).

WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORS

Which headline lady who reconciled with her ex-husband after a major scandal is now single again after just a few months back together? … What other sex-scandal headliner flew out of town to get a disguised makeover in L.A. rather than have Las Vegas friends know about it? … Who was the player from the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins cheerleader who dined at Yellowtail to celebrate their engagement over champagne and caviar? … Which major Las Vegas star really got riled up over untrue rumors that he romanced a beauty who bed-bragged to her gal pals that she had an affair with him but never did? … Which Las Vegas star chef was ousted from his menu and kitchen at a New York club and replaced by a San Francisco sous chef who appeared on a TV show?

*In an extraordinary case of real life imitating reel life in light of the feud between Mandalay Bay star chef Rick Moonen with critic Jay Rayner over the Top Chef Masters finale, check out this trailer on YouTube for Bitter Feast, which stars Venetian/Palazzo star chef Mario Batali. One incredibly eerie coincidence! Rick would never stoop to this, but the thought is amusing and appealing.

*This has to be the most exciting Las Vegas gift one could ever give, so long as you are a certified SCUBA diver and want to make a showbiz splash. Le Reve at the Wynn has created the opportunity of a lifetime for an elite group who can go underwater as part of a live performance. The Diver's Dream Package offers a weekend of excitement, including a two-night stay in a luxurious Resort Room at Wynn or Encore, VIP Indulgence tickets to Le Reve, a private backstage tour, an SDI-certified SCUBA training session with the Le Reve diving team and the opportunity to dive during the live show. The cost is $2,000 for one diver and $3,000 if you dive together.

*The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay marked its 10th birthday with an aquatic-themed cake contest with visitors casting the deciding votes. The winner was an impressive 7-foot shark showcasing a fish bowl complete with live goldfish --a joint effort between the pastry kitchens of Luxor and Excalibur that took three chefs approximately 60 hours to complete from conception to completion.

*Daytime television’s hottest stars snapped up sweet treats from Sugar Factory while in Las Vegas for the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, MGM Grand headliner David Copperfield and actress Ashley Jones (The Bold and the Beautiful and True Blood) satisfied their sweet teeth with Sugar Factory’s Couture Pop.

The night’s big winners also were treated to sweets, including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Julie Pinson from As the World Turns, Outstanding Younger Actor Drew Tyler Bell from The Bold and the Beautiful and Dr. Lisa Masterson from Outstanding Talk Show/Informative The Doctors. Sugar Factory has two locations in Las Vegas, at The Mirage and Planet Hollywood, and opens its third location in the Paris this year.

*Congratulations to videographer and loyal Vegas DeLuxe reader Richard Corey. It was back on June 14, 2009, that he posted his first VegasDeLuxe.com video on YouTube. Last night, he hit the half-million-views mark. That’s a fabulous achievement!

*The Jerry Lee Lewis concert scheduled for Wednesday at Crown Theater in The Rio is being rescheduled to the fall to coincide with the release of his album Mean Old Man.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

*Action film hero turned California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his family dined at Strip House in Planet Hollywood. … Chef Geno Bernardo served up Italian taste treats to pro poker players Eric Lindgren and Phil Ivey at his Nove Italiano in the Palms and then entertained singer Jon Secada on the terrace. Downstairs at chef Barry Dakake’s N9NE Steakhouse, patrons include Disturbed singer David Draiman, actor Sean Astin, who signed Barry’s Shakedown Door, and former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk, while up in Ghostbar, 30 people involved with Emmy-winning The Doctors partied. Over at The Playboy Club, the July model search win went to 22-year-old Phoenix cocktail waitress Lara Leverence. … Baywatch bombshell Angelica Bridges and the sizzling cast of Fantasy at the Luxor jumped across the Strip to MGM Grand’s Tabu Ultra Lounge to host an evening with comedian and castmate Sean E. Cooper.

*Danielle Jonas, wife of pop star Kevin Jonas, was at Tao celebrating a friend’s bachelorette party. … Melvin Fowler, center for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, was at Skybar in the Hard Rock Hotel, while Cleveland Cavaliers players Danny Green and Christian Eyenga were in a VIP booth at Vanity. After their poolside performance, lead guitarist Paul Phillips and bass player Damien Starkey of Puddle of Mudd also hit Vanity with MMA stars Junie Browning and Q-Sinclair. Actor Aaron Yoo partied in a DJ booth VIP table.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

Actress Molly Ringwald celebrates the release of her book Getting the Pretty Back with a pink-themed party at Lavo in the Palazzo. … The Improv at Harrah’s presents VH1 Standup Spotlight host Bobby Collins, Michael Preminger and Dana Eagle through Sunday. … Rival Strip nightclub operators lay down their battle lines for one night as they seek the King of Clubs title at Blush in the Wynn.

TOMORROW’S TEASES

Love, The Beatles musical from Cirque du Soleil, celebrates its fourth anniversary, and stuntman and tattoo salon owner Carey Hart celebrates the second anniversary of his Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel. Plus, my taste buds were a-thrilling at four memorable meals.

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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