Las Vegas Weekly

February 27, 2012 · 4:56 PM

Strip Scribbles: Sinatra’s spirit; Penn wins $40,000; Dita’s Strip-Teese

By Robin Leach

Holly Madison hosts Blush's fourth-anniversary celebration at the Wynn on Sept. 4, 2011. Nick Groff, Zak Bagans and Aaron Goodwin of Ghost Adventures are pictured here.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage/DeniseTruscello.net

“Ghost Adventures” lead investigator and producer Zak Bagans is planning three days of filming starting Tuesday for an episode at the Riviera, and he’s recruited two big fans to be guest detectives: Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil and poker champion Jamie Gold will investigate the nefarious 9th Floor and Frank Sinatra’s old suite at the Riviera.

“There’s lots of history, emotions and imprints there, so we may find paranormal evidence,” Las Vegas resident Zak told me. While Jamie is on the 9th Floor, where there were several deaths back in the Mob days of Las Vegas, it will be off-limits to hotel guests, with every room locked except for the Ghost Adventures Crew.

Meantime, Vince plans a party with six girls in the Sinatra suite. Zak tells me that at an unexpected moment, all power will be turned off, and in strict silence, Vince and his bevy of beauties will listen and record any party noise from anybody left over from Ol’ Blues Eyes’ party daze! Zak has invited me to stop by, and, even with hair standing on end, I’ll report the experience.

This season also features the night’s lockdown vigil at Madame Tussauds at the Venetian, where cameras recorded similar “disembodied laughter.”

PENN JILLETTE WINS $40,000: Rio headliner Penn Jillette led his “Celebrity Apprentice” men’s team to victory Sunday night, and Donald Trump presented him with a winning check for $40,000 for our beloved charity Opportunity Village. Penn in rapid fire created and produced a 15-minute medieval show that brought in the majority of votes, kept him going for another week and led to the firing of Victoria Gotti on the women’s team.

MADONNA CONCERT SOLD OUT: As I predicted here Friday, Madonna’s Oct. 13 spectacle at MGM Grand Garden Arena sold out in seconds this morning, and, also as I forecast, she’s adding a second show for the next night. Tickets for the Oct. 14 show go on sale March 5.

‘JOAN KNOWS BEST’ FINALE: Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa Rivers filmed the finale of their WE series “Joan Knows Best” here while the former performed stand-up at the Palazzo, and it airs March 27. Joan discovered that Melissa’s assistant Sabrina was celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary the same weekend, so she encouraged Sabrina to come here to renew her vows and let loose in Sin City, giving Sabrina the bachelorette party she never had. Everyone puts their feuding aside for the finale, I’m told.

DITA VON TEESE’S TEASE: Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese has set a three-night run of her new show “Strip, Strip Hooray” at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay from May 17-19. The 90-minute show with MC Murray Hill feature Dita’s favorite burlesque acts, and tickets go on sale Friday for the shows.

MIKE TYSON’S TALES: MGM Grand officially confirmed my Feb. 21 Vegas DeLuxe exclusive about boxing legend Mike Tyson’s one-man, tell-all live reality show “Undisputed Truth,” and then our Senior Editor John Katsilometes posted a spectacular interview with the former heavyweight world champion Sunday night.

The no-holds-barred life story promises to peel back layers of tragedy and turmoil and then eventual triumph in an up-close and personal theatrical setting in David Copperfield’s Hollywood Theater. The first run is April 13-18 and if successful could return to the showroom on a fairly regular basis. Produced and created by Las Vegas producer Adam Steck, the show has been written by Mike’s wife Kiki, and I’m told the production with music and videos will be raw, revealing electric and unvarnished.

SQUEEZE BOX: Las Vegas wizard Murray Sawchuck told me he headlines at Hollywood’s Magic Castle for a week starting tonight. He’ll re-create his “America’s Got Talent” and VH1 “Celebracadabra” tricks but is adding a new blockbuster.

Not only will he squeeze 5-foot-9 Phillippa Speights, visiting Las Vegas for the first time, into a 2-foot box with only her hands and feet showing, but he also will then instantly vanish her. There are no trap doors at the mecca of magic, and magicians have to perform in full view of peers and guests in the audience. Murray is at Vegas Magic Theater at Gold Coast from March 22-25.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

Piero’s Trattoria celebrates its 30th anniversary. If only the walls could talk about their customers over the years, including Mob bosses and politicos. And DJ Max Vangeli spins at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore, while DJ Eric DLux is behind the wheels of steel at Marquee in the Cosmopolitan.

TOMORROW’S TEASE

Chippendales at the Rio celebrates its 10th anniversary with “The Bachelor” and “Dancing With the Stars” star Jake Pavelka, and we’re there to watch the girls go really wild. Flamingo headliner Nathan Burton talks about his adventures in China when he guest starred on “China’s Got Talent” for 1.5 billion viewers, plus we reveal an amazing Strip stunt that will stop traffic.

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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