Las Vegas Weekly

June 5, 2012 · 7:02 PM

Strip Scribbles: Kelsey Grammer renews vows; Pamela’s heroic walk

By Robin Leach

Kelsey Grammer and wife Kayte Walsh at "Viva Elvis."

Photo: Meskerem Mitiku Cotton/Cashman Photography

The business of people coming to Las Vegas and using wedding chapels to reaffirm their vows could become big business, particularly since it’s proving so popular with Hollywood celebrities. Year-old married couple Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh recited their renewal vows over the weekend at The Little Church of the West just a month before she’s due to give birth to twins -- his fifth and sixth children.

For 56-year-old Kelsey, who stars as the mayor of Chicago on Starz’s “Boss,” this is his fourth marriage. He married 31-year-old Kayte, a British former flight attendant, just two weeks after his stormy divorce from former Playboy model Camille Donatacci was finalized in February 2011. Kelsey told People: “I love that she had the courage to marry me twice.” Congratulations to the couple who were photographed by Las Vegas photographer Denise Truscello.

PAMELA’S WALK: Pinup beauty and actress Pamela Anderson told me that she’ll have big news to announce in August that will take her back to the top. Meantime, she’s helping her best friend, former “Zumanity” star Jesus Villa, prepare for his 10-day walk on stilts from Las Vegas to L.A. “It’ll be a lot easier for me, even in heels, to do the first and last mile with him as encouragement. He will do 31 miles a day for 10 days in his fundraising crusade to help kids with cancer.”

Jesus told me at Azure in the Palazzo: “I’m already up to 7 miles a day in daily training and increasing it every day. It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever attempted, and many days my legs bleed from the workouts. But to help these kids makes it a worthwhile goal.” If all goes as planned, Pamela and Jesus start the walk in November.

WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORS

Have the owners of Tropicana Las Vegas and new Bagatelle dayclub and nightclub agreed to a land swap? It would expand the nightclub, and the Trop gets larger casino space. The reconfiguration will require six extra weeks of work on Bagatelle. Planet Hollywood is making entertainment changes over and above Holly Madison’s decision not to continue with “Peepshow” after Dec. 30. I’m hearing that the sexy show “Eye Candy” that played Tropicana will move there at the end of summer, joining the relocated Sin City Comedy.

Carlos Santana’s musician wife Cindy Blackman is joining a group of local philanthropists to help Casa de Luz (House of Light) to not only save its building from foreclosure downtown but also to expand its life-saving work for poverty-stricken residents. Cindy on Monday talked with 40 kids there and gave them a drum session. The unsung charity is only one block from the Strip in Naked City, a hard-hit neighborhood known for drugs and human trafficking.

COVER GIRL PREVIEW: Singer Kelly Rowland is the summer cover girl of sister publication Vegas Magazine, and she had some interesting things to say about her new album to Senior Editor John Katsilometes for the sparkling layout. The ex-Destiny’s Child star is here Saturday for the 9th anniversary of Vegas at Boulevard Pool in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Kelly told Kats: “I’m making this album for my ladies, and it is strong with a little more aggressive -- and sometimes masculine -- approach, but there is a really incredible top line: I want to tell women how incredible we are, how our intuition is so spot on. Sometimes we don’t listen to it, but it is the thing that can actually make us happier. I know that men will definitely buy it. If you want to learn about women, listen to my next album!”

BIG DADDIES: The first Big Daddy Awards will be announced June 18, right after Father’s Day, and four Las Vegas VIPs are among the nominees in 33 categories. Cee Lo Green, who starts his Planet Hollywood residency Aug. 29, was named a Bald & Beautiful Big Daddy. Hotel mogul Donald Trump was named a Business Mogul Big Daddy.

Mirage headliner Ray Romano was named a TV Dad Hall of Fame Big Daddy, and Venetian and Palazzo restaurateur Mario Batali was named a Hottest Thing in the Kitchen Big Daddy. Other nominees include Jay-Z, David Beckham, Clint Eastwood and LeBron James. Vote at BigDaddyAwards.com as part of the national prostate cancer awareness campaign On the Line.

TV SINGER: Hunter Brown, 11, didn’t start singing or speaking until he was 5 because of his struggles with autism. Now he’s set for his TV debut on NBC’s “Today” with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. On Monday, the co-hosts called Hunter, son of our sister website Vegas.com’s Mike Brown, live on the air after learning of his courageous fight and how he sang the national anthem for the UNLV Running Rebel games in February.

They invited him to New York, and his network TV debut is Thursday morning. Congratulations -- a fantastic achievement! His Twitter handle for his journey is @huntersvoice.

CHIPPENDALES CELEBRATIONS: Congratulations to the handsome hunks at Chippendales, who celebrated their 4,000th performance at the Rio over the weekend. In two days, actor and singer Joey Lawrence joins the cast as its next guest star through June 24. A celebration, along with a red carpet and a performance, takes place at Cafe Martorano on Friday.

TONIGHT’S TIPS Chef Geno Bernardo throws a saucy TweetUp at his Nove Italiano at the Palms. Ian Bagg, Jim McCue and Jodi Borrello headline at The Improv at Harrah’s through Sunday. Ryan Shaw performs through Saturday at Book & Stage in The Cosmopolitan with four shows nightly. And restaurateur and chef Frank Pellegrino launches his cookbook “Rao’s on the Grill” with a signing and demo at Whole Foods in Henderson.

TOMORROW’S TEASE

Our interview with Frank Pellegrino, fourth-generation scion of the family that founded, owns and operates legendary Rao’s in New York, with an outpost at Caesars Palace. Plus, the English lady behind the sexy uniforms at the new Gordon Ramsay Steak in Paris Las Vegas.

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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