Monday, February 14, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Dino might get drive of his own

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibert

Frank Sinatra Drive might be getting some famous company. A north-south stretch of Industrial Road along the west side of I-15 might be named after Dean Martin, Sinatra's Rat Pack pal.

"We've applied with the county," said Laurence Hallier, a partner in the three-tower Panorama project at Industrial and Flamingo Road.

Hallier and his partner, nightclub operator Andrew Sasson, are proposing that the street named after Dino stretch from Southern Highlands Parkway to Sahara Avenue.

Hallier let the secret out while attending the Keep Hope Alive Alzheimer's benefit honoring Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté on Saturday night at the new Bellagio Spa Tower.

The $1,500-a-plate event raised a record $6 million, bettering last year's take of $5 million, to help build the Lou Ruvo research center.

Bellagio chief Bobby Baldwin presented Laliberté with a Peter Max portrait of the Cirque creator.

Among the live auction highlights: Builder Tony Marnell bought a condo at Panorama Towers, donated by Hallier and Sasson, for $425,000; Laliberté chipped in $400,000 to the cause for a Ford GT race car; and The Venetian's Sheldon and Miriam Adelson secured the 10-day private yacht cruise for five couples for $375,000.

Former IGT chief Chuck Mattheson paid $125,000 for dinner with Nicole Kidman. Oilman Mike "Tiger" Davis won lunch with Teri Hatcher of "Desperate Housewives" for $125,000, while Phyllis McGuire and restaurateur Benny Shabtai each paid $225,000 to put together the music for the Bellagio dancing fountains.

The Scene and Heard

Gladys Knight, who won a Grammy on Sunday night for Best Gospel Duet performance (with Ray Charles) on the Genius Love Co. album, is leaving her headliner gig at the Flamingo when her contract expires in early 2006. A one-year solo tour is in the works. ...

Las Vegas, Vail and Maui are featured in tonight's Travel Channel premiere of "Trista & Ryan's Honeymoon Hotspots USA." It airs at 7 p.m. ...

Tale of two tippers: Cirque's Laliberté toked $6,000 on a $30,000 tab at an Italian eatery on the Strip. Meanwhile, that Z in Jay-Z must stand for zip, because that's what his servers got after the music mogul was comped on a $1,200 lunch for five at a high-end seafood and steak emporium.

Sightings

Tom Cruise and his kids at "Ka" (MGM Grand) on Saturday. Afterward he met with the cast and crew and tried his hand at some of the gymnastic equipment in the training room. ... NFL star Marshall Faulk, with a wedding party of 30 at ghostbar (Palms) and Nine Fine Irishmen (New York-New York) on Saturday night. ... Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Dhani Jones, in the Cuba Libre cigar store (Hard Rock Hotel), smoking the hookah. ... At "Beacher's Madhouse" and Body English: Nicky Hilton and beau Kevin Connolly, Cris Judd and Jones. ... Cleveland Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia, at Bikinis (Rio) on Saturday with his girlfriend, Playboy Playmate of the Year Carmella DeCesare. She recently was acquitted of karate-kicking Garcia's ex-girlfriend. ... Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, at the taping of Alan Thicke's "Second Honeymoons" TV pilot at Fashion Show mall on Saturday, told me that Major League Baseball has to "have the guts to do something" to address the steroid crisis. "It's a mess, and they've got to clamp down. If I was a player, I'd want testing to get the monkey off my back."

The Punch Line

"Today is Valentine's Day -- or, as men like to call it, Extortion Day!" -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.