Saturday, January 22, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: For Ann-Margret, no time for yellow
Steve Irwin sets sights on the Strip.
Aaron Spelling eyes LV wedding chapels.
Any fashion statement made by Ann-Margret will come in black and white when she's honored tonight at Nevada Ballet Theatre's "Woman of the Year" gala.
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Ann-Margret was on the telephone, with the "Viva Las Vegas" vixen explaining her definition of panic.
"I've never been to a black and white ball, and I had this dress planned for the last three months," said the Nevada Ballet Theatre's "Woman of the Year" honoree at tonight's Black and White gala fund-raiser at Caesars Palace.
"It was this beautiful buttercup yellow" number, she said. Then four days ago she discovered that the dress code was white or black or a combination of black and white.
It's been bright lights, busy shopping ever since, thank you very much.
She's back, 40 years after teaming up with Elvis in "Viva Las Vegas," to revel in another Las Vegas moment.
"I'm very excited," she said.
In March, she's headlining at the Stardust for the first time, and she's got a surprise.
"I do 'Viva Las Vegas' in my show. I end with it. I've never done it before," she said. "That's so weird."
She broke into Las Vegas in 1961 with George Burns at the Sahara's Conga Room.
"Bobby Darin was with Mr. Burns the year before I was," said the five-time Golden Globe winner and six-time Emmy nominee.
Yes, she has seen "Beyond the Sea," featuring Kevin Spacey as Darin.
"I loved it, and I cried at the end. He had so much more to give," she added, referring to Darin's early death at age 37.
The Scene and Heard
Fresh off the grapevine: Look for Bellagio boss Bobby Baldwin to head up MGM Mirage's City Center project, with New York-New York honcho Felix Rappaport moving to the Luxor, Treasure Island's chief Scott Sibella to The Mirage and Renee West, chief operating officer at Primm Valley Resorts, to the Monte Carlo. ...
Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin says he's in negotiations to build a $40 million zoo in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip and perform three shows a day for three months a year. Saltwater crocs would be the featured attractions. ...
A Fox TV pilot based on life in a Las Vegas wedding chapel is in the works with Aaron Spelling, who teamed up with Fox on "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place." According to published reports in Hollywood, Jeffrey Lieber wrote the pilot and is executive producing with Spelling and E. Duke Vincent, who produced "Vegas" with Robert Urich. Lieber, who wrote an early script for the pilot of ABC's "Lost," also wrote the 2002 feature "Tuck Everlasting." ...
Credit future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens with a big assist. He's helping his wife, Debbie, launch her new denim jacket line from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Capri Store at Bellagio. She will sign jackets available for purchase, and the seven-time Cy Young Award winner will, upon request, autograph each jacket purchased along with a maximum of two items with each jacket purchased. Individuals must bring items for autographs.
Sightings
Britney Spears' hubbie, Kevin Federline, spotted dining Friday at Pink Taco (Hard Rock Hotel). ... Dallas Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde, with backup Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten on Friday at Il Mulino (Forum Shops at Caesars).
The Punch Line
"It was so cold that for the inauguration they may need to use jumper cables to start both the president's limo and Dick Cheney." -- Jay Leno
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
