"Avenue Q" cast members ham for cameras Wednesday at Wynn Las Vegas during the announcement of the furry cab campaign to publicize the show. Photo by Craig L. Moran.
Wynn Las Vegas rolled out its "Avenue Q" furry cab campaign on Wednesday, hoping to spark a buzz about fuzz.
On board the first of 20 "fur"-covered cabs, during a drive-up news conference at the front entrance of Wynn, were star characters Lucy the Slut; Rod, the blue-faced drama queen; and Trekkie Monster, the porn addict.
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" 'Thunder From Down Under,' here we come!" gushed Rod, the hilarious, effeminate character played by John Tartaglia.
Lucy, the tarted-up floozy (Brynn O'Malley), grabbed the cab's two-way radio and purred, "Anyone out there feeling lonely?" Trekkie Monster (Rick Lyons) nodded his approval.
Lucy suggested Rod has been seen at the Australian men's revue at Excalibur.
"Yeah, I was there," confessed Rod. "Yessiree, still got oil on my hands."
Covering the cab was an orange artificial surface that normally covers athletic fields "so we can send them through the carwash," said Wynn rep Adeana Shendal.
"Avenue Q" features furry Muppetlike puppets known for their salty language and sweet story lines.
MILLER TIME
The homecoming this week of media lightning rod Judith Miller was rich in irony.
The New York Times reporter recalled the ground shaking in Las Vegas during the state's nuclear testing era.
Miller, whose father, Bill Miller, was a prominent Las Vegas entertainment director, shared some of her Las Vegas memories with colleagues at the Society of Professional Journalists convention this week at the Aladdin.
Away from the cameras and microphones, Judith Miller recommended that SPJ leaders visit the Atomic Testing Museum here.
The irony probably didn't escape her that all these decades later weapons of mass destruction would play such a prominent role in her career.
Miller, who received the First Amendment Award on Tuesday from the SPJ for spending 85 days in jail for refusing to identify a confidential source, has been under fire for reporting Iraq had weapons of mass destruction at a time the Bush administration was citing that as justification for going to war.
Miller also told SPJ leaders that she was planning to return to Las Vegas next week to go hiking with members of a military unit that she was embedded with in Iraq.
SEVEN ANNOUNCES MOVE
Seven, the late-night club that's being relocated to make way for the new MGM Mirage CityCenter project, is moving downtown.
Meanwhile, rumblings continue that Krave, billed as the only alternative club on the Strip, is heading for a new home.
Seven's management announced Wednesday it is closing Oct. 29 and will open downtown under the name of Stage in early 2006.
Krave owner Sia Amiri denied the relocation rumor on Wednesday, saying Krave "has definitely found its home at Desert Passage."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Fourteen local firefighters sign their new calendars at the Fashion Show mall from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. today.
The firefighters are raising money for Project Sunshine of Nevada, whose mission focuses on children with critical or life-altering illnesses or situations. The calendars are available at Borders bookstores and Station Casinos gift shops.
THE PUNCH LINE
"The only thing 'Rocky' about him are his kidney stones." -- From David Letterman's Top 10 signs Sylvester Stallone is too old to play Rocky.
