Friday, September 02, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: LV stars line up for relief effort

Celine Dion on Thursday announces plans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Bolstered by $1 million donations from Celine Dion and the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, Las Vegas entertainers and star chefs were lining up to boost a mammoth Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

About 300 top North American chefs are meeting here next week and are expected to formulate an approach to aid their food industry colleagues.

The Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA) had scheduled their annual awards conference at Bellagio long ago, but event chair Andre Rochat, a prominent Las Vegas restaurateur, said he was sure relief efforts would be on the agenda.

Harrah's headliner Clint Holmes said his "phone is ringing off the hook and there's an energy building" to bring the local entertainment community together for a fundraiser similar to the 9/11 USO event in 2001. In a show of unprecedented cooperation, dozens of locals participated in the benefit at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

One of his first conversations, Holmes said, was with Lena Prima, daughter of Las Vegas icon Louis Prima, who, along with Sam Butera and Keeley Smith, brought magic to the local lounge scene in the 1950s.

During a telephone interview Thursday, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, was stunned to hear that rhythm-and-blues legend Fats Domino, 77, was unaccounted for in New Orleans. Domino's daughter said late Thursday her father had been found safe. His biggest hits include "Blueberry Hill," "Blue Monday," "Ain't That A Shame" and "Walkin' to New Orleans."

In her next breath, Franklin voiced concern for the singing Neville family and Wynton Marsalis. Franklin, who is appearing at the MGM Grand on Sunday, said she wanted to be part of a celebrity concert to help New Orleans recover.

"New Orleans will rally," Franklin said. " There is a spirit there, an inner strength."

It was the second time in four months that Dion has helped raise $1 million for victims of a major natural disaster. She dedicated all the proceeds, more than $1 million, from her Mother's Day show at Caesars Palace to UNICEF's Tsunami Recovery Fund. Her hurricane pledge, along with that of her partners, is going to the Red Cross.

Lewis, a longtime Las Vegan, announced Wednesday that his Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, in addition to donating $1 million to hurricane relief, would include celebrity appeals over the weekend for the disaster.

The Scene and Heard

Gildah, the featured elephant in Siegfried & Roy's show for two-plus decades, died Wednesday night at the duo's Secret Garden at The Mirage. A 4-ton ceremonial Thai elephant, she celebrated her 57th birthday on May 4 by chowing down on a 4-foot-high cake made of carrots and fruit with a straw-filled center and topped with multicolored Cool Whip. A former star of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, she joined Siegfried & Roy 25 years ago. In a press release, Siegfried & Roy said, "In celebration of her life, we would ask that donations be made to the American Red Cross in support of animal rescue for those animals affected by Hurricane Katrina."

May I recommend ...

"A Concert for Hurricane Relief" will air on KVBC-TV, Channel 3, CNBC (Cable Channel 35) and MSNBC (Cable Channel 47) at 8 p.m. today. MTV (Cable Channel 37) and sister channels VH-1 (Cable Channel 39) and CMT (Cable Channel 57) are planning a live Saturday simulcast special.

Sightings

Former Las Vegas businessman Finis Shelnutt, being interviewed on Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Thursday. Shelnutt and his wife, Gennifer Flowers, moved to New Orleans about five years ago to open a cabaret in the French Quarter. ... Andy Roddick, No. 4 seed in the U.S. Open, told friends that he's headed for Las Vegas to celebrate his 23rd birthday after a first-round loss Tuesday, his birthday, according to the New York Daily News.

The Punch Line

"Congratulations to the Hawaiian Little League Team on winning the Little League World Series. They won a thriller yesterday over the Kansas City Royals." -- David Letterman

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