Ryan Seacrest seen filming at Paris Las Vegas on Thursday.
Al Roker joined Martha Stewart, below, in the kitchen at Hash House A Go Go on Tuesday.
KLAS-TV, Channel 8's new anchor, Denise Valdez, was included in a 1996 Los Angeles Times story about a trend among newscasters who changed from Anglo to ethnic names to take advantage of federal affirmative-action rules designed to benefit minorities.
The practice was questioned, the Times said, by news professionals and minority activists, "who argue that it cheapens the concept of affirmative action and raises troubling issues of journalistic ethics."
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Valdez, who worked in San Antonio and Dallas before going to KNBC in Los Angeles, acknowledged to the Times that she had changed her last name for professional reasons, saying it was "advantageous in this business."
She said she considers herself part Latina, and "I'm sure I'm one of many people who have done it." She added that it was "not something I want to broadcast to the public."
Valdez, who fills the vacancy left by the death of Polly Gonzalez in a traffic accident, will co-anchor the noon broadcast with Gary Waddell and the 4:30 p.m. newscast with Dave Courvoisier beginning Monday.
Bob Stoldal, vice president of news at KLAS, did not return calls for comment by deadline.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Anna Hotop-Stout, a major adult film star who went by the name Anna Malle in the industry, died from injuries after a crash Wednesday on state Route 160.
She was a passenger in a 2005 Dodge Stratus that turned into the path of a 1985 Chevrolet pickup while making a U-turn near Rainbow Boulevard about 11:40 a.m., according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.
The pickup slammed into the Stratus on the passenger side, where Hotop-Stout, 38, was sitting. The longtime Las Vegas resident was taken to University Medical Center, where she died.
Adult industry Web sites said she appeared in about 350 movies. "She was the Jenna Jameson of the 1990s," said a friend of Hotop-Stout who asked not to be identified.
No charges were filed Thursday, but the investigation was ongoing, authorities said.
MAY I RECOMMEND ...
Stack, the new restaurant at The Mirage, drew its inspiration from Utah's Bryce Canyon. Stacked and curvy African Mahogany resembles the reddish walls of the famed canyon. The menu: American steakhouse with contemporary American fare. The "hot rocks" appetizer features a marinated sirloin cooked at your table on a polished river rock heated to 350-plus degrees. Try the Peach Capirusca. For more information, call 792-7800.
SIGHTINGS
Ryan Seacrest, filming "American Idol" bumpers at Paris Las Vegas on Thursday morning to promote the Las Vegas "Idol" auditions that air during Tuesday's episode ... Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, with family members at Stack on Thursday night ... Janice Dickinson of "The Surreal Life" and "America's Next Top Model," hosting Tao's "Slumber Party" on Thursday ... Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, having lunch at the Sundance Grill (Silverton) on Thursday ... Colorado Rockies All-Star reliever Brian Fuentes, a magic buff, checking out Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo on Tuesday ... Lance Armstrong, at Pure (Caesars Palace) on Tuesday night ... NBC "Today" show weatherman Al Roker, who joined Martha Stewart in the kitchen at Hash House A Go Go on Tuesday, told bystanders, "I have a rule that I never eat anything bigger than my head" after trying the pancakes, which, for the record, measure 14 inches in diameter, I'm told. Also for the record: Her breakfast partner was Las Vegas attorney and friend David Chesnoff, while Frank Marino and the Chippendales posed for photographs. Chesnoff assisted in Stewart's appeal after she was convicted of obstructing justice and lying to investigators during an insider trading probe into why she sold ImClone Systems stock in late 2001.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Here's an amazing fact: Even though the Lakers didn't play last night, Kobe Bryant still scored 62 points." -- Jay Leno
