Ruth Brown sings at the Bootlegger in this photo from Nov. 18, 2004. Photo by Craig L. Moran.
Happy 33rd birthday to Nick Lachey.
Suzanne Somers takes in Manilow.
Mike Tyson tries to "chill out" at TI.
Rhythm and blues icon and Tony Award winner Ruth Brown is on life support at a Las Vegas area hospital, a source close to her family confirmed Thursday.
Brown, 78, has been in intensive care at a Henderson hospital under an assumed name for several days, according to the source.
Advertisement
She won her Tony in 1989 for her performance in the Broadway hit "Black and Blue," and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on her 65th birthday in 1993.
A Henderson resident since the mid-1990s, she had a regular Thursday night gig at the Bootlegger Bistro for several years until September, when she had a falling-out with management.
She opened her Bootlegger shows with "Got the World on a String," a statement on how far she had come since suffering a stroke in 1999, "the day I attended Joe Williams' funeral," she said, referring to the jazz legend.
After living here briefly in the 1950s, Brown moved back to Las Vegas in the 1970s.
"Redd Foxx brought me back," she told me during an interview at the Bootlegger.
Circus Circus put her name on the clown-shaped marquee, announcing: "Ruth Brown and Friends."
"People would call and ask 'Is this the real Ruth Brown?' and they put the words on the marquee 'Yes, this is the real Ruth Brown.'"
Earlier this year, Hummer used Brown's "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'" in a TV commercial.
DREAM DAY
A local 9-year-old girl named Alyssa will get her wish to be a pop star for a day.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation has arranged for Tuesday to be Alyssa's day.
She will go on Mark & Mercedes in the Morning at KMXB-FM, 94.1. From there she goes to Planet Hollywood for lunch and an autograph and photo session.
She will participate in a news conference at KVBC-TV, Channel 3 at 2 p.m., and at 8:15 p.m., she will sing Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" live with Yellow Brick Road at the Suncoast Showroom.
Last month, she was allowed to record "Some Hearts" at the Palms recording studios.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Hot couple Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey, who share the same birthday, are celebrating at competing nightclubs. The "Entertainment Tonight" reporter will be at Tao (The Venetian) tonight; Lachey is hosting his after-concert party at Pure (Caesars Palace) on Saturday. Minnillo was 26 on Thursday, and Lachey was 33.
MAY I RECOMMEND ...
The Comedy Festival runs from Tuesday to Saturday next week, with more than 30 events at Caesars Palace. Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thecomedyfestival.com, by phone at 877-TCF-FEST, and at the box office at the Colosseum.
SIGHTINGS
Playboy Magazine reps, scouting the cast of "La Femme" (MGM Grand) this week for an upcoming photo shoot. They'll be featured in a pictorial next year. ... Suzanne Somers and hubbie Alan Hamel, in the audience to welcome Barry Manilow back to the stage Wednesday at the Hilton. ... Mike Tyson, ordering hot green tea and honey after sake and sushi to help him "chill out" after arriving at 3 a.m. at Social House (Treasure Island) on Wednesday. ... Mind Freak" Criss Angel, at Coyote Ugly (New York-New York) with friends late Wednesday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"The latest reports say that in addition to spousal support, K-Fed is going to try to get sole custody of the kids. He says he'll need them to help them work his roadside fireworks stand." -- Jimmy Kimmel
