Steve Wynn is inducted a second time into the Gaming Hall of Fame.
Don Rickles jokes as Whoopi Goldberg laughs on Wednesday at the fountains outside Caesars Palace before Rickles received the first Laurel Award presented by the resort.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.
Steve Wynn, Franco Dragone and Alex Stratta took bows Wednesday as the newest inductees in the Gaming Hall of Fame during a charity dinner at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Wynn was saluted by Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, for "transforming Las Vegas into a world-renowned resort destination."
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Wynn has been widely credited with igniting the Las Vegas building boom with the opening of The Mirage in 1989.
It was Wynn's second induction into the group. He renounced his initial entry when then arch-nemesis but now friend Donald Trump was inducted.
Dragone was honored as an entertainment innovator who was at the forefront of Cirque du Soleil's emergence in Las Vegas. During his 10 years with Cirque he was credited with helping create "Mystere" and "O," two Las Vegas entertainment icons.
Stratta thanked Wynn for luring him to Las Vegas from Scottsdale to open Renoir at The Mirage and later to the Wynn, where his restaurant, Alex, which recently received a Five Diamond rating from AAA.
Wynn, who arrived in Las Vegas in 1967 with wife Elaine and rose to prominence from a slot manager position at the Frontier, thanked longtime friend and banking adviser Perry Thomas.
Wynn also magnanimously recognized fellow resort empire builders he has battled with: Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Kirk Kerkorian of MGM Mirage.
IT'S THE KING'S RING
That Elvis-Priscilla ring item here on Wednesday went awry when I misread the information.
It is Elvis' wedding band that is being auctioned off in Beverly Hills, not Priscilla's, after being on display for the next three weeks at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood.
Joe Maddalena, president of Profiles in History, a Beverly Hills auction house, said the ring ended up in the auction after Elvis gave it away about 10 days before he died in 1977.
Elvis' stepbrother and his wife were going through a separation, said Maddalena.
During his mediation, Elvis gave the wife the ring as "a symbolic gesture to keep their marriage together," said Maddalena.
She kept it for many years before donating it to an Elvis museum operated by Jimmy Velvet, a friend of Presley's.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Legendary pianist Roger Williams, whose "Autumn Leaves" hit No. 1 in 1955, will attempt to play the piano for 14 hours on Friday, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Williams, 82, will take a 15-minute break every hour to prevent his fingers from splitting. The event will be on the ground floor between Neiman Marcus and Macy's.
SIGHTINGS
Film director John Landis ("Animal House" and "Blues Brothers"), shooting a documentary segment featuring comedic icon Don Rickles during Wednesday's Laurel Award ceremony at Caesars Palace. Rickles, who received a laurel-shaped plaque, was the first inductee in Caesars' version of the Walk of Fame. ... At the Global Gaming Expo on Wednesday: Country artist Colin Raye, Bo Jackson and Playboy Playmates Stacy Fuson and Alison Waite. ... Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, taking the UNLV-Eastern Washington basketball game in a luxury suite at Thomas & Mack Arena on Tuesday. ... Dragone, celebrating the fifth anniversary of his company, Dragone, at the Artisan Hotel on Tuesday with almost 300 cast and crew members of "Le Reve" and Celine Dion's show. ... Las Vegas resident Tony Fredianelli of Third Eye Blind, bringing 9-year-old son Joseph on stage to join the band during a corporate gig Monday at the House of Blues. The verdict? "A guitar shredder just like his dad," according to an Eye Spy. ... Jacob Arabo, better known as Jacob the Jeweler, will be at Berger & Son Fine Jewelers from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at in Suite 1165 of the Fashion Show mall.
THE PUNCH LINE
"They are only having 1,800 guests, and it came down to either inviting Oprah, or the guy who played 'Goose' in 'Top Gun.'" -- Jimmy Kimmel, on Oprah Winfrey not being invited to the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes wedding.
