Hard Rock defends Mayweather in tip snub controversy
It didn’t happen.
That’s the gist of the Hard Rock Hotel’s response to a cocktail server’s Facebook rant that boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. left no tip Sunday on a comped $25,000 tab.
“There is no merit to this story,” a Hard Rock PR rep said via email when asked for a comment.
TMZ quoted server Nik Nguyen, a server assigned to Mayweather, as saying Mayweather didn’t leave a tip.
Mayweather, whose nickname is “Money,” has a long history of showering club crowds with thousands of dollars, known as “making it rain.”
Nguyen apparently later changed her tune because she posted this note on her Twitter feed Sunday: “I’m sad that people are focusing on this and not the fact that he’s an amazing athlete that just won a huge fight.”
It was one of two parties Hard Rock arranged for Mayweather to host over the weekend after his unanimous decision over Argentina’s Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday.
Mayweather also hosted his official after-party at Vanity nightclub. However, Vanity was closed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday after two dozen police cars showed up, sources said.
The Hard Rock’s official statement on the closure was, “Due to capacity issues, Vanity Nightclub was shut down on Saturday, September 13.”
Closing a major club that early in the evening is highly unusual, a nightclub executive said.
BUBLE UP CLOSE
Larry Ruvo has landed four-time Grammy Award winner Michael Buble for a rare performance inside one of the city’s most intimate venues.
In what will be a first for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s Keep Memory Alive fundraiser, Ruvo is promising an “old-fashioned Las Vegas dinner show” featuring the Canadian crooner in front of 300 at the $5,000-a-plate affair.
“It will be the most unique experience since Sinatra performed in the old Copa Room,” Ruvo said.
“We could put 800 in there, theater style. I’m sure we could have put him in an arena and got 12,000 to 14,000. The question is, when has Michael last performed for 300 people?”
Buble, 39, has been a big supporter of Ruvo’s Keep Memory Alive.
Early in KMA’s history, “when he was just starting to come up, we made a deal for him to come in for an affordable price,” Ruvo said.
When Ruvo went to congratulate Buble after his performance, Buble handed back the check and has continued to take part in the charity gala over the years.
“We’ve never held anything like this in the events center,” Ruvo said. “We like to think out of the box.”
With high rollers around the world looking for the ultimate old Vegas experience, this figures to be a hit.
Celebrity chef Scott Conant of Scarpetta fame will helm the dinner side of the evening.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett met with Mayweather before the fight and had agreed to accompany the champ into the ring, but Buffett’s advisers shot down the idea, according to TMZSports.com. …
Chef Kerry Simon’s 2002 Porsche 911 convertible is being auctioned off on eBay, with all proceeds being directed to his battle with multiple system atrophy. Celebrity Cars Las Vegas is handling the sale through a no-reserve auction. The car is available for viewing at the Celebrity Cars Las Vegas showroom at the Palazzo. …
Cabaret singer Pia Zadora has been moved to her home in Summerlin following a golf cart accident that resulted in head and ankle injuries. She fell from the vehicle on Thursday on the way to The Ridges clubhouse for an early evening swim with her son, Jordan, who was reportedly driving. Zadora, who performed on Broadway early in her career, will undergo surgery in Los Angeles next week for a compound ankle francture, her publicist said. …
In the latest sign that electronic dance music is taking over the world, a three-song medley featuring superstar DJ Tiesto’s music will be unveiled tonight in the Bellagio fountain show. Tiesto worked closely with the WET design team to create the medley which features songs from his new “A Town Called Paradise.” The songs are “Footprints,” “Rocky” and “Red Lights.”
SIGHTINGS
Actor Channing Tatum, catching lunch Monday with friends at Spago inside the Forum Shops at Caesars. … Jamie Foxx and rapper 2 Chainz, at the Mayweather-hosted Rehab party. As they entered, DJ Whoo Kid played Foxx’s song “Blame It (On the Alcohol).” … Liam Payne of One Direction, taking in “Michael Jackson One” on Monday. … Foxx, with a party of 10 at N9NE Steakhouse (Palms) on Sunday. Also at N9NE: “CSI: Miami” regular Omar Benson Miller, with friends.
THE PUNCH LINE
“Floyd Mayweather fought on Saturday night, and he won a unanimous decision, but it did not go without incident. In the eighth round, Mayweather claims his opponent bit him through the glove into his fingers. It’s only a matter of time before boxers are required to wear gloves on their teeth.” — Jimmy Kimmel
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or email him at norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
