Blaze breaks out during magic act
A member of magician Steve Wyrick's stunt crew suffered minor injuries Saturday when a fire engulfed the staging area of an act that was billed as a "Death Drop."
The incident occurred in front of hundreds of Fourth of July revelers on the Strip outside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort.
Witnesses said the injured man who came out of a trunk appeared to be Wyrick's stunt double. He was not identified, but Wyrick's representative, Lindsey Rathjen, said he was treated immediately by paramedics and a speedy recovery was expected.
Shortly before the fire, Wyrick was seen being shackled near the box by Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington and members of his new band.
A crane was to lift the box containing Wyrick 80 feet in the air. As flames burned through the last rope holding the box, Wyrick was to escape and leap to safety as the box crashed on flaming spikes.
While the crowd watched the flames being extinguished, a helicopter arrived with Wyrick inside.
Wyrick did not return calls by deadline.
The stunt was to publicize the opening of Bennington's new Club Tattoo store in Miracle Mile, where Wyrick performs.
"Obviously, when you undertake a stunt of this magnitude there is a risk of someone getting injured," Rathjen said. "We took every precaution to ensure the safety of Steve, Chester, the crew and audience."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
We hear Las Vegas Hilton headliner Barry Manilow will escort actress Elizabeth Taylor to Michael Jackson's memorial service on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. ...
A Las Vegas club DJ was among the 8,750 names chosen from the 1.6 million fans who registered online to attend Jackson's memorial service at Staples Center. The Associated Press reported two tickets will go to Zach Moss, 21, of Chicago who is working for the summer as a DJ in Las Vegas. ...
Lance Burton's 2004 "Top Secret TV Special" airs on WGN America at 6 p.m. today on Cox Channel 16. It's the one where he makes a stealth bomber disappear and features his close-call with The Desperado roller coaster at Primm. He returns to his show at Monte Carlo on Tuesday after a two-month, injury-related hiatus. ...
SIGHTINGS
Michael Buble, leaving the stage during a private MGM Mirage event Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden for VIPs. Buble presented his grandfather with a cake for his 82nd birthday, with a crowd of 10,000 joining in to sing "Happy Birthday to You." ... Rihanna, attending Jay Z's concert Saturday at The Pearl concert theater for the second night in a row. Earlier Rihanna, Jay-Z and LeBron James partied in a bungalow at Wet Republic as MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice performed. ... Jamie Foxx hanging out backstage after his show at The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel) with MC Hammer and rapper Too Short. ... At Body English (Hard Rock Hotel) on Saturday: MC Hammer, rapper Mistah F.A.B. and Floyd Mayweather. ... At Tao Asian Bistro (Venetian) on Saturday: Jay Z, with Rihanna and 30 friends. Next to them: The Cleveland Cavs' James, with rapper Fabulous. Later they went upstairs to the club to catch Foxx, who put on his usual show, which included his hit "Blame It on the Alcohol" and a Michael Jackson tribute. Foxx's mother was among his entourage. ...
THE PUNCH LINE
"This week, Amy Winehouse is going to be appearing at a music festival, and she's demanding -- this is true -- that her dressing room be stocked with 50 bottles of Jack Daniels. Yeah. Yeah, so the good news is she's cutting back." -- Conan O'Brian
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
