Fighter no match for stuck elevator
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar found himself in a different kind of cage the other night.
The popular 6-foot-4, 200-pound Bonnar left the Rio's Voodoo Lounge about 1 a.m. on April 10 and decided to take the elevator, which normally goes down two stories.
Unfortunately, it got stuck.
Bonnar, the only passenger, was trapped for an hour before he pried the door open a few inches and got someone's attention.
"I had used the emergency phone, but the operator said she couldn't tell which elevator I was calling from, and I got disconnected and couldn't get the phone to work again," Bonnar said.
After he waited for another hour, Bonnar said, about eight firefighters arrived and extricated him.
"After I got out, they took me by the bar and gave me a free drink," said Bonnar, who recently finished filming "Ultimate Warrior." He plays the lead in the martial arts flick.
RUDNER REVVED UP
Life is hectic for Harrah's headliner Rita Rudner these days.
Her PBS special is being picked up by so many affiliates that the first week of her promo tour in early June includes stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver -- all in one week.
"I'm already dehydrated," Rudner said.
She's also in the middle of casting for "Room 776," which opens June 13 at The Little Theatre. Tickets for the play, which she co-wrote with her husband, Martin Bergman, are now on sale at the theater box office (362-7996).
Plus, she just finished shooting "Hanging Out, Hooking Up, Falling In Love." It's an independent romantic comedy with a cast that includes Jenna Elfman, Camryn Manheim, Janeane Garofalo, Richard E. Grant, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Steve Wynn says he's considering constructing a high-rise office development on the former Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce site, which is currently housing his Encore executive team. ...
Scores-Las Vegas has been purchased by Rick's Cabaret International, a Houston-based adult nightclub giant, according to the Houston Business Journal. Rick's is paying DI Food & Beverage of Las Vegas $16 million in cash and $5 million in convertible debentures for the club. The deal is set to close June 10. ...
Correction: the Michael Mina-Andre Agassi chef exhibition at StripSteak (Mandalay Bay) was an Exclusive Resorts event.
SIGHTINGS
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, in town to tape an "American Idol" segment involving "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" (Venetian), checked out "Jersey Boys" at The Palazzo on Thursday night. He will be featured in one of next week's "Idol" shows. ... Joe Pesci, in the crowd at David Copperfield's 10 p.m. show. ... A Saudi prince and Wayne Newton, attending the Arabian Horse Breeders World Cup on Friday at the South Point Equestrian Center. Newton was spotted at Baja Miguels with friends. ... Sculptor Richard MacDonald and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, co-hosting the opening of The Art of Richard MacDonald presented by Cirque du Soleil on Thursday in the new gallery in the "O" lobby at Bellagio. MacDonald, whose studio is based in Monterey, Calif., is collaborating with Cirque on the gallery venture, which incorporates Cirque characters into bronze sculptures.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Beautiful sunny day. Down in Washington, it was so sunny, the pope was wearing his stained glass sunglasses." -- David Letterman
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
