‘Idol’ finalists rock with Elvis at chapel
Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul has two new celebrity photos for his Wall of Fame at the Graceland Wedding Chapel, and he's hoping one of them is the next "American Idol."
"Idol" finalists Crystal Bowersox and "Big Mike" Lynche and their significiant others made a surprise personal visit to the chapel Friday.
Lynche, the 300-pound former college football standout, and his wife, Christa, renewed their vows with their infant child strapped on the chest of "Big Mike."
Bowersox, considered the Season 9 front-runner, and her boyfriend had Paul, as Elvis, officiate their "commitment."
She made the comment that she was ready for marriage but her beau wasn't, said Paul.
The call from Bowersox came out of the blue, said Paul, who has owned the chapel at 619 Las Vegas Blvd., since 2003 with his wife, Dee Dee.
"She said they had just seen the Elvis show (at Aria) and wanted to know if they could come down," said Paul, a former member of "Legends in Concert" when its home was at Imperial Palace.
During the hour-plus get-together at the chapel, Paul said he fielded a lot of Elvis questions from the two singers.
Lynche asked about "In the Ghetto," which "Big Mike" sang during "Idol" on Tuesday.
During their sitdown, Paul grabbed his guitar and started singing Elvis' "Saved." Bowersox joined in.
"We jammed," said Paul. "She was surprised I played it. I told her it was one of my favorite songs."
Bowersox sang it Tuesday to rave reviews from the judges.
"They were really nice people," said Paul. "It would be great for our chapel, having 'em on our Wall of Fame, especially if one of them wins."
Bowersox sent a shout-out Wednesday to the chapel staff via the "Idol" Twitter site. "Thank you, Elvis Jr. For everything!"
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio, will be honored by the Las Vegas Walk of Stars on April 29 at the Rio's Crown Theater. ... Season 8 "American Idol" finalist Danny Gokey will be among the volunteers at the Three Square food bank Friday. It's being filmed for next week's "Idol Gives Back" show, which airs Wednesday evening.
SIGHTINGS
Taylor Swift, rehearsing Wednesday night in the MGM Grand Garden for Sunday's Academy of Country Music Awards show. ... Honored at the annual Vegas Dozen benefit for the Nevada Cancer Institute on Wednesday at the Fashion Show Mall: Dr. Joseph Adashek; Jeffrey Fine, CEO, Silver Nugget Gaming; Madison Graves, Juliet Companies LLC; Todd-Avery Lenahan, ABA Design Studio; William McBeath, president, Aria; former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller; Michael Morrissey, president, Morrissey Insurance; Phil Ruffin, owner, Treasure Island; Daniel Sheridan, of General Growth Properties; Dr. Neal Smatresk, president, UNLV; Robert Stoldal of KVBC-TV, and Flamingo headliner George Wallace. ... Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of "CSI," delivering an address during the National Association of Broadcasters confab at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Wednesday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Adam Lambert is the celebrity mentor on 'American Idol.' I'm pretty sure they've given up on the contestants this year, when the mentor is the guy that lost last year." -- Jimmy Kimmel
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
