Neal Patrick Harris takes on high wire stunt
Maybe Neil Patrick Harris has another wild opening for the Tony Awards.
Harris, who danced with Mike Tyson on the latest show, flirted with disaster Thursday when he went across the “Absinthe” high wire on the shoulders of Tony “Tightropes” Hernandez — without a net.
Here’s a footnote: Turns out Hernandez is married to Lijana Wallenda, whose brother, Nik Wallenda, walked across the Grand Canyon on a wire without a net or harness.
Harris walked the wire last year before upping the ante by riding Hernandez’s shoulders. After Thursday’s dangerous stunt, Harris tweeted a photo and “Wire @tonyhernandez and I not taking this tightrope act on the road?”
Hernandez said he woke up to text messages “going crazy like it was an alarm clock.”
When I asked Hernandez if they had a net, he responded: “You can’t be married to one of the Wallendas and have a net.
“You want someone to have a little fear. To me this guy had no fear.”
That made the stunt all the more stressful, he added.
“He’s a national treasure. If something happens, the whole world is going to come after you.”
A mat was placed under the high wire, which was about 15 feet in the air, “just to cover my bases,” Hernandez said.
‘KA’ DOCUMENTARY PULLED
A 90-minute show about “Ka” will air in Canada tonight, but an accompanying documentary on the making of the Cirque du Soleil show has been pulled.
The decision came after ARTV talked with Cirque about the June 29 death of acrobat Sarah Guillot-Guyard during the show at MGM Grand.
ARTV spokesman Jean-Simon Messier confirmed the programming change was linked to the death, according to the Journal de Montreal.
“We did not see her in the documentary, but there is talk of the danger of this show in the making-of,” Messier said. “Given that the subject is still fragile, it was easier for us to remove it.”
Guillot-Guyard was not performing in “Ka” when the documentary, “Ka Extreme,” was being filmed because she was having a baby, Journal de Montreal’s Raphael Gendron-Martin reported.
Tonight’s 90-minute show will be the first time a Las Vegas Cirque show airs in its entirety.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Happy birthday to longtime Las Vegan Mimi Hines, who turns 80 Wednesday. The former Broadway star — she replaced Barbra Streisand on “Funny Girl” for 18 months — was a regular on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” Hines and husband Phil Ford were Strip headliners for years. There’s a wonderful YouTube.com video of them on Carson’s 1965 New Year’s Eve show. ...
The Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas turned blue Friday for a “Smurfs 2” weekend promotion. Harris, Jayma Mays and Hank Azaria chatted with fans at the Eiffel Tower Experience. Also at the event: director Raja Gosnell, producer Jordan Kerner, Papa Smurf, Smurfette and Clumsy Smurf. ...
A Bellagio guest room attendant has been credited with saving the life of a child choking on food. Elicia Montes was working on the 24th floor of the Spa Tower on June 12 when she heard a female guest screaming for help in the hallway. Montes, a former day care operator for special needs children, remembered life-saving instructions from 12 years ago and applied a Heimlich maneuver. ...
The weekend Elvis Festival at the LVH wraps up today. ...
Impressionist Rich Little and Steve Rossi of Allen and Rossi fame have been added to the panel of roasters for the July 23 roast of former Mayor Oscar Goodman at the Stratosphere.
SIGHTINGS
Floyd Mayweather Jr., courtside Saturday at Cox Pavilion for the NBA Summer League game between Dallas and Sacramento. ... Detroit Lions All-Pro Ndamukong Suh, with friends Friday at Hyde Bellagio. ... P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens and Derek Roy of the St. Louis Blues, with friends at STK (Cosmopolitan) on Friday. ... “Divas Las Vegas” headliner Frank Marino, backstage Friday with Veronic, the new headlining vocal impressionist at Bally’s.
THE PUNCH LINE
“A recent study says the state that drinks the most beer is North Dakota. In fact, one night North Dakota got so drunk, it woke up next to West Virginia.” — Conan O’Brien.
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, 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. “Norm Clarke’s Vegas,” airs Thursdays on the “Morning Blend” on KTNV-TV, Channel 13.
