New Frontier offers pieces of the past

New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin has some unfinished business planned for the famous stage that featured such icons as Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, Wayne Newton and Siegfried and Roy.

Ruffin and local dealmaker Jack Wishna will return next week to dig up some buried treasure at the New Frontier, which closes tonight for the last time.

They will tear up the stage floor and salvage the wood to create commemorative plaques for Nancy Reagan, Lisa Marie Presley, Newton and Siegfried and Roy.

A buffet coffee shop was built over the stage in the late 1990s when Ruffin purchased the historic hotel and casino. The property and land was sold for $1.2 billion in May to the El-Ad Group of Israel and New York.

A $5 billion Plaza Hotel modeled after the New York icon will be built at the site.

The Hotel Last Frontier opened on the site in 1942 and was renamed New Frontier in 1955. Reagan performed at the Last Frontier in 1954 and Elvis made his first Las Vegas appearance in 1956 at the New Frontier. Newton was there for years in the 1960s and Siegfried and Roy performed there for seven years, starting in 1981.

Howard Hughes, who used to own the New Frontier and the Desert Inn (now Wynn), would sneak through a tunnel connecting the two properties.

"Newton has told the story of taking the tunnel when he had to fill in for an ailing entertainer at the D.I.," Wishna said.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Caesars Palace management was buzzing Saturday night over rumors that Lindsay Lohan was reportedly on her way to Las Vegas. Her 21st birthday party was to be held at Pure Nightclub at Caesars on July 2, but was called off when she went into rehab.

SIGHTINGS

Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie in "Full House" during the sitcom's eight-year run, got married Saturday at the Little Church of the West. Sweetin, who overcame a crystal meth addiction that cost her five teeth, married Cody Herpin, 30, of Los Angeles. Sweetin, 25, joins a long list of celebrities who married at the chapel, best known for the site of where Elvis and Ann Margret exchanged vows during the filming of "Viva Las Vegas." Others who wed there: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Dudley Moore and Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford. ... Crooner Michael Buble, riding the Big Shot at the Stratosphere on Friday night for a segment on a Japanese entertainment show. During breaks in the interview portion, he accommodated fans and gave away tickets. He was spotted having lunch with his girlfriend, actress Emily Blunt, at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill inside the MGM Grand before his concert there Saturday. ... NBA star LeBron James, making the rounds Friday at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) and Pure (Caesars). Also at Pure, "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" reality TV stars Lauren "LC" Conrad, Brody Jenner and Whitney Port, New York Giants linebacker Chris Claiborne, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Davis, female rapper Yo-Yo and actor Beau Bridges, celebrating his daughter Emily's 21st birthday with wife, Wendy, and son, Dylan. ... Stacy Keibler of "Dancing With the Stars," hosting the "Superstitions" party Friday at Tao Las Vegas (The Venetian). ... At N9ne (Palms): Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, Buffalo Bills center Melvin Fowler, Sacramento Kings power forward Justin Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers' Drew Gooden, and John Salley of the "Best Damn Sports Show, Period." At Nove (Palms): Kevin McHale (Boston Celtics Hall of Famer/Minnesota Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations. ... Gennifer Flowers, at the piano Friday at Fellini's on West Charleston, singing "It Had to Be You" and "At Last." She has been shooting segments for an upcoming TV reality series titled "Sin City Surgeons," featuring Dr. Lane Smith and Dr. Frank Stile.

THE PUNCH LINE

"This week, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he opposed medical marijuana. However, Giuliani did say he is a huge supporter of medical Rogaine." -- Conan O'Brien

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.