Tony Curtis resting after health scare
Film legend Tony Curtis is recovering from another health scare that sent him to a hospital for the third time in 11 months.
An asthmalike attack sent Curtis, 85, to the ICU at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, last Thursday with another bout of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a spokesman.
"He's fine, he's resting and will probably be out of the hospital by the end of this week," the source said.
It's the latest medical comeback in recent years for Curtis, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1958 for best actor for "The Defiant Ones," which co-starred Sidney Poitier.
"He's got more fight in him than anybody I've ever seen," said the family spokesman.
Curtis went into a coma for several days during a lengthy hospital stay for pneumonia in December 2006. "I had to learn how to walk all over again," he told me in a recent interview.
Last August he had another COPD episode, which was much scarier than this one, the source said. He was hospitalized in New York earlier this year.
Curtis, who appeared in more than 100 films, including the classic "Some Like It Hot," told me in April that he's still got the acting bug and was offered a part in a vampire movie.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Sounds like it's a slam-dunk that LeBron James will be bringing some famous friends for his two-night hosting duties at Tao and Lavo on July 24-25. "He's definitely bringing a surprise guest or two," a source said. ...
Cast members attended a fence-mending meeting Monday, six days after a backstage incident during "Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show" at the Sahara. Rat Pack characters Tony Basile (Dean Martin) and Doug Starks (Sammy Davis Jr.) had to be separated after things got physical. ...
Perhaps Paul the octopus will be the next lucky phenomenon to come to Las Vegas, following Joan Ginther, the four-time winner of the Texas Lottery.
The octopus was a perfect 8-0 in World Cup predictions. Ginther, a 63-year-old former college professor from Bishop, Texas, population 3,300, has won almost $21 million for her jackpots, including $10 million last month. According to reports, she took her luck to Las Vegas a few years ago.
SIGHTINGS
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp and galpal Rihanna, spotted lounging in the new pool area at the Hard Rock Hotel Tuesday. ...
Pete "Big Elvis" Vallee and his bride-to-be, Amanda Lasham, are on the morning "More" show at KVVU-TV, Channel 5 this morning. They're getting married on Thursday at Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon. ... Palms owner George Maloof, playing big-time blackjack at the MGM Mansion on Monday night. ... Las Vegas advertizing exec Tom Letizia, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Los Angeles Dodgers-Chicago Cubs game on Sunday, Letizia's 60th birthday. He capped his big day with a perfect strike to his son, Russell, who caught what they estimated to be a 15 mph heater. ... Kathy Griffin, showing up at closing time at Rao's (Caesars Palace) on Saturday with a large group after her show at The Colosseum. Griffin, the star of "My Life on the D List," got Rao's best VIP treatment. The kitchen stayed open. ... Las Vegas headliner Steve Lawrence celebrated his 75th birthday with wife Eydie Gorme and friends last Thursday at the couple's Malibu home.
THE PUNCH LINE
"It was the great Frank Caliendo -- that guy can imitate anyone!" -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Mel Gibson Excuses
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
