Wynn’s wedding hits all right notes
Steve Wynn and Andrea Hissom celebrated their wedding Saturday in a ballroom decorated with a theme reflecting old Hollywood elegance.
It was a world away from the kitschy video of the two in a seedy chapel last week. Wynn was dressed as Elvis in a bad wig, and she was wearing white shorts and what appeared to be white thigh-high boots.
Wynn had promised a light-hearted affair, and country superstar Garth Brooks set the tone at Friday's party with his hit "Friends in Low Places."
It was anything but a lowbrow crowd. Mixed among the 500 guests were film greats, supermodels and friends representing old Vegas.
Wynn, 69, and British beauty Hissom, in her 40s, were wed at noon Saturday, with Justice of the Peace Stephen L. George presiding at the private ceremony in the Wynn Las Vegas chapel.
The best man was Oscar winner Clint Eastwood, who married Dina Ruiz at Wynn's home at Shadow Creek Golf Course in 1996.
Brooks set the tone at Friday's party with his raucous hit, and the evening ended with the cast of Twyla Tharp's "Sinatra Dance With Me" singing "Chapel of Love."
Tony winner Sara Ramirez of "Spamalot" fame performed "An Old Fashioned Wedding," and Brooks and Trisha Yearwood teamed up on "You've Always Been a Friend to Me."
The reception dinner, planned by Wynn chef Alex Stratta, featured Napoleon of tuna with caviar, roasted turbot with red wine sauce and cauliflower puree. Each guest received an individual five-inch high replica of the tiered wedding cake.
The newlyweds are heading to Los Angeles on a working honeymoon. They are attending the Milken Institute's Global Conference that attracts more than 3,000 leaders from 60 nations. Financier Michael Milken, who attended the wedding, helped Wynn become a Las Vegas game-changer by financing most of The Mirage with junk bonds in the 1980s.
TIGER TALES
Tiger Woods was back on the gaming tables during his Las Vegas visit, hoping to change his luck.
Spies said he was in the red for as much as $250,000 at Mandalay Bay, where he hosted his Tiger Jam charity on Saturday.
It was Woods' first trip back to Las Vegas since his scandal erupted 18 month ago.
That wasn't the only tiger story I heard over the weekend.
Former security chiefs Stu Michaels and Phillip Tilt were reminiscing Saturday about the 1997 National Governors Conference at The Mirage, where Michaels worked.
With President Bill Clinton coming in to address the mayors, a photo opportunity was arranged for the president to pose with one of Siegfried & Roy's big cats.
White House officials wanted the tiger sedated, but Siegfried & Roy denied the request. The photo shoot took place with a tiger tethered to a chain, but the Secret Service didn't take any chances.
"Two Secret Service men had a Kevlar blanket to throw on the president if the tiger went after him," Tilt said. "And very few people knew two Secret Service snipers were prepared to shoot the tiger if it made a move."
Tilt was among a crowd that showed up for Michaels' book signing at the Las Vegas Cigar Company. The book is titled "You Can't Make This Up: Cops, Crooks and Celebrities From Brooklyn to Las Vegas."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health will be featured extensively in Larry King's first CNN special "Unthinkable: the Alzheimer's Epidemic," at 5 p.m. today.
SIGHTINGS
Sylvester Stallone and David Spade, dining at separate tables Saturday at the Country Club Jazz Brunch at Wynn Las Vegas.
THE PUNCH LINE
"It's my birthday. Sadly, the celebration was marred when David Letterman demanded to see my birth certificate." -- Jay Leno
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
