Crazy Girls statue latest to shine elsewhere

Consider it a statue of limitations.

This week we learned the late Riviera’s famous “No Ifs, Ands, or Butts” statue of the Crazy Girls is on its way to Planet Hollywood. It’s bound to be popular. Tourists traveled the length of the Strip just to take a gander at the polished brass derrieres of the Riv’s popular dancers.

But it’s not the only statue to do a little traveling on the Boulevard.

Visitors to Michael Gaughan’s South Point casino know that it is home to the iconic statue of legendary Horseshoe Club owner “Cowboy Benny” Binion on horseback.

But whatever became of the golden statue of the late casino maverick Bob Stupak flashing a pair of dice that was briefly on display at the Stratosphere?

The statue mysteriously disappeared one night, according to the experts at the Las Vegas Advisor, roughly the same time Stupak himself vanished from the Stratosphere. The brass replica of the wild gambling promoter resurfaced at the ill-fated Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana.

NEVADA JOE: Joe Neal, the first black person elected to the state Senate, spent his long legislative career challenging the political status quo.

Neal turns 80 on Tuesday, and I am sure he’ll give a helluva birthday speech before blowing out the candles.

LIVING ‘LEGACY:’ Retired Metro officer Randy Sutton has emerged as a go-to guest on Fox News and other national outlets in recent months. Sutton is an unabashed defender of the role of police in society. Given all the controversial cop shootings that have occurred, Sutton is bound to keep busy for some time to come.

He’s also the author of several books, the latest being an essay collection titled “The Power of Legacy,” which continues to climb on Amazon.com.

VEGAS GUY: Speaking of Amazon.com, former “Golden Era” Vegas casino dealer and man about town Jim Sinay is having impressive success with his entertaining memoir written with Wid Bastian, “When It Was Great.” It has reached No. 1 in select categories on Amazon.

The Sands and other iconic Strip casinos have gone the way of Elvis and Sinatra, but Sinay recalls them fondly. He’s scheduled to sign copies of his book at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Great American Pub at 4145 S. Grand Canyon Dr.

BOOK ′EM: Speaking of books, an eclectic array of Nevada writers are coming out with new works.

Most notable is best-selling novelist Ellen Hopkins of Carson City. Her latest is “Love Lies Beneath.” In her spare time, she’s also the founder of Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. More about this soon.

Retired Metro official John L. Sullivan and attorney Peter Alpert are also trying their hand at writing.

Sullivan is the tough former Metro cop who spent 34 years in uniform and rose to the rank of Deputy Chief prior to his 1994 retirement. His memoir is titled “Chief of Detectives.”

For his part, attorney Alpert, former CEO of the Teachers Union Trust, was a judge in Colorado before coming to Nevada. Based on a true story, his novel is titled, “Runaway: A Tragedy of Youth.”

ON THE BOULEVARD: Longtime casino industry food and beverage director Christophe Jorcin, pursuing the purchase of the Olympic Garden topless cabaret, was identified in Sunday’s column as a Wynn Resorts vice president. He no longer is with the company, a Wynn Resorts spokesman says. ... Was Sheldon Adelson “our man” in Macau? The Chinese government reportedly was concerned that Adelson’s record-setting Macau casino was being used by the CIA to spy on gambling Chinese officials, The Guardian newspaper reports. ... Kovalev-Mohammedi: Haven’t seen local government go this gaga over two fighters in many years.

Have an item for Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to jsmith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. Follow him: @jlnevadasmith