Strip veteran Rudner to receive Legend Award
TKats Report Bureau at this writing is near the entrance of JeanPhilippe Patisserie at the Bellagio. The place offers wondrous cakes and crepes, but I dig it for the coffee. Another great, if unexpected, coffee brew is at The Smith Center. I highly recommend.
The purpose of this visit was to meet Sarah Jessica Parker, to chat shoes and Vegas and movies and such. Her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker boutique at the Bellagio is open, and Parker says the pressure is on. “I feel like I have 10 million female friends,” she says. “I need to give them high quality.”
I don’t know how many male friends she has, but she made another on this visit. One day, maybe, we’ll see some boys’ shoes in the store.
More from the scene:
Still a stand-up woman
Rita Rudner remembers her first gig in Las Vegas, about 30 years ago, at a convention at the Las Vegas Hilton.
“I was hired to dance and sing about cars at an industrial show,” she says. “I danced around a Lincoln Continental. I think I can still sing about that car.”
Soon after, Rudner was performing 21 shows a week (yes, three per night) at the Riviera Comedy Club, launching an extended stay (personally and professionally) on the Strip, which included residencies at Harrah’s and The Venetian.
Over a 15-year run on the Strip, Rudner sold nearly 2 million tickets and grossed more than $100 million. Her tenure and influence are being honored with the Casino Entertainment Legend Award at the fifth annual Casino Entertainment Awards on Oct. 4 at Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel. The event is tied to the annual Global Gaming Expo (G2E) convention.
Previous Legend Award winners include Jerry Lewis, Wayne Netwton and Brenda Lee. Also being honored is Mark Prows, MGM Resorts’ senior vice president for entertainment operations, who oversees arena activities in the company.
Rudner and her husband and manager, Martin Bergman, still own a home in Las Vegas and split time between here and Laguna Beach, California. She has most recently headlined in the Comedy Rocks series at the Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort. Fans will recognize her opening act, her 15-yearold daughter Molly, who is an emerging singer-songwriter. Rudner once joked about children as “the sticky little people,” but that was before Molly came into her life.
“She is amazing,” Rudner says. “We went to Hawaii for two shows, one in Waikiki and one in Maui, and she took a friend and opened for me. It’s so natural, wonderful, for us to be able to do that.”
She and Bergman are working on a play. “It’s about two people who meet in Las Vegas and build a life together,” she says. “I think we’re in Act 3 right now — in the play and in life.”
Daltrey’s bubbly
The Who frontman Roger Daltrey launched his champagne last week at Mr. Chow at Caesars Palace. The new bubbly, Champagne Cuvee Roger Daltrey, is offered by the glass or by the bottle on Mr. Chow’s famed champagne trolley. The champagne is a partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada and the entertainment-based distribution company Eminent Life.
A portion of the proceeds go to Teen Cancer America, the charity co-founded by Daltrey and fellow Who founder Pete Townshend.
No Opium at The Act
The latest word on Opium moving into The Act at the Shoppes at the Palazzo is: Opium is not moving into that space. This is fresh news, veritably confirmed through a spokeswoman for Venetian/palazzo. The Las Vegas production company Spiegelworld had planned to use the venue for a variety show, but officials responded to reports about the project over the weekend and said it is a nogo. Opium is reportedly still in development, but not at The Act, at least not now. But as we have learned, stay tuned. A lot can happen in a week.
The Review-journal is owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates The Venetian and the Palazzo.
Who was where
Sunday: Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at hoop legend Shaquille O’neal’s debut as DJ Diesel at Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel … The Weeknd at Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell, taking in the set by Drai’s Live resident artist Fabolous.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Monday:
1. Teen’s call brings police to murder-suicide in northwest Las Vegas
The killing happened around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Chateau Versailles Condominiums, police said.
2. Maloof brothers made $880K wager on Floyd Mayweather
It turns out the bettors who asked to remain anonymous after making a $880,000 wager at the South Point sports book on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Conor Mcgregor are anything but anonymous in Las Vegas.
3. Reno student marching in Virginia rally denounces violence
A University of Nevada, Reno student who was identified as a marcher in a Friday white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, denounced the violence that erupted Saturday and led to three people’s deaths.
4. ‘Fanilows’ take note: Barry wants back in Vegas
Barry Manilow is reportedly interested in return to residency in Las Vegas in 2018, and has been investigating multiple venues on and off the Strip.
5. First look at details of new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas may answer questions
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority will get its first look at the details of the financing of the 65,000-seat domed football stadium when it meets Thursday. As of 9 p.m. Monday:
1. $11.8 million jackpot won in Las Vegas
A Las Vegas visitor has won a Megabucks jackpot valued at about $11.8 million.
2. How do you get 65K football fans to and from the Raiders stadium?
Clark County has multiple requests before allowing the stadium project to continue.
3. Teen girl calls police in parents’ murder-suicide in Las Vegas
A 15-year-old girl called police Sunday night to tell them her stepfather shot her mother and then himself.