Flay celebration marred by aerial sign
The plan for chef Bobby Flay’s banner week included a star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before this Sunday’s debut of the eleventh season of “Food Network Star” with co-host Giada De Laurentiis.
As Flay celebrated the occasion Tuesday of being the first chef among the more than 2,500 star honorees, a small airplane circled the area pulling a banner that read “cheater.”
There was no immediate confirmation, only speculation, that the sign had something to do with the bitter divorce between Flay and his wife of 10 years, Stephanie March.
After he filed for divorce in April, he denied cheating allegations, telling E! News: “We will continue to refrain from responding to the continued efforts by certain parties to spread rumors and innuendo.”
His estranged wife, who has alleged in legal documents that he cheated on her, is attempting to renegotiate a prenuptial agreement that was never amended.
Flay and De Laurentiis, longtime friends, will serve as judge-mentors for the 12 finalists hoping to become the next Food Network host.
De Laurentiis’ husband of 11 years, fashion designer Todd Thompson, filed for divorce Dec. 30 citing irreconcilable differences. LONGORIA’S COURT CASE
The fate of a former restaurant business partner of actress Eva Longoria will likely be decided today in U.S. District Court here.
Israeli citizen Ronen Nachum could face deportation in connection with allegations he tried to take over a CityCenter restaurant fronted by Longoria.
Nachum and his wife, Mali, were removed from their management positions on May 5, 2010, four months after Beso, Spanish for kiss, opened at Crystals at CityCenter.
According to court documents, employees alleged that he terrorized the staff and claimed he was with the Israeli mafia.
A federal grand jury indicted him on perjury charges, which put him on Homeland Security’s radar because he had indicated on his visa application that he planned to teach Judaic and rabbinical studies. LETTERMAN’S VEGAS VISIT
David Letterman’s long late-night run included a week of shows at Bally’s in 1987.
Four Las Vegas entertainers performed during that week: Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Goulet and twins Tony and Robert Sacca.
I caught up with a phone call to Tony Sacca in Paris on Tuesday for details on the Sacca brothers’ big night.
It was a lucky shot in the dark, he said. Four years earlier he had heard Letterman’s band leader Paul Shaffer sort of “mocking” Las Vegas entertainers.
Sacca sent him the song he had written, “Las Vegas, the Greatest Town Around.”
When NBC started planning the entertainment for the 1987 Las Vegas visit, Shaffer had passed it along to the producers and Sacca got a call.
In his 2014 book, “Tony Sacca: Las Vegas Ambassador of Entertainment,” he and his brother had split, but his mother “begged, pleaded and insisted” they team up on the aforementioned song.
They reunited for the Letterman show. THE SCENE AND HEARD
The music video for Mariah Carey’s new single, “Infinity,” came out Tuesday, with cameos by actor-model Tyson Beckford and by Jeff Beacher, founder of Beacher’s Madhouse. Beckford and Beacher appear at Carey’s dressing room door as stage door johnnies who face instant rejection. “Infinity” is from Carey’s recently-released album, “Mariah Carey #1 to Infinity.” The video was shot at various venues at Caesars Palace. ...
Clint Holmes will be sharing the stage with some special guests at his last show of the summer on Sunday at Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. He will be joined by an a cappella group from Las Vegas High and Las Vegas Academy’s Ja’Keetrius Woods. She recently finished second in The Smith Center’s Broadway High School competition. The students are involved in Artists 4 Kids, a mentoring program under the auspices of the Clark County School District. ...
Veteran rocker Paul Shortino will be performing at a benefit Saturday for the Nevada SPCA at Kush Fine Art at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Russian artist Vladimir Kush will complete his latest painting, “The Tree of Life,” at the event. Admission is free; RSVP at vladimirkush.com. THE PUNCH LINE
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