Luxe Life Blog

Strip Scribbles: Playboy photogs ISO models at Nikki Beach

Posted June 1, 2011 • 4:28 p.m.

Nikki Beach at the Tropicana on May 20, 2011.

Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Three top Playboy photographers who have shot nearly 150 covers during their combined 70 years with Hugh Hefner’s magazine are the lens men behind Shoot the Centerfold Top Model Search at Nikki Beach at the Tropicana as part of a two-day photographers’ seminar on glamour pictorials. Seven centerfolds add to the excitement, three of whom will be posing. Models ages 21 and older are invited to Nikki Beach this weekend, and cash and prizes await the winners who also are eligible to receive a one-year modeling contract with Shoot the Centerfold.

The three photographers are Arny Freytag (70 covers, 150 centerfolds), Jarmo Pohjanmiemi (45 covers) and David Mecey (32 covers). Also attending will be Gary Cole, Playboy’s director of photography for more than 30 years; Jeff Cohen, casting director; and Ric Moore, who will work with models on their portfolios.

There is a meet-and-greet Friday, and models should bring their sexiest swimsuit and lingerie to the Saturday photo sessions. The Saturday red carpet at Club Nikki is hosted by DJ and August 2007 Playmate Tamara Sky, with Ashley Hobbs (December 2010), Kassie Logsdon (May 2010) and Shanna McLaughlin (July 2010). Sunday features lectures on lighting and posing, with an outdoor location at Nikki Beach Pool and two indoor sets. Go to ShoottheCenterfold.com for more info.

*Next Wednesday’s fifth-anniversary celebration of The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage is proving a big draw with celebrities. We’ve previously told you that Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, Dhani Harrison, George Martin and Giles Martin will be attending. Ringo Starr is on tour in Europe and will send a video message. Cirque executives attending include Daniel Lamarre (president and CEO), Dominic Champagne (Love director) and Gilles Ste-Croix (artistic guide).

Stars expected on the red carpet include Kristin Davis, Slash, T-Pain, Rosanna Arquette, Gayle King, The Killers, Siegfried & Roy, Marcia Gay Harden, Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Matt Sorum, Mark McGrath, Mike Dirnt, Danger Mouse, DJ Chris Holmes, Aaron Paul, Robin Antin, Matt Goss and Kerry Simon.

*It was an insane stunt when 17-time X Games medalist Travis Pastrana and his Nitro Circus co-star Erik Roner decided to base jump from the top of Signature Tower at MGM Grand this morning, but they made it safely to the ground, and photographer Tom Donoghue captured their happy landing.

The 7 a.m. stunt by two of the world’s best action sports stars was to promote Saturday’s North American debut of the Nitro Circus Live tour at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The fully choreographed production showcases more than 10 world-first attempted stunts, plus displays in FMX, BMX and skate, with crazy contraptions launched off the 50-foot-high Giganta Ramp. Part of the Las Vegas event will be filmed in 3D for a 2012 movie release.

*Chef Mary Sue Milliken from Border Grill at Mandalay Bay continues her quest tonight on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters -- just two episodes more before the $100,000 winner. Tonight, Mary competes in the Quickfire Challenge where the chefs have to cook a meal in a microwave oven, which, believe it or not, nobody had ever used before in their kitchen arsenal. In the Elimination, the chefs are challenged to a science food fair to prepare meals that demonstrate chemical elements. Mary showed viscosity with a dish that the judges then surprised her by eating and judging. We’ll have the results tomorrow.

*In advance of the June 24-26 Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, concert promoter Insomniac is making donations to three exceptional hometown charities. Insomniac will donate $1 for each ticket sold and $10 from each guest list attendee to Clark County School-Community Partnership Program, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Injured Police Officers Fund of Las Vegas. “We believe it’s extremely important to give back to the communities that host our festivals and support our events,” said Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac’s CEO and founder.

*Peepshow and Holly’s World star Josh Strickland has debuted his second single now available on iTunes from his upcoming summer EP release. The song, titled “Last Dance,” was co-produced by Grammy-winning Damon Elliot and Norwegian pop/dance producer Axident. Said Josh: “We’ve been working really hard trying to make music that people can connect with. It’s a really fun summer dance song. I can’t wait to hear it in the clubs.” He met Damon a year ago when the latter produced the theme song to Holly’s World.

*Fendi at Crystals in MGM’s CityCenter celebrated a Hand Crafted for the Future multimedia design Modern Primitives exhibit by architect duo Aranda/Lasch. Fendi craftsmen flew here from Italy to showcase brightly colored Selleria leather cutting and sewing to create contemporary pieces to go with the architects’ pyramid triangles and double pyramid octahedrons in various sizes. Hundreds of Las Vegas VIPs, art and fashion aficionados attended the exhibit, which debuted in Venice and travels to other Fendi stories in the U.S.

Tonight’s Tips

After a 7-year run with MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris and earlier with Crazy Girls at the Riviera, French-born sleight-of-hand magician Stephane Vanel opens The Magic of Paris, his own headliner show, in the Anthony Cools Experience Showroom at -- where else? -- the Paris, where he’s joined by master marionette artist Anthony Rais and dancer Audrey Remy-Liotier. … Greg Travis, Tom Segura and Rob Brackenridge are at The Improv Comedy Club at Harrah’s through Sunday. … Z Modeling Agency host a Model Material party at Gold Lounge in Aria. … And it’s Latin Libido night at Crown Nightclub at the Rio.

Tomorrow’s Teases

An exclusive interview with the headmistress who would be beauty queen. Miss Nevada USA Sarah Chapman, a Henderson pre-school director, welcomes the arriving contestants for Donald Trump’s June 19 Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood. When the makers of Prodigy, a $1 million, high-speed, alternative-energy road car unveiled it here, they never expected to sell four of them on the spot! Plus, legends of poker meet to play the “what if the outcome would have been different” game when they re-create the matches that sent them to stardom.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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