Luxe Life Blog

Strip Scribbles: Shaq’s new L.V. lady; concerts for Eminem and Ashanti

Posted September 24, 2012 • 5:54 p.m.

Shaquille O'Neal and Mark Sanchez at O'Neal's retirement party at Moon in the Palms on June 25, 2011.

Photo: Scott Monaco

We start out the week with a few …

WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORS

Is NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal headed to Las Vegas this week to meet up with his secret, new local gal pal?

Has one of our more prestigious Strip hotels lost a “diamond’ in the hotel rankings directory?

I’m hearing rumblings of global concert projects for Eminem and Ashanti separately this fall staged from here.

Is the Off-Broadway musical “Silence,” a parody of the Oscar-winning “The Silence of the Lambs,” heading here for a run? It’s posting big numbers in L.A.

WEDDING STAR: Singer Miranda Lambert, in town for the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival, served as a bridesmaid at the Chapel of the Flowers on Sunday for her good friends Laci and John Skelton. A spywitness told me: “It was a beautiful and intimate ceremony, and Miranda was all smiles for her friends. She looked as beautiful as a bride would look!”

QUICK NOTES

Congratulations to the new, massive, 500-item, nine-kitchen Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace being named No. 1 by USA Today.

Tickets for the Las Vegas Sin home games in the Lingerie Football League go on sale this weekend.

With PollyGrind, the Las Vegas underground film festival, readying for Oct. 5, it has released its official theme song, “Hustle! Fight! Grind!” performed by rap duo MC Randumb & Jewish Dave with a shout-out to yours truly in the opening verses. A music video will be shot after PollyGrind, with 13 world-premiere features and screenings of more than 140 shorts, wraps its 22-day run Oct. 27.

Las Vegas showman Stephen Sorrentino and the Sin City Babe Dancers move to Hollywood to present his musical comedy impressions show “Voices in My Head” at the El Portal theater starting Oct. 10.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

After celebrating his Rat Pack-themed bachelor party at Tryst in the Wynn, Justin Timberlake flew his entourage of 20 to Cabo San Lucas to continue the revelry. Also at Tryst, Ryan Seacrest sipping vodka sodas.

New “X Factor” judge Demi Lovato dined with friends at STK in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas before going over to the Rio to watch the late show of Chippendales.

Aerosmith enjoyed lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Bar and Grill at MGM Grand while in town for iHeart.

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage was at Dog and Pony Show Studios doing dialogue replacement for the new Lionsgate film “Frozen Ground” with director Scott Walker and co-star John Cusack. Nic, now a Las Vegas resident, also was spotted with his wife and daughter at Lombardi’s at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ray J partied at Marquee’s Boom Box Room in the Cosmopolitan.

The twin Montoya sisters, who are part of the new reality TV show “High Rollers” for TLC, were filmed at Tivoli Village and recruited several Vasari shoppers to be part of the film scenes.

By day at Tao Beach, “Dancing With the Stars” pro Mark Ballas and friends soaked up the sun; by night, the Jonas Brothers dined at Tao and then partied upstairs in the owner’s table with actor Lucas Haas.

Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young of No Doubt also were at Tao with their wives toasting their new album dropping Tuesday, as were Mark and MTV’s “Teen Wolf” star Colton Haynes and “So You Think You Can Dance” winner Eliana Gerard. After dinner, the groups merged for the dancers to show off impressive dance moves.

Phi Nguyen of Monte Carlo headliners the Jabbawockeez was at the Easter Seals daycare center helping children make Jabbawockeez masks. He even danced with them as part of his birthday celebration, where he teams up with dancer Myron Marten and actress/model Taya Rogers for Virgos Unite, a monthlong fundraising event for three nonprofits. This year, Phi has set a $10,000 goal for Easter Seals Nevada, a disability agency serving more than 7,000 children and adults with disabilities in Nevada: www.crowdrise.com/virgosunite.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

Rita Rudner returns to her Venetian showroom for her run of shows through December: four dates in October, three in November and on Christmas Eve. She’s the longest-running solo comedy show in Las Vegas history.

DJ OB-One spins at STK.

It’s Mad Decent Monday with DJs Diplo and Dave Fogg at XS in Steve Wynn’s Encore.

The three-day National Mining Association’s exposition MINExpo International opens a three-day run at the Convention Center, breaking all records for size with 850,000 square feet of space and more than 1,800 exhibitors in 12 halls for 400,000 conventioneers.

Check out Mind and Hands, the new machine exhibit creating art by Brian Henry at Trifecta Gallery in the downtown Arts Factory.

And don’t forget the “Wicked” cast version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Tropicana.

TOMORROW’S TEASE

We’ll uncover the military secrets of UFOs that were revealed; share a photo gallery of the ninth anniversary of Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity” at New York-New York; post interviews from Golden Gate’s renovation party; and reveal Strip culinary exclusives.

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.

Link Share This