Monday wrap: Access Hollywood’s Menounos hits ‘Legends,’ Liberace Museum parties for No. 91

By John Katsilometes

Monday, May 17, 2010 | 9:57 a.m.

Catch-and-pitch time on a Monday morning:

• Beginning this week, Maria Menounos of "Access Hollywood" begins a regular segment called, "Menounos' Madcap Adventures." One report is of her appearance as the Dolly Parton character in the "Legends In Concert" show at Harrah's. Click here> for the promo clip of Maria doing her best George Plimpton impression.

• Some of the best work of photographer Erik Kabik is on display from 6-8 p.m. tonight at the 23rd-level Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental. As a tribute to late rock 'n' roll photographer Jim Marshall, Kabik is displaying some of his own favorite show shots, including images from the Stones, U2, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Kings of Leon. Kabik is also side-kicking the renowned George Lyons' on "The Lyons Den" variety-spiced classic rock show each Sunday night from 7-11 p.m. (followed by the Grateful Dead hour from 11 p.m.-midnight) on KUNV 915-FM.

• Liberace Museum celebrated Liberace's 91st birthday Sunday with a small ceremony in the museum's cabaret, rolled-back admission prices of $3.50 (ticket price when the museum opened in 1979), guided tours throughout the day and a performance capping the weeklong celebration featuring Christopher Joel Carter IV and special guests Phyllis Bell, John Kaye, Domenick Allen, Leigh Zimmerman and Cayleigh Capaldi in the Cabaret Showroom. Liberace Foundation President Jack Rappaport and Museum Director Tanya Combs were joined in a cake-cutting ceremony inside the cabaret by Dennis Bono, Lorraine Hunt Bono and Allen, who was a featured performer in Liberace's stage show for four years.

Also on hand was Gladys Luckie, Liberace's personal chef throughout his career and one of the few remaining living members of his inner circle. She turns 100 on Jan. 19. She was known to make great fried chicken, and makes it to the museum for most of the landmark celebrations.

Nice time, and even the vaunted Slider Truck made an appearance, but the event served largely as a reminder that the museum needs to relocate where there is more natural foot traffic. The memory of Liberace is fading, a reality reflected by the modest turnout for Sunday's event. The now-stale reports of a movie starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson are not enough to sustain interest in the attraction or the foundation. This is, hopefully, the final Liberace birthday celebrated on Tropicana and Spencer. He needs a new room.

• A season-high crowd of 9,455 — an announced sellout — turned out to see the 51s play, rather poorly, against the Iowa Cubs on Friday night in a 11-5 victory by the visiting nine. It was a hat-giveway promotion, but the overriding reason so many fans turned out is because there are a lot of Cubs fans in Las Vegas, and this was the only series of the year in Las Vegas for the franchise's triple-A team.

• Las Vegas artist Jerry Misko has finished his mural on the Emergency Arts building on Fremont and Sixth streets. I ran into Misko atop a crane platform last week painting on that wall. He goes to any lengths.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.