Friday, Dec. 27, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.
VegasBeat appears Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at [email protected] or at (702) 259-4096.
Afew more New Year's Eve events like this, and move over, Times Square.
The Venetian and Fox TV confirmed Thursday the lineup for the live national New Year's Eve broadcast that is originating from the Strip on Tuesday night. Talk about an overflowing stocking!
The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and Dirty Vegas will be featured on "Canon Presents America's Party: Live From Las Vegas."
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest will emcee the 90-minute broadcast from a stage that is still being built in front of The Venetian.
"It is great national exposure, and it will really showcase Las Vegas and The Venetian," Kurt Ouchida, the hotel'sdirector of communications, told VegasBeat Thursday.
"This only further validates the Las Vegas brand."
The best place to see the acts will probably be from your living room couch.
The Stones will appear via satellite from Los Angeles, and Bon Jovi will appear live from Melbourne, Australia, where it will already be the new year. (Or it may still be the day before -- we're still not too good on that International Date Line thing.)
Ja Rule, Ashanti, Dru Hill and Sugar Ray will perform from the stage, but there will be no public access and there are no tickets for sale.
Crow will be seen live as she performs at a scheduled concert inside The Venetian Ballroom.
Also look for special cameos by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Siegfried & Roy and Wayne Newton.
Wynn-ers
The latest big casino name rumored to be making the jump to Steve Wynn's Le Reve: Robert H. "Bobby" Baldwin.
He is the president and chief executive of Mirage Resorts, a subsidiary of MGM MIRAGE.
Baldwin worked at the property when it was owned by ... Steve Wynn.
When we reached Baldwin in his office late Thursday, he said there was "no substance whatsoever" to a published report indicating he was about to be let out of his contract to rejoin Wynn.
"That report simply isn't true. The (report) is dead wrong. I am happy here and have no plans to leave."
As reported here first last week, Wynn hired away Hard Rock President and chief executive officer Don Marrandino, setting off a wave of speculation about whom Wynn may lure to his fancy new resort, which is aiming for an April 2005 debut.
Marrandino also denied he was going anywhere just before making the jump.
Cheap date
Looking for a romantic getaway for Valentine's Day weekend?
Check out the special package the new Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, has put together -- it is a bargain at only $95,000.
Yes, that reads ninety-five thousand dollars.
It includes three nights in the massive Presidential Suite, a personal butler, unlimited golf and spa use, a VIP invitation to the star-studded "Diamonds & The Power of Love" exhibit and breakfast in bed.
Oh, yes -- also included is a pair of his and hers Bulgari watches and a new Mercedes SLK convertible to drive home in.
She do
Elizabeth Blau said yes.
Her longtime boyfriend, Kim Canteenwalla, proposed to her when they were visiting family on the East Coast for Christmas.
First they visited her parents in Connecticut to spring the good news, then his mother in upstate New York.
She is a restaurant consultant and partner in Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel. He is the former executive chef at MGM Grand.
No date has been set, but we hear they may have a little engagement drink with friends at Simon tonight.
Good work
Two local public relations firms have just earned some well-deserved national kudos.
In the current edition of the trade journal PR WEEK, Preferred Public Relations & Marketing is listed among the top 10 boutique agencies in the country.
They were cited for "Stunt PR" -- in May for their client Seafood for Less (on Charleston and Jones boulevards), they helped concoct a gigantic shrimp cocktail. It consisted of 400,000 pieces of shrimp, 200 gallons of cocktail sauce and more than 700 lemons, and weighed in at more than one ton.
Meanwhile, the folks at Kirvin Doak Communications were also just featured in PR WEEK for their huge success in getting the word out about the Faberge egg show at the Bellagio, "Treasures From the Kremlin."
Their work put the Faberge show everywhere from the pages of The New York Times to syndicated television shows such as "Extra!"
Business is so good there that we hear partner David Kirvin is considering opening a branch in Los Angeles.
VegasBits
Justin Timberlake is pictured in the December Details magazine with an "X" necklace from the show at the Aladdin ...
Last-minute holiday shoppers: O.J. Simpson at Guess inside the Forum Shops at Caesars ... "Sopranos" star Steve Schirripa going from store to store -- hot dog in hand -- at the Galleria at Sunset mall ... Mike Tyson at the Houdini Magic store at The Venetian ... Celine Dion at the FAO Schwarz inside Forum Shops (happily the store is not on the list of stores that the bankrupt retailer may shut) ...
Vegas scenester Michael Shulman played guest disc jockey this week at the hot new W-Diamondhead Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii ...
Trailers for the movie "Seabiscuit" have started airing in Las Vegas theaters. The big-screen version of the best seller by Laura Hillenbrand based on the famous Depression-era race horse opens next summer. It stars regular Las Vegas visitor Tobey Maguire and features Las Vegas resident Gianni Russo, of "Godfather" fame, in a supporting role ...
Star University of Texas southpaw flamethrower Brantley Jordan is coming to Las Vegas next month. The college senior is in negotiations with Bruce Merrin regarding representation. Jordan's fastball clocks in at 93 mph and he helped the Longhorns to the College World Series title this year. Merrin runs the well-regarded Celebrity Speakers & Entertainment Bureau in Las Vegas ...
Flexing their political muscles: Sen. John Ensign and former Gov. Bob Miller were working out at the Dolphin Court Spa inside Green Valley Ranch Station Casino over the holiday week ...
VegasBeat makes its regular Friday radio appearance this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. on KNUU 970 AM (K-NEWS). We're on right before the gifted comedian David Brenner, who plays at the Suncoast from Dec. 29 to 31.
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