VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Company vital to CF survivors

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 5:49 a.m.

VegasBeat appears Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

It has been a very trying time for employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, the New York-based financial services firm that lost 658 employees on Sept. 11.

For one group of Cantor Fitzgerald women, part of the remedy is Las Vegas.

The company occupied floors 101 to 105 in One World Trade Center, also known as the North Tower, which was the second of the pair of skyscrapers to collapse after the terrorist attack.

Now, Cantor Fitzgerald employees are starting to get back to normal activities -- as much as they reasonably can after suffering such tremendous emotional and physical losses.

This weekend, a bachelorette party made up predominantly of high-powered female Cantor Fitzgerald employees has descended on Las Vegas.

"Obviously, it has been an unbelievable period for everyone at Cantor," said a Cantor vice president, Christy Southerland, the maid of honor for bride Amy Nauiokas.

"This is a way for us to build up some camaraderie and just have some plain-old fun."

The group is staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. They were to have a scavenger hunt through Bellagio on Friday night and then hit Rain and the Foundation Room Saturday night.

Nauiokas is Cantor Fitzgerald's senior vice president for marketing. She is marrying artist James Connolly on Feb. 8.

Nauiokas has never shied away from discussion of Sept. 11; earlier this year she helped create a controversial $4 million ad campaign designed to return the firm to the forefront of its field. The stark, unapologetic ads featured survivors talking about their Cantor Fitzgerald colleagues dying in the World Trade Center tragedy.

At the time, Ad Age editor Scott Donaton called the ads "exploitive," but they made a strong point about the company's resolve.

Nauiokas' bachlorette party is being put together by Randy Swallow and Kevin Redden, who run a business called TheFinalFling.com, which specializes in bringing groups from elsewhere to Las Vegas for -- what else? -- their final fling with friends before tying the knot.

Singing Impressionist Bob Anderson continues to draw copious entertainers to his Stardust lounge show.

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were there last week, as was Tony Bennett for the umpteenth time. He apparently can't get enough of Anderson's uncanny impression of him.

Some members of the Las Vegas press corps were pretty sore the other day when they got to their designated parking area at City Hall -- and saw that it was no longer their designated parking area.

The spaces were said to be needed for Metro Police officers.

Seems the media cars were to be relegated to an unprotected lot adjacent to a convenience store near City Hall.

A fairly heated discussion transpired between Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's communications director David Riggleman and some ink-stained types on the public plaza in front of City Hall

The resolution: There will be some reserved, protected spaces for members of the regular City Hall print media on top of a new garage now under construction.

Less-frequent visitors from the media (mainly from broadcast entities) will have to park elsewhere.

Sheena Easton and Clint Holmes have been spotted dining together more than once recently at the exclusive Stirling Club.

They are good friends and are talking about working together sometime.

Also, it is not a rumor, but a fact: Easton and Beverly Hills plastic surgeon John Minoli did get married in Las Vegas last weekend.

Congrats.

Callback, the Las Vegas newspaper for entertainment professionals, always has a nice mix of ads and announcements for needed extras, performers and various open auditions. But one big ad in the Nov. 28 edition was especially noticeable.

"Wanted: Male Superhero."

Bally's is looking for a man with "superhuman skills" and a dream of being a superhero, along with a flexible schedule and a desire to travel, to "play the role of a James Bond-type character" as part of an "exciting new slot concept."

Hmmmm. Maybe if this VegasBeat gig doesn't work out ...