Monday, Oct. 28, 2002 | 9:05 a.m.
Welcome to perhaps the biggest shopping week in the history of Las Vegas.
This will be a week of nonstop parties in anticipation of Friday's grand opening of store upon store in and around Fashion Show mall.
Highlights include the Bloomingdale's gala breakfast Tuesday for its new store and the new Nordstrom, which is having a 2,000-guest blowout that night to benefit Nevada Ballet Theatre.
Anthony Deering, chairman of The Rouse Co. -- the main Fashion Show developer -- and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce are hosting a Thursday breakfast to honor the new Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard's and expanded Macy's and Neiman Marcus branches.
"More variety allows for more options which makes shopping that much more fun," said an excited Meital Grantz, owner of the Talulah G. boutique on Las Vegas Boulevard, an upscale shop featuring emerging design talent, situated near the mall.
Meanwhile, the new Dolce & Gabbana is having a few fashionable friends to its Friday opening at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Also on tap to open are at least a half-dozen other upscale boutiques such as Roberto Cavalli and Valentino.
"All this activity does not make the Strip a retail equal to Worth Avenue or Rodeo Drive, let alone the (famous Paris retail thoroughfare) Rue Faubourg Ste. Honore, but it is a terrific step forward on the way to achieving that level," said Michael Shulman, a Las Vegas writer and self-described fashion consultant (well, he does wear interesting clothes).
Of course, this is all a dry run for October 2003, when another expansion is completed, featuring a new Lord & Taylor, among other retailers.
Bidding war?
Adeana Shendal is heading back to television.
She left the local tube several years ago and joined Kirvin Communications Group, now Kirvin Doak Communications, a respected Las Vegas public relations concern.
Now she is entertaining offers from more than one area station to return.
Shendal was never far from the business -- she is married to popular KVBC Channel 3 anchor Jim Snyder.
Sign this
Comic-turned-author Louie Anderson, in town for this coming weekend's Vegas Valley Book Fair, is doing a book-signing Wednesday.
He'll autograph copies of his latest effort, "The F Word," at Brendan's Pub in The Orleans from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Top rated KJUL 104.3-FM radio host Duke Morgan will be doing a live remote during the event.
Women power
On Friday night, nearly 100 power women gathered at the home of former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones to benefit the Women's Campaign Fund.
Among the guests were Rep. Shelley Berkley, who was one of the first beneficiaries of the Fund, Nevada Democratic Party political director Harriet Trudell, Ellie Kurpiewski, who is running against Rep. Mary Bono (Sonny's widow) in California and WCF executive director Susan Medalie.
Best part of the evening was the Potato-tinis -- mashed potatoes served in martini glasses with a choice of toppings.
The WCF is the first national, nonpartisan political committee founded to help elect pro-choice women to public offices.
Mulligan central
Some of the town's most prominent gaming execs are hitting the links to benefit the Nevada Council on Problem Gaming.
Bellagio veep Bill Bingham, John Pasqualotto from Station Casinos, Boyd Gaming President Don Snyder, Nancy Salvbrunn from Tropicana and Jackie Gaughan are slated to tee off today at the 6th annual Nevada Gaming Executive Team Golf Championship at the Rio Secco Golf Club.
The co-chairs of the event are Dennis Conrad, president of Raving Consulting; Tom Jingoli from Sega Gaming; and entertainer Clint Holmes.
Tree falls
If Publisher's Clearinghouse gives away money in Las Vegas, will anyone notice? After all, this is a place where six- or seven-figure jackpots are won regularly.
The answer is yes, if you happen to be a winner.
Nora Wasserman, a cashier at a Las Vegas Nissan dealership, certainly noticed when the famous prize patrol van pulled up in front of her home Friday night.
She was awarded $10,000 in the contest.
"I have been sending these things in for years, and I can't believe I actually won," a delightfully stunned Wasserman said.
'X' spot
Caught a rehearsal last week of "X," a new show opening at the Aladdin Friday night.
Unlike "La Femme," for example, where the nudity is almost secondary to the choreography and music, "X" approaches things somewhat differently.
"If you are going to do it, then do it. If that is why people come to the show, then give it to them," producer Bobby Boling said.
Provocative and often mesmerizing choreography -- some by show dancer Brianna Navarro, whose father Nick Navarro was a well-known choreographer -- plus cutting-edge music bode well for the show's success.
Also, notice the hair.
There are none of the familiar blond bob wigs -- each woman's hair is natural, and different, from Navarro's flowing dark curly locks to Natasha Bernasek's thick blond hair to Yelena Lagereva's short red cut and Roberta Lorinez' jet black 'do, pulled back in a ponytail.
Check out
Ozzy Osbourne jumping up and singing (OK, mumbling) along to "Can't Buy Me Love" at Sir Paul McCartney's show at MGM Grand Saturday night ... Six-foot-10-inch baseball star Randy Johnson attracting plenty of attention as he walked through the MGM Grand before the McCartney show -- nearly as much as Carrot Top did as he headed to MGM's Hollywood Theatre for his own show ... Sen. Harry Reid getting several minutes of national face time on the"Today" show Saturday morning, remembering colleague Paul Wellstone, who tragically died in a plane crash the day before ... Traipsing (but not together) between ghostbar and Little Buddha at Palms Saturday night: Emmanuel "Webster" Lewis, MC Hammer, Vince Neil, Corey Feldman, NFL-ers Jay Fiedler and Marshall Faulk and CBS broadcaster Mike Ditka ... A red Rolls Royce with Anna Kournikova in the front seat and stacks of shopping bags in the back cruising along Easter! n Avenue in Henderson; earlier she was seen hitting tennis balls at a court near Valle Verde Drive and Horizon Ridge Parkway ... Julio Iglesias Jr. sitting alone in a corner watching the World Series during the Kiss party at ESPN Zone at New York-New York Saturday night.
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