VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: In fund-raising effort, Trejo goes to perch

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 10:41 a.m.

Hopefully, Trejo will be treated a lot more gingerly than was David Blaine.

Trejo, the popular KLUC 98.5-FM "Morning Zoo" jock, is spending the next 11 days living atop a 30-foot scaffold in a West Sahara Avenue parking lot to help raise at least $98,500 for the station's holiday fund-raising effort and toy drive.

Illusionist Blaine was pelted with garbage and insults during a recent 44-day stay in a glass box suspended 40 feet above the River Thames in London.

Trejo will be on his platform 24 hours a day through Dec. 15 and will continue his regular 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. broadcast duties. He is inviting listeners to come over at any time and drop off a toy or a donation for the charity.

His perch is in the COMP USA parking lot, just west of Valley View Boulevard.

"I am doing this because I want every kid in the valley to wake up to a great Christmas," Trejo told us via cell phone from his platform.

He then said it was a family effort, as he is missing some milestones to complete his mission.

"I am missing my youngest son, Michael's, first singing recital, my oldest son, Nick's, first basketball game, my daughter Tessa's first violin recital and my daughter Jessica -- she is 19 -- is visiting from San Jose and unless she comes over here I won't get to see her."

Game time

Plenty of celebs were on the red carpet before the Spike TV-sponsored "Video Game Awards" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Tuesday night -- but they were hardly the real stars of the evening.

Before the human celebs arrived, organizers wheeled a half-dozen classic video games, such as Pole Position, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, onto the red carpet. Talk about popping flashbulbs. We're old school -- or just plain old -- and prefer pinball to Atari. But no denying it was a terrific idea, and well-received, to roll out the old machines.

Among the stars who followed were show host David Spade, Ray Liotta, Tia Carrera, Orlando Jones, L'il Kim, Steve-O, Pamela Anderson and Jaime Pressly.

The show airs tonight at 9 on Spike TV (Cox cable channel 29).

More culture

Sen. Harry Reid presented a $350,000 check Tuesday to the State Historic Preservation Program to convert the Old Las Vegas Post Office into a museum.

The downtown edifice was built in 1933 and is already on the National Register of Historic Places.

"In a city with few historic structures, this building is uniquely important," Reid said in a statement.

Added Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman: "It will be a museum that explores our unique past and gives our residents a sense of pride."

No timetable has been set for the project.

Nutty

Rita Rudner -- New York-New York headliner, author, syndicated television host and full-time mother -- has a free morning coming up.

So she is going to host a "Nutcracker"-themed benefit breakfast and private shopping event Sunday for Nevada Ballet Theatre.

The holiday buffet will be prepared by Master Chef Gustav Mauler. The proceeds from the meal and a silent auction will benefit the ballet's education and outreach program.

VegasBits

In the Zone: Pop tart Britney Spears is coming to town. Her 2004 tour dates include a Las Vegas engagement on March 6, but no venue has been announced. However, sources say the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be the place ...

Discuss: Former "Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert and adult actress and Las Vegas native Jenna Jameson in deep conversation (really!) at Studio 54 (MGM Grand) at the "Video Game Awards" afterparty Tuesday night. Wrestler Trish Stratus was also in the house ...

Skateboarder: X-treme sports icon Tony Hawk, motocross champ Carey Hart, Pressly, Anderson and Spade filed into Tabu (MGM Grand) to party after the "VGAs" ...

Donate: The Legacy Society is hosting a holiday fashion show at the Forum Shops at Caesars club OPM tonight at 7. Admission is a $25 donation and an unwrapped holiday gift, which benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. Wolfgang Puck's Chinois restaurant (Forum Shops) provides the food; Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada brings the beverages ...

Name fame: Martin Luther King III -- son of the slain civil rights leader -- will be in Las Vegas on Monday to address a conference at Circus Circus, titled, "A Global Approach to End Juvenile Injustice" ...

Black gold: "Beverly Hillbilly" Jethro Bodine and Nevada gaming entrepreneur hopeful Max Baer Jr. turns 66 today. He is working to build a casino in Reno, themed on his old show ...

New deal: Sig Rogich Communications is repping vintage diva Shirley Bassey, and we hear they are close to striking a long-term deal with MGM MIRAGE. She first performed in Vegas nearly 40 years ago at the old El Rancho, and most recently played to SRO crowds at the MGM Grand in 2000 ...

Politic: Robert Redford is hosting a fund-raiser in Reno on Sunday for Sen. Reid ...

Cook: The executive chef at Le Cirque (Bellagio), Marc Poidevin, and his lobster salad recipe are both featured in the current issue of Forbes magazine ...

Listen up: VegasBeat is back for its weekly radio call-in bit with "Las Vegas Today" host Andy Vierra on KNUU 970 AM (K-NEWS) today at 4 p.m. New Aladdin illusionist Steve Wyrick precedes us at 3 p.m. and producer David Saxe does the 5 o'clock hour. Also, we're back with Tom Kelly on LITE FM, KMZQ 100.5-FM at 7:30 a.m. on Friday.

From Sun wires

Gwyneth Paltrow and boyfriend Chris Martin are expecting their first child next summer, her publicist said Wednesday.

The actress has been dating Martin, frontman for the British band Coldplay, for the past year. Both have been reticent about publicly discussing their relationship.

Gere visits brothel workers: Richard Gere visited brothel workers in Bombay, India, on Tuesday as part of his campaign to slow the spread of HIV-AIDS in India.

Gere, who has been a vocal campaigner against HIV-AIDS in the region for several years, is preparing an AIDS awareness campaign called "The Heroes Project" with celebrities he believes can carry the message of prevention and care to the average Indian.