VegasBeat — Columnist Timothy McDarrah: Fox 5’s Calvin is quite a site

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 5:21 a.m.

VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

WEEKEND EDITION Dec. 20 - 21, 2003

Pay attention to us for our ability, not just our good looks, say many professional women blessed with both.

Apparently, KVVU Channel 5 morning news anchor Cher Calvin is not one of those women. She has both, and is proud.

On her personal website (www.chercalvin.com), browsers are treated to a gallery section filled with glamour shots of the 30-year-old broadcast journalist.

The trivia section of the site reads like the text opposite a Playboy centerfold. "Cher always seems to be in control and in command. But when she's in love, she turns into a softie."

"I take care of my man," she writes.

Calvin's ultimate dream: to own a television station. Her favorite news personality: Paula Zahn.

Calvin's image on the Fox station website is somewhat more subdued and professional.

We called Calvin to talk about the provocative poses, but she was off for the holidays, visiting friends and family in her native Philippines.

For comparison's sake, we typed in the names of several other local news anchors -- Paula Francis, Nina Radetich, Casey Smith, Rachel Smith (no relation to Casey), Jim Snyder, Kate Maddox, Cathy Ray, Dave Courvoisier and Rikki Cheese to see if they had personal websites, but came up empty.

Did we miss a party? The MGM Grand opened its doors to guests on Dec. 18, 1993, which means it celebrated its 10th anniversary last week.

So where was the typical pomp and circumstance we've come to expect that marks any occasion to celebrate milestone Las Vegas dates?

Where was Paris Hilton? A red carpet? The paparazzi?

"We wanted to be different," explained hotel spokeswoman Sandy Zanella. So the hotel celebrated internally, she said, choosing to fete the employees who make the hotel go, instead of tossing another splashy party.

Maybe the MGM brass are just saving up for their big Cirque du Soleil opening-night party next year.

A new Cirque production is slated to open at MGM this summer. The most recent Cirque party, atop the New York-New York parking garage for the "Zumanity" debut in September, reportedly cost more than $1 million.

To celebrate the official grand opening of the Flamingo eatery Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett is going to perform beside the hotel's pool Jan. 22.

Most of the tickets are being reserved for fan club members and radio station concert winners. Listen to KOMP 92.3-FM or KXPT 97.1-FM for details.

No tickets are on sale for the general public.

The restaurant began serving customers last week.

The Black Book owned by Hugh Hefner -- which we wrote about when it was on display at the Palms as part of the magazine's 50th anniversary celebration -- was finally auctioned last week.

It sold for $9,560 at Christie's in New York City.

A typed manuscript of a Jack Kerouac story for the magazine that was the prelude to "On The Road" brought in twice its pre-sale estimate, going for $71,700.

Altogether, the 300 historical Playboy items garnered $2.7 million.

Quick quote from the Escapes section of Friday's New York Times: "If Las Vegas epitomizes the over-the-top consumerism of American architecture, then Lake Las Vegas takes that ostentation to the next logical step, transporting it to a gated community for empty nesters who have already hit the jackpot. One villa features elevator buttons for the homeowners' dogs."

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