Vegas Beat — Timothy McDarrah: Vegas fails to milk fund-raiser

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 | 5:10 a.m.

VegasBeat appears daily except occasional Thursdays in the Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

Boo for the moo.

It is official: The fund-raising Cow Parade that came to Las Vegas last October and winds up this week is a complete and udder bust.

Sotheby's, the prestigious auction house, has canceled its involvement in an online auction of the cows which was slated to start March 13.

And the Andre Agassi Foundation -- scheduled to be a main beneficiary of the auction -- has severed ties to the project.

Other cities -- including Houston, Kansas City and New York -- have raised huge sums of money for local charities by auctioning painted cows with local themes. The Chicago cow auction, for example, raised $3.5 million.

In Las Vegas, a planned 200 cows never materialized. There was a "Wayne Mooton" cow, a Vegas Showgirl cow, a Siegfried & Roy display and some other appropriately themed bovine pieces.

But overall the program was not a success, mainly because most casinos would not let the cows graze on their property. The few that are on the Strip are at Aladdin and Four Seasons. McCarran International Airport also has a few, as does a Summerlin park.

Law school grad Erin Kenny, who claimed to be spearheading the project when she was running for lieutenant governor last fall, did not return a message left on her home answering machine.

The message referred callers to the number for the County Commissioner's office, but Kenny hasn't worked there since her term expired Jan. 6.

When reached by telephone, Sotheby's New York-based Vice President for Corporate Affairs Patricia Fox declined to comment. Agassi Foundation executive Julie Pippenger also declined comment.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman met with one of Secretary of State Colin Powell's top deputies, Donald Steinberg, last week.

They discussed the world terrorism situation, and Steinberg concluded that Las Vegas is among the safest places in the nation because of its combination of public law enforcement and the vast private security agents employed by casinos.

They also talked about some of Steinberg's brother's clients. Leigh Steinberg is one of the nation's top sports agents, having represented such athletes as Sugar Ray Leonard, Kerri Strug, Steve Young and Troy Aikman.

"Jackass" star Steve-O will be screening his new video, "Don't Try This At Home, Vol. 2" at the Beach on Convention Center Drive on March 22.

Tickets to see the outrageous stuntman went on sale Saturday.

It takes a far greater sociologist than I to understand the appeal of repeatedly hitting yourself on the head with a brick to get a laugh.

In other disturbing news, Dr. Scott Lewis, who produces the show "Shock!" at Bourbon Street, has been made the casino's publicity director of entertainment.

"We're repositioning the property to be Vegas' home of extreme entertainment," Lewis told VegasBeat.

The "Shock" lineup features several acts that are way into self-mutilation.

Lewis is also looking for a title sponsor for the casino showroom. "It is going to be a new Vegas trend," Lewis said.

"Stadiums all now have corporate names. And Chrysler is sponsoring Celine Dion. Maybe I'll ask the Band-Aid people about sponsoring us."

Who says Lunch Ladies can't cook?

On Friday the "Morning Zoo" crew at KLUC 98.5 FM -- Amy Sweet, Spence and Weasel is sponsoring a cook-off to determine which hairnetted Las Vegas culinary goddess can make the best breakfast.

The contestants take to the frying pans at 7 a.m. at the station's West Sahara Avenue offices. Winner gets the coveted Golden Ladle award and the honor of hosting next year's competition at their school.

Judges will include a chef or two from one of Wolfgang Puck's Las Vegas restaurants, Goodman, Louie Louie and your VegasBeat reporter.

It is not too late to nominate your favorite elementary or junior or high school Lunch Lady. E-mail nominations right away to wendyjo@kluc.com.

Magic translates to any language.

So Rick Thomas should thrive when he goes to Japan for two weeks starting March 17.

The Tropicana's resident afternoon illusionist is taking lead assistant Grace Weiss and seven other cast and crew members along, plus his tigers Sampson and Starr.

Hmmmm ... Do tigers get jet lag?