Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 | 4:27 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION Nov. 22 - 23, 2003
VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at [email protected] or at (702) 259-4096.
Soft news or hard, Las Vegas continues to be a national trendsetter.
On tonight's "60 Minutes," reporter Steve Kroft examines the $10 billion pornography industry. Much of the segment was filmed earlier this year at the Adult Entertainment Expo at Sands Convention Center.
"We can't show everything that went on in the convention hall; this is a business story and we don't get that cheeky," Kroft told VegasBeat in an e-mailed note last week.
A few weeks back Kroft narrated a lengthy "60 Minutes" segment on the Yucca Mountain controversy.
Also on tonight's program, Mike Wallace interviews Sen. Harry Reid in a report about the first Gulf War.
Reid challenges President Bush to intervene on behalf of POWs from the Gulf War who were awarded a large judgment against Iraq for brutality they suffered while in captivity. The payment of that award has been blocked by the current Bush administration.
Maybe Bush will answer Reid when the president visits The Venetian on Tuesday for a fund-raising lunch that hotel owner Sheldon Adelson is hosting.
Also, for the record, at the cancer benefit, a complete set of Britney Spears CDs and DVDs drew twice as large a bid as items donated by her former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.
The Spears collection went for $250, while Timberlake's used white high-top sneakers and a signed concert photo brought a $125 bid. The evening raised a whopping $2.6 million.
"Not only is that a remarkable figure, but it was a remarkable cross section of Las Vegas that made the evening a success," MGM MIRAGE veep Alan Feldman told VegasBeat. "There were home builders, retailers, elected officials, gaming people. Cancer affects everyone, and everyone showed up to try and help."
The only way to buy tickets to see -- live and in person -- Fox's New Year's Eve broadcast is to go to Vegas.com. The online travel destination made an exclusive ticket deal with the network.
Other than host Ryan Seacrest, no acts have yet been confirmed for the stage area in front of The Venetian. Last year the live and live-via-satellite acts included Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, Ja Rule, Sugar Ray, Ashanti and the Rolling Stones.
Big empty, indeed.
Stars Daryl Hannah, Kelsey Grammer and Rachel Leigh Cook were among the celebrity no-shows at the charity screening of the film "The Big Empty" at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday night.
No immediate word from organizers on why the hundreds of customers who paid to see the stars didn't.
The NFL Alumni Association is having its first Las Vegas Extravaganza golf event next weekend.
Among the former players scheduled to tee it up at the Rio Secco course are Las Vegas resident Hugh McElhenny, Billy Joe Hobert, Leroy Irvin, Dokie Williams, Greg Townsend, Mark Jackson and Marlin Briscoe, who was the league's first black quarterback, taking the historic snap as a Denver Bronco on Sept. 29, 1968.
Spaces for local duffers are still available. Call (888) 996-0909 for info.
In case you have a hankering to know which wines or beers go with Indian food, Gaylord, The Rio restaurant, is hosting a free event this afternoon to educate your palate.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., reps from several international wine makers will be on hand, with product, to help you pair cabernet and curry, or something like that.
We'll stick with Dr. Pepper and pepperoni pizza, thank you very much.
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