VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Las Vegas gets real with new show

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 10:40 a.m.

A little too much reality, perhaps?

A new Vegas cabaret is opening with a show called "Reality Revue" -- a burlesque show that features all your favorite reality television stars.

We are not making this up.

Stars include former bondage film star Sarah Kozer from "Joe Millionaire," "For Love or Money" finalist Paige Jones, "Survivor" favorite Jerri Manthey, Catherine Chiarelli from "Temptation Island" and Anne Michelle Seiler from "The Bachelorette."

There is a sneak-peek performance of "Reality Revue" this weekend at the new club hosting the show, Chez Moi. The club is southwest of Mandalay Bay, across Interstate 15 near Russell Road, and will hold its grand opening in the winter.

Chez Moi's entertainment director will be Elijah Blue -- son of Cher and Greg Allman. Cris Judd was approached about being the show's master of ceremonies, but turned the offer down, show organizers said. Choreographer Tony Gonzalez, who has worked with everyone from Snoop Dogg to the cast of "3rd Rock From the Sun," says rehearsals are going well.

As he told VegasBeat during a break in rehearsals, "You can't create dancers, but anyone can perform."

Forum shopper

While Ben Affleck was back in the hotel room Sunday night playing poker with David Schwimmer and some other pals, Jennifer Lopez busied herself by going shopping.

She and mom Guadalupe rolled into the Forum Shops at Caesars at 7 p.m. Sunday for a 2-hour, 35-minute spree.

She popped into Louis Vuitton, but didn't buy anything there. That's probably because she's featured in their new ad campaign and probably already has a supply of Vuitton duds.

Her biggest purchase was in Chopard, the exclusive jewelry store, where she bought a pair of matching his-and-hers bracelets with the store's signature floating diamonds. (The rock "floats between two crystals," as a staffer explained it to us.)

The store manager on duty Monday would not specify exactly what Lopez bought, but items similar to the one described range from $80,000 to nearly $1 million.

At Roberto Cavalli, Lopez bought "one fantastic dress," a staffer told us. "It was something from the runway show, a gold backless number with an animal print."

She paid retail, about $3,000, for the garment.

At the Gianni Versace store, Lopez paid $10,000 for a dark-green gown, which covered a lot more than the green Versace she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards.

At Valentino, she spent $900 on two items off the rack from the new casual Valentino Red line, a pair of flower-pocketed corduroys and a knit top.

She also stopped to sit with her mom and sip a glass of champagne.

"All the people outside were starting to get to her, and her mom was really freaked out," a store manager told us.

"There was a tremendous following and a need for crowd control," Forum Shops Marketing Director Maureen Crampton confirmed. "Hundreds of people gathered at the store fronts and followed her from store to store. But she was very personable and waved to her fans."

Lopez also shopped at Dolce & Gabbana.

'V' for Gen X

Taking inspiration from the old "Saturday Night Live" skit where Dan Aykroyd does an infomercial with a product that is both a floor polish and a dessert topping, producer David Saxe has come up with an entirely new entertainment concept: William Whatley.

By day, Whatley is a hair stylist with a long list of celebrity clients, with his own salon on West Sahara Avenue. Now, by night, Whatley is also a Vegas nightclub act.

Saxe's new show, "Ovation," which opened last week in the former Sevilla space inside Desert Passage at the Aladdin, features Whatley pulling a member of the audience onstage and giving him or her an instant makeover.

"He comes out screaming like Rip Taylor," Saxe told us. "Within a minute or so, there is hair flying everywhere, a wardrobe rack is out on the stage and he's off to the races."

The show is similar to Saxe's popular "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show" at The Venetian, but with more of an edge. Other acts include comic Mark Kornhauser, seventh-generation circus performer Tino Ferreira and pop-and-lock performers Style Element -- who performed with Black Eyed Peas on the MTV Video Music Awards.

Ball player

Despite his legal troubles, Kobe Bryant is still expected in Las Vegas this week. His Los Angeles Lakers have a Friday night exhibition game scheduled against the Sacramento Kings at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Shaquille O'Neal, meanwhile, might not be at his sharpest for the game.

He is hosting a party at midnight Thursday at Ra, the Luxor club. He is bringing his own DJ, J-Nice, and several of his teammates. Tickets are $35 and available at the door.

The Kings will party post-game at the Palms' Little Buddha. The team and the hotel are both owned by the Maloof family.

Elton set

Elton John announced today that tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday for his Feb. 13 through Feb. 22 shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Renowned fashion photographer David La Chappelle will serve as the production designer and director for "The Red Piano" concerts. Additional dates will be announced as soon as they are set. John will do a total of 75 shows in 2004 and 2005.

Tickets are priced from $100 to $250 and are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (888) 4ELTONJ (435-8665).

The schedule of resident headliner Celine Dion will not be affected, said Caesars prez Mark Juliano.

VegasBits

Not home alone: Macauley Culkin had dinner Saturday at the Wolfgang Puck Cafe at MGM Grand with little brother Kieran ...

Active duty: Stardust headliner and USO ambassador Wayne Newton is heading back to Iraq to entertain the troops. He heads out Nov. 17.

From Sun wires

Actor Robert De Niro has been diagnosed with prostate cancer but is expected to make a full recovery, a spokesman said Monday.

Doctors for De Niro, 60, a two-time Academy Award winner, caught the cancer at an early stage at a regular health checkup within the past week, the spokesman said.