Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Spears’ conduct leaves positive impression

Amanda Olliff was absolutely delighted to see Britney Spears get married, if only briefly, in Las Vegas last weekend.

Olliff, a 26-year-old University of Georgia grad and two-year Las Vegas resident, is a Spears impersonator.

"To be honest, it was a pretty stupid thing for her to do, but if I get a few more bookings out of it, then I'll be happy," Olliff told VegasBeat in her lilting Southern drawl that sounds a lot like the original Spears'. Olliff recently completed a Spears stint at Harrah's and now performs for mainly corporate events.

We spoke to Olliff on Tuesday night at the Strip club Seven for the premiere of the In Demand pay-per-view reality series, "Can You Be a Porn Star?" that debuts this evening.

Olliff arrived with entertainer Todd Joseph and "Vegas Minute" correspondent Brandi Williams.

"But please put down that none of us is on the show," Williams asked VegasBeat. For what it is, the show -- where 28 women compete for a $100,000 cash prize -- is actually a fairly tasteful effort. There is some nudity, but a psychologist also assesses the mental health of the women and interviews them.

"Television has already shattered boundaries with such series as HBO's 'Real Sex,' and adult stars from Traci Lords to failed California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey have been able to parlay their public recognition into other opportunities," show producer Harry Feingold said.

"This show simply codifies the increasingly mainstream acceptance of adult entertainment," Feingold said.

She's back

Sandy Murphy -- free on $250,000 bail in the Ted Binion murder case -- is back in town.

She had reportedly been taken by her father to California after her release in December.

But she was spotted Tuesday night having a leisurely meal at the Bella Luna restaurant on West Sahara Avenue.

Her dining companion was benefactor William Fuller, who has paid for much of her defense and posted her bail.

King day

Today marks what would have been Elvis Presley's 69th birthday and several events are planned in Las Vegas to mark the milestone.

This morning at 6, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was scheduled to help Elvis impersonator Jesse Garon dedicate a replica of the Graceland front gates that Garon has installed at his Las Vegas home.

Garon's fanatical devotion to Elvis -- he's had extensive plastic surgery to more closely resemble his idol -- earned him a spot on an upcoming MTV "Real Life" episode.

The Cannery -- which just celebrated its own first birthday -- is hosting an entire weekend of parties and special events. Stephen Christopher, an Elvis expert licensed by the Presley estate, hosts an Elvis karaoke contest this evening and will also speak about the impact the King's legend has on the world.

There is also a giveaway of a trip to Graceland.

Memorabilia dealers and fan club displays are on the weekend calendar at the East Craig Road locals casino.

Also, Allen Fawcett of the old "Puttin' on the Hits" lip-synch television show is hosting an Elvis impersonator competition tonight at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

Record setter

Harrah's afternoon headliner Mac King was apparently successful in his attempt on Tuesday to set a Guinness World Record for the most participants in a game of telephone.

It will take Guinness officials about 90 days to certify the record, which King set with 614 participants. The former record was 564 and set in Dublin, Ireland, in March.

Local celebs Penn & Teller, Clint Holmes, Sheena Easton and Lance Burton were part of the activities.

"It is a mighty fine accomplishment to get this many people out here and play a kindergarten game, and it didn't hurt that Harrah's gave out free gaming chips," King said afterward.

King started the game by whispering "Mac King is a comedy magic genius."

It ended with, "Macaroni cantaloupe knows the future."

Cirque seats

We hear that the new Cirque du Soleil show planned for MGM Grand in July will not have a traditional seating arrangement.

Instead, there are plans for three floating audience seating areas so the performance encircles the patrons.

Cirque spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne said the company policy was not to comment on the creative process of a show before it opened, but said that the seating arrangement sounded similar to what Franco Dragone was creating for Wynn Las Vegas.

A call to Dragone's office was not returned Wednesday.

Free press

The supermarket tabloid Star, which tries to go upscale in some markets with a new, glossy format this week, hasn't really changed much.

The scandal sheet has a new correspondent in Las Vegas, who has been handing out business cards. On the cards, the reporter's name is in smaller type than the disturbing line: "We pay for celebrity gossip!!!"

Hard to compete against that, but we'll continue to gather our news the old-fashioned way: shoe leather, phone calls and working our sources.

VegasBits

Order: Andre Agassi walked into the Pick Up Stix Chinese restaurant in Village Square the other day and placed an order for $180 worth of take-out food ...

CES doings: Monster Cable has hired Santana to perform a private show Friday night at Paris Las Vegas, while Microsoft has Jewel playing for their reps at Ice the same evening ...

Rock: Kevin Dubrow from Quiet Riot took in Don Dokken's show Tuesday night at the Palapa Lounge (Palms) ...

Speaker: Interior Secretary Gale Norton will be the keynote speaker at the Clark County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 7 ...

No joke: New Hard Rock Hotel comedy headliner Jeff Beacher landed in a hospital Tuesday -- with a severe case of chicken pox. He is expected to recover in time for his next show on Jan. 31. After that, "Beacher's Comedy Madhouse" plays every Saturday night.

From Sun wires

Evangelist Billy Graham was in a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital Wednesday after falling in his hotel room and breaking his left hip.

Graham, 85, had been preparing to go to the Mayo Clinic for his semiannual checkup early Tuesday when he fell. The hip surgery and partial hip replacement were performed Tuesday night at St. Luke's Hospital.

Ford divorced: Harrison Ford is officially unhitched. The actor's divorce from his wife of 18 years, screenwriter Melissa Mathison Ford, became final this week in Los Angeles.

The Fords, who met on the set of the 1979 film, "Apocalypse Now," filed for a separation in August 2001 after living apart for nearly a year.

Despite his legal status, the star has had a nearly two-year relationship with actress Calista Flockhart.

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