Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: For annual telethon, Lewis sees the light

VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at [email protected] or at (702) 259-4096.

WEEKEND EDITION

September 4 - 7, 2004

For the first time in several years, look for plenty of activity from the star of the "Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon" when the show airs starting tonight.

"I feel better than I have in years, and I am very excited about this year's show," Lewis told us through show spokesman Bob Mackle.

Mackle said that Lewis has lost 71 pounds after bloating up as a result of taking steroids to combat pulmonary fibrosis.

"He is looking better than he has in ages," Mackle said. "Jerry has been in the office here every day this week, zipping around.

"Look for this year's show to feature a lot more of Jerry."

The entire broadcast airs locally on Las Vegas ONE (Cox cable channel 19) from 6 p.m. today through 5 p.m. Monday. KLAS Channel 8 is also airing it, with extended breaks for local news and U.S. Open tennis matches, starting at 8 p.m.

In addition to Lewis, Vegas headliners Celine Dion and Elton John will appear on live remotes.

The national television broadcast will go live from The Colosseum during Dion's performance of "A New Day ..." at approximately 9 p.m.

The annual rite raises money to fight muscular dystrophy and over the years has regularly featured the world's biggest stars from all over the cultural map, such as Frank Sinatra, the Ramones, Buddy Greco, Yogi Berra, Mary Tyler Moore, Led Zeppelin and the cast of "Friends."

So what does our favorite local celebrity of Cuban descent think of "Havana Nights," the revue that ends its abbreviated run tonight at Stardust?

Desi Arnaz Jr. loved it.

The Boulder City resident and son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz attended the show Thursday night with wife Amy and his old Dino, Desi & Billy bandmate Billy Hinsche, who lives in Henderson.

The Arnaz group met with show producer and creator Nicole Durr afterward. She said that the show has been inundated with offers to take the production on tour.

The next VEGAS Magazine cover party is set for Sept. 16 at Tangerine at Treasure Island. Supermodel cover girl Helena Houdova is expected to attend.

The London Sun reports Britney Spears' fiance Kevin Federline and his buddies will have a three-day bachelor bash in Las Vegas in November.

The saucy tabloid also says that the couple will hold their November wedding at the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Britney's bachelorette party will be at her house in Malibu, the paper said. Guess she has already had her share of partying in Las Vegas.

Veteran Vegas broadcast personality Jon-David Wells is now part of the KDWN 720-AM lineup.

His news, information and talk show now airs Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.

"To join Hart Kirch, Tru Hawkins, Jim Dallas, Mark Edwards and the great Ted Bair on an on-air staff where everyone is a member of the Nevada Broadcasting Hall of Fame, is nothing short of a dream come true," Wells told us.

Old-school rappers Melle Mel and Sugar Hill Gang, and actor/rapper Snoop Dogg were at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Thursday night.

Mandalay Bay Public Relations Manager Celena Haas is leaving the hotel. She will become the director of marketing for the Ark Restaurant Group at The Venetian.

The Venetian's Ark properties include the celebrity-friendly nightspots Venus and V-Bar, and the restaurants Lutece and Tsunami. Elsewhere in Las Vegas, Ark operates Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Gallagher's Steakhouse and America at New York-New York.

There are a couple of cultural references in Las Vegas that may surprise you.

Chef Andre Rochat's upscale eatery Mistral, which officially opens Sept. 27 at the Las Vegas Hilton, is named after Frederic Mistral, the French-born 1904 Nobel laureate in literature.

And Body English, the Hard Rock Hotel nightclub that opened at the start of the summer, is named after a painting of the same name by famed California pop artist Ed Ruscha.

Happy birthday to us.

VegasBeat debuted on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2002.

Mirroring the amazing things that continue to happen in Las Vegas, this column has reported on some remarkable events, for better or worse, ranging from Britney Spears' wedding to Roy Horn's continuing miracle recovery.

We've also been gratified to have in our coverage realm personalities such as Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Robin Leach, two constant sources of gossip items when all else falls through.

And we'd be remiss not to offer thanks for the constant and often comical comings and goings of Paris, Nicky, Tara, Leonardo, Tobey, P. Diddy and the rest of the party posse that has made Vegas a second home.

To those of you whose help we depend on, and you know who you are, our sincere thanks.

And finally, to you, dear readers, thanks for all your continued feedback, tips, quips and, most of all, thanks for reading.

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