Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

John Katsilometes visits the MGM Grand Garden Arena where the fight against cancer is the winner

Sometimes in Las Vegas, even a $5 million fundraiser for cancer research and treatment can be a bit overlooked. But with all variety of celebrities descending on the city over the past few days (including dozens of comics cavorting at Caesars Palace for the "Comedy Festival," Britney Spears sashaying through various stores and clubs around town, and Barbra Streisand performing in a rare concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena) the Nevada Cancer Institute slipped in quite a show on Thursday night.

The site was the very MGM Grand that on Saturday was the venue for Streisand's performance. But it hardly resembled a concert hall or sports areana; the top-to-bottom overhaul in deep burgundy and flat black (4,000 yards of carpet and a half-mile of drape were used) was part of a James Bond theme for "Bond for the Cure," the annual benefit for the NCI. About 1,100 of the city's more prominent citizens turned out to for the live and silent auction, a performance by Dana Carvey and a late-late screening of the new Bond film, "Casino Royale."

Larry King was the evening's emcee, and James Caan and George Hamilton, - friends of event chairmen Don and Jeff Soffer - were honorary guests. Carvey opened with his well-traveled impression of Ross Perot ("Can I finish? Can I finish can I finish can I finish?"), which is a favorite of Kings'. Caan got off a good line about Hamilton (whose skin tone these days is about the same as the University of Texas's home football jerseys): "I'd like to congratulate George for being voted the best-looking black man in America."

Items for auction included a dinner and glassware donated by Dale Chihuly, a pair of tickets to the Streisand show, a tricked-out Hummer H2 (presented by an uncharacteristically humble Josh "Chop" Towbin, who said, "I usually say, 'Chop it!' but tonight I'm saying 'Raise it!' "), a night at the Palms' Kingpin Suite, and private training sessions with Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture of Ultimate Fighting Championship fame (Couture, who sports a couple of disfigured cauliflower ears from his years competing in combat sports, was the presenter).

The NCI opened its new facility in Summerlin in September 2005. An NCI staff of 220 works at the 142,000-square-foot center to combat all forms of cancer. As Heather Murren, co-founder, chairwoman and chief executive officer of the five-year-old NCI, said, "I think it has been a completely different adventure than what we envisioned five years ago ... I have learned a lot along the way. I feel in a lot of ways we have gotten a lot more out of it than we have given." To put a figure on what was given Thursday: $5.3 million, all to NCI.

NoteMart

Olivia Newton-John, herself a cancer survivor (she was diagnosed in 1992) stopped by to walk the red carpet at Thursday's NCI event at the MGM before hustling off to her show at the Luxor, where she performed as part of the hotel's "Spotlight Series" through Saturday. Newton-John (who turned 58 in September and man do I feel old) recalled a 1972 visit, her first, to Vegas when she opened for Charlie Rich at the LV Hilton showroom when Elvis Presley was dark. She arrived a few days early, while Presley was still performing. "He was singing my hit at the time, 'Let Me Be There,' in his show and wanted to meet me, but something happened and he got taken away. I was so disappointed." (Special moment from Newton-John's show on Friday, during "Xanadu," the more fervent fans near the front of the stage made Xs out of straws and glow sticks) ...

More from the pyramid: Names to look for to take the Luxor stage (not yet announced) in the "Spotlight Series" include Roseanne Barr and Artie Lange. Hide the valuables ...

The Stirling Club was teeming with talent on Friday night as LV Hilton headliner Barry Manilow and David Pomeranz (who wrote Manlow's "Trying To Get The Feeling") stopped by with Manilow's band to sit in on Kelly Clinton's show. Pomeranz actually sang a set, as did Clint Holmes (who, again, seems to be working more these days than he did at Harrah's). Also, Clinton is hosting a new show at 8 p.m. Sundays at Bootlegger Bistro, "Kelly Clinton's Celebrity Spotlight." Her guest tonight is Sandra Benton of "Menopause the Musical" at the Hilton ...

Two of Southern Nevada's largest charitable organizations, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation and Keep Memory Alive (the foundation for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute) are teaming for the Round-Up For Goodness Sake program. The Round-Up gives diners using debit and credit cards the option to "round-up" checks to an even dollar amount at participating restaurants (which will have literature displayed). Simple enough. The program runs from Monday through Dec. 31. For information call 227-5700 (Agassi Foundation) or 263-9797 (Keep Memory Alive), or go to www.agassifoundation.org or www.keepmemoryalive.com ...

Our first vanity plate on a motorcycle, spotted last week: CRETN.

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