Celebrity Gossip From Las Vegas With Robin Leach | Luxe Life Digest

Landing in the capital of ka-ching and bling for the first time in its 85-year-history, Saturday's Miss America pageant is marking the move with a return to its roots. Gone is the matronly modesty of recent years -- contestants, surrounded by all our glam and glitter, silicone and sex, will sport shapely swimsuits and gowns with plunging necklines. Hooray! After years of dwindling audiences for the venerable piece of American history, Miss America's very survival might depend on their salute to Sin City's sexiness and Vegas "virtues" and "values!" That's why hunky hero James Denton (right) of 'Desperate Housewives' is hosting (Country Music Television will telecast the special live from the Aladdin's Theater for the Performing Arts this Saturday) and "Mom's apple pie" will only be found in the buffet line! Maybe Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith fans wont mind their music going south when the Pageant airs?

CLICK HERE TO SEE AOL CITYGUIDE'S EXCLUSIVE MISS AMERICA IN LAS VEGAS PHOTO TOUR.

It's all part of the new-look Miss America. Corporate CEO Art McMaster says Vegas will help add the sass-appeal to wrap around the show that's partly a scholarship contest. "No other city has the glitz and glamour," he tells me plainly. His tip of the tiara to our glamour and spectacle is of course in direct contrast to Miss America's previous years of mid-American modesty -- so it should certainly make for interesting telly this weekend, to say the least. 

Other changes this year include the deletion of the painful civics quiz and a talent showcase for the top five contestants. Also for the first time since 1974 -- before any of these young ladies were born -- they will elect a "Miss Congeniality" (probably owing to the success of the film and sequel of that name!) ...

After appearing with Jay Leno on the 'Tonight Show,' the 52 glamour gals arrived in Vegas by bus from Los Angeles this past Saturday, officially greeted by our loveable huggable goodtimes Mayor, Oscar Goodman (at top) on arrival at the host Aladdin resort, and presented them with official keys to the city -- after he had to jump a hand-railing to get to them!

Despite the many temptations this platinum playground has to offer, one thing that probably hasn't changed about the pageant are the old rules of curfew by 9 PM. So much of the contestants' fun and frolics this week -- at least what we know of -- has been early dainty dinners and little light lunches: Sunday night, the tiara temptresses hit the Planet Hollywood (above left) hangout in the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace... Monday, they attended a Welcome Reception and dinner for the outgoing Miss America, Deidre Downs, the pageant judges and VIPs at Thomas Keller's Bouchon. Co-sponsored by husband and wife Bill Weidner (COO of Sands, which owns the Venetian) and Lynn (Miss New Jersey 1971), guests included judge Rebecca King Wells (a former Miss A), State Senator Sue Lowden (another former Miss New Jersey), Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald (former Miss Oregon, who's coincidently married to a Keller restaurants exec) and another former Miss A, Donna Axum...

Two of the judges are my friend Leeza Gibbons (we worked together on 'Entertainment Tonight') and former Miss Arizona 1980, Brenda Strong (who also appears on 'Desperate Housewives'); I'm guessing that another, singer Brian McKnight might even do double duty, and sing that Burt Parks favorite "There She Is, Miss America" before the curtain closes...

While dress rehearsals got underway at the Aladdin -- with 1987 Miss A Kellye Cash standing in for host Denton -- my good friend Wolfgang Puck and chef David Robins hosted a luncheon (Along with Lynn Weidner again) to benefit the Miss A scholarship program at their famed Spago restaurant in Caesars (Click here to see Wolfgang and David on our exclusive AOL Vegas Counter Intelligence Video).

Among those attending were Deirdre Downs, 1971 Miss America Phyllis George (both here with yrs truly), and Kellye Cash who, by the way, is the niece of the late Johnny Cash. Kellye told me, by the way that the singer was happy with how the biopic 'Walk The Line' (which he got to see before his passing) turned out. Kellye told me, "It took him and James Keach [producer, who's also married to Jane Seymour, fyi) ten years to get it from their first meeting to the screen, but he was so proud that it was unbelievably accurate. He was concerned that the truth would hurt some people, but he didn’t want it to be covered up.”

“The day after I won," Deidre told me, "I was doing Regis and Kelly, and David Letterman, and then ever since, except for a few weeks of vacation, I have lived on the road making appearances. Many have involved visiting Childrens Hospitals, lobbying on Capitol Hill and speaking to corporate groups and schools and fundraising events. It's a full time job. But I did get to help build a Habitat for Humanity House and played tennis with both [Las Vegas' own] Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. Everybody keeps saying I am the longest reigning Miss America, because it has been a 15-month year between the last pageant in Atlantic City and this one in Vegas. But I did a little research and discovered in the '30s during the Depression, there was a 2 year gap -- so somebody held the title longer than me!" 

Deidre was once a star pitcher on an otherwise all-boys Little League team at age 9, and later got a volleyball scholarship to the University of Virginia. She became a Magna cum Laude graduate and Rhodes Scholar finalist, enabling her to enter the Alabama School of Medicine. But pageantry might have been her greatest challenge -- Deidre made five attempts as Miss Alabama before winning Miss America. “I always demanded 110% of myself. When somebody tells me that I can't do something it drives me even harder to succeed. It just makes me that much more determined to do it.”

Thursday our own Miss Nevada, 23-year-old Cristal Wosik, and 11 other contestants helped David Siegel (founder/CEO of Westgate Resorts) and Robert Earl (co-chairman of Planet Hollywood Resort) break ground on the new Planet Hollywood condo towers, as reported here yesterday. Gold-plated shovels were the must-have accessory for that event!

Incidentally, our Miss Nevada had never even seen a Miss America pageant before she and just 12 other Nevada girls competed for the title! She's a lyrical dancer with an ambition to own and operate her own dance competition company. I love stories of underdog small town girls who achieve fame and fortune...

Many Ms America contestants have gone on to become very famous names, including: Barbara Eden (1951), Loni Anderson (1964), Susan Anton (1969), Mary Hart (1970), Delta Burke (1974), Sharon Stone (1976) Jeri Ryan (1989), Lee Ann Womack (1990) -– just to name a few.

If you happen to be in town for the event, we've got two tips: for the ultimate souvenir, check into an Aladdin suite and keep one of the 2500 room-keys- new ones stamped with the Miss America insignia have been prepared just for the event! If you can't do that, hit the Venetian's uber-hot TAO nightclub tonight (Fri. Jan. 20), when host James Denton will be partying hearty with a group of Hollywood friends, celebrating his birthday. Guess he doesn't have to worry about curfew! (see below for more weekend tips)...

If the media marriage is a smash success set amongst the scenery of shenanigan city, Country Music Television will renew its multi-year option contract and Ms America will reign again -- maybefrom Orlando or Nashville -- or even a new permanent Vegas home!

Now, to start off Robin's Royal Rundown of the weekend's revelry, I need to spotlight a good friend of mine performing at the Suncoast starting tonight through the weekend. For some reason, every impressionist (professional or amateur) under the sun mimics me. Check Danny Gans here at the Mirage, and you'll hear him doing me. Everybody -- maybe even you -- has taken the shot. But I've always thought the best Robin Leach was done by my friend Rich Little (above). In fact ... he sounds more like Robin Leach than I do! He's often been hailed as "the best impersonator ever." Rich, who lives in Vegas, just returned from a 7 day/7 stop USO tour for our military at bases in Germany and the Netherlands. "Last year, I entertained our troops in Italy and Turkey," Rich told me. "I know I was born in Canada, but I'm really proud to be part of America and I respect and appreciate the courage dedication and sacrifices our troops offer for our freedom. We met as many servicemen as we could signing autographs in the mess halls and at the officers' balls." His 90 minute holiday show (with impersonator Kathy Walker and music conductor Chuck Hoover), by the way, featured more than 100 impressions, including Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Sinatra, Armstrong, Nicholson, Eastwood, Presidents Kennedy, Clinton and Bush and, as I said, yours truly. Expect much of the same this weekend...

As for the rest of the next 72 hours, tonight, Victoria's Secret models Alessandra and Ana Beatrice will be hosting a special night at the new Jet nightclub in the Mirage... Peter Noone, my old buddy from England who leads Hermans Hermits, and Randy Jones from the original Village People, will both be at the Silverton over the weekend... Ray Romano will set laughter loose at the Mirage tonight, Etta James will jazz the joint in The Orleans through Sunday and Tom Jones continues a panty-throwing swivel-hipped run at MGM until February 1... BJ Thomas sings for his supper at the Boulder Station, as does Keith Sweat at Texas Station... And my longtime pal, talkshow host Regis Philbin brings his wife Joy to chat a little, dance a little, sing a little and laugh a little at the Golden Nugget. Don't be surprised if he shows up at Miss America...

One person you can't see this weekend unfortunately is Barry Manilow, who doesn't return to his new regular home at the LV Hilton until mid-February. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make a house call. Click here, scroll down and enjoy Barry on your own desktop performing “Unchained Melody” from the stage of 'Manilow: Music and Passion' at the Las Vegas Hilton!

Don't forget that by clicking the 'Alert Me' tab up top, you'll get pinged daily with every new posting. And reaching Robin is as easy as writing robinsvegas@aol.com .

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this