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

With all the cameras around town, almost at every intersection, it's like television-city gridlock from Hollywood! For the 2nd time in three years, Fox Sports Net has brought its 'Best Damn Sports Show, Period' back to town and both hosts and producers love Glitter Gulch so much they’re planning another week of location shows before the end of the year. Sunday, hosts Chris Rose, John Salley, Rob Dibble and correspondent Lisa Dergan were joined by guest host, New York Knicks star Jalen Rose, to wrap up 3-days of filming that are airing all this week at 10.30PM on Fox Sports. Among the guests on the location set at Hooters were LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Evander Holyfield, Chris Paul, Redskins' running back Clinton Portis and Howard Stern’s sidekick Artie Lange (his episode airs tomorrow night (THURS).

LEFT: John Salley on 'Best Damn Sports Show, Period.' RIGHT: Knick player Jalen Rose enjoying the show.

Former Laker John Salley got the basketball stars to do 3-pointers into the pool and then "basically pushed them" right into the water. Each day, 40 Miss Hooters International contestants were on hand -- some even doing stupid human tricks with amazing skills that had to be seen to be believed. Sunday’s show featured the regular Vegas Hooters Casino girls clad in swimsuits and the symbolic orange booty-blushers! Since the tapings coincided with the World Series of Poker, players Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, Daniel Negreanu and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow were also show guests.

Chris Rose, John Salley and Lisa Dergan at Hooters taping of 'Best Damn Sports Show, Period.'

STICKING WITH SPORTS FOR THE MOMENT
Each day since July 19, Team USA, with such basketball players as LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), has been practicing at our Thomas & Mack arena for the Gold Medal playoffs throughout Asia. After the weeklong training camp, the final 15 players have been picked to represent Team USA in next month's world championships in Japan. They are: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), Shane Battier (Houston Rockets), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs), Elton Brand (L.A. Clippers), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards), Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns), Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). They will play an exhibition game against Team Puerto Rico here in Vegas before flying to China and Korea for the preliminary games.

They’re boasting it could be the biggest prize in game show history! Does that mean it will exceed $64-million? The producers of Howie Mandel’s 'Deal or No Deal' picked the Palms to start hunting for America’s newest multi-millionaires for a new TV series called, 'Show Me The Money,' which will run on Fox during November rating sweeps… . CSI’s 5th season opener this fall will be a 2-part episode being shot next week at the Cirque KA show in the MGM Grand… . I got to treat local interior decorator Teresa Keegan to a prize luncheon at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Caesars Palace for her winning a round against fellow decorator Jaquylyn Guevarra in 'She House' filmed here for six weeksin a North Las Vegas estate by the WE cable network. Cable-viewers will get the opportunity to win the actual house when it airs… . VH1 has set primetime October 22 as the kickoff date of our ten-part 'Fame Game' series that I hosted earlier this summer and I promise you more about "the funniest, most shocking show ever shot in Vegas" as we get closer to the airdate… . VH1 will also shoot bartenders from all across America here in Vegas for 'Passing The Bar,' an 'American Idol' type show hosted by my good friend Nikki Ziering. (You remember she and I were plunged into the Australian rainforest for 'Get Me Out of Here' on ABC two years ago.) The show is looking for "bartenders with flair," and the winner will live free in Vegas for a year and receive a guaranteed bar-tending job in the Carnival Court at Harrah’s on the Strip… . Sister network MTV will start shooting its 'Twentyfourseven' series here, which is mighty appropriate since we are the world’s true 24/7 city… . Producers of the 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' movie are reuniting some of the cast -- Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann -- for their next movie 'Knocked Up' which will film in casinos around town next week with 'Grey’s Anatomy' star Katherine Heigl… . Keep your eyes on the Food Network for the mini-series 'Red Room Saloon' also filmed here this summer… . Finally -- at least for the moment -- the Sundance cable channel has an 8-part documentary series underway about our justice system called 'Vegas City Law'.

THE WINNER -- AS PROMISED

The new Miss Hooters International, Michelle Nunes basks in the glory.

Last night, gorgeous Michelle Nunes was crowned Miss Hooters International at the beauty pageant held in the Aladdin Theater. She walked away with $50,000 in cash plus a modeling contract for the restaurant chain, which includes a national TV commercial campaign. Click here to read more about Michelle's victory. Congratulations Michelle and for making your home California so proud.

MAGIC MILLION AND A HALF MARK!

'Mamma Mia!' brings new life to the music of Abba at Mandalay Bay.

Hard to believe 'Mamma Mia!' has 11 worldwide-productions and a 12th will open this fall in Moscow! Hard to believe that the 22 songs of Abba still pack the 1,600-seat Mandalay Bay theater, going into its 4th year! Having grossed $1.5 billion in worldwide box office sales, it has been seen by more than 27-million people worldwide. Our Vegas version still grosses more than $700,000 every week at the box office, but it makes more magic this week, welcoming its 1.5 millionth guest at the box office!!! 1,318 performances have played to 1,458,000 as of July 1. Congratulations to all the cast and crew!! I’ve seen the show three times since its February 13,2003 premiere and always recommend it to my out of town friends. There’s something special about the sugar-sweet sing-along schmaltzy songs that gets the whole audience singing and dancing in the aisles -- legally!

500 SHOWS

Things are swimming for the cast of 'Le Reve', which celebrates its 500th show at the Wynn.

Congratulations also to the cast of 'Le Reve' on their 500th show at the Wynn. Gorgeous and still sexy actress Angie Dickinson is the most recent Hollywood VIP to thrill to the amazing water-sequences and fantasy acrobatics that’s attracted such A-listers as Usher, Sting and Martha Stewart. Our Luxe Life cameras just filmed an exclusive first-ever behind-the-scenes tour of the show for an upcoming video segment including the death-defying free-fall drop 10-stories up by one of the divers!! It's spine-tingling.

NEW HOTEL INSIDE A HOTEL

One of the bedrooms at the new Signature guest-residences at the MGM Grand.

The big surprise for Vegas is that the new Signature condo-tel is a non-gaming non-smoking hotel!! Tomorrow, Vegas VIP’s get a first look at the new guest-residences tower inside the MGM Grand complex but Luxe Life has the advance sneak peek. Tower 2 will open in December with Tower 3 following in May next year. There are only 16 one and two bedroom suites on each floor, all with state of the art technology including iPod docking clocks and hi-def TV’s, emphasizing elegance and luxury within a serene and sophisticated setting. Each Tower -- with its own pool for its 576 suites -- is distinctly different.

A kitchen in one of the suites at the new Signature condo-hotel at MGM Grand. 

Tower 1 is contemporary, Tower 2 is dynamic and fun and Tower 3 is a calming tranquil spa environment. Condo owners get to rent out their apartments to MGM guests willing to pay up to $510 per night for being a "world away from frenzied frantic Vegas action and yet just steps from every dining and entertainment attraction imaginable"! The Signature is the first of the new wave of Strip and off-Strip condo-hotels to open with more than a dozen projects following in various stages of construction. The biggest of them all is MGM’s Project City Center that spreads down over 70-acres from the new Cosmopolitan alongside the Bellagio down to the Monte Carlo with more than 10,000 suitesset to open by 2010!!

Luxury is the name of the game at MGM Grand's Signature hotel-condo.

STRIP SCRIBBLES
Jack Nicholson gave a double thumbs-up of approval after trying to go incognito at the Beatles LOVE musical at the Mirage. … Three Vegas-based celebrity chefs, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina and Bobby Flay have opened their first Atlantic City restaurants at the new Borgata Hotel there. … Michael, normally a seafood star, will also open his first steakhouse called "Stripsteak" at Mandalay Bay before Christmas and vows the Japanese designers will surprise with a never before-seen restaurant design. … Three Lake Las Vegas chef-colleagues, Joseph Keller with Timothy Perkins and Michael Carrigan were selected to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York. … Meantime Jo’s brother Thomas Keller hailed as America’s #1 chef has opened his French-styled Bouchon Bakery open 7-days a week at The Venetian from 7am to 11pm for breads, pastries and desserts to join the bakery outposts in Manhattan and the Napa Valley.

TONIGHT'S TIP
Country is cool on a hot summer night and even more so when it's FREE!!! Texas born singer Tracy Lawrence sings his #1 hits under the neon lights of the Fremont Street Experience downtown. But don’t fret about paying for Reba McEntire’s tickets for her final five shows (well worth it) -- at least until late fall completion of her new TV show season filming -- at the Hilton beginning tonight thru Sunday evening. Poker kings Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Jennifer Harman from the Full Tilt team go against celebrity players including Jason Alexander, Norm MacDonald, John Salley (yes again) and Shannon Elizabeth in a 10PM-2AM-poker tournament at the PURE nightclub in Caesars Palace to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Vegas. There’s a Paris Hilton party for her new single at Krave nightclub, although she’s not expected. However Bad Boy Bill makes a stop on his DJ world tour at Tabu in MGM Grand.

LEFT: Jason Alexander plays poker for charity tonight. RIGHT: Celebrate Paris' new single tonight at Krave.

TOMORROW'S TEASE
Not red, nor yellow or green!! The Blue Man Group has been thrilling audiences around the world since they launched their off-beat humor and paint-spray percussions. Luxe Life sat down with co-founder Chris Wink for a first-ever exclusive behind-the-scenes photo tour at their Venetian home.

CONTACT US
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Go to AOL Vegas for much more on hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightlife, and everything Las Vegas! Check our travel section for great deals on hotels, airfare and much more! And when visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas LuxeLife, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.

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