Red Carpet Report: ‘Nigerian Spam Scam Scam,’ Siegfried, Feather Hadden, Marsha Warfield, Summer Rae, Emma
Every one has received the email from the Nigerian prince requesting help in providing a bank account that he can deposit $100 million and transfer ill-gotten gains into America. Most delete it, but performer Dean Cameron decided to offer his services in the name of theater.
Dean embarked on an 11-month correspondence with a tenacious Nigerian, and now he has turned the experience into a hysterically funny play, “The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam.”
Mark Shunock will produce it for three performances from March 31-April 1 at The Space. Victor Isaac plays the phony, bewildered African diplomat. The script contains dialogue from the email threads and documents exchanged. Dean posed as a sexually confused Florida millionaire with his attorney, Perry Mason!
SIEGFRIED HONORED
Las Vegas illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher will be the first recipient of a new Caregivers Heroes Award presented to volunteers at the April 27 Keep Memory Alive gala. Afterward, he’ll present four other medals to caregivers from The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Larry Ruvo, KMA founder, told me, “This will become an annual event now as part of our KMA gala. Caregivers have an awesome responsibility caring literally around the clock for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other brain-related diseases.
“They are the backbone of the medical care that’s necessary 24/7.” Tennis ace Andre Agassi and billionaire entrepreneur Ronald Perelman will be honorees at the “Power of Love Gala” with entertainment by Gwen Stefani and Jon Bon Jovi.
OVERLOOKED AGAIN
Not one Las Vegas chef was nominated in the James Beard Foundation category for Best Chef in the West. The annual list of nominees only tipped its toque to three valley restaurants. Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier, where executive chef Steve Benjamin reigns supreme, won a nomination for Outstanding Restaurant. It has been in operation for 10 years.
James Beard Award winner Saipin Chutima’s Lotus of Siam received a nod for Outstanding Wine Program at the much-heralded Thai restaurant, and Sam Fox, who holds down the kitchen at Culinary Dropout at The Hard Rock Hotel, received an Outstanding Restaurateur nomination.
The foundation, which regularly gets many Las Vegas chefs and their hotels to underwrite the full costs of its guest-chef fundraiser dinners in New York, has regularly ignored them when it comes to the annual awards.
RETURN TO STANDUP
After the long run of Harry Anderson’s hit NBC sitcom “Night Court,” actress and comedienne Marsha Warfield, who played the unflappable bailiff Roz Russell, retired with a move to Las Vegas, and she has called here home since 2001.
Now she’s going back to her standup roots with a new run of twice-weekly shows at L.A. Comedy Club, which will hold down The Stratosphere every Wednesday and Thursday starting next week.
Steven Roberts will host Marsha’s shows with Skillz Hudson as guest comedian. Marsha promises a candid outlook on her life, aging, the sexes, politics, race and more during her run at The Stratosphere.
INJURY FORCED RETIREMENT
Undisputed champion Feather “The Hammer” Hadden officially retired from our Las Vegas-headquartered Lingerie Fighting Championships today as a result of injuries sustained at LFC 22 last October.
Feather retires with a 21-1 record, successfully defending her title 10 times. She sustained a broken nose, broken foot and concussion in her recent bloody battle against Shay “The FX” Mazzato.
Incredibly, she still managed to knock out Shay in the second round to retain her belt. Feather has accepted a coaching position with the league, so her fighting career might be over, but her relationship with LFC continues.
NEON EXPANSION
For the first time since opening, The Neon Museum has purchased additional land to allow for its first significant expansion. The purchase of the parcel, which occupies .27 acres adjacent to Neon Boneyard and La Concha visitor’s center, was made possible in part by a $425,000 grant from the City of Las Vegas.
Once construction is completed this year, the new outdoor exhibit area and events center will host private events and public programs. The expanded Neon Museum space will house 30 signs not currently on view.
Those signs include those from Las Vegas Club, Spearmint Rhino, Longhorn Casino, Sahara Saloon, Opera House Saloon and Riviera. Many of these signs have been in the museum’s storage facility due to lack of available space at Neon Boneyard.
ESCAPOLOGY OPENS
The live escape game that’s swept the nation is getting ready to open its seven tricked-out rooms next Tuesday at its venue on South Maryland Parkway. The thrilling mind-challenging Escapology experience calls for teams of as many as six players to race against the clock.
Their ultimate goal is to locate clues and solve puzzles and riddles to escape the adventurous game room in 60 minutes. Here is a video from The Orlando Sentinel in Florida that gives an overview of Escapology.
STAR SURVEILLANCE
Celebrity chef and UNLV graduate Guy Fieri stopped by Gold & Silver Pawn Shop today admiring merchandise on display and while there met Chumlee.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor partied at Surrender in Steve Wynn’s Encore on Wednesday night at “Surrender Your Wednesday” industry night. The fighter and his group took over a private bungalow with bottles of Grey Goose, Jack Daniels and Patron.
And WWE stars Emma and Summer Rae were guests of The D Las Vegas exec Richard Wilk for Valentine’s Day at Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse before attending Jennifer Lopez’s “All I Have” at Axis at Planet Hollywood. They posed for photographs with The D’s co-owner Greg Stevens and The D’s Flair bartenders.
