Miss Universe to be held at Planet Hollywood Nov. 25-26
After top-level negotiations, the Miss Universe pageant officials have agreed that Las Vegas will be home for the 66th annual beauty contest that will be shown in more than 190 countries worldwide by over half-a-billion people.
I can reliably confirm that the international pageant with more than 70 glamorous contestants from around the world will be held at Planet Hollywood Nov. 25-26, and will be broadcast live on Fox TV. And it’s believed that Steve Harvey, who has been the subject of controversy over incorrectly announcing past winners, will be back to reveal this year’s victor.
The current Miss Universe, Iris Mittenaere of France, will be on the Strip to crown her successor. The current Miss USA, who will represent America at the pageant, is Kara McCullough of the District of Columbia. The 25-year-old scientist from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave D.C. a back-to-back victory after Deshauna Barber was crowned the previous year’s winner. She won the title here in Las Vegas when the Miss USA pageant was broadcast from Planet Hollywood in May with Julianna Hough and Terrence J as hosts with performances by Pitbull, Brett Eldredge and cast members of Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson” show at Mandalay Bay.
“Our organization believes that confidence is the most important quality for a person to possess,” said Paula Shugart, Miss Universe president.
Expect the official announcement to confirm my scoop in the next two weeks.
WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORS
• Finally the old “Jubilee” showroom at Bally’s is about to get a new tenant. The solid rumor is that the Illusionists magic show that’s been on tour worldwide will call the Las Vegas Strip its permanent home.
The Illusionists has been on a worldwide tour and won raves for its Broadway run:
Among its stars has been Kevin James, who has headlined in almost every major Vegas casino over the years and Vegas veteran Jeff Hobson with his brand of comedy magic that’s labeled him “The Trickster.”
• I’m also reliably learning that Canadian stand-up comic Tom Greene has won a residency at Bally’s and plans the Westgate move to Las Vegas as a full-time resident. Tom will appear in the one-time Liaison nightclub space there. Seth Udoff, who recently brought CeeLo Green to Caesars Palace and Richard Marx to the Flamingo, is behind the new Tom Green show at Bally’s. Tom served as a guest host on “Late Show” with David Letterman, and he gained notoriety with his own zany late-night talk show on MTV.
• Look for Jennifer Romas and her troupe of torrid topless dancers from her “Sexxy” show at the Westgate to become the latest television reality stars. It’s way more than a behind-the-scenes backstage spot, it’s her climb to the top of the Las Vegas entertainment scene. The sizzle reel has already been shot and is now being reviewed by competing cable network programming executives.
DARCI’S STRIP SUCCESS
• No sooner did we reveal that 12-year-old ventriloquist Darci Farmer, who won Season 12 of “America’s Got Talent” and a headlining engagement on the Strip at Planet Hollywood than the box office was overrun with ticket demands. Now Darci has agreed to fly in earlier for her shows and will add another production for Nov. 2, extending her stay through Nov. 4.
J-LO TEAMS UP WITH BOCCELLI
• In another exclusive: Planet Hollywood headliners Jennifer Lopez will be filming a new Guess Jeans TV commercial and print ad. This week here in Las Vegas with none other than Andrea Boccelli’s handsome son, Matteo, who is a top-ranked model back in Italy. Details of the shoot and its location are being kept well under wraps to prevent curious fans storming the site.
DELI DELIGHTS
• Five of the New York staff of world famous Canter’s Deli will help open the new branch on Thursday. They include four master deli carvers and a master baker.
”Authenticity is in our blood. Nothing we serve, from meat to baker goods, is synthetic,” said Kevin Jeffers, owner of Canter’s Las Vegas. “From the vintage menu attractions, to master carvers and chefs; every detail is carefully designed with original art in decorating the space. Canter’s Las Vegas stays true to what everyone remembers at Canter’s Fairfax in Los Angeles as a simple, authentic deli-eating experience.”
Joining the kitchen is what staff at Canter’s Las Vega are already jokingly calling “The New York Five,” a group of deli master carvers and a master baker who all spent years crafting their skills in some of New York’s best Delis.
“I grew up learning how to carve meats watching my dad slicing pastrami,” said Johnny Perdome, “Naturally, I started my culinary career in New York’s best delis, which is the best way to learn my craft. It is Canter’s Las Vegas’s dedication to authenticity that brought me and my colleagues here. We are eager to present to our fellow deli lovers in Vegas what an authentic deli food experience actually is.”
TONIGHT’S TIPS:
• The five sexy ladies who make up the straight-shooting Tri County Terror Band play a free concert at the Beauty Bar downtown.
• Joseph Gettright hosts the industry party at the Bare Pool lounge in The Mirage.
• DJ Vice works the turntables at the Marquee nightclub in The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.
• DJ Guy Williams spins the 1s and 2s at the Dorsey in The Venetian.