Red Carpet Report: Miss USA Pageant at Mandalay Bay on May 14
Confirming our Wicked Whisper + Racy Rumor, it’s now official that the 66th Miss USA Pageant is May 14 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Deshauna Barber, the U.S. Army Reserve captain from The District of Columbia who won the title here last June, will crown her successor.
The winner represents the United States at The Miss Universe Pageant. Lauren York, 23, of North Las Vegas, a model who has shot for Guess and Monster Energy, won our state pageant last November and represents The Silver State as Miss Nevada.
The beautiful blonde is an advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving after being hit by a drunken driver six years ago. Overcoming injuries, she has been a Victim Impact Speaker for the organization.
MEN OF THE STRIP
During the week that “Magic Mike Live!” celebrates its grand opening at The Hard Rock Hotel comes word that 98 Degrees founder and singer Jeff Timmons is relaunching his Men of the Strip at The Tropicana starting May 25. Jeff, who plans to star as the Men of the Strip singer, says if tempted that he will doff his clothes down to his skivvies.
“My job is to ensure that the crowd lets go of its inhibitions,” said Jeff. Men of the Strip emerged in 2012 when Jeff joined forces with choreographer Glenn Douglas Packard and producer Mike “Money Mike” Foland to create a revue that toured 42 cities in 43 days and sold more than 50,000 tickets.
A two-hour docu-movie special of their antics was broadcast on E! Entertainment to more than a half-million viewers. Jeff says that Men of the Strip, which had a run at The D Las Vegas, will be the most risque male revue yet.
SHOUT-OUTS
One of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts’ longest continuous teaching artists is Steven Clark, who has enjoyed a 35-year career as a drummer. He’s recorded with everybody from Elvis Costello to Tom Petty. Over the past 20 years, Steven has developed rhythm workshops for disabled adults and helped expand students’ access to music lessons.
His Smith Center students have an opportunity to perform solo onstage at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Since 2012, Steven has taught percussion to preschool students through The Smith Center’s Southern Nevada Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts program.
One of our town’s funniest sleight-of-hand magicians is wrestling champion Greg Dow, aka The Shocker. He’s appeared on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us,” “Wizard Wars” and “Masters of Illusion.”
His comedic personality is as engaging as his mind-blowing magic — and I have to say that, otherwise he’d have me in a chokehold! Greg performs at The High Roller at The Linq Promenade and Jeff McBride’s monthly “Wonderground” shows.
RACETRACK EXPANSION
Our Exotics Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway expanded to a Los Angeles location and is now adding a third in Utah. High-speed fans from Salt Lake City will now be able to drive the incredible fleet of supercars at Utah Motorsports Campus, a 30-minute drive west from SLC.
The course has a 10-turn, 2.2-mile run with two quarter-mile straights that lets the supercars top speeds of 135 mph. A professional team led by Las Vegas instructors will be on hand for The Original Driving Experience from Las Vegas.
UPCOMING EVENT
Former Microsoft Chief Technology Nathan Myhrvold has set a May 23 date for the opening of his Modernist Cuisine Gallery at The Forum Shops of Caesars Palace. Our story on Nathan’s extraordinary photography and cookbooks was posted March 31.
I may well have confused readers, so let me state for the record that his gallery will sell fine art photography of his cooking processes and foods and not posters, per se.
EARTH DAY
For the first time, The Linq Promenade will host an Earth Day Fashion Show on Saturday featuring outfits created from recycled materials designed by Caesars Entertainment employees. Entertainment will be provided by Junk Yard Percussion on The Linq Promenade stage, and The High Roller will be lit green after 7:30 p.m.
