Wicked Whispers + Racy Rumors: Vinny Pazienza, Al Pacino, Chloe Lattanzi, Rouge Lounge, Losers Bar
It was one of the greatest comebacks in boxing. Former world-champion fighter Vinny Pazienza was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair after his spine was severed in a car accident. Vinny is a Las Vegas regular, and several scenes of BLEED FOR THIS, a new biographical film of his life, were filmed here.
Incredibly, Vinny underwent dangerous neck-fusion surgery and vowed to fight again — and win. At his insistence, the movie will have a Las Vegas premiere screening Nov. 17, with the cast and co-producer Martin Scorsese at Brenden Theaters at The Palms attending to honor the legend. Oscar-winner Martin also will be honored with a star in the lobby of the movie complex.
The film, starring Miles Teller as Paz and Aaron Eckhart as his trainer, Kevin Rooney, was written and directed by Ben Younger and has its major release Nov. 4. Katey Sagal and Ted Levine co-star. Miles won raves for his portrayal when the film was screened a week ago at the Toronto and Telluride film festivals.
* The reclusive and notoriously shy Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino has agreed to spend an evening at The Venetian on Oct. 15 telling myriad highlights from his stage and screen career. He’ll even invite the audience to take part in a Q+A. Al is one of the rare winners of the triple crown of acting: the Oscar, Tony and Emmy, and President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts in 2011. He won his Oscar for SCENT OF A WOMAN in 1992.
In my Italian travels last month, I visited Bar Vitelli in Savoca, Sicily, where he filmed THE GODFATHER trilogy for Francis Ford Coppola, and I even held the gun he used in the first film’s wedding scene. I interviewed Al for the late New York Post columnist Earl Wilson in the 1970s. Earl was too nervous to tackle Al’s first lengthy media grilling, so he asked me to stand in for him. I agreed and still remember Al’s bizarre instructions.
He insisted that he would stand in the corner of a room so I would not look at him during the interview. To avoid getting too close to him, I had to sit in the middle of the room. He was extremely courteous and answered every question slowly and hesitantly, but our eyes never locked. We’ll see if he remembers his first-ever interview when I meet him next month.
* Australian tabloids are screaming with speculative headlines that Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, with ex-husband actor Matt Lattanzi, has spent $400,000 on plastic surgery to give herself a Barbie doll look.
New Idea Magazine reports that the 30-year-old daughter of our Flamingo headliner underwent cosmetic surgery for a nose job, multiple breast enhancements, fillers and Botox. Chloe, who filmed Olivia’s latest video at gay nightclub Share here, is rumored to also have had liposuction, a rib removal and backside surgery.
* Rouge Lounge at MGM Grand is no more. It was closed over Labor Day Weekend. A popular dive bar concept from Nashville will reopen there in December with live music, draft beers and surprise performances from music artists. It will have the slightly unfortunate name of Losers Bar facing part of the casino floor.
