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March 19, 2024

Holly Madison signs off on ‘Rabbit Hole’; numbers crunch led to Grimm decision at Vinyl

2015 KMA Gala: Arrivals

Tom Donoghue / DonoghuePhotography.com

Holly Madison and Claire Sinclair attend the 2015 Keep Memory Alive “Power of Love” gala Saturday, June 13, 2015, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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Holly Madison's new book is due out on June 23.

The Kats Report Bureau just returned from a writing spree at Jean Philippe Patisserie in Aria, after which I ran into City Councilman Steve Ross, who is running for Clark County Commission. We had a quick conversation about a retail complex of great history in VegasVille, the Commercial Center on East Sahara Avenue. The historic complex in under county jurisdiction, and as Ross said it is ripe for economic development.

That vast fortress of small businesses was established in 1960. It is home to about 150 stores and restaurants, including many famous family operations, among them John Fish Jewelers, Lotus of Siam and Tiffany Cleaners. Onyx Theater, the Green Door, Badlands Saloon, A Harmony Nail Spa — all of them give Commercial Center a distinct flair.

But even as Ross talks of a potential revival, I’ve heard for years about some of the long-standing business owners looking to vacate. One that has moved out was Serge’s Wigs, which operated in the center for about 30 years before moving about five years ago to a new space on West Sahara. And I’ve long wondered how long Tiffany Cleaners will hang in the location it has held since opening in 1970.

Quirky, vast and sprawling. That’s Commercial Center. And it is a far jaunt from such resorts as Aria, in fact and spirit. Maybe Mr. Ross will one day be an agent for change. Or maybe the Center will continue to be the place to find a beautiful diamond ring or eat great Thai food. We’ll see.

Onward:

• Holly Madison is to promote her new book “Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny” on July 1 with a book signing at Barnes & Noble at Rainbow Promenade shopping center, 2191 N. Rainbow Boulevard. The event begins at 7 p.m., and everyone in line must have a copy of a book and a wristband issued by B&N staff. Priority will be given to B&N members and those who bought the book at that outlet.

Madison’s book is set for release Tuesday. Her first signing is at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles on Thursday.

• Michael Grimm’s residency at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel was a simple case of the show not hitting its numbers. Grimm was to play four nights a week through Aug. 30, with locals paying $10 per ticket. Grimm’s wife, Lucie, who also acts as his manager, said today that locals were turning out for the show, but at such a low price point even a full room of 400 ticket buyers (and Grimm drew maybe half that on his opening night) would not cover expenses.

But Grimm is still in talks with the hotel to return to the venue with fewer dates this summer. He is planning a tour in September, but Lucie says his focus in Las Vegas is solely the Hard Rock room. He also happens to be looking for a new guitarist, for anyone interested …

• The PBS concert special recorded by Frankie Moreno at the Stratosphere in February 2014 is now airing across the country as the public station’s pledge-drive campaign. The video will air in major markets across the country, including Southern California, beginning this weekend. The target for Vegas PBS is during the month of August, but no formal date is yet set.

Meantime, the video recorded by Moreno and violin great Joshua Bell at Moreno’s home in Las Vegas last year is nominated for an Emmy for best arts and entertainment show at the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards on Saturday night in Palm Springs, Calif.

• Among the donations made at last Saturday’s Keep Memory Alive “Power of Love” gala for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health was a $1.25 million grant from NV Energy Foundation. The endowment is for NV Energy Chair for Brain Health Education, and that money is distributed over five years to fund the chair and help the clinic advance its Nevada health care educational program. The gift was announced during the gala’s live auction, as NV Energy President and CEO Paul Caudill was among the dignitaries in the audience.

• We thought that he was gone, like, last fall. We ate the celebratory goodbye cake and everything. But there seems no end to the boundless run of Cook E. Jarr in Las Vegas, as he is back at Napoleon’s Lounge at Paris Las Vegas on Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. (and big ups to our friends at Vital Vegas for making this note; that’s where I first learned of it).

Among other oddities, this means that the Jarr — a Las Vegas lounge legend dating to the early 1980s — will have played the same venue as a champion of “American Idol.” And this reminds of how much we miss Taylor Hicks, who rocked Napoleon’s not so long ago …

Wildly popular about a generation ago with Cook E. Jarr & The Krums, the Jarr played famous hotels such as El Rancho (after it was rebranded from the Thunderbird), the Dunes, Sands and Caesars Palace. He played the back room at Tap House on West Charleston Boulevard, then moved from there to Carnival Court at Harrah’s, and finally the Piano Bar at Harrah’s. That’s where he most recently headlined until Aug. 27, when he shut it down — or so it seemed.

Now the Jarr is at Napoleon’s, and whether this gig proves to be his Waterloo remains to be seen.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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