Denise Truscello / WireImage / DeniseTruscello.net
Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli perform “The Prayer“ during the 2015 Keep Memory Alive “Power of Love” gala Saturday, June 13, 2015, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Monday, May 16, 2016 | 3:04 p.m.
This week, Monday By the Numbers turns its spotlight on one of the year’s great philanthropic events — and events of any kind — the Keep Memory Alive “Power of Love” charity gala benefiting the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
The event is set for Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Customarily, the person being honored is a bona-fide legend: Tony Bennett, who is turning a monster number (as Jerry Lewis would term it) this year and is lending his time and presence to the gala. Past honorees include Muhammad Ali, Siegfried & Roy, Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Quincy Jones and Sir Michael Caine.
Let’s roll the charitable data:
90: Bennett’s age this Aug. 3.
24: Bennett’s age when he recorded his first No. 1 single, “Because of You,” in April 1950.
19: Grammy Awards won by Bennett.
50 million: Records sold worldwide.
67: Albums recorded by Bennett (including studio and live albums, but not counting compilations).
54: Years since the release of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
21: Years since the first “Power of Love” event at Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace on Feb. 18, 1995.
35: Attendees at the first “Power of Love” event.
1,700: Expected attendance at Saturday’s event at MGM Grand.
16,000: Attendees at subsequent “Power of Love” events since that first dinner at Spago.
6: Locations for “Power of Love” galas over the years (Spago, Postrio at Venetian, the Mirage, Bellagio, MGM Grand Conference Center and MGM Grand Garden Arena).
26: Grammy-winning artists who have performed at the event (including Bono, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli).
30: Celebrity chefs who have prepared menus for the gala.
$1 million: Price fetched for the gloves Muhammad Ali wore in his 1965 heavyweight title defense against Floyd Patterson at Las Vegas Convention Center and a poster from that fight.
$100 million: Estimated amount — and a conservative estimate — raised at “Power of Love” galas since its debut in 1995.
MGM Grand, a AAA Four Diamond resort, offers 5,044 rooms and suites.
MGM Grand features KÀ by Cirque du Soleil; Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club; and world-class entertainment at the Grand Garden Arena and Hollywood Theatre.
The resort offers signature restaurants by celebrity chefs including Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans Fish House, Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill and Michelin three star and Forbes Five Star restaurant, Joël Robuchon.
As part of its ongoing “Grand Renovation,” MGM Grand has remodeled all rooms and suites in its main tower and is adding several new experiences to its lineup including Hakkasan Las Vegas Restaurant and Nightclub, a new upscale dining/nightlife concept (coming in April 2013).
MGM Grand also features a state-of-the-art, non-smoking conference center, the Grand Spa, Cristophe Salon, "CSI: The Experience" and an inviting pool complex featuring the tantalizing daylife of Wet Republic.
Upscale accommodations include The Mansion, an exclusive hotel within the hotel; the luxurious two-story SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand; and The Signature at MGM Grand, a luxury all-suite, non-gaming hotel located adjacent to the main resort.
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