Friday, May 23, 2003 | 6:04 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
May 25, 2003
VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at [email protected] or at (702) 259-4096.
What could be cooler than seeing actual von Trapps in a production of "The Sound of Music"?
Four great-grandchildren of Baron Georg Ritter von Trapp are professional singers and are coming to Las Vegas to perform in a stage version of their famous family story.
Von Trapp was the patriarch of the famous singing family whose amazing story of escaping the Nazis was exquisitely captured in the 1965 Oscar-winning movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.
Sofia von Trapp, 14, Melanie von Trapp, 12, Amanda von Trapp, 11, Justin von Trapp, 8, and their parents, Annie and Stefan von Trapp, arrive in Las Vegas in late July.
The stage production of "The Sound of Music" -- which features the four kids -- plays from July 23 to July 26 at the Aladdin Theatre for Performing Arts.
They have played occasional gigs since 1997, including stints at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt.
A convention of Elvis and other celebrity impersonators takes over the downtown Lady Luck casino this weekend.
This being Las Vegas, will anyone notice?
Party vs. Party.
Two Las Vegas leisure-time professionals, Monti Rock III and the ubiquitous Robin Leach, are having birthday parties at the exact same time next weekend.
Rock is asking for a $15 donation, which he plans to donate toward his favorite AIDS charity. Leach is celebrating his big day with a private dinner party at his Spanish Trail home.
Champagne and caviar, of course, are on the menu.
Even Celine Dion is an "American Idol" fan.
Seems she sent "Idol" finalists Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard pendants with a lucky coin, dipped into her new Celine Dion Parfums fragrance, as good-luck charms.
Both young men reportedly wore the necklaces during their final rehearsals. Of course, it brought Studdard more luck than Aiken.
The story goes that Dion found a "lucky" coin before her first singing competition and promptly stuck it in her shoe -- and then won the competition.
So now she has apparently taken to sending off good-luck coins to favored young performers.
Josh Thomsen, the talented young chef at Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, is leaving Las Vegas.
He leaves in July for the Lodge at Pebble Beach, Calif., one of the nation's premier resort properties. Thomsen said while he loves his current job, the opportunity for professional advancement was too good to pass up.
"I'm sorry to see him go, and he knows that the door is always open for him here," Kerry Simon said.
Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan of the Crystal Method are making an appearance at Curve (Aladdin) tonight.
The famed electronic music duo and Las Vegas natives will take over the turntables at the club around 11 p.m.
Talk about "down in front."
Thirty members of the Las Vegas Tall Club took in a performance of The Orleans' dinner show, "Ba Da Bing," a few nights ago."
Everyone seated behind them, including VegasBeat, was absolutely thrilled.
But we got to talking with club President Brian Comeno, founder Carolyn Jacobs, social chairwoman Barbara Comeno-Platt and this years' LVTC Queen, Heidi Brewer, and they all seemed like a delightful group.
Turned out that The Orleans trip was a 20-year anniversary celebration for the club.
E! Entertainment Television "Wild On" host Cindy Taylor will be at the Mystere Theatre this afternoon filming aerial cube artist Paul Bowler.
VegasBeat acquaintance and award-winning New York Times lifestyle reporter Guy Trebay is in Las Vegas this weekend.
He is preparing an article for the Old Gray Lady on the multiplying number of adult-themed shows and activities.
When we spoke to Trebay, he seemed surprised after interviewing Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to hear that hizzoner was a proponent of all the X-rated activity. Well, Trebay is here to learn.
And with a story like this, what could a Times reporter possibly make up that is stranger than what really goes on here?
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