Wednesday, July 14, 2004 | 10:25 a.m.
Despite some controversy and some fat fines levied because of its lewd local billboards , the Hard Rock Hotel is going national with another risque ad campaign.
The hotel is also turning up the heat by bringing in "Pieces (of A..)," an off-Broadway show where 12 attractive women deliver often bawdy, self-written monologues about the frustrations of life as, well, what the title says.
During extended runs in Los Angeles and New York, the show was known for its celebrity guest stars. Among the beauties who have participated are Krista Allen of "Baywatch," Kirsten Buschbacher of "The Bachelor," Jenna Morasca of "Survivor," Trishelle Cannatella of MTV's "Real World Las Vegas" and Jamie-Lynn DiScala of "The Sopranos."
The Vegas star for the show's initial three-performance run will be Brooke Burke, who shot to fame as the bikini-clad host of E!'s "Wild On."
"It is all part of our desire to offer different entertainment that is uniquely Las Vegas," hotel marketing veep Phil Shalala told us.
The show is scheduled for three performances during the Aug. 13 weekend, but that run could be increased.
Shalala also said that the "Beacher's Madhouse" comedy show at The Joint, which has its last announced engagement July 23 with guest star Artie Lange of Howard Stern fame, will be extended indefinitely.
Separately, Shalala said that the $15 million ad campaign is geared toward the advertising-wary younger consumer.
The campaign kicks off in this week's Hamptons magazine with a full-page ad designed to resemble a doctor's prescription for 48 hours of post-Vegas bed rest.
Next month a 24-page guide to partying, Hard Rock-style, will be distributed at select nightclubs nationwide.
It will feature such advice as "threesome etiquette," Shalala told us.
Hard Rock President Kevin Kelley said he was not overly concerned about more controversy or backlash.
"We are mindful of our relationship with the regulators and authorities, but we also try to do a good job of balancing things for our customers. We have a market to serve and we are doing things to connect to that market."
Silver doings
Move over, Mandalay Bay shark tank. There's a new aquarium coming to town -- and this one has mermaids.
What is advertised as the largest acrylic panel in Las Vegas was installed Monday at the Silverton's new Mermaid Bar. The big curved window is 25 feet long, 14 feet tall and weighs 16,000 pounds.
The Mermaid Bar is a new attraction that will complete the Silverton's casinowide renovations when it is finished in the fall. It will feature a 110,000-gallon saltwater tank with more than 4,000 tropical fish -- and an hourly live "mermaid" show.
Name change
Successful businesses generally never change names in midstream -- why lose out on the name recognition factor and the savings bank of goodwill created?
But Aqua, celebrity Chef Michael Mina's Bellagio seafood palace, which has been rated by Zagat and others as one of the Strip's best, will be undergoing a name change July 21.
According to Bryan Bass at Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine, the new moniker will be simply Michael Mina.
Bass is reporting that the change is because of a nasty split between Mina and business partner Charles Condy. A Bellagio spokeswoman confirmed the name change, but did not comment on the specific reason.
Funny business
It was a somber tribute, but everyone ended up with a smile.
A star-studded celebration and fund-raiser was held at the Las Vegas Hilton Saturday night for the cancer charity City of Hope in the form of the Victor Awards.
The main event was a tribute to Pat Tillman, the pro football player who walked away from a $3.6 million contract to fight in Afghanistan -- and was subsequently killed as a result of what the U.S. military terms "friendly fire," meaning he was shot by gunfire from his own unit.
After the Tillman tribute, the job of getting everyone back in a good mood fell to Rio headliner Ronn Lucas. He succeeded in bringing the audience's spirits back up with some customized material while giving an award to star Boston Bruins rookie goaltender Andrew Raycroft.
Raycroft was given a mask to wear and became Lucas' puppet, causing much laughter in the audience.
Besides scores of sports stars, guests included Melissa Rivers, Anna Nicole Smith and lawyer Howard K. Stern, David Brenner, Florence Henderson, and the Beaver himself, Jerry Mathers.
Classy
Bill Fayne (who is Clint Holmes' musical director) and Rolling Stones tongue-and-lips logo designer Ruby Mazur are leaving Las Vegas this weekend -- together.
The longtime pals are off to their alma mater, Plainedge High School in North Massapequa, N.Y., for their 40th class reunion.
"We're among the least-famous people from the neighborhood," Mazur told us, as he reeled off a list of old-time Long Island neighbors including Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Guttenberg and the Baldwin brothers.
"Unfortunately, I had moved away by the time ("Long Island Lolita") Amy Fisher and Jessica Hahn arrived."
VegasBits
Star: Anna Nicole Smith generated quite a crowd while she was filming her E! show at the Palms Monday night. Everyone wanted to get a peek into her TrimSpa bus. She reappeared for a late dinner at Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock before hitting the tables in the high-roller Peacock Lounge ...
Hoop: Ernest Brown from the Boston Celtics had dinner Monday night at Cheesecake Factory at the Forum Shops at Caesars ...
Fix: Vegas personalities Rita Rudner and Robin Leach have been tapped by Home Depot to join Jay Leno and William Shatner at a massive 25th anniversary party for the retailer later this summer ...
Import: In a try to bring some real Vegas glamour to Atlantic City, Donald Trump is bringing in Ricci Martin and his tribute show to his father, Dean Martin, for a fall engagement ...
Diva: It was a diva duo Tuesday night when Caesars Palace headliner Sir Elton John did a duet with opera great Renee Fleming at the Radio City Music Hall to benefit the Royal Academy of Music and the Julliard School. John also unveiled some songs from "Billy Elliott," the upcoming musical he scored, based on the hit movie. John returns to The Colosseum at Caesars on July 23.
From Sun wires
Bush daughters break silence: President Bush was surprised when his politics-dissing daughters volunteered to work for his re-election campaign, the Bush twins admit in their debut interview.
"It's not like he called me up and asked me," Jenna Bush said. "They've (her parents) never wanted to throw us into that world, and I think our decision probably shocked them. But I love my dad and I think I would regret it if I didn't do this."
Now 22 and recent college graduates, Jenna and Barbara Bush ended their lifelong public silences in an interview in the August issue of Vogue.
While declaring their continuing lack of interest in politics, the twins speak with bemusement and admiration about their mom and dad and discuss boyfriends, fashions, college and their impending entry into the workaday world.
archive
