Pete Allman's Celebrity Scene News January 2002

The late Anthony Quinn was more then an actor, artist, and humanitarian. He was the philosopher of life. Mr. Quinn believed in helping the less unfortunate then you and me.He was a passionate man. One particular story Mr. Quinn shared with me was his relationship with Benjamin Segal. Segal was credited with building the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, the first strip hotel in Las Vegas. During those years Anthony Quinn would visit the hotel and happen to meet up with Mr. Segal's girlfriend. When Mr. Segal found out, he had his associates bring Mr. Quinn to his office. Under normal circumstances Quinn would not be around to tell this story, but because of his wonderful zest of life he became friends with Mr. Segal.

"Benjamin as he liked to be called and I , would hit the penny ante slots. Ben would yell out "I am a winner", when he would hit the penny jackpot. It was a wonderful time during though days " stated Quinn. My last conversation with Anthony Quinn was at the Resort at Summerlin which is now the Marriott. He was with his wife and children at that time, doing his one man show which was displayed at the Markim Gallery. He was a rare breed indeed and will be missed.

Comedian Pat Cooper and Patty Prince joined Comedian Joey Villa and Nicks On the Strip. Cooper said it was amazing he was able to drive down Harman to show up for dinner. The street was closed to through traffic for New Years Eve. Nicks is famous for his wonderful pizzas and Pasta Dishes. On the way out Cooper said the big problem in Las Vegas is service. "Hotels got to get back to personalized service." He stated. Both Cooper and Patty Prince recently finished an engagement at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. Rumor has it that both entertainers will open at one of the station's properties this year.

Country Hero's and Diva's is relatively a new production show based at the Greek Isle Hotel and Casino. Kevin Richards, the show producer said the talented performers in the production are every bit as good as any production show on the strip. Michelle Justice does a tribute Shania Twain and Bonnie Raitt, Sherrie Gordon pays tribute to Dolly Pardon and Dean Simmons leads the show in a tribute to Garth Brooks. For more information call 702.734.0711, show times are at 7pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Franklin Perry, the man who filled suit cases with 100 dollar bills and schemed folks out of their money in Las Vegas and abroad, is finally locked up at the Clark County Detention Center. Perry said he was an informant for the FBI. That may have been true but Perry allegedly stole as much as 200 Million from his victims during his course of 25 years. Perry, with his puppy dog look, loaned money to high rollers referred by casino executives, rock stars, ministers, and working folks. A con man such as Perry and folks like him will always end up in cities like Las Vegas. They use their charm and manipulation to their advantage. They understand human nature and because they understand it they work on the greed that we all have within us. Bottom line in investing your money is simply to deal with reputable firms and disregard talkers who flash their wares.

Antonio Mecheri who now resides at Las Vegas is one of the new talented performers whose music is his passion. His new recording of BellyDancer will be released by Music Masters the number 1 distributor in the Middle East and Europe. Mecheri's single will be in good company with the top Middle East artist on a compilation album, Look for it at the new world music section of tower records some time in February.

The club scene in Las Vegas is changing a bit. Polo Towers, Located on the strip, has a new club called Hush. It's relatively small yet romantic overlooking Las Vegas on Polo Towers 19th Floor. Also located on top of Polo Towers are cabaña's with beds inside them. They are somewhat a Moroccan theme. It was certainly was a great place to watch the Fireworks on New Years Eve. Attorney Ed Bernstein was one of the local notables enjoying the sights.

Light also a new club which just opened at the Bellagio is based out of New York City. This high end club is decorated with red velvet throughout the club with a private elevator for those who prefer VIP treatment. The presentation of their liqueurs and liquors is setup table side with sterling silver buckets and elegant glass ware. Oh by the way George Maloof of the Palms Hotel chatted with me on their opening night. George informs me that all his restaurants at the Palms are doing excellent business. He is right. I have tried Little Buda, the buffet, and the coffee shop. It passed my taste buds.

The Hyatt at Lake Las Vegas, has a intimate European style casino which offers mini baccarat and single O Roulette. According to Rick Ingrassia the casino manager and Fred O' Keefe the pit boss, Casino Baraka teaches 30 people a day on how to gamble. The Hyatt is located at Lake Las Vegas, 8 miles east of the 95 Freeway.

Chevel Theatre, the beautiful Arabian horse show at the Bellagio is art in motion.

According to Christine Burelle the communications agent for the show, Chevel Theatre received outstanding reviews and will return to the Bellagio in the future. The show ends January 13th. For ticket information 702.693.7111

Toughman Contest held at Caesars Palace gave former NFL Stars and local bar tenders a chance to show their skills at boxing. Joe Klecho of the Jets was the captain of the American team. Art Dore the founder of Toughman is now acting as ring announcer while his daughter Wendy is running the show. 50 Cents out of each ticket was donated to amateur boxing.

Congratulations to Troy Cory for a great concert at the Munich Film Fest. Cory is one of those over night successes who went to China and became a big star. Elke Summer appeared with Cory on his tour. For more information on Troy visit his website at www.troycory.com