More than halfway through Jennifer Berry's reign as Miss America, the pageant finally has announced where Berry will crown her successor: the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Cable network CMT, the Miss America Organization and the Aladdin made the decision official in a joint news release Thursday afternoon.
The pageant will be held Jan. 29 at the Theatre for the Performing Arts, where Miss America landed last January after leaving Atlantic City for the first time in its 85-year history. For the second consecutive year CMT will air the two-hour program, set to start at 8 p.m. The Miss America preliminaries at the Aladdin begin Jan. 25, and there is talk of reinstating the Miss America parade in Las Vegas.
Aladdin President and Chief Executive Mike Mecca headed negotiations for the hotel, moving forward in June after Las Vegas Events backed out of the competition - LVE balked at the $1 million Miss America was asking for name sponsorship .
At that time Miss America and CMT officials were entertaining several suitors, but it was clear Las Vegas was the preferred choice after last year's show drew record ratings and rejuvenated a pageant that had languished on network TV.
The exposure of the 2007 show will also help the Aladdin publicize its evolution into the Planet Hollywood resort, which was supposed to be complete by December but won't be completed even by the time of the pageant's return.
"Las Vegas embraced this event last year, and it is only fitting that it is returning to our city and to this property. We are home to the most beautiful theater in Las Vegas, which will be newly renovated when the pageant comes back in January, and our transformation into Planet Hollywood will be very close to complete for the weekend of events," Mecca said in the statement announcing the '07 show.
Last month CMT announced a reality series, "Finding Miss America," which will be taped in September in Los Angeles. That show will air the week before the '07 pageant. Who will host the 2007 pageant was not announced; Jon Denton assumed those duties in January.
NoteMart
For Aid for Aids of Nevada, the numbers for this year's Black and White Party are 20, 1,500 and $100,000. The party, set for 8 p.m. Saturday at the Palms' pool, is the organization's 20th. Its growth is reflected by the expected turnout of 1,500, which should bring in $100,000 - both records for the event.
The party is a freewheeling affair (last year I somehow ended the night wearing a white boa, inexplicably so because I don't even drink). The only requirement is to be dressed in black or white or a combination thereof. AFAN provides assistance to those living in Nevada who are afflicted with AIDS or who are HIV-positive, and AFAN Executive Director Caroline Ciocca said 75 percent of the funds raised Saturday will be distributed to AFAN's many client service programs; the remainder will be used for operating costs. General admission tickets cost $45 and are available at 382-2326 or at www.afanlv.org. Tickets can also be purchased Saturday at the Palms, but the VIP party at Ghostbar is sold out
Left badly damaged in a two-alarm fire late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning was the Versailles Salon and Bridal Boutique on the corner of Rainbow and Oakey boulevards. Big deal? Maybe so, if you remember that the Versailles was once known as Scissors Palace, which was ordered to drop the title five years ago after losing a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Park Place Entertainment Corp. - which at the time owned Caesars Palace. Scissors, Caesars. Too similar, according to the U.S. District Court judge in April 2001. The business has (or now, had) a few famous customers, including Siegfried Fischbacher. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski
The note Thursday about the local telecast of the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon" airing from the Las Vegas Hilton confused a few folks. The national telethon - the show with Lewis as the host - is airing from the South Coast, as originally planned. The Hilton is hosting the "cut-away" portion of the program, when the national telethon throws it back to local affiliates (in this case, KLAS Channel 8)
A colleague reports a light-green VW Beetle with the phrase "Powered By Soy Oil" in the back window. The car's plate: EDAMAME.
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