We vacationed in Sin City, November 13-18. We saw several shows (Love, the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show is a must see! It's by far the best show I've ever seen!), had lots and lots of great food (the desserts at the Bellagio, thai at Lotus of Siam, breakfast at the Paris, and lunch at the Wynn were tops!), and met a few celebrities.
First up was Don Rickles. The 80-year-old comedian was receiving a star on the new Ceaser's Palace Comedy Walk of Fame. Whoopi Goldberg was the presenter. Being Vegas, there
were about twenty different entrances/exits to the event, so I decided to go for the photograph as he departed. Luckily, I got close enough to the roped-off area to ask Don for a photo as he came off the podium. He looked up, said "sure," and motioned for me to come over. That's when the Mrs. intercepted me and told me he had to go as he had a show in 25 minutes . . . all the while Don is motioning me to come over. Then security threw an arm up and blocked me also. Not one to give up, I worked my way back through the crowd down to the end of the sidewalk where he was leaving. Sure enough, here came Don lead by a costumed Ceaser's mascot, yelling "All hail to Don Rickles!" I quickly brushed by the mascot and approached Don for the picture. He wouldn't actually stop walking, so I had to snap the shot on the run.
The following night we had excellent 9th row tickets for the comedy and magic of Penn and Teller at the Rio. Michelle even got to share the stage with Teller and took home an autographed fish bowl as part of the act! Penn and Teller always take time to meet and greet fans after the show (and to sell the merch :--) ).
We had a nice chat with Teller as he told us about one of his favorite Thai restaurants, Lotus of Siam . . . he even drew us directions on the back of our ticket stub. What a nice guy! By the way, the show was great too!
Friday was the jackpot day for pictures. During an afternoon walk to the Las Vegas Fashion Show Mall, I stopped and asked comedian Rita Rudner for a photo. She gave me the usual not now, I'm in a hurry line, but obliged after I asked a second time.At the Mall, my target was famed pianist Roger Williams. He was attempting to break his own record by playing the piano for 14 hours straight, with only a small break every 45 minutes to one hour.
After listening for about 40 minutes, Roger stopped and made his way to the sidelines where he greeted me and several other fans before retreating to his dressing room to soak his hands in ice water.
Next up was a stop for a meet and greet with comedian and rap artist Jamie Kennedy at the Comedy Festival. He was there to promote his new DVD and his new CD with Stu Stone. Everyone there got a free DVD, plus the chance to hang with Jamie for a few minutes. Jamie also gave me some good-natured kidding about requesting a "blue" Sharpie for the autographs. But like a true pro, he had several fresh "blue" Sharpies by his side.Following the meet and greet, I headed inside Ceasar's Palace to hang outside the entrance to a celebrity poker tourney being held in conjunction with the Comedy Festival. I first spotted
Steve Shirripa (Bobby Bacala from the Sopranos). He took a picture with me and we chatted about our previous meeting in May in New York at a children's fund-raiser. Steve's is one of Hollywood's good guys.
Speaking of good guys . . . Jeremy Piven is also near the top. Jeremy was more than happy to stop for a photograph and sign some autographs as he exited the poker tournament.Oh, I might mention also that I saw Billy Crystal and the Mrs., not once, not twice, but three times. He was in too big of a hurry to stop each time. No problem though, I've got a great picture from NYC.
I concluded the evening with a picture with comedian George Lopez. I spotted George while strolling through the Forum shops at Ceasar's Palace.
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