Sinsational Celebrity Tales

From USA Today December 19, 2008:

For nearly a decade, Norm Clarke has tracked VIP high jinks for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His new Norm Clarke’s Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales (Stephens Press, $15.95) chronicles star turns that happened in Vegas, but didn’t stay there. He shares some with USA TODAY’s Kitty Bean Yancey.

Show-pals: Donny Osmond matches eyepatches with Norm Clarke. Clarke has worn one since a childhood injury. By Duane Prokop, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Q: Your book talks about Jennifer Aniston getting onstage at the Forty Deuce club to dance for Vince Vaughn, Britney Spears having to be helped out of Pure nightclub a couple of New Year’s Eves ago, the late Anna Nicole Smith coming on to Chippendales dancers. Celebs can play in L.A., too, so why do they go wild here?

A: It’s one-stop shopping. You can go from gambling to fine dining to clubs, even in one (casino resort). Celebs come to Vegas and have three shots of Cuervo and think they’re invisible.

Read entire article . . .

NEWSFLASH — NBC Channel 3’s coverage of Norm’s book launch bash at the Playboy Club atop the Palms in Las Vegas here.

KVBC’s Alicia Jacobs interviews Norm and surprise special guest Donny Osmond.

NEWSFLASH — NBC Channel 3’s coverage of Norm’s book launch bash at the Playboy Club atop the Palms in Las Vegas here.

KVBC’s Alicia Jacobs interviews Norm and surprise special guest Donny Osmond.

Skippy (Photo by Tom Donoghue)

Hey all:

Well, we launched Sinsational Celebrity Tales last night at the Playboy Club at the Palms and what could be more appropriate, in the Land of Bunnies, than having a talking rabbit make the introduction?

Our thanks to Bruce Bloch, who brought Skippy ala King, who won America’s hearts with his appearances on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. We’ll have the video up and running very soon.

In two words, Skippy killed. Everyone came up to me raving about the Skipster. He was definitely a hit, Hef-esque even.

Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies! (Photo by Tom Donoghue)

I told the crowd “the best word in my job description: bunnies.” They were everywhere, posing with Hef, who was in PJs, and George Clooney, who was near the bar passing out fake money with my face. Tom Jones was there too, exuding all his massive charm.

Did I mention that Hef, Clooney and Sir Tom were there, thanks to Madame Tussauds?

Hef and Tom, Circa 1970s (Courtesy Photo)

Tom Donoghue, the gifted official photographer for Planet Hollywood Resort, felt right at home. Back in the early 1970s he was the photographer at the Playboy Club in Detroit. “I have a photo of Hef and I in 1972 in our leisure suits,” said Donoghue, who proved it by emailing it to me today.

My thanks to everyone involved in making it such a memorable evening, with a special bow to Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond. I was told I had a surprise guest so we temporarily suspended an interview with KVBC-TV, Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs and headed off to Nove Italiano, with a pack of paparazzi following along.

Surprise guest Donny Osmond (Review-Journal/Duane Prokop)

On the way, there was buzz — wishful thinking would be more accurate — that Pamela Anderson was going to be waiting in a penthouse suite in her birthday suit, when she surprised Hef for his birthday.

We walked into Nove and there was Donny, pulling on an eyepatch. (By the way, he gave it to me later. Can you say “E-Bay?”

I’ve chatted with Donny on the red carpet and by telephone and he’s truly one of the most accommodating celebrities I’ve met over the years. It was incredibly kind of him to take the time to come to the event. He couldn’t join us at the Playboy Club — that would be a no-no — but he was one floor away and nobody got hit by lightning, so we’re all happy about that.

It was an off-the-charts party that I’ll never forget. Thanks again to everybody who made it such a special night.

Norm!