Strip Scribbles: CIA spy show in LV? TV’s fighting lingerie ladies, Victor Drai’s wedding

Erik Kabik / Retna / ErikKabik.com

Mel Brooks, Giada De Laurentiis and Victor Drai attend Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub opening night Friday, May 23, 2014, atop the Cromwell in Las Vegas.

By Robin Leach (contact)

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | 5:36 p.m.

Jason Hanson

Following right along in Jason Bourne’s footsteps, as we reported earlier today, former CIA officer Jason Hanson is bringing his show “Spy, Escape Evasion” to the Stratosphere for a three-month run starting in August.

It features all the CIA secrets that permit Jason Bourne to be the rugged hero of the silver screen. The coincidence of both of them being named Jason doesn’t escape me.

Red Mercury Entertainment chief Darin Feinstein tells me that he’s producing the show, which includes highlights from Jason’s two-day survival-and-training course and how to beat abductions.

The show has played to sell-out crowds in Dallas. Here’s a YouTube video of Jason on “The Rachael Ray Show” talking about hotel safety tips.

Security specialist Jason, who also has appeared on “Shark Tank,” says: “I’ve made it my life’s mission since I left the Agency to help good, honest Americans learn critical survival tactics that can literally mean the difference between life and death. I will show you how to escape rope, zip ties, duct tape and handcuffs in 30 seconds or less.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live. There’s a chance that my safety-and-survival training could save your life one day.” You can read all about Jason and his spy escape show at SpyEscapeandEvasion.com.

TV’S LINGERIE LADIES: The extraordinary lingerie-clad female stars of Las Vegas sports company Fighting Championships have signed on for a 10-episode reality-TV series to air on Tuff TV. It will be titled “Lingerie Fighting Championships Exposed,” and CEO Shaun Donnelly expects it to do for his company what “The Ultimate Fighter” did for the UFC:

“It will be a side of Lingerie Fighting no one has ever seen before. … Our fans will be very surprised by some of the extraordinary women in the league and how hard they train for each event. And of course what happens backstage can be almost as entertaining as what happens in the cage.”

Lingerie Fighting’s sold-out events from Las Vegas to Slovakia have been broadcast on more than 1,000 cable systems, sites and TV networks worldwide and have been viewed by more than 5 million. “Sexxy” at Westgate Las Vegas producer, choreographer and star Jennifer Romas once fought for Lingerie Fighting.

Shaun says he created the reality-TV show concept after viewing backstage footage shot at LFC20 in the Hard Rock Hotel here: “I’m always in the production truck during events, so I had no idea what happened backstage. It gets pretty wild! I didn’t know our fighters had invented a drinking game where they have to take a shot every time there’s a wardrobe malfunction in the cage. Luckily, they are sports drinks, or there might be some very drunken fights on the card!”

Lingerie Fighting Championships Inc. produces mixed martial arts events for audiences and TV viewers featuring female fighters in outfits right from the pages of Frederick’s of Hollywood. More: LingerieFC.com.

Nelly at Drai’s Live

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MARRIAGE CONGRATULATIONS: Nightclub czar Victor Drai has planned an April 24 Las Vegas wedding to his longtime love, Yolanda. This will be his third marriage.

The owner of Drai’s atop the Cromwell who was previously linked with actresses Kelly LeBrock, Goldie Hawn and Jacqueline Bisset also produced “The Woman in Red,” “The Man With One Red Shoe” and “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

Victor, who was named to the Nightclub Hall of Fame, used to run Tryst and XS for Steve Wynn at Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, respectively, and has enjoyed success with restaurants and nightclubs in Los Angeles.

2016 ACM Party for a Cause: Day 1

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2016 ACM Party for a Cause: Day 2

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VIDEO FUN INTERVIEWS: Stars at the three-day ACM Party for a Cause at Las Vegas Festival Grounds opposite SLS Las Vegas went backstage for fun and interviews with sponsor Cracker Barrel’s creative content studio, and now all those hijinks have been posted at CrackerBarrelACMParty.com.

The studio, part of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Spotlight Music program, hosted several of today’s most popular social media stars as they conducted interviews with some of country’s top artists, including Kellie Pickler, The Band Perry, Kimberly Schlapman (Little Big Town), Cole Swindell, Chris Young, Cam, Kelsea Ballerini, Frankie Ballard and Dan + Shay.

The four themed sections in the content creator studio housed social media stars with a combined digital reach of more than 22 million followers. Additionally, Allure magazine conducted interviews with the artists about various topics including music, beauty, fashion and lifestyle. Artists also curated beauty boxes with their favorite products, which will become a contest on Allure.com.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

After rave reviews for hosting and performing at the 2016 ACM Awards, it was time for country king Luke Bryan to relax and unwind. He took 17 family members and friends to Wolfgang Puck’s Cut steakhouse in Palazzo, where he ordered an American Wagyu New York steak and Joseph Phelps Insignia wine. After the meal, Luke and his pals went to the bar to watch Villanova beat North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament championship in Houston on Monday night.

Hot producer Metro Boomin was at Light in Mandalay Bay to spin his songs “Jumpman,” “3,500” and “Big Rings.” DJ Mustard, who spun the wheels of steel earlier at Daylight, performed alongside Metro for an epic DJ set into the early hours Sunday.

Kam Chancellor of the Seattle Seahawks celebrated his birthday in a VIP cabana at Marquee Dayclub in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas while DJ Lema manned the music decks.

Click here for Tonight’s Tips and Tomorrow’s Tease.

Robin Leach of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” fame has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past 15 years giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Las Vegas Sun Entertainment + Luxury Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Stratosphere

It is virtually impossible to be anywhere in Las Vegas and miss the Stratosphere. It towers 1,149 feet above Las Vegas and is the tallest observation tower in the United States. The casino itself is 55,784 square feet and contains 950 slot machines, 120 game tables and 2,427 hotel rooms.

Of the hotel’s 2,427 rooms, 909 were recently remodeled into Stratosphere Select rooms.

The Stratosphere is mostly known for its rides at the top of the tower. The Big Shot, located at the 113th floor, torpedoes riders up 160 feet using compressed air. X-Scream is a teeter-totter perched at the top of the observation deck — if that wasn’t scary enough, the coaster arm flings the riders out 27 feet over the edge of the tower. Guests looking for something more sedate can just hang around the 107th floor and simply look at the scenery.

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To Do This Week: Walk NYC Suffragette Herstory and Shop for Spring Lingerie

The Manhattan Delegation in a Woman Suffrage Party parade through New York in 1915.

WEDNESDAY April 6

Leza Lowitz’s heartbreaking novel Up From the Sea revolves around a teenage Japanese boy whose village is devastated by the tsunami of 2011. He makes his way to New York at the anniversary of September 11 to talk to those whose lives were changed by that catastrophic event. Ms. Lowitz will be signing books today, so go, meet her and share your own stories. Kinokuniya Bookstore, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, 6 p.m., free

THURSDAY April 7

What do flowers, lingerie and makeup have in common besides being things you can post on Instagram to garner a large following? They’ll all be around tonight as Negative Lingerie, Blushington Makeup and Bloom That flowers host a “celebration of spring.” The Zola Townhouse, 43 Crosby Street, 6:30-8:30 p.m., invitation only

Floral pendants made of faience from the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

FRIDAY April 8

If you believe rock, paper, scissors was best left behind in childhood, you might prefer Rock Paper Silk. The Metropolitan Museum’s new concept store, opening today, features products from jewelry to books all of which were crafted from raw materials using historical techniques. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Annex, 6 East 82nd Street, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., free 

 

SATURDAY April 9

I despise it when people use the word “herstories.” It always seems to imply that whoever is using it is unfamiliar with the fact that words come from other words, and the greek word “historia,” from which “history” is derived, has nothing to do with the masculine pronoun. Just because someone is a feminist and believes wholeheartedly in women’s causes doesn’t mean they go around applying misogynistic intent to simple etymologies. However, I forgive it in reference to the Women of Culture walking tour that invites you to “discover the secret ‘herstories’ of the Flatiron District with expert tour guide and artist, Mark Venaglia.” Because that sounds great. Focusing on the Gilded Age, the tour will examine how women’s increased role in the public sphere sowed the seeds for modern day feminism. They’ll be sharing stories about Evelyn Nesbit, Edith Wharton, Mrs. Frank Leslie and more. The tour promises, “We will stand in the exact same places where America’s first independent women passionately networked, fired up the Suffrage Movement, influenced culture and forever changed the interface between men and women!” I’m in and will be wearing my #I’mWithHer pin. Flatiron District, 949 Broadway, 2-6 p.m., $85

SUNDAY April 10

What does it mean for food to be “good?” The Chefs’ Collaborative Summit will be exploring that question among

James Bardgett at the Wild Beer Co brewery at Lower Westcombe Farm.

others April 10-12 with a series of panels and workshops. You don’t have to be a chef to attend—you just have to like food and be interested in it. Presenters will be talking about the changing nature of fisheries throughout the country, the increased popularity of craft beers and how chefs are using social media platforms like Instagram to engage new audiences. It all kicks off tonight with Taste of the Boroughs. At the cocktail reception, attendees will have a chance to sample foods popular in the various boroughs of New York, all paired with craft beer, wine or spirits. New York University Kimmel Center, Rosenthal Pavilion, 60 Washington Square South, 5-7:30 p.m., $150

MONDAY April 11

A picture is worth a thousand words and one trophy (if it’s very good). The International Center of Photography’s annual Infinity Awards gala is tonight and will honor major talents in the field of photojournalism like David Bailey and Matthew Connors. Chelsea Piers, 6 p.m., $1,250

TUESDAY April 12

Everyone wants to be a rock star, even real estate agents. The Real Estate Rockers in Relief concert gives some industry titans a chance to channel their inner Bono, all while raising funds for the Jewish Disaster Response Corps. Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, 6:30 p.m., $50 

WEDNESDAY April 13

What’s the best breakfast? Bagel with cream cheese. Good that we’ve got that cleared up. If there’s still doubt in your mind though, you can stop by Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch and Danny Meyers’ party to celebrate Lee Schrager and Adeena Sussman’s newest collection of recipes, America’s Best Breakfasts. Loewes Regency Hotel, 540 Park Avenue, 6-8 p.m., invitation only

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