Big Elvis Is Married

Amanda Lasham & Pete Vallee

Pete Vallee “Big Elvis” married his sweetheart Amanda Lasham on July 15, 2010 at Bill’s Gambling Hall and Saloon in Las Vegas. Amanda had attended one of Pete Vallee’s shows and she instantly liked him because she was an ardent Elvis Fan for years. She asked to see Pete backstage and he thought she was beautiful and she was impressed with his tenderness and sweetness to her.
Pete asked her out to dinner and they found they had a lot in common and a romance developed. After two years they knew they wanted to be married and spend their life together. They wanted to share this special wedding day with their family and friends.

Pete had an engagement ring made for her that was a replica of one that was given by Elvis to his last girlfriend, Ginger Alden and a wedding band that was designed by Elvis and given to his friend Marty Lacker.
Family, friends and fans filled the show room where Pete performs his show and everyone eagerly waited for Amanda and the wedding party. Beautiful white drapes, roses and orchids set the scene for the wedding chapel. 

Usherettes

All eyes were on Amanda as her father walked her down the aisle.

Lloyd Lasham & Amanda

Pete lovingly watched Amanda walk to him.

Pete and Amanda exchanging vows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5he56NaOHb8

                                                                   Sonny West

Pete has many friends who were also friends and associates of Elvis Presley and they were in attendance at the wedding. Sonny West was a bodyguard of Elvis. Jimmy Velvet met Elvis when he was 15 years old and remained his friend. Tommy Lynd, who is an Elvis and Wayne Newton impersonator, made Elvis Presley’s suits.

Rick Trujillo

Nikki Artale & Tommy Lynd

Reverend Bill Toller officiated at the wedding with a beautiful, heartwarming sermon. The groomsmen were Pete’s son Aaron Vallee, Tom Lynd, Steve Perry & Jimmy Velvet.

Longtime manager and friend, Lucille Star was the maid of honor.

On to the reception where everyone greeted the happy couple.

Nikki Artale & Tommy Lynd

A film crew from Italy, Simple Productions has been following Pete Vallee around all week filming all his day to day activities and were present at the wedding capturing this special day in Pete and Amanda’s life.

                                                                Camera man from Italy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN8I-c3MyuE

Read More

Gary Spivey

Gary Spivey

                                                        Nikki Artale & Gary Spivey

On June 26-27, 2010 I spent a weekend at a spiritual retreat with Gary Spivey at the Tahiti Village in Las Vegas and it was an enlightening experience. The seminar was a sold out event for the two days. Many of the people there were devout followers who believe in Gary Spivey and were there to get in touch with their spirituality. http://www.garyspivey.com/

Gary Spivey

It is the quest for spiritual knowledge that brings people here. During the guided meditations you can get in touch with your angels and you may see and hear them. Many share their profound experiences with Gary and he spends a lot of time with them.

Gary Spivey & Dean Hymel, Manager

Gary is known as America’s favorite psychic and he has helped many people with his medical intuitive readings as he describes what is happening in their bodies. Testimonial letters he receives could fill an entire book.

I asked Gary what was the most rewarding thing and he said it was helping kids. He has come across so many spiritually gifted kids who have the infinite wisdom of God. Gary could identify with them because he was very young when he became aware of the gift he had of being spiritually connected. He said when you are connected you know what to do. Gary is a gentle giant in the psychic world.

Gary holds seminars in his home in Star, North Carolina. The Star Hotel Bed and Breakfast is located at 118 N. Main Street. It is known as the Little Ritz Carlton. The rooms have been beautifully renovated and there is a magnificent rose garden in the backyard. http://www.starbedandbreakfast.com/

Gary Spivey and Dean Hymel have written a book “Your Keys to Heaven” which is like a bible to many. Some of the chapters cover how to manifest your dreams and desires, how to find your soul mate, remove blocks from your life, improve your relationships, get rid of the demons in your life and I like this one the most, trust your inner voice. After the seminar Gary took time to autography his book and again spent one on one time with everyone.

Gary Spivey & Travis Mead, Producer

My personal experience was that of peace, tranquility and the sharing of love in the room.

Gary was genuine and sincere and spoke from his heart. It was a message of Peace, Love and Hope and it was the best two days that I have spent in quite a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56MyXKtqxOE

Read More

Chippendales

Normally the screams are inside the showroom, but that was not the case for the Chippendale show. As I entered the hall leading to the Chippendales store, I saw a crowd of young ladies who were screaming at the photo wall. I thought “Oh My”, if they are screaming at a wall, what will they be doing inside the showroom when they appear on the stage.
Before the show started, videos were shown of the men being interviewed on various T.V. shows, and the screaming continued. I knew what to expect because I had seen the show many times, but it was still very exciting to be in the midst of the energy of anticipation. It was an instant, fuzzy, warm feeling as I gazed upon the beautiful young God like creatures. I do believe that they are every woman’s fantasy.

The Chippendales possess a quality that makes them special and sets them apart from the average man. I will now say “Sorry” to all the men I know, but the Chippendales are one of a kind and you can tell the difference. They are the number one male review show in the world.

Finally the curtain opens and the dancers appear on the smoke filled stage and the screaming gets louder. The show begins with applause, cheering, whistles and screams and it continues that way for most of the show. The men are fabulous dancers and they have bodies that look and move like Greek Gods.

                                                                      John Rivera
A lot of women were brought onto the stage and were part of their performances and they got to see what we all wanted to see as they took off their clothes. It was exciting to see the firemen and cowboy outfits and no outfits at all.

After the show everyone went on stage to take pictures with the men and I couldn’t believe how these ladies were posing and lying on top of their laps.

We all got a chance after the show to go into the flirt lounge and take photos again with the Chippendales and have them sign their posters and talk to them one on one.

                                                                      Juan DeAngelo

                                              Bianca, Chaun Thomas, Melissa Walton

                                                                      Kevin Cornell

Melissa Walton was a lucky lady because she got a kiss from Jace Crispin. I must admit that Jace is one of my favorite men.

                                                       Jace Crispin & Melissa Walton

I got to spend some time with James Vaughan and Jace Crispin interviewing them about the great job that they have. They both shared that they couldn’t believe that this is a real job and they get to work at something they absolutely love to do and get paid for doing it. It is a fantasy job and it is called a Chippendale.

James has been with the show for three years and Jace has been there five years. They are the internal swing so they know everyone’s part and they change it up so it keeps the show fresh and you can see it over and over again and not see the same show.

Jace said it is an unreal fantasy to be dancing on stage every night and he loves it. I asked them how long they planned to dance and they both said they will do this for as long as they can. The Chippendales are there to entertain you in this 75 minute production show that fulfill every girl’s fantasy. The show entertains people 18 to 80 years old and it doesn’t matter how young or how old you are.

Kristen Makhathini is the director of operations and manages the entire production and she deserves a lot of credit for the success of the Chippendale show and all that it stands for. Her job is also a fabulous one because she gets to spend every day with these sexy hot men and that indeed is a girl’s fantasy just to be able to hang around them and to be a part of their lives.

                           Jaymes Vaughan, Kristen Makhathini, Jace Crispin & Melissa Walton


It is a lifestyle for the Chippendales and they are always in the public eye.They do a lot of public relations work in supporting and helping out and giving back to the community, because as they say, “It is giving back to our city”.

You can see the Chippendales at the Rio seven days a week; nine shows a week and on Friday and Saturdays there are two shows. http://www.chippendales.com/

Read More

Vegas Show Biz Party

Vegas Show Biz Party

                                                          Mike Gifford & Nikki Artale
                                                 
Lax Nightclub at the Luxor opened their doors for the very first Vegas Show Biz Party for the event of the night on June 21, 2010. It was a private event and anyone associated with the entertainment business was invited.
Entertainers, casts, public relation people, celebrities, singers, dancers, crew members and even some fans showed up to make this a grand get together. Everyone knows who is working in the shows but they don’t know each other personally and this is a great way to meet and get to socialize. It was great to see Clint Holmes and his wife Kelly Clinton at the party, looking fabulous as always. http://www.clintholmes.com/

                                                    Kelly Clinton Holmes & Clint Holmes

Hosting the Show Biz Party was Gerry McCambridge, Marc Savard, Catherine Hickland and Andy Walmsley. They thought it would be a great idea to put together a party where everyone could unwind after their shows were over and get to spend time sharing with each other

                                                     Gerry, Catherine, Andy & Marc
Gerry McCambridge is an amazing Mentalist who has thrilled the crowds with his art of mentalism. Gerry has been presented with many awards, one of which was in 2005 from the Psychic Entertainers Association for “Mentalist of the Year.” In 2007 we were excited to see him in the reality TV series “Phenomenon” with Criss Angel. Gerry headlines nightly in the “V Theater” in Planet Hollywood and it is a must see show.
http://www.mentalist.com/

                                                              Gerry McCambridge
Marc Savard is a stage hypnotist playing at the Planet Hollywood and he mesmerizes audiences nightly. Marc has mastered the inner workings of the mind and puts his subjects in a trance and at the sound of his voice he will have them do and say outrageous things during his show. This is another must see show.
http://www.marcsavard.net/

                                                                   Marc Savard
Catherine Hickland is a hypnotist who wants to make stars out of the audience members. Catherine is an actress and cast member of ABC’s “One Life to Live” and she was very excited about the great turnout and being a co host with Gerry, Marc and Andy.

Her face and complexion was beautiful and could be attributed to her Cat Cosmetics make up line. http://www.catcosmetics.com/

                                                              Catherine Hickland
Andy Walmsley is noted for creating beautiful set designs, such as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Americas Got Talent. Andy has also designed many of the shows on the strip, including Terry Fator at the Mirage. www.uklv.org/andy.php

                                                                Andy Walmsley
Kevin Burke, star of “Defending the Caveman” greeted Dianna Ruggiero with one of his famous caveman kisses. Kevin stars in his one man show nightly at the Excaliber and his stand up comedy show “Fitz of Laughter” at the Fitzgerald. His shows are back to back and I still don’t know how he manages to get from Fitzgeralds downtown to the strip on time for his show at the Excaliber. They are both great shows and Kevin is a great entertainer. I have seen his show several times and I will go back again. http://www.defendingthecaveman.com/

                                                           Dianna Ruggiero & Kevin Burke
Seth Grabel creates illusions and magic that leaves audiences in awe. His slight of hand magic is amazing with the new effects that he invents. Audiences are left with the thought “How did he do that”? http://www.sethgrabel.com/

                                                  Michelle Owens & Seth Grabel
Larry Atello is known as “The Wedding Singer” in the #1 comedy dinner show, Tony & Tina’s wedding. Larry gets everyone up dancing, just like in a real Italian wedding. He is dynamic and you fall in love with him. You become a participant and not an observer as the cast of characters start sharing their stories with all the wedding guests. It is an evening of fun and excitement thanks to the efforts of Matt Remington, company manager. http://www.atello.com/                 http://www.tonyandtinavegas.com/

                                            Larry Atello, Amy Solomon & Matt Remington
Marc Savard announced that there will be more Show Biz parties and they are looking at a daytime pool party for the next get together. Dianna Ruggiero, noted opera singer & voice teacher, will be looking forward to that party, along with the rest of us. Thank you Gerry, Marc, Catherine and Andy for a great night.

                                                     Marc Savard & Dianna Ruggiero

                                                  Aimee Moreault & Jodi Amoruso

Read More

World Tea Expo 2010

The World Tea Expo was held June 11-13 at the Convention Center in Las Vegas NV and had over 200 companies exhibiting their specialty teas, tea wares, books and specialty items. Over 6,000 people shopped the show floor and attended great educational seminars. An explosive growth has been predicted for the specialty tea in North America which is a good indicator for the economic growth. Many new displayers were there to market and sell their products and services. The new exhibitors were from U.S., China, Canada, Germany, Spain, Sri Lanka and Australia. I was very impressed with the beautiful china pieces through out the convention floor. http://www.worldteaexpo.com/

To go along with the tea displays were many pastry booths and cases of chocolate candy.

It smelled heavenly with all the many assortments of exotic tea bins and brewed teas and all the samples that were just waiting to be tasted.

I loved all the teas and one of my favorites was the Tisano Cacao Tea. Their tea is a chocolate loose leaf herbal tea which promotes a healthy heart and immune system. It is the first 100% pure cocoa based chocolate herbal tea. Cacao has zero fat or calories and less caffeine than green tea or decaf coffee. It is a wonderful refreshing beverage and I went back to sample a second cup. I love this Cacao Tea. http://www.tisano.com/

                                                                    Jamie Walker
Chef Robert Wemischner did a live cooking segment and cooked a few dishes, one of which was a delicious salmon dinner. Chef Robert wrote the books The Dessert Architect, Cooking with Tea, Gourmet to Go and The Vivid Flavors Cookbook. He signed his books after the show for his happy fans. http://www.robertwemischner.com/

                                                             Chef Rfobert Wemischner

Recognized for the best new product was Tea Squeeze by Squeezmo. It is a US FDA-grade silicone, dishwasher safe that eliminates tea bag drips and comes in an array of vibrant colors. James M. Kerner, President/CEO and his wife Sheryl are very proud of their new item that is needed when served with a cup of tea. I received one as a sample and I use it everyday and I am thrilled that I have a Tea Squeeze. For more information on the product, call 530 345-8000. http://www.squeezmo.com/

 

Can you take a few minutes to love yourself every day? Certified tea specialist Dharlene Marie Fahl, guides you on an inner journey of self-discovery through the simple practice of sipping tea. Dharlene has announced the release of her new revised book “Sereni-Tea: Sipping Self Success”. It is a book of prayers, poems and affirmations which will bring you inner peace and self love. Books can be ordered on Amazon. www.dharlene-marie.com/book

                                                                Dharlene Marie Fahl
The next World Tea Expo will be June 24-26, 2011.

Read More