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Doug Elfman
Grand Slam for Children rakes in millions
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ERIC JAMISON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Elton John performs Saturday at the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education's 15th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert at the Wynn Las Vegas.
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Jennifer Hudson performs Saturday at the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education 15th Grand Slam for Children at the Wynn Las Vegas. JOHN LOCHER/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL » Buy this photo
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Elton John wants to return to the Strip on a regular basis.
"I really miss Vegas," the former Caesars headliner said at Andre Agassi's concert for charity late Saturday night.
"One day, I'd love to come back, OK?"
OK, Elton.
He sounded very good at the Wynn, singing "Tiny Dancer" and "Your Song" to help raise $8.5 million (a half-million more than last year) for Agassi's Foundation for Education.
Other top highlights from the swanky Wynn ballroom:
1. KISSING A TENNIS HERO
A kiss from Steffi Graf is worth $25,000.
Agassi asked partyers at the Grand Slam for Children to donate $2,500 to sponsor one pupil, per year, for his Vegas Prep school.
Many did. Steve Wynn sponsored 50 kids. U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley sponsored two.
To spice things up, Agassi said his wife would kiss anyone who sponsored 10 kids.
Agassi Foundation board member Brent Handler got the kiss for 10 sponsorships. Caveat: Steffi and Andre were comfortable with it because they've known Handler for many years.
2. THE VALUE OF KATIE AND ROBIN
The value of having drinks with Katie Couric is $15,000. One auction item at the Agassi event: Get flown to New York for a tour of the CBS newsroom and to see David Letterman's show. But the real nut of the auction item was getting drinks with Couric.
Almost every other auction item fetched even more.
Three people paid $100,000 to have dinner with Robin Williams.
Three people paid $100,000 to go on a week's vacation with Agassi and Graf in the Cayman Islands.
Someone paid $75,000 for a vacation in India, including lunch with Freida Pinto of "Slumdog Millionaire."
Someone paid $65,000 for a sports package of four seats to the Super Bowl, World Series and NBA and NCAA finals.
Swimming lessons from Michael Phelps took $60,000.
Personalized dinners by Susur Lee and Emeril Lagasse each raked in $50,000.
Drumming lessons from Lars Ulrich got $35,000.
And fantasy camp with Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille: $15,000.
3. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEALTHY AND RICH
On stage, Rob Thomas looked down at the front rows, where seats cost $8,500 each, and he observed, "It's like the wealthy."
Then he looked at the people behind the wealthy -- where seats cost only $1,000 to $4,000 -- and he said, "And past here is just rich."
The rich and wealthy laughed.
4. 'VEGAS IS MY LIFE'
Before the event, I asked Agassi if it upset him that certain people in the national media have been dumping on his hometown recently.
I mentioned the New York Times' hit piece on Vegas, but I forgot to ask Agassi specifically about a cliché-riddled portrait of Vegas published in Smithsonian magazine as written by J.R. Moehringer, who was only living here for a while to assist Agassi with his autobiography, "Open."
Agassi said it does upset him when people dump on Vegas:
"Sure. It hits deep with me. Vegas is my life. I was born here and raised here. I think it's unfortunate for anybody to sort of stereotype. The people and the community are fantastic.
"The vision that this community has is unparalleled, starting with building this (Vegas) in the desert; starting with, 'We can dream it, we can do it.'
"Tonight is an example of what Vegas is. It's about standing shoulder to shoulder, together, and really solving issues that affect all of us."
Amen, brother.
5. STAR OF TOMORROW
A.J. Green, a graduate of Agassi's Prep school, sang a few songs, including a duet, "I Am Changing," with Jennifer Hudson, whose radiant face registered happy surprise at Green's voice and confidence.
Now, Green can say he has sung with Hudson and opened for Elton John, Bill Cosby, Rob Thomas and Jason Mraz.
"I'm the first person in my family to go to college," Green told the crowd. "I'm the first person in my family to finish high school."
That's what the whole night was about, a Vegas Gatsby party that will fund another year of students as skilled as A.J. Green. Yeah, that might sound cheesy to you, but the truth is the truth.
6. CARROT TOP SLIMS DOWN
On the red carpet, Carrot Top looked noticeably less muscle bound. I told him he looked "slightly deflated."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am," he said. "I'm 25 pounds lighter than I was.
"I was too big and muscle-y-looking. I didn't want to be Carrot Top The Big Bodybuilder. I want to be lean."
To trim down, Top stopped heavy lifting, started running, and he's eating "chicken breasts and all that stuff."
"I'm glad you noticed," Carrot Top told me. Then he turned to my friend and rival, Las Vegas Sun writer John Katsilometes, and joked in a girly way, "You didn't."
7. IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
Singing ventriloquist Terry Fator said on the carpet he's working on a new puppet for his Mirage act.
"It's a boy puppet," he said.
So obviously it's Lady Gaga. (Kidding.)
Fator and his girlfriend, who is hawwwt, said they like to spend their free vacation time going to Disneyland. (Not kidding.)
8. VIRTUAL COSBY KIDS
And though the event was all about helping kids, surprise event guest Bill Cosby joked that not everyone should have kids.
Instead of having kids, he said, adults should go buy some paper and Crayons, and draw their kids. They can even draw their fake kids getting older every year.
Doug Elfman's column appears on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 702-383-0391 or e-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He also blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
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Dude are you THAT gullible? Trimming down for Carrot Top meant cutting his stack, aka going off the juice, aka no longer injecting steroids. Smart guy; about time. All that artificial muscle looked ridiculous, and god only knows how the roids were frying his insides. Now if Scott can just gather up enough self-esteem to realize he also does NOT need that ridiculous roided-up vehicle, aka his Hummer.