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Norm Clarke | NORM
Wheldon, wife got his and hers tattoos
George Maloof was walking through the Palms casino on Saturday when someone surprised him with a bear hug.
When Maloof turned to face the exuberant greeter he recognized IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon.
They had developed a bond six years earlier, when Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie with the Palms as a first-time sponsor of Michael Andretti's racing team.
Maloof had just left N9NE Steakhouse with IndyCar driver Marco Andretti about 6 p.m. when Wheldon entered the Palms with his wife, Susie, who was pushing a stroller carrying their 7-month-old son, Oliver .
"He was on his way to meet some friends," Maloof said. Wheldon, who spent most of the race season without a team, told Maloof he "was looking forward to next season with Michael."
Maloof was at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday when Wheldon, the 2011 Indy 500 winner, died shortly after a horrendous 15-car pileup sent his car airborne into the Turn 2 wall early in the race.
"He was just a fun, fun guy," Maloof said. "A great guy."
A tipster told Vegas Confidential that Wheldon and his wife had their initials -- D.W. and S.W. -- tattooed on their wrists about 10 p.m. at Huntington Ink at the Palms. A female employee at the tattoo shop declined comment, saying, "Sorry, I can't give out that information."
He had started 34th, in last place in the IZOD IndyCar World Championships.
The last tweet posted on Wheldon's Twitter feed was "Green!!!!"
A NIGHT IN NEW YORK
An evening of surprises unfolded last Monday during a trip to New York City.
The goal was to catch Woody Allen's sold-out jazz band appearance at The Carlyle. We showed up hours early and while waiting in line for standing-room only, we noticed promotional posters announcing Las Vegas entertainer Clint Holmes was starting a three-week engagement in the famed Café Carlyle.
After reaching him by cellphone, Holmes came downstairs from his room at The Carlyle and invited us to join him at the restaurant.
It turned out to be much more than a chance meeting with Holmes and seeing Allen's too-many-to-count clarinet solos.
During our chat with Holmes, a gentleman in his 80s came to the table and presented Holmes with his book. It was prominent sculptor J. Seward Johnson, the grandson of Johnson & Johnson co-founder Robert Wood Johnson.
Seward Johnson and his daughter, Clelia , recently saw Holmes at The Colony in Palm Beach, Fla., and struck up a conversation while the singer was signing a CD for them.
Two weeks later Holmes got the invite from The Carlyle.
Johnson, who was commissioned to do a number of his life-size trompe l'oeil painted bronze statues in Henderson, recalled being summoned by Michael Jackson, who wanted a statue done of himself. "He asked me to teach him how to sculpt and I said, 'I'll do it, if you teach me how to moonwalk.' "
Jackson gave him a lesson but neither man's second careers went anywhere.
Johnson's massive works continue to inspire awe and occasional ire. His statue of the iconic World War II image featuring a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square has been on display in the Port of San Diego and a sculpture of Marilyn Monroe's famous billowing skirt shot is part of a public art collection in Chicago.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Anthony Crivello, the phantom in "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" at The Venetian, will be singing the National Anthem on CNN before Tuesday's Western Republican Presidential Debate at The Venetian's Sands Expo and Convention Center.
SIGHTINGS
Spotted in the pits at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday: Actress Ashley Judd, who is married to IndyCar star Dario Franchitti; Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, former NBA standout Robert Horry and DJ Pauly D of "Jersey Shore" with Maloof.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Two liters of Shop Rite root beer and a king size Snickers did the trick." -- David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons Chris Christie Endorsed Mitt Romney.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
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