Vegas Popular

Dressed in drag, handsome hunk David Hasselhoff delivers a delicious and dynamic display of diva-camp to 'The Producers,' which premiered in VIP red-carpet style at the Paris Las Vegas over the weekend. But it's the sexy slinky shaking sashays of busty blonde Leigh Zimmerman that steal the show! As Ulla, the Swedish sex-bomb secretary, she slithers over couches, tables and telephones to become The Strip's newest Goddess of Gorgeous!

The Mel Brooks' musical comedy has everything going for it to be labeled a smash-hit and David revels in his role as a flamboyant, failing fey director. His on-stage arrival at 6' 6" tall in a stunning silver-sequined gown, high heels, lipstick and a showgirl wig will live as one of Vegas theater's Top 10 memorable moments! But it'll be up to tourists to choose the brilliant Broadway book that won the most-ever 12 Tony Awards over the challenging competitive Cirque creations. However if this was just a battle between the Countess of Curves and the clown-contortionists the busty bombshell would deliver the KO punch! But memo to Mel: 'we want to see and hear more of Ulla!

Mel in fact revels in his challenge to lure audiences away from Cirque shows. "The problem here is attention span. I'm not going to say they are mindless. I won't say they are a feast to the eye while the mind starves to death. They are spectacular shows, delicious, but so easy to digest. Somebody jumps in the water. Somebody jumps out of the water. There's water. There's no water. A clown walks by, another clown walks by. Then another person walks by and you ask if he's in the show or not! It seems like they are playing down to the lowest possible attention span." But the 80-year-old film comedic legend insisted: "We have a plot we have a story. Vegas is a tough town for a book show but without bragging, this is the only book show that could make it from Broadway to Vegas."

First-night audiences -- including David's former 'Baywatch' castmates Alexandra Paul and Jason Simmons (pictured above) -- admired the acrobiotics with a standing ovation. Also on the red-carpet with raves for the show, the music, the songs were comedy stars Rita Rudner, Andy Dick and Carrot Top, magicians Penn Jillette and Nathan Burton with new X-dancer Britney Palmer entertainer Clint Holmes, hypnotist Anthony Cools, actress Tanya Roberts (pictured below with Nathan Burton and X-Girl Britney) from 'Charlie's Angels' and 'That 70's Show' and Broadway singer-actor Robert Goulet with wife, Vera.

Actors Brad Oscar and Larry Rabin who play the Broadway roles made famous by Nathan Lane as prying producer Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as bumbling book-keeper Leo Bloom won powerful praise, but it's the spotlight on David that shines brightest as he transforms from an outrageously over-the-top gay gadfly into a hysterically horrid Hitler for his fabulous flop for the foolish Fuhrer! "Brad and Larry are the leads, the quarterbacks of the show. I'm simply the icing on the cake here. Nobody had egos about me coming in as the name TV star," said David.

Mel told us, "David's absolutely perfect for the part. He has the stamina and the strength to pull it all off. Stars can be a pain in the ass, but he has been marvelous to work with at every level. A real sweetheart. He has perfect pitch and can sing beautifully. I told him to just be himself and do what he wanted with the role. The opening night note was simple: ' no notes.' He's got it. He's unbelievably popular in Germany and I find a deliciously irony that this will be a repeat of World War II when the Germans came to Paris, and now we're in the same-named hotel, it'll happen all over again."

Although director/choreographer Susan Stroman (pictured above) has just cast Tony Danza in the role for the ongoing current Broadway production, she commented, "David is the greatest. This is no small feat to pull of and he just had an immediate feel for the dancing, the songs and the story. He is one of a kind and does it all including the humor. He's talent and delivers it all. You can't just be a TV-star name and hope to succeed. You have to be an actor and an athlete who can do it eight days a week and not miss a beat."

I spoke with David both before curtain up and afterward as he celebrated at the after-party. "Mel is my hero. I would do anything for him. When I was a kid and 'Peter Pan' was my very first play, I dreamed of a Broadway career. I never thought I'd be known for talking to a car or running in slow-motion on a beach."

"I was on Broadway with 'Jekyll & Hyde' and I was going back to be in the 'Chicago' musical when Mel called me for 'The Producers' in Vegas. I couldn't have asked for a better show in a better city. I'm glad though we've now opened. We can settle down into it and now and all the advance pressure to rehearse day and night and reach opening night is finally behind us. Now we can relax, have fun, settle into a normal routine and get to enjoy Vegas."

David, who will shoot a second season of NBC's "Americas Got Talent" show this year, told us he loves Vegas so much since arriving here in early January that he's buying a loft condo downtown. His teenage daughters Taylor-Ann and Hayley (seen above), who also attended the premiere, encouraged him to take The Strip show so they'd all be together for regular visits rather than trying to travel between LA and NYC! Laughed David, "Our 'Producers' billboard is all over California. My parents point to it with pride but my daughters want me to take down the ones near our home there."

He also revealed there's another reason behind his decision to move here. He's planning a late-night, sexy adult-revue at the Paris when his run in 'The Producers' eventually ends. No word yet whether he'd produce or MC or dance with the topless beauties, but Luxe Life will get you the first word when it happens!

Mel's musical tells the hysterical story of a shyster's scam to find the ultimate theatrical fiasco -- a sure-fire failure so the scheming producers can rob their old-lady investors of the major money. As an opening day stunt. some of our city's beautiful models dressed down to portray the "little old ladies" riding around on Segway scooters to promote the production.

The Third Reich themed play-within-a-play "Springtime for Hitler" doesn't, as planned, quite become the first flop of all time and that's why you have to see the show to learn the full story. But I can tell you to watch for:
- The nine singing -dancing pigeons conducted by a crazed numbskull Nazi
- The high-flying old ladies who also perform a synchronized metal-walker routine that has the audience howling hysterically.
- The delicious dancers clad in crazed costumes for the finale of the show within a show.

For the rest of all this fabulous fun and flirty frivolity I will leave you to discover and enjoy.

Paris hotel executives threw a major magical million-dollar after-party to celebrate. They converted convention-center ballrooms into street scenes of New York complete with a Rockefeller center-type ice-skating rink, a miniaturized Central Park and enough authentic taste treats stretched from Coney Island over the Brooklyn Bridge and into the Bronx! Among the guests was Robert F.X. Sillerman, the multi-millionaire mogul of SFX Entertainment, the world's largest producer, promoter and presenter of live entertainment. His company, which owns licensing rights to the Elvis Presley estate, is partnered with Cirque du Soleil for the new show celebrating 'The King' planned at MGM's City Center. He told me he's a Luxe Life reader and confirmed our world-exclusive story last week that his company, through 'American Idol' creator Simon Fuller has begun talks with Michael Jackson about several possible projects to narrow down to one eventual specific. "I'm a big supporter and believer in Vegas entertainment," he told me. "I love playing here because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and more so, I love producing here and will do for a long time to come."

PREMIERE PARTY POINTS
For me, there were two rich reunions. Actress Alexandra Paul, who played Stephanie Holden on 'Baywatch,' reminded me that she'd gone to Israel on a shooting trip for me 20 years ago for my 'Runaway with the Rich & Famous' travel series. But it was when lusty, leggy Leigh Zimmerman in 'Baywatch' and who's also starred in 'United 93,' 'Home Alone 2' and a slew of TV shows and soaps introduced me to her husband, Domenick Allen (seen below with Leigh) that I remembered I'd filmed him way back in the '80s when he played Vegas as Liberace's opening act. He was also a member of Foreigner, who ironically were just down The Strip for a weekend run of shows at the Luxor. "It was a real dilemma, torn between the boys' opening night there or being here for my wife's opening night. So she won and I'll catch up with them tomorrow." Leigh told me that another dear friend of mine, Susan Anton, had helped them find a waterfront home here in Vegas to move into for the run of 'The Producers.' She added that Domenick plans to produce his own late-night show here too."

Luxe Life will be back a little later today with our wrap-up report and exclusive photos of the staggering $20+ million we raised for our Keep Memory Alive gala -- thanks to sensational support from celebrities Kevin Spacey, Julie Andrews, Brad Garrett, Terri Hatcher, Hilary Duff and hometown heroes Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf.

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