Celebs and Strippers Hit by the Economy
Norm Clarke writes the gossip column for the Las Vegas Review Journal. He with his trademark eye patch is the “Kup” of Vegas. I introduced myself to him (and in fact Robyn Leach) at a private screening of the next-to-final eposide of HBO’s The Sopranos series, hosted by Elaine Bracco at the Planet Hollywood resort in LV over my birthday weekend in 2007. What a specatular experience that was! I digress.
Norm writes today that the once booming Vegas nightclub & strip club scene is feeling the heat of the Wall Street meltdown:
“Business was down 10 percent before the crash. Now it’s 20 to 25 percent,” said a veteran club operator. Clubs that routinely paid six figures for celebrity hosts during a free-spending three-year run have dramatically cut back, said a club entertainment executive. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and Jessica Simpson will still get $100,000-plus, the source said.
The stripper industry is taking a hit as well, a source said. “Strippers were making five grand a night. Now you’re hearing horror stories from the top clubs. They’re used to making a minimum of $1,000 a night. They’re not seeing as many high rollers coming in.”
October 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work