What Happened in Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Calendar Girls
Have you seen the movie called “A Date With Drew?” I guess not, it is a really small documentary/movie… kind of similar to this other movie, “Calendar Girl…” I don’t know if you saw that one either though.
I wouldn’t have watched “Calendar Girl” myself either if it wasn’t for boredom (I always blame things to Boredom, and HBO)
I think one of the actors on it was Jason Priestley, from the original teen series, Beverly Hills 90210. (Which by the way, I recently found out that the ‘90210’ was the zip code of Beverly Hills… D'oh!)
Just to be quick I’ll paste the IMDB short summary of the movie: “Like many adolescent boys, Roy Darpinian had the hots for movie divas, and one in particular was his [love] dream as half of America's in the 1950s: Marilyn Monroe. The difference is, one summer holiday he actually decided to enlist his spineless buddies, Scott Foreman and Ned Bleuer, to actually drive all the way to Hollywood and make as many desperate attempts as it takes to meet her or get arrested trying, and no setback or embarrassment can stop or distract him. Against all odds, he finally even got a chance to help her...”
“The Hots”
I watched that movie a long time ago, I think I was 13 or 14 years old. After I watched that movie I thought it would be awesome to have an adventure like that for the woman I had “the Hots” for: Xuxa.
I guess… Xuxa is the South America’s equivalence of Marilyn Monroe. Many people would disagree but these two women have a lot on common: They are gorgeous, blond, super popular movie stars and way too famous. And now that I think about it, they both dated a Kennedy (weird).
Anyway, when I found out Xuxa was going to be on a party in Las Vegas, on New Years Eve... I jumped in to the greyhound and headed to Sin City.
I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before or while the entire ride to Vegas. That made the ride way longer. 8 hours later I was arriving to The Las Vegas, on New Years Eve, to see a Latin America’s super-star: Simply stupid and Crazy, but yet awesome.
What Happened in Vegas
I didn’t know what exactly I was going to do really; I just went to get a chance to meet her. I didn’t know how, or where, or when that could happen, but I was there already so...
I heard so many stories about Xuxa stopping whatever she was doing to greet their Argentine followers, she many times confessed her great love for them. Xuxa is still a huge star Argentina.
All I knew is that she was going to attend the 'Reveal' party for the newest Hotel & Casino complex in Las Vegas, CityCenter.
Where
I walked directly to the Complex’s main hotel, Aria, and asked on the front Desk is Maria Maneghel (Her real name) had arrived.
When the front desk lady was checking and confirmed to me that she was there I peeked and wrote down the room number she was staying in. The front desk lady asked me if I wanted to talk to her. “Yes!” I said and my heart started pumping really fast.
A dude answered and told me she went shopping and that he didn’t know her plans for the evening. Well I did, she had this party she was going to attend: “REVEAL 2010 New Year Celebration & Grand Opening”
My next step: Try to get into that party.
I went to the mall of the complex and see if for any chance I would run into her. While doing that I contacted my friend Steve who was the project manager of the City Center and asked him if he could get me in to the party… He said that he wasn’t invited to any kind of Party! While to get in to most of the parties in Vegas went from $300 to $900 the ticket, that party was very exclusive…meaning; for invited guests only.
The “invited guests” not only got tickets to get in to the party, but also an all-covered suit room.
How
I went to the Suites entrance, which is where all the celebrities such as Mario Lopez (From Saved by the Bell), or Eva Langoria (from the TV show Desperate Housewives), and her husband (NBA Star, Tony Parker) where hanging out.
I noticed that a huge guy was guarding the main door stopping anybody who seemed as if they didn’t belong there.
I went to the front desk again and acting frustrated asked where the elevators for the suits were. The front desk lady noticed my frustration so she walked me to them, passing the huge guy guarding the door. I said “Happy New Years” to him. He smiled me back while opening the door. (I make a good stalker!)
I went straight to the elevators to the 30th floor of the Building. I was there, right in front of my childhood obsession. Between me and her there was just a door. A door!
I was about to knock when it came to me that it would be really creepy if some random dude knocked my door and asked to see me. I don’t know why I thought that, but I did, so I decided to go back down and call her back from the Suites’ VIP lobby.
When?
There they offered me champagne, and other refreshments to enjoy while making the call. I called.
I thought the guy who answered before was going to get the phone again. But this time it was a woman who answered the phone.
I asked if Maria Maneghel was there, she said yes, my heart stopped for that second. She asked me who I was, so I told her my name, and that I came from Utah just to say Hi to her. She asked me to wait for a second.
Then a different person came to the phone, a little girl, speaking broken English told me, “High, I am her daughter, she can’t come to the phone right now. What do you need?”
I repeated myself, I told her my name, and that I was from Argentina, that came from Utah just to see her mom, and that I would like to say Hi to her. She asked me to wait for a second.
Busy, busy, busy
She came back and said, “She said she is really busy right now, and tomorrow we’ll be really busy, busy, busy” That’s it, and then she’s stayed in silence.
I didn’t know what to say… I didn’t expect that at all, I thought... I don’t now what I thought it was going to happen, but I didn’t expect that at all.
I think I mumbled for a little while, and Sasha, Xuxa’s daughter, simply said “Ok, bye” click. Done.
My heart felt so heavy, like… I don’t, I never felt like that before. It hurt so badly. I felt so stupid.
Busted! (Last Chance)
Even thought it felt really bad to be rejected like that, I understood. I mean, she was this super star who came to Vegas to have a little family time. She would not, NOT be with her daughter to say hi to some random guy.
Maybe if I run into her on that party. I said to the front desk ladies, at the Suites’ lobby, that I needed some ‘extra’ tickets for some friends that came to visit (Lies!). They said that it was just for especial guests, and that they couldn’t help me. So then I asked for a paper and a pen to write her a note.
The hotel service took a while to get me a pen, I didn’t really care.
On the letter, I apologized and wished her a happy New Year. I was going to leave (to wait outside and maybe get a chance to see her when she went to the party) when I was suddenly stopped by one of the front desks ladies.
“Busted” I thought, “they wound’s take too long to realize I didn’t belong there.”
“We’re so sorry about the delay on getting your request [the pen],” she said. I just smiled and said that it was not a problem, but she interrupted me saying “Here, you can have this extra ticket for the opening tonight”
Happy New Year!
I was so excited again. I went to the party and… all I saw were more than 5 thousand (maybe more) people dancing around this stage with singers. The place was really dark. I looked and looked, and nothing. Midnight came fast and the countdown went 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!.
I kept looking… but nothing.
I danced a little with some beautiful ladies. All the other guys were a lot older and they were wearing dark tuxedos. I was wearing blue jeans, and a leather jacket!
That’s it. Just like that I decided to call it a quit. The chasing Xuxa came to an end and it didn’t end as I hoped.
Welcome back, fool!
I couldn’t believe it! I had tickets to go back home next morning (around 7:30 am) so, that was it. It was over. The craziness of coming to Las Vegas to say Hi to a celebrity ended up like it supposed to, but I just couldn’t believe it, I thought that it would be special for me, that as the movie, she would call me or meet me and talk to me. Reality hurts.
All the way home I pretty much murdered myself with things I could have done, or said differently. I couldn’t believe how many things I could have said or done differently!!
When I arrived to Salt Lake City, all tired and defeated, I was greeted by Maturity, who gave me a slap in the face and said “Welcome back, fool!”
The following: Pictures of Xuxa in that same party:
