April '08 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 4-19-08

	Fighter no match for stuck elevator Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar found himself in a different kind of cage the other night. The popular 6-foot-4, 200-pound Bonnar left the Rio's Voodoo Lounge about 1 a.m. on April 10 and decided to take the elevator, which normally goes down two stories. Unfortunately, it got stuck. Bonnar, the only passenger, was trapped for an hour before he pried the door open a few inches and got someone's attention. "I had used the emergency phone, but the operator said she couldn't tell which elevator I was calling from, and I got disconnected and couldn't get the phone to work again," Bonnar said. After he waited for another hour, Bonnar said, about eight firefighters arrived and extricated him. "After I got out, they took me by the bar and gave me a free drink," said Bonnar, who recently finished filming "Ultimate Warrior." He plays the lead in the martial arts flick. RUDNER REVVED UP Life is hectic for Harrah's headliner Rita Rudner these days. Her PBS special is being picked up by so many affiliates that the first week of her promo tour in early June includes stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver -- all in one week. "I'm already dehydrated," Rudner said. She's also in the middle of casting for "Room 776," which opens June 13 at The Little Theatre. Tickets for the play, which she co-wrote with her husband, Martin Bergman, are now on sale at the theater box office (362-7996). Plus, she just finished shooting "Hanging Out, Hooking Up, Falling In Love." It's an independent romantic comedy with a cast that includes Jenna Elfman, Camryn Manheim, Janeane Garofalo, Richard E. Grant, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The Scene And Heard Steve Wynn says he's considering constructing a high-rise office development on the former Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce site, which is currently housing his Encore executive team. ... Scores-Las Vegas has been purchased by Rick's Cabaret International, a Houston-based adult nightclub giant, according to the Houston Business Journal. Rick's is paying DI Food & Beverage of Las Vegas $16 million in cash and $5 million in convertible debentures for the club. The deal is set to close June 10. ... Correction: the Michael Mina-Andre Agassi chef exhibition at StripSteak (Mandalay Bay) was an Exclusive Resorts event.

Sunday 4-20-08

'Battle' packs big celebrity punch

An A-list crowd for the ages turned out Saturday for the "Battle of the Planet" between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Celebrities who had never attended a superfight showed up in big numbers, including Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Simon Cowell.

"Someone said we need more security," said Darrin Libonati, who operates the Thomas & Mack, "and I said, 'Why? We've got 'The Terminator,' 'Die Hard,' 'Rocky' and Chuck Zito here.'"

Zito, the celebrity bodyguard/actor and a big fight fan, said the star power rivaled the 1971 Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier megafight at Madison Square Garden.

"I'm told this hasn't happened in many years, and that was our vision," said co-promoter Robert Earl, the Planet Hollywood Resort owner whose celebrity connections had the crowd of 18,000 abuzz before the first punch was landed.

"We want to bring back that tradition when the Hollywood crowd was at ringside. That's our vision," Earl said.

Zeta-Jones, a Welsh native, stopped traffic when she showed up Saturday at the pool at Planet Hollywood Resort in a black swimsuit with sheer sides. She was in town to support countryman Calzaghe.

Another Welsh superstar, Tom Jones, sang the Welsh National Anthem for Calzaghe. Also at the fight: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jeremy Piven, Michael J. Fox, Brandy, Chris Tucker, James Belushi, Ray J., Ray Leonard, Joey Fatone, Rob Schneider, Luke Perry, Mark McGrath, Willis McGahee, Lance Briggs, Pete Sampras and boxers Roy Jones Jr., Marco Antonio Barrera, Winky Wright and Zab Judah.

The Scene And Heard

Penn & Teller lead the AIDS Walk today, with registration starting at 8 a.m. at the World Market Center. ...

Over at The Orleans, a fundraising concert for Norman Kaye of the legendary Mary Kaye Trio, begins at noon today in the showroom.

Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick has weighed in on the heated confrontation between this writer and Criss Angel, who blew up after his girlfriend, Miss Nevada USA Veronica Grabowski, failed to make the cut for the 15 finalists. Read his comments in his reviewjournal.com blog at www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm/.


Monday 4-21-08

'Phantom' sequel set for London Broadway icon Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to open his sequel to "Phantom of the Opera" in London in late 2009 or early 2010. It will be rich with illusions and set in Coney Island, Lloyd Webber said Saturday in an interview before the Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins fight at the Thomas & Mack Center. He's been in town checking on his Las Vegas version of "Phantom" and mentoring the six "American Idol" finalists for Tuesday's episode. They taped the segments at The Venetian. The "Phantom" sequel will be based on the novel "The Phantom of Manhattan" by Frederick Forsyth, who will collaborate. SIMON SAVES FACE "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell received the loudest boos during pre-fight introductions. Earlier, in the VIP area, I asked Cowell, who doesn't pull any punches on "Idol," whether he was a boxing fan. "I love boxing," he said. He took up the sport during his teen years in England. "I was a boxer until I got vain," he said. A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Give Calzaghe's fans points for being better behaved than the hooligan element that booed and whistled during the U.S. national anthem at the Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight in December at the MGM Grand. Given the hard feelings, there was some question whether Tom Jones, who sang the British national anthem for Hatton, would be booed by American fight fans when he sang the Welsh national anthem Saturday. An hour before the fight, I asked Jones about the December incident. "That was bad news," Jones said. But it was immediately clear that U.S. fans weren't holding a grudge against Jones. The Welsh superstar received the loudest cheers during the introductions. When it was time for the U.S. anthem, performed by R&B crooner Ray J, Brandy's little brother, Calzaghe's backers displayed none of the disrespect that came from Hatton's following. British fans will tell you that incident was fueled by the disrespect Mayweather directed at Hatton. THE SCENE AND HEARD Mike Tyson, who now lives in suburban Henderson, told me he's revisiting the idea of putting together a tour of exhibition fights in Europe. "I'm considering that," said the ex-champ, who appears to have put on 15 to 20 pounds since he retired.

Tuesday 4-22-08

Norm is taking Tuesdays off

Wednesday 4-23-08

Oprah summons LV impersonator

Larry Edwards, a longtime Tina Turner impersonator, is over the moon, and his feet won't be touching earth any time soon.

He received a call Tuesday from Oprah Winfrey's producer informing him that he will be among some tribute artists who have been invited to be part of the show Oprah is taping with Turner and Cher.

The producers told Edwards, a fixture for years in "An Evening at LaCage" at the Riviera, they want a "very Vegas" show featuring faux Tinas and Chers.

The show will air on CBS on May 8.

PUPPY LOVE

Timing is everything. Ask Alicia Jacobs, KVBC-TV, Channel 3 entertainment reporter.

She was interviewing Donny Osmond in a Flamingo suite on Monday when her cell phone went off.

Osmond immediately recognized the ringtone, put an arm around Jacobs and starting singing her the lyrics of "Puppy Love," his big hit of 1972, when he was 14.

Jacobs, a dog lover, had the ringtone installed to remind her of the nickname of her miniature dachshund, Bojangles, after Sammy Davis Jr.'s classic.

The Scene And Heard

Local model Sarah Larson generated some early buzz at the AFAN AIDS Walk on Sunday. Just before the event started, George Clooney's galpal came on stage at the World Market Center and made a $25,000 donation. Event hosts Penn & Teller matched their walk team's fundraising efforts with a donation of $50,500, bringing the Rio headliners' total to $101,000. More than 7,500 walk participants raised more than $500,000. ...

That Enormous Norm-a-thon benefit for Mary Kaye Trio co-founder Norman Kaye raised almost $20,000, thanks to the 34 entertainers who put on a memorable show for 700 at The Orleans. Kaye, the last surviving member of the legendary lounge group, recently suffered a stroke and faces some serious financial issues. The Orleans picked up the tab for more than $10,000 in costs...

Former Las Vegas photographer Don Pack died last week in St. George, Utah. He was 70. Pack was working as a photographer in Los Angeles in the early 1960s when he captured one of most enduring photos of the "Rat Pack." He moved to Las Vegas in 1994 and St. George in 2004.

Thursday 4-24-08

Houston tuning up for comeback

A surprise appearance by superstar Whitney Houston at the Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins title fight on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center added fuel to speculation that she's working on a headliner deal here.

Houston, we hear, is hoping to use an upcoming album to launch a comeback spearheaded by music giant Clive Davis.

There have been rumblings that she's in talks with a number of Strip properties, including Planet Hollywood Resort, which makes sense because she is believed to have attended the fight at the behest of Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl.

CHIPPING IN FOR NANA

UNLV head basketball coach Lon Kruger continues to practice what he preaches about community involvement.

He'll join some of his players at Montana Meat Company, 6371 Centennial Center Blvd. (near Tropical Parkway and the Las Vegas Beltway) tonight at a fundraiser for 4-year-old Savannah "Nana" Reid.

The granddaughter of local talk-show host Rick Rosen, Reid has a rare childhood cancer. The $75-a-plate event, which features a ton of sports memorabilia, runs from 5-7 p.m.

Rosen's pal Marty Rodick will be broadcasting it live on Fox Sports Radio-AM, 920. For reservations: Call Rodick at 610-5556 or the restaurant, 396-7615.

The Scene And Heard

There was last-minute buzz Saturday that soccer icon David Beckham and Spice Girl wife Victoria would be joining the ginormous celebrity turnout for the Calzaghe-Hopkins title fight. Now we know why they couldn't make it: David threw a big 34th birthday party for Posh on Sunday night. But they'll be back in Las Vegas in June, when she joins the Pussycat Dolls on stage at Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace. ...

Former employees of the Desert Inn are holding the first reunion since the property closed in 2000 after being a fixture on the Strip for 50 years. The get-together will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Laborers Local 872 event center, 4201 E. Bonanza Road. The D.I., which opened 58 years ago today, was imploded Oct. 23, 2001, to make room for Wynn Las Vegas...

The next generation: Nick Belcastro, godson of former Crazy Horse Too owner Rick Rizzolo, opens Badda Bing! men's club tonight at 4625 S. Polaris. Rizzolo was released from prison earlier this month after serving less than a year on a felony tax charge. ...

Shannon Elizabeth, one of the six celebrity survivors on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," waltzes down the red carpet tonight at the premiere of the poker flick "Deal" at the Palms' Brenden Theatres. The red carpet unfolds at 7:30 p.m.

Friday 4-25-08

Osmonds sign on for six-month gig

Marie Osmond can't recall the hotel site, only the circumstances.

Forgive her for a misty memory. When you headline in Las Vegas at the ripe old age of 13, who can recall the finer details 35 years later?

"I did the 'Paper Roses' number, and the set designers made this huge rose for me to walk down. It was my biggest nightmare," Osmond said.

It was 1973, and "Paper Roses" had become the No. 1 country hit.

Osmond is returning to all-grown-up Las Vegas, a far cry from the days when The Osmonds shared the marquee at The International (now the Hilton) with Elvis Presley in the 1970s.

The long-rumored Donny and Marie headliner deal at the Flamingo was announced Thursday, with Danny Gans and Chip Lightman producing the six-month engagement, which opens Sept. 9.

The variety show will include a worldwide dance contest, "an opportunity to break into the business," Donny Osmond said. "Andy Williams gave us our big break, and we're extending that to anyone."

One thing the show won't feature is Marie in a showgirl outfit, although after the 40-pound weight loss that started with her recent "Dancing With the Stars" appearance, she's spinning heads.

But no, she said, "that will be Donny."

The Scene And Heard

Almost 10 years after the death of casino boss Ted Binion, his house remains unsold. The real estate slump has sent the price down from $2 million to $1.85 million. Binion was found dead in his den at the 2408 Palomino Lane residence on Sept. 17, 1998. It was later ruled a homicide, and Binion's live-in girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, along with Rick Tabish went to prison on related charges. Both were acquitted of murder in a retrial. ...

Neil Diamond tribute artist Jay White taps the first keg of Maibock, a spring beer first created in Munich's Hofbräuhaus in 1614, at the Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas at 7 p.m. today. It's casual, for those who dress forever in blue jeans. ...

Curtis Terry, a key contributor in UNLV's basketball revival, is looking into a sports broadcasting career after he takes his hoops career as far as it can go. "If I had to go into the real world today, that's definitely what I'd like to do," Terry said Thursday during a fundraiser at the Montana Meat Company, at 6371 Centennial Center Blvd. Terry, who is majoring in journalism, was a natural during his guest-hosting stint on KBAD-AM, 920 Fox Sports Radio with host Marty Rodick on Thursday. The fundraiser was for 4-year-old Savannah "Nana" Reid, who is fighting a rare childhood cancer. "I just want to go on record," cracked Dave Cokin, who hosts a radio talk show on KWWN-AM, 1100, with Steve Cofield, "and wish Curtis a successful career, as long as it's in TV.

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