May '08 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 6-07-08

	'Clinton women' set to join forces Gennifer Flowers and Paula Jones are teaming up on a Web site to remind Bill Clinton they're still around. They met recently while appearing together on Geraldo Rivera's Fox show "and really hit it off 'cause we had so much in common," Flowers, Clinton's former mistress, said in an e-mail on Friday. Both have been "vilified" over the years, Flowers said, and "we have both agreed that it's a shame that more of the 'Clinton Women' didn't get together long ago. There could have been strength in numbers! For now, it's me and Paula." The Web site address is: www.genniferandpaula.com Flowers, who lives in Las Vegas, said Jones agreed they should join forces because "we were both getting media requests to do certain things, but we weren't really able to tell our stories the way we knew they happened. "So, while chatting in frustration, we decided to do this Web page and put a variety of topics on it in our own words," Flowers said. "We will be changing out the topics about every six weeks. We have received a lot of attention and press coverage and have been fortunate to have a lot of visitors to the site. Paula and I will be getting together this coming Monday in Little Rock" for a follow-up story with the syndicated TV show "Extra." "We are contemplating a visit to the Clinton Library since neither one of us has been there before." Then she added, "Just kidding! Ha." Flowers went public during the 1992 presidential race that she had a 12-year affair with the former Arkansas governor. Jones, who has a husband and three children and is selling real estate in Arkansas, was in the headlines in the 1990s when the former Arkansas state employee sued President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. Eventually, the court dismissed the lawsuit before trial, on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages. However, while the dismissal was on appeal, Clinton entered into an out-of-court settlement by agreeing to pay Jones $850,000. LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Andrew Gans is a chip off the old Louisville slugger. Like his father, Mirage headliner Danny Gans, Andrew was selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The 18-year-old outfielder from Coronado High School was taken in the 39th round by Tampa Bay. His father was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox in the 1970s, Danny Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, said Friday. Danny Gans eventually played in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system before suffering a career-ending Achilles tendon injury. Young Gans, who had a batting average near .400 at Coronado, will make a pro ball decision in the next week. "Danny is hopeful he will go to college," Lightman said. Danny Gans appeared in the baseball classic "Bull Durham" as Deke, the shortstop. The Scene And Heard Tony Crivello, the now-solo lead phantom in "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular," has added sports talk-show host to his credits. He's on KKWN-AM 1100 weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. The show is called "The Sicilians." Crivello will do eight "Phantom" shows a week. Brent Barrett, who alternated as the phantom with Crivello, had his swan song appearance on Friday. Barrett will perform in the Las Vegas Philharmonic's July 4 show before moving to Cape Cod to star in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

Sunday 6-08-08

Radetich returns to local TV scene

An energized Nina Radetich can't wait to rejoin the competitive local TV wars.

Watching from the sidelines has "lit the fire again," said Radetich, who joins Steve Wolford on the evening anchor desk at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday at KTNV-TV, Channel 13.

Not that she's been sitting around since leaving KVBC-TV, Channel 3 as co-anchor of the evening broadcasts.

A one-year, noncompete clause kept Radetich off camera but didn't prohibit her from working behind the scenes. She's been involved as a special projects producer since July.

She's excited that her KTNV schedule is "extremely conducive" to anchoring, reporting and "getting out and meeting people." She also will create Stay Fit Las Vegas, a wellness and fitness report.

She's part of Channel 13's new look that includes a months-old high-tech broadcast facility at 3355 S. Valley View Boulevard.

Add to the mix a new confidence at the ABC affiliate, owned by Milwaukee-based Journal Broadcast Group, that it has turned the corner and assembled its best news team in years after years at the bottom in the ratings battles.

News director Karin Movesian arrived about a year ago. So did chief investigative reporter Darcy Spears, after 12 years at KVBC. Tricia Kean moves from evening anchor to the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. broadcasts, while continuing her Contact 13 duties.

"We're the only station that's shown May-to-May growth at 11 p.m. and 4 to 7," said Jim Koonce, the station's promotion and marketing manager.

Radetich, who has been working in the market since 1996 when she joined KVBC as a reporter/weekend anchor, said she was sold on KTNV's ambitious plan.

"Channel 13's time is now and I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that," she said.

The Scene And Heard

It wasn't all sweetness and light Friday for Diddy's girl group Danity Kane. Two members of the pop group got physical backstage at the Palms before their concert at The Pearl last night. The tension was still evident when the group arrived at Privé Las Vegas (Planet Hollywood Resort) for their after-party. Dawn Richards, Aundrea Fimbres and Shannon Bex stayed on one side of the VIP Booth while Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods sat on the other posing for pictures with fans.

Correction: Tony Crivello's show, "The Sicilians," is on Fox Sports Radio KBAD-AM, 920.


Monday 6-09-08

Brahman bull gets the best of Angel Illusionist Criss Angel is sporting a black eye after what his publicist said was a "run-in" with a nasty 2,000-pound Brahman bull two weeks ago. The shiner is under Angel's right eye. Angel was shooting a video at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for his upcoming Cirque du Soleil show at the Luxor titled "Criss Angel Believe," which opens in September. "The bull won the battle but Criss won the war," said Angel's publicist Steve Flynn. "He was not gored," Flynn explained. "He was caught between the bull and the fence."

Tuesday 6-10-08

Norm is taking Tuesdays off

Wednesday 6-11-08

Sahara gets set for 'Raw Talent'

The new owners of the Sahara hotel-casino are close to announcing a new show set to open in August.

"Raw Talent Live" is being described as a high-energy dance show built around high-tech video illusions.

Nicole "ND" Durr, who conceived and created the spectacle, will direct and produce it in a partnership with Bernie Yuman, longtime manager of Siegfried & Roy and Muhammad Ali.

SBE Entertainment Group LLC of Los Angeles and San Francisco-based Stockbridge Real Estate Funds purchased the Sahara in August from Las Vegas-based Gordon Gaming Corp.

The new owners reportedly paid between $300 million and $400 million for one of the oldest icons on the Strip. The 1,720-room hotel-casino, which opened in the 1950s, has been undergoing a transformation.

SBE's Sam Nazarian operates almost 20 hotels in Los Angeles and Miami's South Beach, along with nightclubs and restaurants.

DOCTOR'S CALL

Dr. Stephen Miller, Roy Horn's physician for 11 years, is rebutting a statement in the new book "The Secret Life of Siegfried & Roy."

The book, a tell-all by the illusionists' inner circle, said Miller resigned as Horn's doctor about two months after the Oct. 3, 2003, tiger incident because of Siegfried Fischbacher's meddling with the prescribed medical regimen.

Based on that passage in the book, I wrote in Friday's column that Miller quit during Horn's "early struggles" after the attack at The Mirage.

Miller said he remained Horn's doctor for more than a year after Horn was bitten.

"It was something I put my heart and soul into," Miller said. "I waited until he was very stable. I didn't like things I witnessed, and I didn't like the way I was treated.

"I did the right thing, and I improved him. It was something I put my heart and soul into.

"I'd like to say what happened, but nobody would believe it. I was there, and I couldn't believe it either."

The Scene And Heard

A Las Vegas country group by way of Texas has made the finals of NBC's reality show "Nashville Star," which premiered Monday night. Third Town, a last-minute replacement, moved to Las Vegas in hopes of being discovered. Before getting the call over the weekend to be among the final 12, each member was performing separately in shows to pay the bills. They are the oldest participants in the reality show. Jeffrey Fairchild is 37, James A. Kouns, 29, and Tony "Little Tony" Mosti, 35. ...

Correction: Deshawn Stevenson is a member of the NBA's Washington Wizards.

Thursday 6-12-08

Mayne reminisces about Vegas days

Long before he made it to ESPN, Kenny Mayne played quarterback at UNLV, rode his 10-speed down the Strip to his loading dock job at the Holiday Casino and wrote copy at KLVX, Channel 10, the PBS station.

A broadcasting major, "my goal was to be a Middle East correspondent, do serious stuff like that," Mayne said Wednesday from his home in Connecticut.

A tryout with the Seattle Seahawks took him down another road. He landed a job with a Seattle-area TV station that kept pushing him to stay in sports.

"I took the path of least resistance," said Mayne, who parlayed the break into an anchor job 14 years ago at ESPN2, where he built a fan base with his dry wit, irreverent style and smart writing.

Mayne returns to Las Vegas on Friday for an appearance to promote his book "An Incomplete & Inaccurate History of Sport." He'll be at the Red Rock Resort's sports book from 3-5:30 p.m. to do a reading and sign his book, which is a hilarious mix of his offbeat humor and memoirs.

The younger generation will remember him for a brief appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" that judge Bruno Tonioli described as "like Pinocchio chasing Jiminy Cricket," according to Mayne's book.

Dancing was not Mayne's cup of tea, not after suffering a severe ankle break while playing at UNLV. But he went along with it because you never know where TV can take you.

When it took him to "Regis and Kelly" for a post-elimination appearance, and he and partner Andrea Hale were told to put together a dance routine on short notice, they refused.

When Regis Philbin asked him how it felt to finish last, Mayne's humor salvaged a rough outing.

"We don't look at it that way," he told Regis. "Right now we consider ourselves to be No.10 in the world."

In the book, Mayne shares a lot of laughs from his Las Vegas days, including the time he and two dozen other UNLV football players served as ushers at the Muhammad Ali-Larry Holmes fight on Oct. 2, 1980.

A security supervisor singled out Mayne and told him he would be assigned to "a very important person." To Mayne, that meant he would be joining Ali's detail.

Instead his job was to shadow Nabila Khashoggi, the oldest daughter of legendary high roller and arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

Mayne dropped the ball. He lost her in a crowd surge. After a frantic search, he caught up to her and stayed close.

The next day he was invited to join her and another friend to see Wayne Newton's show.

Google Nabila's name on the Internet, and you'll find her father built a $100 million yacht and named it after her. The craft was featured in the film "Never Say Never Again," the last James Bond movie starring Sean Connery, and later was owned by Donald Trump.

Friday 6-13-08

Maloof not buying scandal theories

The Maloof family is backing NBA commissioner David Stern as the league attempts to weather a widening officiating scandal.

Joe Maloof, during an interview Thursday with Dave Cokin and Steve Cofield on KWWN-AM, 1100, said he's not buying a conspiracy theory.

Stern has been besieged since attorneys for convicted former referee Tim Donaghy alleged in a pre-sentencing letter that other NBA officials manipulated playoff games, including a win by the Maloofs' Sacramento Kings over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.

Donaghy is claiming the officiating crew was pressured by the NBA to fix games.

Maloof said he's never been "suspicious" about the outcome. The Lakers wound up winning Game 7.

"I don't think it's associated with any kind of conspiracy," he said.

"It was probably the worst officiated game I've seen," Maloof said, "but we've never said anything, never whined. It's not our style."

The officiating team "just had a very, very, very bad day at the office," added Maloof, who was in town for the inaugural release from Maloof Music, their band Rev Theory's sophomore album "Light It Up."

He agrees with Stern that an independent investigation is not necessary.

Asked if the NBA has instituted a gag order, Maloof said, "I have never had the league call me and tell me not to comment on any issue."

DUBAI ONE-UPMANSHIP

A larger version of the Bellagio's dancing fountains lake will soon complement the world's tallest building -- the Burj Dubai -- at more than 2,000 feet.

The Burj Dubai Lake will be 25 percent larger than the Bellagio project, and the fountains will shoot water more than 500 feet skyward, about 50 stories. The fountain project will feature 6,600 lights and 50 color projectors capable of creating more than 1,000 different water expressions.

The tower will be almost twice the size of the 1,149-foot Stratosphere when completed in the fall of 2009.

The Scene And Heard

A year ago this week, N9NE Group cocktailer Sarah Larson got along famously with George Clooney at the Las Vegas premiere of CineVegas at the Palms and dated him until last month. N9NE Steakhouse hostess Becky Ginos dated Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine for about a year, off and on, until recently. Now, we hear Danijela Golub, another hostess at N9NE Steakhouse, has struck up a friendship with Los Angeles Lakers reserve Sasha Vujacic, who had 20 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

... For what it's worth: Stubhub, the ticket brokerage, on Wednesday was offering two courtside seats to Game 4 of the Lakers-Celtics NBA finals for $22,858 each, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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