November '08 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 11-22-08

Gans closes out tonight at Mirage

Vocal impressionist Danny Gans is closing his 1,639th and final show with a special performance at The Mirage tonight.

His Mirage farewell, after a run of 81/2 years, "is going to be something I've never done before," said Gans, who is moving a block up the Strip to Steve Wynn's Encore hotel.

Gans has heard Burt Reynolds is coming to the finale, and he'll have many friends and family on hand.

Rehearsals start Jan. 5 at his new venue, with opening night set for Feb. 10.

Of the many nights when big names showed up, two stand out.

About six years ago, "Rocky' star Sylvester Stallone came to the show.

"He was such a big hero of mine when I was playing college baseball (at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo). I was in a real slump and then the ("Rocky") movie came out and inspired me so much I ended up having an All-American year.

Aware that Stallone was in the crowd, Gans performed a tribute. "I didn't do it funny. I did it straight ahead. When I finished I shielded my eyes from the spotlight and looked for him. He was on his feet leading the ovation."

As Stallone and his wife were getting ready to leave after visiting Gans backstage, Gans asked a parting question about Stallone's workout regimen.

Stallone waved goodbye, knowing what was coming. Stallone sat down and shared tips at length about weightlifting and workouts.

Then there was the night Tiger Woods came backstage.

"All he wanted to talk about was how I do the female singers' voices -- 'how do you do Macy Gray?' -- and all I wanted to talk about was how to cure my slice."

RELIVING RAT PACK DAYS

Good-guy Mike Kennedy celebrated his 70th birthday in old Vegas-style Friday.

Tons of friends flew in for the party, which included, appropriately, the Rat Pack Tribute at the Plaza.

A pal of Rat Pack icon Dean Martin, Kennedy spent his days working at the Max Factor store at the Stardust and his nights as a shill. Shills were planted in an audience to laugh, applaud and play along with the entertainer's schtick.

In the mid-1950s, Kennedy spent many a night as the "date" of film star Kim Novak, who was having an affair with Sammy Davis Jr.

"But the world couldn't know that," said Kennedy. "It would have ruined both of them."

That was back in the segregated days when black entertainers couldn't stay in Strip hotels. Davis had quarters in a trailer house behind a Strip hotel, Kennedy said.

Kennedy was in the audience one night when Mickey Rooney, a superstar at the time, turned to the crowd after Davis' second encore and spoke his mind.

"He was a feisty little guy. He said, 'You all just paid money to see this man entertain you and he has to walk through the kitchen. You all walked through the front door. I'll never come back and I recommend you do the same.'" Rooney never gets credit for it, said Kennedy, but he was one of the first to speak out against the segregation policy.

The Scene And Heard

R-J director of photography Jeff Scheid, who on good days admits to being my brother, left the land of double-digit cocktail prices and found a heckuva deal Friday at Al and Vic's Bar in Missoula, Mont. A sign behind the bar read: "Sunday special: Montana margarita ... A can of Oly (Olympia) and a lime. $1.25." ...

She's only 19, but rising star Hayden Panettiere of the hit TV series "Heroes," already has a handbag fashion line. She's in town today to unveil her Hayden Clutch at Dooney & Bourke in The Venetian from 6-8 p.m.

Sightings

Grammy-winning singer Pink and motocross legend Carey Hart, who announced they were separating earlier this year, were seen having lunch together Friday at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (Forum Shops at Caesars) ... Donny Osmond, singing Elvis' 1969 hit "Suspicious Minds" at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar (Harrah's) with Harrah's president Don Marrandino and the John Eddie Band. Donny Jr., 29, watched the show, which was a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll.

Sunday 11-23-08

New restaurant serves up Sinatra

One of the new restaurants at Steve Wynn's Encore hotel will pay homage to Frank Sinatra and another will feature walls that lift up and down, transforming the room throughout the evening.

In a recent interview, Wynn revealed the Sinatra family has loaned him their father's lone Academy Award, for best actor in a supporting role in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," and his Grammy awards.

The priceless memorabilia will be prominently featured in the Italian restaurant which will be named Sinatra. The family has so fiercely guarded the name that Wynn, a family friend, is the only person who was granted permission to use it. Among Wynn's biggest coups was wooing Sinatra to the revitalized Golden Nugget as an exclusive headliner in the 1980s.

Wynn added that Paul Anka has promised the gold record he won for writing the English lyrics for "My Way." Anka wrote the hit song soon after Sinatra told him he was leaving show business.

"It won't be a museum. It will be the most stunning restaurant in the country," promised Wynn.

When Wynn recently unveiled his restaurant lineup for Encore, his $2.2 billion all-suites sister hotel to Wynn Las Vegas, the restaurant name was listed as Theo's, after Theo Schoenegger, executive chef of Patina, a Los Angeles legend founded by Joachim Splichal.

Things change fast in Wynn's world.

Switch, the other restaurant Wynn brought up in the interview, is so named because of the transformation diners will experience, from the changing walls and ceiling to the staff switching clothes.

Wynn's national ad campaign, which has him standing atop Encore, is being launched today.

The Scene And Heard

Danny Gans ended his 81/2-year run Saturday at The Mirage by singing Louis Armstrong's classic "It's a Wonderful World" in 10 voices, a first for Gans. He is moving to Wynn's Encore, where his show opens in February.

Sightings

Soccer superstar David Beckham, being escorted Saturday to the Hardwood Suite in the Palms Fantasy Tower. He was in town to support countryman Ricky Hatton, who defeated junior welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night. ... Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, spotted at the Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace on Saturday before his guest DJ duties at Pure. ...

Jamie Foxx, dapper in diamond-studded sunglasses and a black scarf, dancing and singing on the catwalk at Tao (The Venetian) on Friday. Wilmer Valderrama joined his party. Foxx also showed up at Lavo (Palazzo) with a group of friends. ... Usher at the Grape Bistro in Town Square on Friday. He is a part owner. ... Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, at Tao hosting his brother's bachelor party in a skybox. ... Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone and Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl, partying at Privé after the premiere of Statham's "Transporter 3" at Planet Hollywood Resort. ... Geraldo Rivera, taking in the Cheech and Chong roast at The Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace. ... Kim Kardashian, eating cotton candy with her sister Kourtney at Kim's Vegas magazine cover party in their Palms Place penthouse before attending Usher's concert in The Pearl. Later, they partied at LAX (Luxor) with sister Khloe and brother Robert. ... Also at Pure: Brad Garrett and David Alan Grier at separate tables. ... Day 26, from P. Diddy's "Making the Band 4," performing four of their hits at Jet nightclub (The Mirage) on Friday.


Monday 11-24-08

Olympic medalist shows other skills Michael Phelps' passion for poker isn't the only reason he's been showing up in Las Vegas. The 14-time Olympic swimming gold medalist has been seen in the company of a fetching brunette who works at the Palms. He was spotted at Moon nightclub on Saturday and having lunch earlier at Canyon Gate Country Club. He's definitely getting into the swim of things in the dating pool. Last month he was spotted arriving at a Baltimore airport in the company of Nicole Johnson, runner-up in the 2007 Miss California USA pageant. Since winning a record eight gold medals in the Beijing Summer Olympics, Phelps has spent a considerable amount of time in Las Vegas, taking poker lessons from pros, so he can enter the World Series of Poker next year. The Scene And Heard Caesars Palace headliner Bette Midler appears on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" today on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, at 3 p.m. Midler and DeGeneres taped the segment during the Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace. ... Many of you inquired about the 10 voices Danny Gans featured during his final show at The Mirage on Saturday. A deadline kept us from sharing that in Sunday's column. Gans closed his 81/2-year run with "What a Wonderful World" by channeling Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Tony Bennett, Kermit the Frog, George Burns and, of course, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, who first released the song in 1967. Just before Gans attempted it for the first time in public, a lady with a booming voice yelled, "Take a deep breath." Gans is headed for Steve Wynn's Encore hotel and a Feb. 10 opening. ... Local author Jack Sheehan is looking at an April release on his latest book, titled "E. Parry Thomas: Quiet Kingmaker of Las Vegas." The banking giant, now 87, reveals many details of the inside story on how Howard Hughes was finally able to purchase the Desert Inn in April 1967 and how it whetted his appetite for his hotel-buying spree during his four years in Las Vegas. Stephens Press will publish the biography, in which Thomas goes into his relationships with Moe Dalitz, Jimmy Hoffa, Adnan Khashoggi, and Las Vegas pioneers such as Jakey Friedman, Milton Prell, Benny Binion, Ed Torres and others. Full disclosure: Stephens Press, LLC, is a sister company to the Review-Journal. ... Sign of the (belt-tightening) times? A big name in the music industry popped into a well-known club about 4 a.m. with an entourage and requested a comped bottle. He got turned down and left. Sightings Paris Hilton's ex-beau, Benji Madden, checking into the Palms Fantasy Tower on Sunday. ... At the Ricky Hatton-Paulie Malignaggi fight on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden: Soccer star David Beckham and actors Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. ... Hatton, hosting his after-party at Studio 54 in the MGM Grand, with an entourage that included Beckham and Liam and Noah Gallagher of Oasis. Also celebrating in the club: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza. ... Beckham, showing up at Nobu (Hard Rock Hotel) about midnight for a three-hour dinner with friends. ... "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere, backstage meeting the performers of "Raw Talent Live Fuego" at The Sahara on Saturday. Panettiere was there to pick up understudy Rene Lavan on their way to "O" (Bellagio). ... Former heavyweight boxing championship Lennox Lewis, catching a pre-fight dinner at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill inside MGM Grand. ... Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, back at Tao (Venetian) for the second night in a row. He had two birthday cakes delivered after dinner at Tao Bistro before heading upstairs to the club, where he worked the mic throughout the night, going back and forth with DJ Vice. Also in the club: "Mad Men" actor and one of GQ's "Men of the Year" Jon Hamm, Pauly Shore, Bill Maher and Rob Riggle from "The Daily Show."... "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, at Tryst nightclub (Wynn) Saturday, posing for photos with illusionist Criss Angel and girlfriend Holly Madison. Also there: movie director Michael Bay, who was joined by actor/singer Tyrese in the owner's VIP section, and Playboy Playmate Raquel Gibson (Miss October 2005).

Tuesday 11-25-08

Norm took the day off

Wednesday 11-26-08

Britney-LV buzz hard to nail down

The Internet continues to buzz with reports that Britney Spears will be making a Las Vegas appearance in late December.

Babble.com, a new parents Web site with a thin portfolio in the breaking-news department, reported Monday she will perform "a special show" at Mandalay Bay but not part of her upcoming "Circus" tour. No attribution was cited.

MGM Mirage publicist Stephanie Heller responded Tuesday in an e-mail that no show is scheduled for Mandalay Bay.

The Web site said Spears' first tour in four years will start in May. We've heard that the launch will be the third week of April and that Las Vegas will be included in the tour.

Her new album, titled "Circus," comes out Tuesday, her 27th birthday.

The Scene And Heard

Three songs, including the title track of Axl Rose's just-released "Chinese Democracy" album, were laid down at the studio at the Palms in 2006. The other two were "Madagascar" and "Catcher in the Rye."

Another one for the belt-tightening times file: For the first time since the early 1990s, The Mirage poker room won't be serving a complimentary Thanksgiving meal for the players. ...

Signings: Richard Kiel and Maud Adams of James Bond film fame, are appearing at the Gallery of Legends inside the Miracle Mile Shops. Kiel is best-known as the steel-toothed villain named Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker," and Adams was one of the most popular Bond girls. Both meet with fans from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Gordie Howe, "Mr. Hockey," is at Field of Dreams in the Forum Shops at Caesars for autographs and photo ops on Friday and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

Sightings

IRL racer Marco Andretti, runner-up in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 as a rookie, racing go-carts at Pole Position Raceway on Tuesday afternoon. ... Indianapolis Colts stars Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney and Raheem Brock catching lunch Monday at the Terrace Point Cafe in Wynn Las Vegas, a day after their 23-20 road victory over the San Diego Chargers. ... Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, at "Love," in The Mirage, on Sunday. ... Ricky Hatton, who retained the junior welterweight title at the MGM Grand on Saturday, dining at Morton's The Steakhouse on Sunday. ... Usher, gnoshing on chicken fingers and french fries at 4:30 a.m. Saturday at Drai's After Hours in Bill's Gamblin' Hall. ... Paula Abdul, partying Saturday with Criss Angel and Holly Madison at LAX in Luxor. Also there: British actor Jason Statham with Noah and Liam Gallagher from the rock band Oasis. ... At Pure in Caesars Palace on Saturday: actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor Mike Epps and Starlight Tattoo mogul Mario Barth. ... Comedian Dane Cook and friends, dining Saturday at the Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere. ... Brad Garrett, dining Saturday at Stack in The Mirage. At Fix in the Bellagio on Saturday: Oakland A's slugger Frank Thomas.

Thursday 11-27-08

Robin Gibb in airport standoff

Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees missed his niece's wedding in Las Vegas on Saturday after failing to cooperate with London airport security.

London's Daily Mirror said Gibb was preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight from Gatwick Airport to Las Vegas when a standoff developed after he is reported to have refused to allow a bag to be searched.

His brother, Barry, attended the wedding at a chapel at Wynn Las Vegas, along with other family members.

Barry Gibb and hotel developer Steve Wynn attended the "Jersey Boys" show at The Palazzo on Sunday and met the cast backstage.

The Bee Gees, made up of Barry, Robin and Maurice, were one of the hottest musical groups of the 1970s. They had nine No. 1 hits in an eight-year span, including "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" from the hit movie "Saturday Night Fever."

Maurice Gibb died Jan. 12, 2003.

The Scene And Heard

Three-time Grammy Award winner Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas will perform on New Year's Eve in The Venetian ballroom and later provide the New Year's Eve countdown at Lavo's nightclub in The Palazzo. After Fergie's performance, Skip Martin, former lead singer of Kool & the Gang, will entertain the ballroom party with such hits as "Celebration." For more information: Visit The Venetian or Palazzo Box Office, call 1-866-641-SHOW or visit www.venetian.com or www.palazzolasvegas.com. ...

Entertainment legend Tony Curtis will be in studio for the second hour of KNPR's State of Nevada program (FM 88.9, 9-11 a.m.) on Tuesday to discuss his new book, "American Prince: A Memoir," with Dave Berns. ...

Spies tell me Olympian Michael Phelps' Las Vegas galpal is Caz Pal, a 26-year-old cocktail server at Moon nightclub at the Palms. Her MySpace page lists her hometown as Long Beach, Calif., and that she attended Cal State Northridge. ...

Former Atlantic Records President Jerry Greenberg, who opened the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Las Vegas three years ago with his brother, Bob, is back in the music business. Jerry, who signed ABBA and many other major artists with Atlantic, has inked Adbacadabra, an ABBA tribute group. The group made its Vegas debut last week during a Global Gaming Expo event. The Greenbergs, who had licensed the Rainbow name from the owners of the legendary rock-and-roll club on Sunset Strip in Hollywood and re-created a Vegas version at Paradise Road and Harmon Avenue, closed the Rainbow a year and a half ago, saying they were looking for something that offered a larger entertainment venue. ...

Celena Haas, after three years as director of public relations at Bally's, Paris Las Vegas and Rio, is moving to Caesars Palace as director of public relations. Haas' duties will include working with the property's restaurants while reporting to Debbie Munch, vice president of public relations.

Sightings

Hooters Hotel & Casino headliner/mentalist Gerry McCambridge, after inviting a couple on stage to assist in his finale, turned to the man, Barry Steve of Las Vegas, as if reading his mind, and said he sensed he wanted to say something to his girlfriend, Dawn. Steve, who had set it up, dropped to a knee, whipped out a ring and proposed. She accepted. At that point McCambridge invited Luxor headliner Criss Angel and Hugh Hefner's ex Holly Madison on stage and asked, "Anyone else want to propose to their lady on this special night?" ... Poker pro Scotty Nguyen, buying the entire audience a round of drinks during "The Real Deal" poker show at the Venetian Hotel on Tuesday night. The tab is reported to have been more than $2,000. ... Ricky Hatton, shopping at the Hard Rock Hotel's retail store with a tall blonde on Tuesday.

Friday 11-28-08

On the Teen Scene

Local actress says Jonas Brothers 'awesome,' 'down to earth'

Las Vegas teen Meaghan Jette Martin played a mean girl in her TV debut opposite the Jonas Brothers in The Disney Channel hit "Camp Rock."

In real life, the 16-year-old bubbly blonde is a pal of the blockbuster pop-rock trio who will be on her turf when they appear at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday.

They've remained friends, she says, and she's been seeing them "on and off" since spending two months on the set of "Camp Rock" over a year ago.

It was such a big hit -- Disney's second-most-watched TV movie ever, after "High School Musical 2" -- that "Camp Rock 2" is being discussed, and Martin is "hopeful" she'll be among the holdovers.

Her scenes with Joe Jonas, 19, involved her being "madly in love with him and following him around in a creepy sort of way."

Joe tormented her during filming by leaping out of bushes and "scaring me all the time."

Don't even mention the D-word. "No, no, no, no, no," she playfully protests, when asked if she had dated any of the brothers.

She's passed along some "must" stops for eating and shopping for their Las Vegas visit: Port of Subs and The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

It's almost scary how awesome they are," Martin says. "They are so humble and down to earth with a grounded family and a grounded lifestyle."

Kevin, the oldest at 21, is "sweet and caring, always making sure you're OK," Martin says. "Joe's the prankster. Nick (16) is the funniest. The stuff that comes out of his mouth."

She just learned she's landed her second starring TV role, this time in ABC Family's version of "10 Things I Hate About You," the 1999 film that co-starred Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

Shooting starts Monday on the TV series adaptation.

This time she gets to spread her acting wings. "I'm a social butterfly," she says. She's cast as Bianca, the younger sister of Lindsey Shaw's character.

They will be opposite Gregory Peck's grandson Ethan Peck, who has the role Ledger played in the film based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew."

In the series, the sisters' father is a gynecologist "who decides we are not allowed to date," Martin says. "I was joking with the writer of the show that I really know how to play a gynecologist's daughter."

Her father is John Martin, who has been practicing in Las Vegas for about a dozen years. "He's a lot more lax than the dad on the show," says Meaghan, who was 5 when she did one of her first commercials, a Walker Furniture Christmas deal.

Meaghan, who is home-schooled, and her mother, Joy, shuttle back and forth to Los Angeles every week.

NEW YEAR'S PLANS

Pop star parents Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson will host New Year's Eve at Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace.

Wentz, the frontman of Fall Out Boy, and Simpson, Jessica's little sister, had a baby boy recently. They named him Bronx Mowgli.

Caesars Palace headliner Elton John will perform a New Year's concert at The 02 arena in London.

Formerly the under-achieving Millennium Dome, it was purchased by AEG, the Los Angeles-based entertainment and sports conglomerate that built The Colosseum for Celine Dion and Caesars Palace. It's now one of the hippest and hottest concert venues in Europe.

It will cost you $150 to spend New Year's Eve with Hollywood's uber-annoying celebrity couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt of "The Hills."

Back in June, Pratt received a classic David Letterman beatdown after suggesting the Montag-Pratt brand was so hot that he "won't go to a club anymore for less than $100,000."

Letterman responded with guffaws and this ego-battering rebuttal: "Stop it, just stop. For a second there, I thought you actually said $100,000." Then he asked Montag if Pratt's "nonsense" was true.

When she got huffy, Letterman pondered on air if Pratt brings "a pony and have kids take their pictures with it."

The ticket price includes Montag and Pratt leading a midnight countdown and DJ CyberKid.

Tickets can be purchased and table reservations can be made by calling 894-7580 or visiting www.purelv.com/newyears/.

THIS WEEK IN 1973 ...

Marie Osmond, all of 14 years old, was enjoying amazing crossover success with "Paper Roses," which soared to No. 5 on Billboard's Top 40 and spent two weeks as the No. 1 country hit. It was a cover of Anita Bryant's that also reached No. 5 on Billboard in 1960.

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