April '08 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 3-29-08

	Norm took the day off

Sunday 3-30-08

Chagra hanging on for his movie

Jimmy Chagra, a Texas drug kingpin who attained legendary high roller status in Las Vegas, is dealing with another health setback.

Chagra, 63, had a tumor removed from his brain Thursday during surgery in Phoenix. He underwent a lung cancer operation in November.

"He's hanging in there and says he won't check out until he attends the premiere of our movie," said Las Vegas writer Jack Sheehan.

The film, titled "Do A Nickel," is based on Chagra's life as a major drug smuggler in the 1970s, his high-flying gambling days in Las Vegas and his alleged ties to the assassination of federal judge "Maximum" John H. Wood.

Chagra allegedly hired hit man Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson, to assassinate Wood, who was about to preside over Chagra's smuggling trial. Chagra and Harrelson met in Las Vegas in the 1970s. Wood was fatally shot in the back outside his Texas home on May 29, 1979.

Las Vegas attorney Oscar Goodman, now the city's mayor, represented him.

Chagra was sentenced to 30 years for drug smuggling. He was released for health reasons in Atlanta on Dec. 9, 2003.

Harrelson was sentenced to two life terms and died in a federal prison in Colorado on March 15, 2007.

Sheehan interviewed Chagra about a year ago while he was living under an assumed name in the Federal Witness Protection Program. After purchasing all the exclusive movie, book, and television rights for Chagra's story, Sheehan wrote the screenplay and lined up partners for the film.

"We have producers interested," Sheehan said.

BEACHER ON THE MEND

Entertainment producer Jeff Beacher is checking into a second medical treatment center in a month after a weight-loss program went awry.

Beacher said he recently spent two weeks in a Los Angeles medical center but left after a dispute over how to treat the liver damage he said he suffered while working with a Las Vegas-based weight-loss treatment center.

His "Beacher's Madhouse" productions will be put on hold temporarily, he said. He had been on the weight-loss program for about a year "when I realized bad things were happening to my body."

He leaves today for a one-month stay at an undisclosed treatment center on the East Coast. He thanked "friends who stepped up and helped me. They couldn't have been more supportive."

The Scene And Heard

Here's the rest of the story from the November 2005 "American Idol" audition at the Renaissance Hotel: Vegas Confidential readers may recall that judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were raving about a female singer from San Diego. "I thought she was a Top 10er," Jackson told me at the time. Cowell added: "A Top 1er." Although she was chosen to advance to the Hollywood rounds, she never made it because of visa problems. Turns out it was Carly Smithson of Ireland, who has made it to the top nine.

Monday 3-31-08

Baseball's spirits haunt Pink Pony

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Holy Cow. There was Harry Caray, bolting toward my table with fire in his eyes.

"Who the hell are you? FBI? CIA?" growled the Hall of Fame broadcaster, his voice booming.

That was my introduction to the Pink Pony steakhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz., in March 1985.

It was the definition of an opening-day spring training disaster.

But more on that later.

I made a sentimental journey back to the Pony over the weekend to relive those late nights at one of baseball's legendary watering holes.

On the wall above our booth was a New York Yankees uniform: The No. 1 worn by Billy Martin, another regular at the Pony when he wasn't managing.

He was at the Pony's bar when I met him at spring training a year after my shaky start with Caray.

When Martin's running mate told him I was from Denver, Martin turned serious and gave me a hot story for the Rocky Mountain News.

Columnist's memories of legendary broadcaster Harry Caray, above, came rushing back during visit to Pink Pony in Scottsdale, Ariz.

He had played minor league in Denver, loved it there and told me it was the only job, other than another stint with the Yankees, that he wanted before calling it a career.

That didn't happen. He died in a car accident on Christmas Day 1989.

But every time I think of Martin, I think fondly of the Pony and the night Caray was on the warpath.

I had just arrived that day to cover spring training for the Rocky Mountain News. Before the Chicago Cubs' Cactus League opener, I asked a Cubs PR guy whether I could interview Caray after the game.

Keep in mind, this was in a tiny press box. Caray heard his name mentioned and looked over at us.

That day wouldn't work, the PR guy said. Another day would be better.

I finished my story and went to the Pony for a couple cold ones and some dinner.

The rumor at the bar was Caray was coming in later. I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet him so I asked owner Charlie Briley to let me know when the Cubs broadcaster arrived.

An hour or so later, Caray walked in and made a beeline for the bar with some pals.

I saw Briley whisper something to him. Caray looked over, saw me at a table and marched over.

He was miffed. Who was I? Why didn't I introduce myself at the ballpark? Why was I going through the PR guy? The Pink Pony owner? Why was I being so official?

I apologized. I thought I was following protocol.

With Caray there was no protocol. Forget the formalities.

If I still wanted to talk with him, let's have dinner tomorrow night, he said. And that was the beginning of our friendship.

The Pink Pony is up for sale, I was told during dinner last week. But all the sports memorabilia has to stay, including a photograph of Caray, who died in 1998.

It wouldn't be the Pink Pony without him.

The Scene And Heard

Donald Trump's upcoming MTV reality show based on turning party girls into ladies has approached Ashley Alexander Dupré about joining the cast, People magazine reported. Dupré is the call girl from former N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer's saga. Trump has been down that road with Miss USA Tara Conner, whom Trump sent to rehab as part of the second chance he gave her to keep her crown in December 2006.

Tuesday 4-01-08

Norm is taking Tuesdays off

Wednesday 4-02-08

Wynn Las Vegas hits Grand Slam

Andre Agassi got an offer he couldn't refuse. The result is a net gain for Agassi's Grand Slam for Children, for years one of the city's premier fundraisers.

Agassi's office on Tuesday confirmed that the event, after 12 years at the MGM Grand Garden, is moving to Wynn Las Vegas. It will be held Oct. 11 in the Lafitte ballroom.

Rob Powers, communications director for the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, said the foundation was thrilled with the move to the Wynn.

"The MGM was a wonderful partner for many years. Moving to Wynn Las Vegas, however, allows us to keep the event fresh and exciting. At the end of the day, the Grand Slam is about raising the most money we can to benefit at-risk youth in the Las Vegas area, and providing the best evening of entertainment possible for our supporters."

Alan Feldman, senior vice president for MGM Mirage, said the company recently instituted a policy to discount events for charities equally.

"We're trying to support as many as we can," he said, but when the relationship began in 1995 Agassi's "was singular."

MGM Mirage's charity events now include the Rock for the Cure, the Alzheimer's event, the Epicurean and others, Feldman said. "As a corporation, we treat people equally. There was no way to support every charity's event at the level we were supporting Agassi's. I understand whatever their needs were, they feel the Wynn offer suits their needs better."

Feldman said the MGM Mirage's $1 million commitment to Agassi's foundation begun in 1995 "continues because it is such a critically important part of this community."

The event raised more than $70 million at the MGM Grand Garden, with more than 7,000 attending each year.

The move to the smaller venue brings a host of questions, starting with ticket prices and whether fewer seats means the event will be affordable only to the richest corporate players.

BLOODY GOOD SHOW

A little old nosebleed wasn't about to stop Tom Jones from performing on his 40th anniversary in Las Vegas.

Four or five songs into his show Saturday at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, he got a bloody nose.

Jones told the crowd he didn't remember that ever happening before. After a stagehand provided a towel and then cotton for his right nostril, Jones continued with his performance, with the Welsh superstar joking that the cotton "helped his singing voice." To the delight of the women in the audience, he added, "but I don't look as sexy."

He raised the roof when he continued through his classic "What's New Pussycat," gesturing to his "pussycat nose."

The Scene And Heard

A civil lawsuit that alleged excessive force by doormen at Rumjungle nightclub at Mandalay Bay was settled Monday out of court. San Francisco firefighter Joshua Parks sued the club and two bouncers in 2004 after his femur was broken during an altercation. The 5-foot-6 Parks alleged he was beaten after refusing to pay bribes to the doormen when he left the club for a cigarette. Details of the settlement were not divulged. ... Francesco's Italian restaurant, a fixture at Treasure Island since Steve Wynn opened the property, closed Tuesday. The space will undergo renovations for a new concept. Wynn named the restaurant after Frank Sinatra. ... Elton John has canceled tonight's show at Caesars Palace. No word on why.

Thursday 4-03-08

A Chippendale to the rescue

A Las Vegas woman who suffered a seizure at a Rio nightclub must have thought she was hallucinating when she realized she was being assisted by members of the Chippendales male revue.

The woman, who had just seen the Chippendales' late show at the Rio on Friday, was with some girlfriends in the Flirt Lounge next to the Chips' showroom when the seizure occurred.

James Wilcox, a Chippendales dancer who also works as a fitness editor for KVVU-TV, Channel 5, saw her fall and rushed over to help. Wilcox, who was in street clothes, was assisted by other members of the revue until paramedics arrived.

The woman told Wilcox that she had a history of seizures and thought her latest was triggered by abdominal surgery she underwent earlier in the week.

Wilcox, who went through the Navy's SEAL program, said it was a team effort.

"That's what we do when someone is in trouble," he said. "It's not like I saved her life. I just helped her through a situation."

Whether the woman's heart rate will return to normal anytime soon is another question.

MEDIA UPDATE

KVVU-TV, Channel 5, morning anchor Jason Feinberg will be the co-host of the Miss USA preliminaries Saturday with Miss USA Rachel Smith.

Feinberg landed the gig after the Miss Universe organization, the parent company of the Miss USA pageant, saw a pageant spoof he put together on Smith and Channel 5's same-named reporter, Rachel Smith.

Feinberg also hosts the Miss Nevada USA pageant and the Miss Texas USA pageant.

Alicia Jacobs, entertainment reporter for KVBC-TV, Channel 3, will be a judge of the prelims, which will be held at 7 p.m. at Planet Hollywood Resort.

Chet Buchanan has signed a new three-year deal to remain on the "Morning Zoo" with KLUC-FM, 98.5 FM.

Kitty Rodman and Claudine Williams will receive the Philanthropist of the Year awards tonight from Gov. Jim Gibbons and his wife, Dawn, at the eighth Governor's Black-Tie Invitational at Garry Goett's Southern Highlands Golf Club.

Rodman is being honored for her longtime support of UNLV and her philanthropic work and Williams for her contributions in education and child welfare as well as her charity work.

The event is sponsored by Southern Highlands Golf Club Charitable Foundation, which benefits charities in Southern Nevada. Ventriloquist Terry Fator, winner of NBC's "America's Got Talent," is the entertainment headliner. ...

The three-day UNLVino extravaganza gets off to an effervescent start tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel with a 21-cork Dom Perignon salute to Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. For tickets and information: 895-1330.

Friday 4-04-08

Gibbons speaks of family stress

Gov. Jim Gibbons, talking publicly in detail about his marital problems for the first time, said, "It's a very painful thing to have out in public, but we're trying to work our way through it."

His comments came during an interview after he arrived Thursday without wife Dawn at a charity event at Southern Highlands Golf Club.

The first lady, he said, "has another engagement up in Northern Nevada."

Asked to address rumors that they are living apart, Gibbons sidestepped the question but confirmed, "There's stress in my family."

When the question was asked whether they have split as a couple, he said, "No," and after a pause added, "Not yet."

Rumors of problems in the 23-year marriage first surfaced in mid-February. The governor's aides later acknowledged the trouble.

Dianne Cornwall, the governor's chief operating officer, told the Reno Gazette-Journal in late March that the couple intended to have a weekend family meeting to discuss their marital problems. The couple's 20-year-old son, Jimmy, was due back in Nevada on that same weekend from his sophomore year at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

"While I firmly believe my private life is my private life, and it doesn't need to be made public, but there's stress in any job. There's stress in my family. It's a very painful thing to have out in public, but we're trying to work our way through it.

"And we are working at it, and we are trying to make it work like any married couple. We've had our ups and downs like anybody else."

At the beginning of the interview, I mentioned to Gibbons that his weight loss was a topic of conversation at the event, the eighth Governor's Black-tie Invitational at Southern Highlands. Gibbons and the first lady were to present philanthropic awards to community stalwarts Kitty Rodman and Claudine Williams.

"I'm back to my fighting weight," said Gibbons, who volunteered that he's lost 40 pounds and is down to 185 pounds.

The former combat pilot and decorated veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars said he's been working out, "watching my diet, and I'm feeling so much better."

"It's called the divorce diet," said a friend of the governor's.

Gibbons arrived at the event with political aides Michael Dayton and Brad Keating.

CELINE HITS WALL IN CHINA

Celine Dion is running into red tape in red China.

Her April 13 concert in Beijing has been canceled by the government for what was termed failure to obtain a permit.

Published reports suggested that her promoters are being punished for staging Bjork's Shanghai show last month, which was notable for Bjork's call for Tibetan independence.

Dion's first-ever concert in China is set for April 11 in Shanghai. Initially, the cancellation was blamed on Beijing's sandstorms, which could worsen a throat infection that already forced Dion to cancel some Australian dates.

Dion is one of the most popular entertainers in China, with "Titanic" still the most-watched film in the country. Her "Titanic" theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," is played "everywhere like an unofficial national anthem," according to Variety.

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