July '09 Notes from Norm — Norm Clarke Column

Saturday 06-27-09

Donny Osmond recalls old friend

Their last conversation was about 18 months ago. Close friends throughout their iconic careers, Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond stayed in touch by telephone over the years.

"We met when we were about 13," Osmond recalled Friday, a few hours before taking the stage for the Donny & Marie Show at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

The teen idols bonded over an uncanny number of coincidences: Both were members of famous musical families before they reached their teen years. Both were from families with nine children. Both were the seventh child.

"Our mothers were even born on the same day," said Osmond, "and our fathers were both extreme disciplinarians, although my father was not a Joe Jackson."

At 14, Jackson had his first No. 1, "Ben," in 1972. It was written for Osmond, but he was later told they couldn't reach him because he was touring.

That made 'em even. "One Bad Apple," The Osmond family's' No. 1 hit in 1971 (when Donny was 14) "was written for Michael."

The similarities continued. Donny and Marie had a TV show. So did Michael and Janet, briefly.

"Michael said he hated every second of it," said Osmond.

Jackson was living in Las Vegas when they last talked.

During that last conversation, Osmond remembers asking Jackson, "Where are you?

"I can't tell you," said Jackson.

"You can't tell me?" said Osmond, gently chiding his longtime friend.

"Please don't tell anyone," said Jackson.

"I rented a motor home and I'm down in Arizona. I just want to hide. I want to get away from people," said Jackson.

Osmond invited him to drive up to Utah. Jackson said, 'I'm going to take you up on that."

But that was it. "He shut it down after that," said Osmond. "He isolated himself after that. His life was in shambles," from financial setbacks and scandal.

Jackson, 50, died of cardiac arrest Thursday at home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

"It's been a tough day," Osmond said Friday. It was audible in his voice. In a matter of days, three show business people he knew had died. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Jackson.

He recalled another telephone call, maybe three or four years ago. This one came from Stevie Wonder, who invited Osmond over to his recording studio.

When he got there, they chatted, and Wonder cut to the chase.

"What I really wanted you here for is to get closer to Michael because he really needs some help," Wonder told him.

Osmond did a cover of Wonder's 1976 No. 1 hit "I Wish" and took it to Jackson's Neverland Ranch to play it for him. That was the kind of friendship they had.

When Jackson's megahit "Thriller" came out in 1984, "I went to see him to see if he could help me get my career back on track.

"I asked him, 'How do I get back on the charts?"

"Change your image," said Jackson, "and your name."

DOCTOR'S NOTE

Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, notified employees in his Las Vegas medical practice 11 days ago that he was leaving temporarily. His note was on his letterhead, according to TMZ.com, the celebrity news Web site. "I am deeply saddened to leave you at this point," he wrote, "but please know my absence is not permanent." He continued, "In my absence, I will continue to manage the practice, and be involved as much as possible but from a distance." He added that the move was "not permanent." TMZ reported that AEG, the Los Angeles-based entertainment giant, had put Murray on the payroll. ...

The Scene And Heard

Caesars Palace headliner Cher is returning to the big screen, after a 10-year absence. She will sing while playing Christina Aguilera's mother in "Burlesque," which begins shooting in November.

A sighting that appeared here earlier this month of comedian-actor Richard Lewis and his wife, Joyce, at Double Helix Wine Bar (Shoppes at Palazzo) indicated, based on a press release from the wine bar, that he joined a group of friends in drinks. Lewis' publicist sent an e-mail this week noting that he has been "an outspoken sober-guy" for 15 years. He was "happily enjoying the location, his friends and his sobriety, but not the champagne," she said.

Sightings

Tyra Banks, having lunch at Vintner Grill on Friday... Wayne Brady, observing a moment of silence for Michael Jackson during his show (Venetian) on Thursday. As a tribute to Jackson, Brady performed "I Want To Rock With You."

Sunday 06-28-09

Second doctor says he visited Jackson

A second doctor with Las Vegas links to Michael Jackson on Saturday confirmed that he made visits to Jackson's Las Vegas residences.

But Dr. Tohme Tohme, in an interview with Vegas Confidential, emphatically denied that he was Jackson's doctor.

Asked if he visited Jackson at any of his Las Vegas residences, Tohme said, "Of course. It's a long story."

Tohme rebutted a media report circulating on Saturday that indicated Los Angeles law enforcement authorities were interested in talking to him.

Sources told TMZ.com that police wanted to talk to Tohme about an "alleged indirect connection" between prescription drugs and Jackson's death on Wednesday.

"I don't have anything to do with his (Jackson's) medication or health," Tohme told TMZ, the celebrity news site.

"They (the reports) make my life miserable. They confuse me with the other doctor (Las Vegas cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray, who was living in Jackson's Los Angeles mansion)," said Tohme, who lives in the Los Angeles area.

Tohme, who identified himself as Jackson's manager and "close associate" during his interview with Vegas Confidential, has reportedly been in a power struggle in recent months with Frank DiLeo, who managed Jackson's 1987 "Bad" world tour, the largest-grossing tour of all time ($125 million, 4.4 million tickets, 123 concerts).

DiLeo, who managed Jackson for five years, until 1989, was recently named Jackson's manager, according to The Wall Street Journal.

When Jackson's brother, Jermaine Jackson, announced the pop singer's death at a news conference Thursday, it was Tohme who introduced Jermaine to the media.

Tohme's name had surfaced in the past year in connection with Jackson and billionaire Tom Barrack Jr., founder and owner of real estate giant Colony Capital of Los Angeles.

Barrack, who has a major ownership position in the Las Vegas Hilton, made headlines a year ago when he bought the $23.5 million mortgage on Jackson's Neverland Ranch, after the singer defaulted on loan payments on the Santa Barbara County property.

Asked whether he was Barrack's doctor, Tohme told me, "No. He's my dear friend. He's like a brother to me."

The Scene And Heard

One of Jackson's biggest Las Vegas moments came on July 29, 1993, when hotel developer Steve Wynn invited the pop singer to join him on the bow of one of the two ships being towed down the Strip on their way to Treasure Island. The ships, constructed for the pirate battle, were built in a warehouse west of the Strip and then towed down Flamingo Road and onto the Strip, which had been blocked off. ...

Sightings

Lindsay Lohan, celebrating her 23rd birthday at Wet Republic (MGM Grand) Saturday. Her birthday is July 2. ... Five security guards outside 2710 Palomino Lane on Saturday after a moving truck emptied the house, Jackson's last known Las Vegas residence. ... Tyra Banks, having lunch Saturday at The Country Club restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas. ... Dining at Tao (The Venetian) on Friday: Antonio Sabato Jr., "90210" star Autumn Reeser, Aaron Paul from "Big Love," Rooney lead singer Robert Schwartzman, socialite and reality star Brittny Gastineau, and actor Jonathan Schaech. ... At Lavo (Palazzo) on Friday: "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel. Upstairs at Lavo: Sabato, Andrew Firestone of "The Bachelor,' and British actress and model Kelly Brook with her boyfriend Wasps rugby player Danny Cipriani.


Monday 06-29-09

Details emerge in Jackson probe Details about Michael Jackson's shadowy inner circle are coming to light. As Los Angeles police continue to investigate the death of the music icon, here are some of the key figures: Grace Rwaramba •, nanny/associate: The 42-year-old native of Rwanda has been the mystery woman in Jackson's life for more than a decade. No one had more access. From office assistant, she became nanny to his children, Michael Jr., 12; Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, nicknamed Blanket. She was with him when he arrived in Las Vegas from Ireland on Dec. 23, 2006, and cared for Jackson and his children until she was dismissed in December, when he was still living in Las Vegas. Las Vegas deal maker Jack Wishna, who orchestrated Jackson's move to Las Vegas, met her on a number of occasions. Her influence extended far beyond being the nanny, Wishna said. "She was the gatekeeper. She held everybody at bay. When he moved here, I had to go through her. Once or twice she even had to be in the same room (during conversations)," said Wishna, who was in regular contact with Jackson for more than six months in 2007. Rwaramba, in an interview published in the London Times on Sunday, said she witnessed Jackson's abuse of prescription drugs "I had to pump his stomach many times. ... He always mixed so much of it. There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him," she told the author of the article, celebrity journalist Daphne Barak. Jackson was furious with her, Rwaramba said, for getting his mother and sister Janet to organize an intervention in Las Vegas, which Wishna revealed to Vegas Confidential last week. "It was me, Janet, his mother," Rwaramba said. "I coordinated it. He was so angry with me. He screamed at me, 'You betrayed my trust. You called them behind my back.'" It was one of several times that Jackson dismissed her. But he allowed her to return because she was the closest thing to a mother that the children had. •Dr. Tohme R. Tohme, manager: Tohme surfaced as Jackson's new manager late last year, about the time Rwaramba was dismissed. Tohme, who lives in the Los Angeles area, told Vegas Confidential he had a number of meetings with Jackson in Las Vegas in 2008. Accompanying Tohme was Tom Barrack Jr., the founder of real estate giant Colony Capital. Barrack has a large ownership position in the Las Vegas Hilton and rescued Neverland Ranch for Jackson by paying $23.5 million for the mortgage a year ago. According to the London Daily Mail, Tohme has been "alternately described as a Saudi Arabian billionaire and an orthopedic surgeon, but he is actually a Lebanese businessman who does not have a medical license. At one point, Tohme claimed he was an ambassador at large for Senegal, but the Senegalese embassy said they had never heard of him." •Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's live-in doctor: Murray, a cardiologist who left his Las Vegas medical practice in the past month to join Jackson, attempted to revive the singer Thursday when it was clear he was not breathing. The Scene And Heard Erich Bergen of "Jersey Boys" (Palazzo) indicated on his Twitter site over the weekend that he's involved in organizing a tribute show to honor Michael Jackson. ... There are rumblings that Playboy has scouted "Peepshow" (Planet Hollywood Resort) to do one of their pictorials featuring a Las Vegas show. That would, in a sense, put co-lead Holly Madison back between Hugh Hefner's glossy sheets. Cast members of "Zumanity" were featured four years ago. Sightings "Transformers" hottie Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green at Dos Caminos (Palazzo) on Sunday on their way to "Mystere" (Treasure Island). ... Lindsay Lohan, dining at N9NE Steakhouse (Palms) on Saturday with DCMA clothing line partner, Tal Cooperman. She had a cocktail with a dinner of spring salad, halibut and s'mores. ... Anna Kournikova, at Tao (Venetian) on Saturday for the HardBat Classic All-Star Table Tennis Tournament at The Venetian. She was one of the hosts, along with Biljana "Biba" Golic and Judah Friedlander of NBC's "30 Rock." ... Miss USA Kristen Dalton, watching the U.S.-Brazil soccer game Sunday during the Pajama Brunch at Simon at Palms Place. ... Los Angeles Lakers standout Derek Fisher at Pure (Caesars Palace) on Saturday. ... At ghostbar (Palms) on Saturday: former NFL defensive star John Randle, with friends. He also was spotted at Parasol Up (Wynn) over the weekend.

Tuesday 06-30-09

Norm took the day off

Wednesday 07-01-09

Lance Burton renews contract

After 27 consecutive years in Las Vegas, magician Lance Burton said he considered a number of possibilities, including retirement, before deciding to stay at the Monte Carlo for another six years.

"Everything you can think of went through my mind," Burton said Tuesday, during a news conference announcing his contract extension through 2015.

Burton, who signed a 13-year deal with the Monte Carlo in 1996 and will reach the 15,000-show mark in Las Vegas late this year, will scale his schedule down from seven shows a week to five when he returns July 7.

He's been on a two-month hiatus since requiring surgery for a broken foot suffered while climbing the stage steps May 7.

Burton, 49, wore an oversized boot and noticeably limped when he walked out to join Monte Carlo President and Chief Operating Officer Anton Nikodemus at the media gathering in Brand Steakhouse.

After the announcement, when the question of whether he weighed other offers kept coming up, Burton deftly side-stepped the issue.

There's another question out there, however. What direction does the Monte Carlo have in mind for Burton's dark nights, Sunday and Monday?

There have been rumblings that Zowie Bowie is doing its Vintage Vegas show at the Monte Carlo. They leave The Lounge at the Palms in late August. Where does that leave Zowie Bowie with their popular dance show?

The Monte Carlo Web site says the Brew Pub is closing July 13 to "prepare to reopen as The Pub with a new contemporary feel in September."

Nikodemus told reporters the Monte Carlo has a number of strategic changes coming to take advantage of the increased volume of foot traffic when CityCenter opens this fall.

UN-BELIEVE-ABLE

Luxor headliner Criss Angel is courting controversy again, this time for a stunt that's likely to offend U.S. troops and their families.

Angel, the star of Cirque du Soleil's "Criss Angel Believe" at Luxor, plans to open Season 5 of his "Mindfreak" on A&E Aug. 12 by walking over numerous improvised explosive devices.

IEDs, often deployed as roadside bombs, have taken a large and deadly toll among U.S. forces in the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars.

Angel, whose "Mindfreak" show heavily relies on TV editing to heighten the drama, reportedly plans to shoot the scene at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The stunt has already come under fire from a Las Vegas-based blogger for the Los Angeles Times, who called it "just plain tacky."

"If this is intended as a tribute to the troops, it falls short," wrote Richard Abowitz.

Angel told local celebrity blogger Robin Leach that the stunt "is more dangerous than anything I've ever performed."

Leach, taking a breathless booster tone, wrote: "Criss will use his psychic powers to tread gingerly over not one or two levels of incendiary devices but seven levels of lethal, explosive mines."

Abowitz wasn't impressed. "Hey, if he really can detect IEDs with his psychic powers, he'd be more useful in combat zones. We'd take one for the team and give up 'Believe' at Luxor if it were for the good of the country."

The Scene And Heard

Prominent Las Vegas defense attorney David Chesnoff has been advising Michael Jackson's family since his death, according to KVBC-TV, Channel 3, entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs. Chesnoff's high-profile clients include Martha Stewart, Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, and Britney Spears. ...

"The Hangover" has overtaken the 2001 remake of "Ocean's Eleven" as No. 1 Las Vegas movie in ticket sales, with $185.6 million. "Ocean's Eleven" amassed $183.4 million. Link here: http://bit.ly/C3uww

Anna Kournikova came away with scratches on her neck after a catfight with a woman who tossed a drink on the former tennis pro. The incident occurred Saturday night at Lavo (Palazzo). The woman involved had earlier physically bumped Kournikova and members of her party. The drink tosser was tossed out of Lavo. Kournikova was in town to promote the HardBat Classic table tennis tournament at The Venetian. ...

ESPN360, the sports network's online video-on-demand service, has been in town this week shooting footage for a segment on Bryce Harper, the teen baseball phenom from Las Vegas High School.

Sightings

Hollywood's hot couple Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green at Red Square (Mandalay Bay) on Sunday with family and friends. Inquiring minds are wondering: engagement party?

Thursday 07-02-09

Norm took the day off

Friday 07-03-09

When live news shots turn bad

KTNV-TV, Channel 13, reporter Steve Ryan's live shot-gone-bad is all over the national news.

CNN's Anderson Cooper featured Ryan's run-in with an overly persistent, intoxicated man as the "shot of the day."

MSNBC's hard-shelled Keith Olberman aired it and quipped, "I feels your pain."

Video of the incident is popping up all over: YouTube.com, TMZ.com, Fox News, DListed.com, AOL.com and Gawker.com.

Ryan, 30, had just started his report on reaction to the death of Michael Jackson from Fremont Street on June 25 when a heavyset man with a drink in hand began manhandling the reporter.

Seconds into the report, it was clear Ryan, an ex-cop, anticipated trouble. Ryan started moving away as the man approached and tried to grab the reporter.

Several times the man made the hand-to-throat signal, the universal sign to cut.

The intruder tried to grab the mic. He yanked at the ISB box on Ryan's belt, a device that allows a reporter to hear the anchor feed. Ryan did his best to fend off the man during the 50-second confrontation.

Had the troublemaker gained possession of the mic, KTNV-TV could have faced a fine from the Federal Communications Commission for indecent language.

Just before the cutaway as the struggle intensified, Ryan was seen striking the man in the face. When the feed was tossed back to the 6 p.m. telecast, co-anchors Tricia Kean and Nina Radetich were seen reacting with open-mouthed astonishment.

By the next day, video of the live skirmish had gone viral.

Ryan deferred comment to management.

Jim Prather, vice president and general manager of the ABC affiliate, said Ryan "was doing his best to complete his live broadcast report in unusual circumstances. He continues to work for KTNV. Beyond that, we do not comment on personnel matters."

Ryan's peers had mixed reactions.

"I actually had sympathy for him," said a reporter at a competing station. "We've all been in that position where someone won't leave you alone. But I wouldn't have reacted the way he did. The guy was clearly belligerent, but in today's society, you just don't put your hands on somebody else. You don't know if they've got a gun or a knife."

The reporter added, "I thought the photographer and producer were at fault. I tell my photographers to shoot at the ceiling. The director should have seen there was a problem."

Another veteran reporter called Ryan's physical response a "rookie" mistake. "Reporters have to maintain a professional demeanor. ... His life wasn't at risk."

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx had a major challenge last week with the death of Jackson.

Producers of the BET Awards decided to turn Sunday's show into a tribute to Jackson, and revamped it in three days.

Foxx, the host, told the Mark and Mercedes morning show at KMXB, 94.1 FM, that he had to learn the dance steps to "Beat it" by watching it on YouTube.com.

Using Jackson's music presented another obstacle.

They could not play any music from a CD, Foxx said, because they could not get the licensing cleared.

"To those grading the show very hard, please grade on a curve, and if anything was out of pocket, you can put it on me," said Foxx, who is performing at the Hard Rock Hotel tonight and Saturday.

Foxx also revealed that he and Martin Lawrence are working on a movie based on their famous characters of obese black ladies Sha Na Na and Wanda.

Foxx played Wanda in the popular 1990s sketch comedy show "In Living Color," and Lawrence played Sha Na Na, his alter ego in his TV sitcom "Martin."

May I Recommend...

Fourth of July fireworks will illuminate the Las Vegas Valley on Saturday, from Lake Las Vegas, throughout the suburbs and over the Strip. Caesars Palace is launching at 9 p.m., and Station Casinos' nine-property show blasts off at 9:30 p.m. (from Aliante Station, Boulder Station Fiesta Henderson, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock Resort, Santa Fe Station, Sunset Station and Texas Station/Fiesta Rancho. The second annual American Pie 4th of July at Fremont Street Experience starts with entertainment at 6 p.m. and includes a virtual fireworks show on the Viva Vision canopy. For a red, white and water experience, there's the $20 fireworks yacht cruise at Lake Las Vegas. Boarding of the 80-foot La Contessa begins at 6:45 p.m. for a 7 p.m. cocktail hour. The cruise begins at 8 p.m., with fireworks at 9 p.m. Limited space. Cruise reservations: 702-856-0078.

Order Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales

Norm Clarke's newest book, Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales ($12.95, Stephens Press, February 2008), dishes up a feast from Sin City's Ace Insider on celeb's club hopping, spending sprees, outrageous behavior, feuds and meltdowns, and the best (and worst) tippers.