Monday, November 04, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
COLUMN: Norm!
Developer makes Hollywood debut after taking actor for ride
So you want to be in the movies?
Sometimes it's all about who you know.
Take Don Soffer, the Miami developer who is building four 40-story luxury towers at Turnberry Place.
Actor James Caan called Soffer late last week to see if the developer planned to be in Las Vegas over the weekend. Caan was looking to take a break from the set of "The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie," which is being filmed in Calgary.
Soffer volunteered to pick Caan up Friday in his private jet en route from Florida to Las Vegas.
When Soffer arrived, Caan surprised him with a star trailer and a cameo role as a tennis player in the movie.
Then "One Take" Soffer and Caan jetted to Las Vegas.
Tunes with a twist
This one's making the rounds on the Internet as a tribute to baby boomers whose favorite songs would sound like this to more accurately reflect their generation:
"Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Walker" -- Herman's Hermits
"Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver" -- Paul Simon
"How Can You Mend a Broken Hip?" -- Bee Gees
"The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face" -- Roberta Flack
"I Can't See Clearly Now" -- Johnny Nash
"Papa's Got a Kidney Stone" -- The Temptations
"Denture Queen" -- ABBA
"You Make Me Feel Like Napping" -- Leo Sayer
"A Whiter Shade of Hair" -- Procol Harem
"I Get By With A Little Help From Depends" -- The Beatles
"Rikki, Don't Lose That Clapper"-- Steely Dan
"I Heard It Through the Grape Nuts" -- Marvin Gaye
"Talkin' 'Bout My Medication" -- The Who
"Hey! You! Get Off of My Lawn" -- The Rolling Stones
(Thanks to Alan Feldman of MGM Mirage for passing it along.)
The Scene and Heard
Some kids can't spell kat these days, and it's worse than we thought. No one sees more proof of that than Denise Clodjeaux, news director at KTNV-TV, Channel 13. Her last name is an adventure for many a job applicant, including a recent college student who sent a resume to the television station addressed to "Clod Joe" and began it "Dear Clod." ...
One more for the Only-in-Las Vegas file: bikini bull-riding at the New Frontier casino. ...
And speaking of Bikinis, the new nightclub at the Rio, the risque envelope just got pushed another notch with the skimpiest "uniforms" in town, outside of adult entertainment clubs. It reminds me of comedian David Gee's classic line after the 1999 earthquake that rattled Las Vegas: "It was such a temblor that cocktail waitresses at the Rio fell back into their uniforms."...
That celebrity teddy bear online auction being staged by Siegfried & Roy is at 3:30 p.m. today at the Great Hall in the Fashion Show mall. Our apologies for saying it was Sunday. ...
Ricci Martin's fun tribute to his father, Dean, wraps up this week at the Riviera. The last show is Saturday. ...
Finnnnnnnally, the last local debate of the political season: Lynette Boggs McDonald and Shelley Berkley, today at 7 a.m. on the Alan Stock and Heidi Harris show, KNXT radio, AM 840.
Sightings
At ghostbar (Palms) on Saturday: J-Lo's ex, Chris Judd, being interviewed on the observatory deck by Shawn Robinson of "Access Hollywood"; Jamie Foxx, with a VH1 film crew following him; Miss September Shallan Meiers of Las Vegas, Dennis Haskins (Principal Belding in "Saved by the Bell"), boxer Floyd Mayweather and Kato Kaelin. ... Actor Chad Lindberg ("Fast and the Furious" and "October Sky"), celebrating his 26th birthday Saturday with a large group of people in the VIP section at Studio 54 (MGM Grand).
The Punch Line
"Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair."
-- George Burns
Norm Clarke's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can reach him at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
