Friday, August 22, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
COLUMN: Norm!
Late-night talk-show hosts saturate audiences with flood jokes
Jimmy Kimmel, who grew up in Las Vegas, took advantage of this week's flooding to get a few laughs on ``Jimmy Kimmel Live.''
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Late-night TV talk-show hosts unleashed a deluge of one-liners about the Las Vegas flooding.
Jimmy Kimmel of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and CBS' Craig Kilborn of "The Late Late Show" had their comedic take, of course.
Kilborn led his "In the News" segment with flood footage and added, "The governor of Nevada issued a statement reading, `Remain calm and continue to gamble away your life savings. Repeat: Continue to gamble away your life savings.' "
He added, "Experts say the flooding started as a botched attempt to water down the drinks at the Golden Nugget."
Kilborn said that instead of sandbags, emergency workers used old ladies weighed down by nickels.
The flood damage was so extensive, he added, "It caused a total blackout in the New York-New York."
Kimmel showed video of the dramatic rescues and hyped what he called some "unbelievable footage."
Then he showed archival footage of people playing slot machines. But the video was digitally altered to show the slot players up to their necks in water.
In your dreams
So who dreamed this up?
If you can't afford $200 Celine Dion tickets at Caesars Palace, here's a more affordable option: a Web site is offering to interpret dreams about Dion for free.
Rebecca, 17, of Sweden wrote www.celinedreams.com that she was with her mother sitting on a wall in a Turkish restaurant when she saw the singer and three men.
"She was very beautifully dressed, in a long black dress. And then I woke up thinking how sad that I didn't hear her sing."
The dream interpreter came off as a virtuoso of vagueness.
"In order to find the meaning behind your dream's symbolism (sitting on a wall, great expectations, three men, etc.) you have to think how these episodes in your dream relate to the most recent events in your life.
"Think about what occupied your mind a day or two before the dream. You might find the answer there."
O.K. so, I'm at this club and Anna Kournikova walks up wearing a Celine designer eyepatch. ...
The Scene and Heard
While Matt Lauer of NBC's "Today" show had special praise on Wednesday for the Las Vegas Metro Search and Rescue unit, Capt. Gregg Deacon, pilot for KVBC-TV, Channel 3, also was commended. Deacon radioed Metro with the location of the woman who was being swept away while atop the roof of her car. The woman, who appeared to be in shock, was rescued within minutes. I'd buy lunch to hear that amazing and terrifying experience. ...
KMZQ-FM celebrates its 20th anniversary today with Ron Kirsh, the station's first deejay, joining regular morning host Melanie for a series of guest interviews. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kirsh hosts a reunion show featuring KMZQ personalities from the past two decades. ...
Marty Thompson, program director of KQOL-FM said he hopes to fill the vacancy left by the departure of the Kahuna within 10 days. He said a number of "high-profile oldies acts and some big radio personalities" have contacted the station about the oldies job. Kahuna, whose real name is Steve Marchese, started his new show at KKLZ-FM this week after nine years at KQOL. ...
Rising lounge act Richard Cheese brings his tiger-striped tux and unique cover band to Las Vegas for two Labor Day weekend engagements: Aug. 31 at Sunset Station and Sept. 1 (Labor Day) at Santa Fe Station.
Sightings
Lainie Kazan, who appears at the Suncoast this weekend, dining at Bertolini's (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Thursday.
The Punch Line
"Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?" -- Comedic icon Groucho Marx, who died on Aug. 20, 1977, at the age of 86.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Jimmy Kimmel, who grew up in Las Vegas, took advantage of this week's flooding to get a few laughs on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
