Monday, November 24, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Jackson saga gets more mysterious

Frey comes through despite injury. Pop icon might have left Las Vegas. Sudeikis of "SNL" shares war stories. Firestone wines at N9NE on Saturday.

The word out of Green Valley Ranch is that an elaborate ruse involving props was used to sneak Michael Jackson past the media horde on Thursday.

More was involved than Jackson dressing as a little old lady in a flowing black dress, black veil and a hat, spies said.

The pop icon was smuggled out of Green Valley Ranch to Las Vegas Country Club, where he spent two days in a penthouse suite before leaving in pre-dawn darkness in the same costume. His whereabouts on Sunday were not known, but it was believed he had left Las Vegas.

Opportunity lost

A lot of "Saturday Night Live" cast members were moping around this weekend, cursing their bad luck.

"I'm sure I'm speaking on behalf of the entire 'Saturday Night Live' staff that we couldn't be more disappointed this happened on an off-week," said Jason Sudeikis, the local Second City cast member who joined "Saturday Night Live" as a writer two months ago.

"This" was the Michael Jackson story that unfolded the week that "SNL" was idle.

Sudeikis was back in Las Vegas over the weekend, sharing war stories with his former cast mates at the Flamingo show.

He's written two skits for the show: one featured Jack Black as a folksinger serenading his father and the other involved Justin Timberlake making fun of Ashton Kutcher in a "Punk'd" parody.

Timberlake, the pop singing star, sent the cast and crew bottles of champagne as a thank-you.

Sudeikis said he was not involved in the recent insensitive spoof of Roy Horn, played by Alec Baldwin. "I heard the censors didn't want to do it."

Frey a trooper

The Eagles' miniconcert for the Nevada Cancer Institute fund-raiser at The Mirage on Thursday was in doubt down to the wire because Glenn Frey suffered a dislocated shoulder earlier this month.

The deal was, sources say, if he couldn't perform, the Eagles would have canceled out of the fund-raiser, which raised money to help build the $51 million Nevada Cancer Institute in Summerlin.

Organizers Jim Murren, MGM Grand president and chief financial officer, and his wife, Heather, said the first two fund-raisers have been so successful that the plan is to make it an annual event on the Thursday before Thanksgiving.

Last year's spectacular inaugural at the MGM Grand featured the world premiere of the James Bond film "Die Another Day." The EFX Theatre was transformed into the ice palace featured in the film.

That event raised $1.5 million. Thursday's benefit, the first event held at the Siegfried & Roy Theatre since Horn was mauled Oct. 3, brought in $2.6 million.

The Scene and Heard

Fame has its price and, in my case, it's not worth beans. The best offer I got for doing five network TV interviews about Sunday's exclusive on Jackson's hide-out at Las Vegas Country Club? "Extra," with inside information about my weakness for Cincinnati's famous Skyline chili, paid me off with two cans of the addictive beanless stuff.

Sightings

Andrew Firestone of "The Bachelor" fame, working the room and pouring his Firestone wines at N9NE (Palms) Saturday. He was a big hit at a table where a bachelorette party was under way.

The Punch Line

"You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.' " -- Tommy Cooper

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.