Sunday, August 01, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Broker Wishna swings big deal

Jack Wishna brings players together. David Brenner goes on with the show. Mark Cuban buys some pricey vino.

Donald Trump scouted out Las Vegas for 25 years before making his move.

"He had looked at the Dunes, Aladdin, land that is now the Excalibur, and the Frontier Hotel," said Jack Wishna, the deal broker who brought Trump and Frontier owner Phil Ruffin together.

Trump announced last week that he is building a 64-story hotel and apartment tower on Ruffin's land across from Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas.

Wishna, who will get a piece of the action for his three-year effort on the project, said his initial plan was to bring Harrod's, the giant London department store, to Ruffin's 41 acres.

He flew to London and met with Harrod's owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, and "they were interested." But after the 9-11 terror attacks, "with the U.S. looking at the Muslim and Arab communities, it was not a good environment at that time, and the deal fell through," said Wishna, who met Ruffin while working on a deal to put Wayne Newton in a Strip property in 1999.

Wishna, a former New York celebrity photographer who developed a major corporate head-hunting company, pitched Trump, and a deal started taking shape.

The timing was perfect for three reasons, he said: "Number one, Trump has never been hotter; number two, he's coming in on his strength, which is high-end residential condominiums; and three, Las Vegas has never been hotter in terms of real estate market, TV exposure and national and international attention and the explosive growth that is going on here."

The Scene and Heard

Nevada Gaming Commission member Sue Wagner of Reno started wading into quicksand during last week's commission meeting in Las Vegas. Wagner, in an off-the-cuff comment, asked a Caesars Palace rep how Celine Dion tickets were selling. Then she raised eyebrows with the comment that she didn't understand why people would go to see Dion's show. When someone gently reminded her she might be flirting with trouble, citing the Linda Ronstadt hullabaloo, Wagner backed off, but she noted that Ronstadt "was in my government services class."...

A blackout at the Westin Casuarina left most of the hotel dark Friday, but comedian David Brenner, true to the old show biz adage, went on with the show. The lights worked in his theater, but with the ticketing system down, only 40 people showed up. That meant the worst seats were six rows back. "I got more people saying goodbye when I leave home," Brenner told a spirited audience. ...

Buy a ticket to "Mystere" (Treasure Island) today or the next two Sundays, and a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour is included.

Sightings

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, ordering a $1,765 bottle of St.-Emilion Chateau Cheval Blanc at N9NE on Friday night. Also in the room: Sam Solovey of "The Apprentice," being filmed by an NBC crew for a "Dateline" introductory segment to the second season of Trump's hit series. ... Brenner, having an after-show dinner at Michael's (Barbary Coast) with girlfriend Tai Babilonia and longtime comedian Charlie Callas and his wife, Eva. Callas, who recently moved here, used to open for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Babilonia teamed up with Randy Gardner to win five consecutive U.S. amateur pairs titles in figure skating from 1976 to 1980 and a world championship in 1979. But they experienced a crushing Olympic setback when Gardner suffered an injury that forced them to withdraw from the Lake Placid Games in 1980. ... At Body English (Hard Rock Hotel): Drew Carey, Kato Kaelin and Gary Busey.

The Punch Line

"If you own a home with wheels on it and several cars without, you just might be a redneck." -- Comedian Jeff Foxworthy

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