Monday, July 19, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: At Aladdin, singer rubs wrong way

Linda Ronstadt made few friends Saturday night at the Aladdin. A little Rain for Janet Jones Gretzky. Pat Morita dishes out comedic Nuggets.

Linda Ronstadt apparently got what she wanted -- to be 86'd from the Aladdin.

In a bizarre performance notable for its bridge-burning comments, Ronstadt inflamed more than her Aladdin audience on Saturday by taking potshots at Las Vegas and dedicating "Desperado" to "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore.

When her show was over, the Aladdin had her checked out of her room and escorted off the premises.

Many walked out during the show, one concertgoer tossed a cocktail on her poster, others defaced her posters and the box office was "a mob scene" of people seeking refunds, according to an Aladdin spokeswoman.

"It's amazing how ugly it got," said Tyri Squyres, director of public relations at the Aladdin.

Ronstadt was a one-woman heat wave.

Early in the show she told the crowd not to expect her greatest hits and added a snide remark or two about Las Vegas and the Aladdin. Scores of fans filed out when Ronstadt made her dedication to Moore and his controversial political film.

"Our management is incredibly upset," Squyres said. "We're just very disappointed because we hired her for a good evening of entertainment for our guests.

"It was like she came in with a chip on her shoulder," Squyres said.

Ronstadt allowed no meet-and-greets and no photographers.

Squyres said Ronstadt "inaccurately" told the crowd she saw a billboard that promoted a greatest-hits show. Ronstadt's camp had provided and approved all ads, commercials, billboards and news releases, Squyres said.

"To be clear, the Aladdin does not condone the comments made by Ms. Ronstadt," Squyres said by e-mail. "Ms. Ronstadt was hired to entertain the guests of the Aladdin, not to espouse her political views. Following her performance she was escorted out of the hotel and immediately checked out of her room. And she will not be welcomed back."

In an interview with the R-J's Mike Weatherford before the show, Ronstadt said with a laugh: "I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back."

About Time

Las Vegas is all over this week's edition of Time magazine, with headlines proclaiming "It's Vegas, Baby" and "Why America's No. 1 Tourist Town is Hotter Than Ever."

Showgirls grace the cover, and another photo, shot from the House of Blues Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay, shows the Strip as a river of neon.

Mayor Oscar Goodman told writer Joel Stein that casinos eventually will be allowed to have strip clubs. "It's guaranteed. It's just a matter of when."

Writes Stein: "The town's logo, 'What happens here, stays here,' is complete camp. What happens in Vegas, in fact, is bragged about at home for months afterward."

The Big Four of Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and Gary Loveman are profiled in an article about movers and shakers who are "raising the stakes."

Also featured: the Fertitta brothers, Frank and Lorenzo, and their Green Valley Ranch success story.

The Scene and Heard

The announcement is coming any day now: A 900-seat Madhouse will be built near the Hard Rock Hotel parking lot for "Beacher's Madhouse," which has brought in big crowds since opening late last year.

Sightings

At Rain nightclub (the Palms) on Saturday: Janet Jones Gretzky, NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris and NFL standout Adam Archuleta. ... Pat Morita and Joey Villa, cracking up diners at Lillie Langtry's (Golden Nugget) on Saturday.

The Punch Line

"I always wanted to get into politics, but I was never light enough to make the team." -- Art Buchwald

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