Sunday, May 29, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: No chance Jacko's bringing act here
Tony Bennett spotted having dinner at Stefano's.
Michael Jackson won't be doing
the Vegas thing.
Paul Pierce having fun at Rain nightclub.
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Before giving an iota of credibility to the latest Michael Jackson-to-Vegas tall tale, consider the timing.
Forget the argument over whether he's damaged goods as a Vegas act. He is. An acquittal in his molestation trial won't change that.
Odd, wasn't it, that the Jackson-Wynn Las Vegas rumor surfaced as a long holiday weekend loomed? More to the point, note how quickly Jackson's spin doctors countered the sensational report that a video might be shown of the pop singer's genitalia.
A story casting Jackson in a positive light was desperately needed. Enter stage left the Vegas-is-calling angle.
"It will never happen, and was never going to happen, and not because of the trial or anything else," said an insider with close ties to Jackson. "It won't happen because he's never been interested in doing the Vegas thing. It has never been his philosophy. He would prefer Wembley or Yankee Stadium."
Jackson determined long ago that grinding out five or six shows a week for months at a time, a la Celine Dion and other local headliners, is no moonwalk.
So put this one in the same lame category as the bogus story of a few months ago that suggested Donald Trump would consider Jackson as a headliner when Trump opens his mega residential tower across from Wynn Las Vegas. The most ridiculous aspect of that story was that Trump's plans never included a theater for entertainment.
Scandal may sell, but Jackson's act won't. Not here.
The Scene and Heard
Arnold "Arnie" Morton, patriarch of a Chicago restaurant family that imported its successful formula to Las Vegas, died Friday in Chicago. He was 83. The former Playboy vice president turned Morton's of Chicago into a fine dining empire that included Las Vegas sites. His sons Peter and Michael are major operators in Las Vegas. Peter Morton launched the Hard Rock Cafe in London in 1971 and brought spinoffs to Las Vegas in the 1990s. Michael Morton, after opening Drink nightclub with partner Scott DeGraff, teamed up with DeGraff and George Maloof at the Palms as partners in N9NE Steak House, Rain nightclub and ghostbar. ...
Entertainer Dennis Bono called with some good news: Comedian Joey Villa, who suffered a stroke last Sunday, has been able to understand those communicating with him. "He's got some movement, and he may be leaving intensive care soon," said Bono, who visited Villa at Spring Valley Hospital. Villa opened for Frank Sinatra years ago and has been a longtime Las Vegan.
Sightings
Tony Bennett, dining on penne pasta at Stefano's (Golden Nugget) on Friday with co-owners Tim Poster and Tom Breitling. ... Shannen Doherty, axed last week from UPN's upcoming "Love, Inc.," whooping it up at Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce (Mandalay Bay) on Friday night. ... Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens, poolside at the Palms on Saturday. ... The Charlotte Bobcats' Emeka Okafor, who won rookie of the year honors this season, spotted hailing a cab at the Palms on Friday. At Rain nightclub: Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and slam-dunk star Freddie Jones of the Indiana Pacers, funnyman Jamie Kennedy and actor Orlando Jones, original 7-Up spokesperson and voice of Snack, the scheming gopher in NBC's short-lived "Father of the Pride."... At Light, the Bellagio nightclub, after dinner at Fix: Bijou Phillips, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Sophia Vargas, Ingrid Cesares and Vincent Gallo. ... At Body English (Hard Rock Hotel): Greg Kinnear, Phillips and Valderrama.
The Punch Line
"In Hollywood, an equitable divorce settlement means each party getting 50 percent of the publicity." -- Lauren Bacall
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
