Embattled strip club owner Rick Rizzolo has taken another media hit, this time for his association with ethically challenged Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona.

The OC Weekly on Wednesday published an article and photograph of Rizzolo with his arm around the grinning sheriff, who is the subject of almost as much criticism these days as the owner of the Crazy Horse Too. Rizzolo, who keeps a home in Newport Beach,, Calif., has been a generous contributor to Carona's campaign.

"It's a slap in the face of law enforcement," writer R. Scott Moxley quotes one cop source. "What is Sheriff Carona thinking? He's either incredibly stupid or dirty as hell. Or both."

Ouch.

The story appears at a time Rizzolo and potential co-defendants have been negotiating a pre-indictment settlement in an ongoing federal investigation into violence and other illegal activity at the Crazy Horse Too.

Listen closely and you'll hear the sound of an army of Southern Nevada politicians searching for all the photos they've taken with generous political contributor Rizzolo over the years.

CHARACTER WITNESS, PLEASE: Jurors in the ongoing political corruption case in U.S. District Court surely were impressed by the appearance of former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan as a character witness for former County Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey. Meanwhile, no character witness of a similar stature was produced to spruce up the credibility of former County Commissioner Dario Herrera.

"He's too badly damaged," said one experienced criminal defense attorney.

Herrera's extramarital issues appear to have had a bigger impact on perceptions of his character than the political corruption charges he faces.

RED ROCK PARTY: From the Always Late For The Party Department comes word that management spent in excess of $2 million to celebrate the grand opening of the stunning Red Rock resort -- and only two-thirds of that was spent on the politicians and reporters who converged on the place to drink in the festivities.

This week I received a few calls from readers who raised the entertaining issue of whether the gaggle of elected officials in attendance needed to declare their Dom Perignon, lobster and Sting concert on the appropriate forms.

"Absolutely not," I replied.

"How could it be so different?" they asked.

"It's easy," I said.

As near as I can tell, the biggest difference between the Rolling Stones tickets that were given to legislators by an Ameriquest Mortgage lobbyist and the Red Rock party featuring Sting is ... um ... that the press was invited to the Fertitta fest.

Sure, the politicians have a dust-covered ethics pamphlet to memorize, and even coming close to violating one of the regulations gives an enemy enough fodder to make their lives miserable.

The press, meanwhile, has no set standard of behavior. Some reporters take anything that isn't nailed down, while others won't accept a stick of gum.

This should serve as a lesson to all casino owners, developers, lobbyists, politicians and influence peddlers: When you throw a party, never forget to invite the media.

MARTIN-LEWIS, REID-GOODMAN: Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman have quite a comedy routine these days as they promote the concept of developing a super-sized arena and events center. The hardest punch line to deliver will be in persuading the public that it's in their best interests to build it.

ON THE BOULEVARD: "Hairspray" at the Luxor is remarkable. In an era of entertainment on the Strip that's mostly filled with dark, artsy themes, it's good clean fun that will leave you wondering how it stayed off the Boulevard for so long. ... Las Vegas has a kaleidoscopically colorful entertainment history, and here's one for the books. Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady on the iconic TV series "The Brady Bunch," makes a Las Vegas appearance May 6 at the Riviera's Le Bistro room. His show is appropriately titled "Growing Up Brady."

BOULEVARD II: Clark County's Office of Emergency Management will be honored by the Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada today at the MGM Grand for its efforts to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. A substantial number of locals traveled to the region to lend a hand. ... Clark County is making available a Spanish-language podcast for the first time. The subject: Yucca Mountain. ... Don't forget the Arthritis Walk, which starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at UNLV's McDermott Plaza. If that's too far from home, try the Candlelighters walk, which starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at Exploration Park at Mountain's Edge.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.