Fans of the true crime book genre might be in for a bonanza of hot copy involving the Craig Titus-Kelly Ryan murder case.
A blog called "True Crime Informant" recently speculated on which crime reporters have the inside track.
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Review-Journal court reporter Glenn Puit is mentioned among the front-runners for a book deal.
Puit came out with "Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer" in December and has the home-turf advantage, the blogger said.
"Witch," published by Berkley True Crime, told the tale of Brookey Lee West, a successful technical writer from Silicon Valley whose 20-year crime and killing spree ended in Las Vegas.
Puit, reached by telephone Wednesday, said he has been contacted.
"I think it's a fantastic book, but more importantly, my first obligation is to my newspaper."
He said Mike Fleeman of People magazine has the inside track. "He's already signed a deal (with St. Martin's)."
Fleeman has authored five true crime paperbacks for St. Martin's since 2003, including ones on the Margaret Rudin and Scott Peterson cases.
SUMMER JOB
Las Vegan Ben Herman, a junior at the University of Arizona, has landed a dream job.
He has a summer internship in the research department at ESPN. He will be working on several shows, including SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight, providing the anchors with updated information.
He will drive out to Bristol, Conn., with his father, Bruce Herman, a sales manager at the Golden Nugget, and they will attend a Colorado Rockies-Los Angeles Dodgers game Monday, Ben's 21st birthday, in Denver.
NEXT BIG THING
Singapore's government next month names the winning bidder for the country's first casino, predicted to be the world's most expensive casino project when it opens in 2009.
MGM Mirage, Harrah's and Las Vegas Sands Corp., owners of The Venetian, have put together architectural dream teams to compete for Singapore's Marina Bay waterfront site.
MGM Mirage's bid, I hear, would create the ultimate dinner theater experience: a 500-seat Cirque du Soleil theater with a fine dining element.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
The buzz intensified this week that Station Casinos might have a deal with Peter Morton to buy the Hard Rock Hotel. "We don't comment on rumors," said Lori Nelson, director of corporate communication for Station. ...
Media notes: Sue Manteris has returned to her weekday anchor chair at KVBC-TV, Channel 3, after a four-month maternity leave. Her son, Jai, was adopted immediately by the family dog, George, a 2-year-old pug. ... Get-well wishes to Pete Almon, a longtime local entertainment reporter, who recently was hospitalized.
SIGHTINGS
2005 Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, singing "Unpredictable" and "Golddigger" from Pure's VIP stage about 3 a.m. Wednesday at the Caesars Palace hot spot. ... The cast of HBO's "Entourage," which is filming at the Hard Rock Hotel this week, on the patio Tuesday at Pink Taco and later playing blackjack between takes.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Just 24 hours after golfer John Daly said he had a gambling problem, Charles Barkley revealed he lost $10 million in Las Vegas. And that was just at the buffet table." -- Jay Leno
