...Pete Sampras set to sign for fans Saturday at Caesars.
Hulk Hogan gets his fill at Venetian eatery.
Entertainment producer David Saxe has regained control of V Theater and the company behind it after a power play by a minority partner fell apart.
Reached late Wednesday, Saxe said he could not comment other than to say, "They are out, and I am in."
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The hostile takeover was orchestrated by Saxe associates Richard Heftel and Jocelyne Uy, chief operating officer of Variety Theater Group, insiders said.
Saxe, the producer of "V --The Ultimate Variety Show" and majority partner of the V Theater at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood, was vacationing in Mexico last month when Uy told me that Saxe had been voted out.
A legal battle ensued after Saxe returned, and sources said he quickly gained the upper hand after some damning evidence was discovered. Heftel has agreed to turn over his share of the company, and Uy no longer is with the company, the sources said.
Saxe's attorney, Ross Goodman, said, "It was a no-brainer that Saxe would end up with the theater."
Heftel and Uy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
DUNN IN
A boardroom scandal has brought down one of the most powerful women in corporate America.
Patricia Dunn, who grew up in Las Vegas as the daughter of a showgirl and an entertainment director, is being forced out as chairwoman of the board of technology giant Hewlett-Packard.
Dunn, 53, confirmed on Tuesday that she is resigning in the wake of an investigation by the California attorney general's office into HP's spying scandal.
The attorney general's office has acknowledged that laws were broken by the Silicon Valley company in an effort to stop boardroom leaks to the media.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Watercolors, a jazz group that recently started performing on Tuesdays at The Artisan, has resigned in an act of solidarity with the Ronnie Foster Band. Foster and his musicians walked away from their twice-weekly gig last week after The Artisan's owner publicly dressed down the group for playing too loud. ...
Jamaal Rouzan, one of the "Grand Slam to Stardom" semifinalists, has signed a professional recording contract, which opens a spot in the competition. A non-professional alternate will be named at Sunday's semifinals at Green Valley Ranch. The event runs from 4-6 p.m. and is open to the public. ...
Las Vegas directors Zak Bagans and Nick Groff take their "Ghost Adventures" documentary to Los Angeles on Sunday for the world premiere. Shot in the haunted mining towns of Nevada, the film is part of the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, which includes stops in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.The Los Angeles leg will be at the Fairfax Laemmle Theatres. ...
Hot spots & cool stuff: Grammy Award-winning John Legend is performing tonight at the Palms pool. He goes on about 8 p.m. ... Magic Johnson and Pete Sampras are signing autographs Saturday at the Center Fountain in the Forum Shops at Caesars. The schedule: Johnson, 1-3 p.m.; Sampras, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ... A stuffed calamari dish by Patricia Mastrostefano of Las Vegas won the Maggiano cook-off. Chef John Psyk soon will be adding the dish to his menu.
SIGHTINGS
At Tangerine (Treasure Island) on Tuesday: U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Amanda Beard, "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis and Los Angeles nightclub and hotel mogul Sam Nazarian. ... Hulk Hogan, dining at Delmonico (The Venetian).
THE PUNCH LINE
"Bobby Brown has left Whitney Houston. It's always the couples you least expect." -- Jay Leno
