John Pizzarelli has played to Las Vegas crowds that didn't pay to see him, and headlined one of the biggest Vegas shows that never came to the Strip. But this time, he may finally be in the right place at the right time.

The jazz singer and guitarist and his quartet should find a cozy fit at the Suncoast this weekend, showcasing his Frank Sinatra tribute album, "Dear Mr. Sinatra." Pizzarelli endured a lot of audience chatter when he opened a Jerry Seinfeld stint at Caesars Palace in 1994. He also played a Bellagio lounge when the hotel opened in 1998, before management realized the casino itself was such a draw that name attractions weren't required.

And the guitarist was the "musical troubador" narrating the multimedia production "Sinatra: His Voice, His World, His Way" in late 2003. The title was at one point considered a lock for the Strip, with the Radio City version paving the way for a casino edition.

"I think they were literally on the precipice of having it come to Vegas," Pizzarelli says. But the Las Vegas prospects derailed, at least for that version of the revue. A less biographical edition was staged earlier this year in London, and the producer is still trying to drum up interest on the Strip.

"I don't know if I actually could have uprooted and gone to Vegas for more than six to eight weeks," Pizzarelli says. And if the show had endured, "everything could have been ruined" for his new album, he says with a laugh.

Instead, he began working with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, telling arranger John Clayton, "You write for your band, but let's pick Sinatra tunes and see what our take on it is." Some recent Sinatra tribute albums are "almost like karaoke records," he notes. "It doesn't have to be like that."

Pizzarelli's band opened a few dates for Sinatra in 1993. By then it was difficult for even an opening act to penetrate the tight circle of protectors surrounding the singer.

"We would see him in the wings snapping his fingers while we were playing, but we only got to meet him once." ...

The Golden Nugget's showroom returns from a six-month renovation next month, importing two production shows from London. "Simply Ballroom" will showcase championship ballroom dancers in the early evening, followed by the topless revue "Cover Girls."

The hotel will continue to offer headliner attractions, starting with three country veterans booked for the National Finals Rodeo. Randy Travis is first Nov. 30-Dec. 3, followed by Tanya Tucker Dec. 4-6 and Clay Walker Dec. 7-9. Also noteworthy is the ticket price: You can get inside the door to see Travis for about $50, and for about $40 for Tucker and Walker.

The upstairs venue closed in April to add about 200 seats -- for a total of 600 -- and to convert from a multipurpose ballroom to auditorium seating. ...

John Landis, director of film comedies "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," had cameras rolling on Don Rickles' engagement at the Stardust last weekend for a documentary about the 80-year-old comedian.

The director says it's a personal project long overdue for the entertainer he first met in 1969, when Rickles was co-starring in "Kelly's Heroes" and Landis was a production assistant.

Landis said he made his first documentary two years ago with "Slasher," a profile of a used-car salesman. He enjoyed the project for the Independent Film Channel so much he decided to do this one with Rickles' son Lawrence. ...

Finally, you never know what's going to happen at an outdoor concert. MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas set up its classy outdoor venue for a double-header last weekend with Nevada Ballet Theatre on Friday and jazz trumpeter Chris Botti on Saturday.

The ballet concert turned into a nail-biter for organizers, with uncomfortably high winds dying down just in time for the show. The next night, Botti told the crowd that wind -- "the enemy of jazz" -- had given the band fits at an afternoon sound check, but vanished after the tour manager "made a call to You-Know-Who."

But when Botti played the moody theme to "Cinema Paradiso," he had just yielded a solo to pianist Billy Childs when the clock tower at the outdoor village began to chime the 9 o'clock hour. Botti started laughing and leaned into the microphone to say, "You can't write that."

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.