Barring another nutty NFL decision, the Super Bowl telecast will feature an ad with longtime Las Vegas entertainer Robert Goulet pitching a snack nuts company.
Goulet, who achieved fame with his role as Lancelot in Broadway's "Camelot," will be the face -- and voice -- of Emerald Nuts.
Advertisement
The manufacturer, Diamond Foods, is paying $2 million each time the 30-second ads appear late in the game.
The NFL's running battle with Las Vegas has to do with Nevada's legalized gambling industry.
The crackdown started with the league prohibiting the traditional Super Bowl weekend parties and promotional commercials by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The latest move came when the NFL forced NBC's "Las Vegas" to move from Monday to Friday because the league didn't want NBC's Sunday night game to carry commercials promoting it.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
La Toya and Jermaine Jackson are testing the waters of reality television. La Toya, who lived in Las Vegas in recent years, is among the cast of CBS' "Armed and Famous" with former "CHiPs" star Erik Estrada and Ozzie's son, Jack Osbourne.
Jermaine, Michael's older brother, is in England working on the British version of "Big Brother."
He is going by the name Muhammad Abdul Aziz after living in Bahrain, where Michael lived for about a year before moving to Ireland and then to Las Vegas to restart his career.
SIGHTINGS
"Superman Returns" star Kate Bosworth, sipping beers Tuesday at "Love," at The Mirage, with British model James Rousseau during the 7 p.m. performance. Afterwards, they checked out Revolution, the Cirque du Soleil-Beatles partnership, where they toyed with the interactive tables. Bosworth, who recently split with Orlando Bloom, and Rousseau capped the night with dinner at Tao, in The Venetian. ... "Titanic" director James Cameron and Jimmy Iovine of Interscope Records, lunching Wednesday in a group at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace ... Rock legend Gene Simmons, shooting scenes Tuesday at the Palomino Club in North Las Vegas for his reality show "Family Jewels." The Kiss star has recruited local author Brent Jordan as a consultant. Jordan wrote the tell-all book about Cheetah's strip club, "Stripped: Twenty Years of Secrets From Inside the Strip Club."... Prince, taking in the view Tuesday night on the observatory deck at ghostbar in the Palms ... At Pure, in Caesars Palace, on Tuesday: Prince, on the VIP stage, near Jesse Metcalfe of "Desperate Housewives," who was dancing and socializing with Carson Daly and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Danny Masterson, who had deejay duties, was joined by girlfriend Bijou Phillips, after they dined at Social House, in Treasure Island. Also at Pure: Alex Von Furstenberg, son of fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg, and 3 Doors Down members Matt Roberts, Todd Harrell and Greg Upchurch. ... At N9ne Steakhouse (Palms): Cleveland Browns running back Ruben Droughns, sharing fried lobster with friends Tuesday. At the lounge: Metcalfe, with gal pals .... CBS bigwig Les Moonves and Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, at AquaKnox, in The Venetian, on Tuesday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Fake postcard from Mullah Omar in Las Vegas reading, 'This place is awesome, dude!'" -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Ways To Get Osama Out Of His Cave
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
