Harrah's headliner Rita Rudner and daughter, Molly, 4, attend the Review-Journal's Best of Las Vegas awards show on Saturday at Treasure Island. Photo by Norm Clarke/Review-Journal

Las Vegan Steve Schirripa was standing at his door, welcoming cast members and their families to a "Sopranos" pre-party while chatting on his cell phone.

Hours later, after eight years together, the full cast would be getting together for one of the last times Tuesday at the premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

"It's a bittersweet time," Schirripa told me. "We've become very close friends. It's a sad time because it's time to move on to other things."

Look for him to be "very big in the first episode," he said. The HBO hit series starts airing April 8.

The longtime entertainment director at the Riviera is well-positioned for life after "The Sopranos."

He recently sold his children's book, "Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family," to Nickelodeon and will serve as executive director and will star as one of the leads. It's being turned into a movie of the week.

Meantime, he continues to book comedy acts for the Riviera and serve as a street correspondent for Jay Leno and the "Tonight Show" in addition to co-hosting Spike's "Casino Cinema" with Beth Ostrosky.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Small world department: Ten years ago, Rita Rudner was cast as a wife in one episode of the NBC sitcom "Something So Right." Her on-screen husband? John O'Hurley, now the lead in "Monty Python's Spamalot" at Wynn Las Vegas. They were reunited Saturday when O'Hurley hosted the Review-Journal's Best of Las Vegas awards show at Treasure Island. Rudner, one of the presenters, won for best comedian and favorite female Las Vegan, with 4-year-old daughter Molly at her side. ...

Life goes on at "Jubilee,'' with 22 new members of 85 total recently joining the long-running show at Bally's. The 25 percent turnover every six months is normal, said Fluff LeCoque, associate producer.

MEDIA UPDATE

Celebrity blogger Robin Leach appeared on Howard Stern's show Tuesday. Leach talked about Vanilla Ice's meltdown on the VH1's "The Surreal Life: Fame Games" and said it took five people to restrain him, with broken fingers and blood all over the set. A second season of the show is planned. ... More on-air talent turnover coming at KVBC-TV, Channel 3, in the anchor and reporter ranks, I hear.

SIGHTINGS

Iconic songbird Judy Collins, at the first show of "Love" on Monday at The Mirage; David Hasselhoff was at the second show. ... Jon Lovitz and Bobby Slayton, backstage after Rudner's show Monday evening at Harrah's. Rudner and Lovitz are working on a television project in which they will play a brother and sister, forced to live together in middle age. ... "Fracture" star Ryan Gosling, Monday night at Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce in Mandalay Bay.

THE PUNCH LINE

"(McDonald's is) offering a third-of-a-pound hamburger. The damn hamburger weighs a third of a pound. Don't worry though ... You get a pretty good workout at the ketchup pump." -- David Letterman

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.