Dacri exited life his way, optimistically
Las Vegas magician Steve Dacri chose to exit this realm on his own terms, with his signature wit and one-liners.
Sometimes with cancer, there is no magical silver bullet.
Dacri, who died Friday, got the news last October when he underwent colon cancer surgery. His doctors, after finding a "chunk of mass," began offering advice and options, "including doing nothing."
Chemo and radiation might kill the cancer cells, but they can ruin the immune system.
"Which means the chance of the disease returning is very good. That is one return engagement I have no interest in," he wrote in his final blog entry Jan. 31 from MountainView Hospital, although he thought "FreewayView" might be more appropriate.
His quick wit helped him reach the big stage during his career. There were late-night show appearances with Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas. After almost four decades at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Las Vegas became his home in 2003 with his wife, Jan.
After months of research and meetings with doctors and other health care experts, his choice, he wrote, was to "utilize a combination of healthy and traditional procedures, designed to get rid of the big C and get my body back to optimum health."
He was up to his neck with scopes and blood tests. "I have already had more blood drawn than in the latest episode of 'Twilight,' " the hit vampire movie series, Dacri wrote.
An optimist to the end, he continued to send e-vites to his February opening at the Shimmer Cabaret at the Las Vegas Hilton.
In his final blog entry on the digital magazine website he maintained at www.VegasInsideTips.com, his followers were invited to "join me on this exciting journey."
INKING THE DEAL
Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator came home from his honeymoon with a tattoo.
He got it in Hawaii, where he and his wife, Taylor Makakoa, were recently spending their delayed honeymoon after getting married in November.
On his blog at TerryFator.com, he said it was his idea to get the tattoo, and her idea to get it on his ring finger, under the wedding ring.
He shortened her last name to Koa, with a heart instead of the "O" on the tattoo. While two women sat nearby getting inked without a whimper, Fator was "screaming in agony," he said.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Actor George Clooney was having dinner at a Cincinnati restaurant on Friday night when a restaurateur friend of mine passed along the news that Las Vegas superhost Robert "Bubbles" Ubriaco had died. "He knew," texted back my friend. Ubriaco was a longtime greeter at Rao's and Crazy Horse Too, the topless club operated by Clooney pal Rick Rizzolo. Ubriaco, 65, died Thursday. ...
KSNV-TV, Channel 3 anchors Jim Snyder and newcomer Jessica Moore have been dating for some time, according to sources. I should have picked up on that when he introduced me to her at rocker Vince Neil's birthday party at Blush (Wynn) last weekend. She co-anchors with him at 5 p.m. and with Dan Ball at 11 p.m. Snyder also co-anchors the 6 p.m. newscast with Sue Manteris. ...
Rumblings continue that entertainment giant AEG, the Los Angeles-based company that built the Colosseum to accommodate Celine Dion's show at Caesars Palace, is going to run the Fontana Bar at Bellagio. ...
Celine returns to Las Vegas this week to start rehearsals for her new show at Caesars. A rousing welcome has been rumored. ...
There's buzz that the young woman holding hands with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez while watching the Super Bowl at Republic Kitchen & Bar is a local girl.
SIGHTINGS
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, celebrating the team's Super Bowl win and his MVP award Saturday at N9NE Steakhouse in a party of seven. ... Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is in town with his longtime fiancée , Kijafa Frink, for an extended Valentine's weekend.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Buco di Breakup." -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Restaurants That Still Have Reservations Available for Valentine's Day
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
