Mob Experience gala draws crowd
In another era, it would have been considered one of those if-you're-indicted, you're-invited soirees.
The VIP list for the Las Vegas Mob Experience gala Tuesday was dotted with names from the days when casinos served as ATMs for organized crime.
Not since the Tropicana's opening night April 4, 1957, have so many prominent underworld names gathered under its roof.
More than 1,500 were invited for this mob scene, including relatives representing the who's who of infamous hoodlums.
Introductions were rife with the potential of awkward moments.
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's daughter Milicent was there. So was Cynthia Duncan, the step-granddaughter of Meyer Lansky, the Mafia's financial mastermind who reportedly ordered the hit on Bugsy.
Carl Manno, meet Nick Micek.
Manno is the grandson of Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana. Micek is a descendant of Chicago's Aiuppa crime family. Investigators believe Joe Aiuppa had Giancana knocked off.
Also on the guest list: Nancy and Vincent Spilotro, the wife and son of former Las Vegas hitman Tony Spilotro, who, in turn, was taken out by fellow mobsters.
On hand to represent another mob generation: Frank Vincent and Tony Sirico, who starred in "The Sopranos."
Fans of Martin Scorsese's "Casino" will recognize Vincent as one of bat-wielding hitmen who whacked Joe Pesci's character, which was based on Spilotro.
Also among the eclectic gala crowd: longtime New York Post mob reporter Jack D. Fox, Associated Press special correspondent Linda Deutsch, who has covered many of the most notorious U.S. trials over 40 years, and Edie Lederer, AP's chief U.N. correspondent , who was in town celebrating her birthday.
FRIEDMAN'S TAKE
New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman said he "respects" President Barack Obama's move against Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
"But," Friedman told a jammed Ham Hall at UNLV on Monday, "here's what worries me. You bomb it, you own it."
The big question in the Arab world's post-revolution shakeout, said Friedman, is "who's going to be the neutral referee?"
Syria is teetering, and Iran will fall in a year or two, he said. "This is a Berlin Wall moment."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
The entertainment lineup continues to grow for Thursday's tribute for Scott O'Neil, a longtime fixture on "The Dennis Bono Show." Performers include veteran headliners Steve Lawrence and Clint Holmes, Corrie Sachs, Denise Clemente, Lena Prima, Reva Rice, Art Vargas, Wendy Edmead and Regi Brown. The taping begins at 2 p.m. at the South Point showroom, where O'Neil, Bono's sidekick, died on stage last Thursday.
SIGHTINGS
On the Mob Experience red carpet: Pamela Anderson, declining photographer requests for stand-alone photos. She was with friends, including former "Zumanity" performer Jesus Villa and photographer David LaChapelle , Venetian headliner Rita Rudner, "Peepshow" star Holly Madison and Carrot Top. ... NBA great Michael Jordan, dining at Union (Aria) on Monday night. He's in town for his 10th annual celebrity golf tournament at Shadow Creek, which runs Thursday through Sunday. Tickets start at $25. Information: www.MJCIgolf.com. ... Black Eyed Peas star Fergie, celebrating her 36th birthday at The Bank (Bellagio) on Saturday with her husband, Josh Duhamel, and style expert Robert Verdi. ... Vanessa Hudgens, celebrating the release of her new movie, "Sucker Punch,"at "O" (Bellagio) on Saturday night. ... Kate Pierson, the sassy red-headed singer from the classic rock/pop band the B-52s, at "Celine" (Colosseum) on Saturday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"We sent the snake to take out Gadhafi. You'll thank us later!" -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Bronx Zoo Excuses
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
