O’Brien may have Las Vegas in sight

There's buzz that recently deposed "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien has lined up his first Las Vegas headliner gig, but under some most unusual circumstances.

O'Brien, who took over Jay Leno's spot last June only to lose it to him in January, has, I hear, a May 1 engagement at The Pearl, the Palms' concert venue.

But he's reportedly still bound to his NBC contract, which paid him $45 million to walk away.

His exit agreement with NBC reportedly prohibits him from any form of TV until September, when he is allowed to launch his own show.

According to reports that surfaced after his departure from NBC, where he was a late-night host since 1993, he's not even allowed to give interviews.

But as a way to get around that, keep his name out there and interact with his fans, his people have been talking about some sort of national tour for the past few weeks.

According to rumblings, he's poised to use his new Twitter account, possibly to circumvent the contract language.

Look for an announcement any day -- in 140-character tweets -- that his national tour will include a stop in Las Vegas. It will be called a revue because it will be a mix of music and comedy.

Too bad he wasn't booked on April 23-24. That's when Leno, who returned to his old chair this week, performs at The Mirage.

I guess you could say he's opening for Conan.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

The job status of alleged Tiger Woods mistress Kalika Moquin is no longer a mystery. Moquin sent an e-mail on Thursday announcing she would be resuming her position as director of marketing and events for Bare pool lounge at The Mirage. She will continue to handle marketing for Light Group's Sunday night events at The Bank nightclub at Bellagio. The e-mail made no mention of the Woods scandal. Bare opens March 15. ... truTV's "Operation Repo" is in town filming, and tipsters tell me the famous pink Cadillac owned by Elvis impersonator Jesse Garon may be on the "get" list. Garon was designated by Mayor Oscar Goodman as the city's official Elvis, but, like a lot of other folks in town, he not only lost his home but got behind on his rent. Garon has been living at Regency Towers at Las Vegas Country Club and was recently asked to leave the building. ... F.Y.I. For those planning to show up on Saturday, the fundraiser for Bill Fayne, longtime music director for Clint Holmes, at the Suncoast has been sold out since Wednesday. ... Oops! Tina Fey's first name was misspelled in my Thursday column.

SIGHTINGS

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, with their families at "Love" (Mirage) on Thursday night. ... Buyi Zama, who plays Rafiki in Disney's "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay, was joined by other cast mates Thursday for the unveiling at Madame Tussauds of a wax version of Rafiki, the iconic baboon shaman. ... Angelica Bridges, the former "Baywatch" star who is covered for the most part in her featured role in the topless revue "Fantasy" at Luxor, shot a Playboy pictorial in a Luxor suite Monday. It would be her third appearance in Playboy. Call me confused: Who peels for Playboy but turns modest in Sin City?

MAY I RECOMMEND ...

Those hard-to-get reservations should be easier now that Lotus of Siam Thai restaurant, a local gem with a national rep, has opened its new dining space. The expansion includes a full bar, which should be open by next week. The ethnic food hot spot is located at 953 E. Sahara Ave. Telephone: 735-3033.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Here in New York, we have trouble with our governor. People are calling for David Paterson to step down. It's nice to see a 'Fire Dave' rally that has nothing to do with me." -- David Letterman

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.