Allen’s act now a labor of love

Venetian headliner Tim Allen is working on a new TV sitcom pilot for ABC. And "Toy Story 3" -- in which he played Buzz Lightyear again -- just won the Oscar for best animated feature. We'll get to those topics in a moment.

But first, let's talk to Allen (an enthusiast of hot rods and old trucks) about his young days as a street racer in suburban Detroit.

"I was a 'hired shoe,' as they say," Allen, 57, tells me. "People were afraid they would get tickets, so they'd call me because I could race."

Allen knew a guy whose dad put Allen behind the wheels of some amazing convertibles.

"I'd be (racing) a 455 'Goat' -- a GTO -- that was so damn quick. But it was yellow, and it looked like a woman drove it. It had whitewalls!

"But man, that thing was quick. It was one of the best street racing cars I ever had because it did not look like it went (fast)."

Street racers competed for pink slips (when the winner gets the loser's car).

"It all sounds like a good idea when you're getting all hopped up, but I don't remember anybody ever giving up their car," Allen says, then jokingly backs away from this street-racing talk:

"It was all legal!" he says and laughs. "Oh yeah, everything was legal. I didn't do anything!"

Allen is in town to perform at The Venetian on Friday-Saturday and March 11-12. He returns in April, May, August, October and November.

The "Home Improvement" star won't give details of his new sitcom pilot for ABC.

"Home Improvement" was based on stand-up material he honed for a decade, including gigs at the Tropicana and other casinos. He's worked on his current material for 21 months.

"But it's different now," Allen says. "Before, it's how I made my living. Now I make my living other ways. So now it's because I love doing it, and I love entertaining."

Allen doesn't know whether Disney-Pixar is planning another sequel in the "Toy Story" franchise.

"That's up to Disney. It's really a question they're going to have to answer," Allen says.

The success of "Toy Story 3" was a testament to director Lee Unkrich and screenwriter Michael Arndt, he says.

"Tom (Hanks) and I think we're the luckiest guys in the world to be part of such a great franchise and a great company," he says.

SIGHTINGS

Jenni "JWoww" Farley looked hot Saturday at club Vanity with boyfriend Roger Matthews and 15 friends gathered for her birthday. ... "Glee's" Darren Criss did a belated birthday party Saturday at club Lavo; Camille Winbush also had a belated birthday there with actresses Francia Raisa and Logan Browning. ... Michael Bay celebrated his 46th birthday at club XS. ... Jerry Bruckheimer took Saturday lunch at Pink Taco. ... Music producer The Dream got a manicure and pedicure Sunday at Michael Boychuck's AMP Salon. ... "Modern Family's" Jesse Tyler Ferguson saw "Phantom" Saturday and met the cast, tweeting to followers, "Don't be jealous." ... Robin Thicke ate Saturday at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant before singing at club Bank. ... Disney star Brandon Smith celebrated a friend's birthday Sunday at Cabo Wabo Cantina. ... And freshly retired home run hitter Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas took his girlfriend to Beso Steakhouse on Saturday.

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. E-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.