Attorney warns of rush to judge

David Copperfield's attorney says, "People should keep the Duke lacrosse case in mind" before passing judgment on the magician.

"I'm 100 percent convinced he hasn't done anything," Las Vegas defense attorney David Chesnoff said Sunday, while preparing for a meeting with the FBI about sexual misconduct allegations tied to a raid on Copperfield's Las Vegas warehouse.

Copperfield and another man were spotted Sunday on a plane bound for Los Angeles from Las Vegas.

Asked whether he was with Copperfield in Los Angeles, Chesnoff said, "I have nothing to say about that."

In another development, the Seattle Times reported Sunday that the FBI is denying a Las Vegas TV station report that federal agents seized nearly $2 million in cash during the raid.

"No currency was seized during our investigating activity in Las Vegas," said Seattle FBI Special Agent Robbie Burroughs. "Media reports to the contrary are false."

Copperfield, 51, is under investigation of possible sexual misconduct with a Seattle woman while in the Bahamas, federal law enforcement authorities have privately told the Times.

"It's really outrageous and so far from the truth," said Chesnoff, who has represented several high-profile celebrities, including Martha Stewart, Britney Spears, Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, Suge Knight, Nicky Hilton and Scott Weiland.

The Duke case involved rape charges by a stripper and escort against members of the lacrosse team. Charges were dropped earlier this year, and three players were declared innocent after the coach was fired and the season canceled.

CHER DEAL DEAD?

Cher's deal with Caesars Palace has fallen through, and a search is back on for a new headliner to share the Colosseum with Bette Midler.

Meantime, I'm hearing Mariah Carey, the husband-wife superstar duo of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston are in talks with local properties.

Cher, one of the biggest-selling artists of all-time, had announced more than a year ago on late-night television that she had a deal with Caesars Palace. But there have been rumblings that Caesars was backing away from the contract length she sought because she was overexposed from many "farewell" tours.

Caesars' response: "Can't confirm or deny."

Carey, Houston and Barbra Streisand are among a handful of female entertainers who are considered to be popular enough to fill the 4,000-seat Colosseum, which Dion has packed since 2003. She leaves Dec. 15, and Midler opens in February.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

A computer crash at Bellagio on Sunday afternoon created a check-in nightmare, with many waiting four hours to get their rooms. ...

There's buzz that an announcement is in the works soon that "The Producers," at Paris Las Vegas, won't make it much past the first of the year. "Matsuri," the acrobatic and extreme sports production from Japan, is near the end, too, after a 20-month run at Sahara.

SIGHTINGS

Newlyweds Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon, celebrating the birthday of her longtime security guard, Errol Lyon, on Saturday at Blush Boutique Lounge inside Wynn Las Vegas. Anderson was seen dancing on top of one of the speaker boxes. ... Academy Award winner Terri Nunn, lead singer for the group Berlin, in the "Spamalot" orchestra pit Friday as a guest of Beth Lano, longtime local musician and radio deejay. "I called it 'Take a Rock Star to Work Night,'" said Lano, who works for The Firm Public Relations as a senior PR specialist. Nunn, who won an Oscar with the hit "Take My Breath Away," was in town for Berlin's show at the Red Rock Resort. Lano said she has known Nunn for a decade and made the invitation after they had dinner at Sushi Roku in Forum Shops at Caesars and attended Elton John's "Red Piano" show Thursday. Nunn will be guest-starring in an episode of the new MTV series "Kaya," which premieres today at 10:30 p.m. ... Sarah Michelle Geller and Freddie Prinze Jr., Mila Kunis and Drew Carey were in separate parties at Tao on Saturday. ... Former "Baywatch" star Carmen Electra, accompanied by "High School Musical" star Bart Johnson, hosted Friday's grand-opening party at Poetry nightclub inside the Forum Shops at Caesars. She was presented with a framed shadow portrait, which was added to the celebrity wall collection.

THE PUNCH LINE

"According to The Wall Street Journal, Botox hit a billion dollars in sales last year. A billion dollars! Of course, the Botox people are thrilled. You couldn't tell by looking at their faces, but they were." -- Jay Leno

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