Elvis was big fan of ‘Python’ fun

If the ghost of Elvis still prowls Las Vegas, he's undoubtedly a regular at "Monty Python's Spamalot."

"Elvis was a huge 'Python' fan," said "Spamalot" creator Eric Idle, a founding member of the iconic British comedy troupe.

He never met Elvis, he said, but a girlfriend of the King, Linda Thompson, "told me that Elvis would force her to stay up all night watching episodes of Monty Python, and doing all the voices, which is mind- boggling. He'd even do all the ladies' voices."

During his red carpet appearance Saturday before the "Spamalot" premiere at Wynn Las Vegas, Idle told me he got a call earlier that day from Joe Esposito, one of Elvis' best friends and a member of the "Memphis Mafia.

Esposito, now a casino host at Wynn Las Vegas, said he wanted to hang out with Idle because "Elvis knew more about the group than anybody in the world."

"Oh yeah, man!" Esposito said Monday during a telephone interview.

Back during the Graceland days, "we'd rent the Malco Theater," Esposito said. "They'd close it at 11 p.m., and we'd watch movies until almost sunrise. Elvis would watch 'Python' three, four times in a night.

"He knew the dialogue; he just loved them. He loved British humor," Esposito said.

Elvis' favorite sketch?

He took such a liking to the "Nudge Nudge" sketch that he would address people as "squire," Idle told reporters during a trip to Australia.

NFL CONNECTION

More details are surfacing on the brawl involving NFL players Joey Porter and Levi Jones at the Palms two weeks ago.

Jones, a 300-pound offensive tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals, characterized the incident as "a cowardly assault by a coward."

It was "one versus seven, six from behind," Jones told cincinnatibengals.com. "The police report came out and told the truth. Joey Porter did not kick Levi Jones' ass. Basically what he did was walk up to me, get my attention talking trash while his boys jumped me from behind."

The incident was the second violent one in a month involving NFL players in Las Vegas.

Call it karmic payback.

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue went out of his way to stiff-arm any linkage with Las Vegas, not just from a gaming standpoint but extending the policy to anything that promoted the city.

Because of NFL troublemakers Adam "Pacman" Jones and Porter, the league now is negatively linked almost daily with Las Vegas in media reports.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Sahara headliner Trent Carlini, one of the elite Elvis stylists, won his first round on NBC's "Next Best Thing" during a taping last week in Nashville, Tenn., and moved on to the next round in Hollywood this month. ...

Rumored to be leaving at the end of March, Prince has extended his four-wall deal at the Rio through April 28. He will appear on weekends.

SIGHTINGS

Jay Leno and camera crew, shooting a "Jay Walking" segment for the "Tonight Show" on Saturday in front of Paris Las Vegas. All questions were related to the Strip's iconic hotels. ... At "Love" at The Mirage over the weekend: Woody Harrelson, with his wife, Tony Shalhoub from the TV series "Monk" and Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's widow. ... David Hasselhoff, in the crowd at Roseanne Barr's show on Saturday at New York-New York. ... Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes, making the rounds on Saturday. She made an appearance at the Tropicana's 50th anniversary, attended Liza Minnelli's show at Luxor and the "Spamalot" premiere party. She has an April 20-21 engagement at the Gold Nugget. ... Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro offensive tackle Marvel Smith hosting a party Saturday for his grandfather's 80th birthday at Morton's. ... At Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel on Sunday: Ventriloquist Ronn Lucas, supermodel Cindy Margolis, the Pussy Cat Dolls, Amazing Johnathan and Criss Angel, to support magician Paul Kozak, who won the Merlin Award for best international comic magician.