Explosive tabloid report coming?

A significant Las Vegas casino owner is bracing for an explosive story linking him to an out-of-wedlock child.

A major tabloid newspaper has been contacting insiders about a spa employee who has been receiving child support for more than a year from the well-known executive, a source said.

The mother of the child worked at the resort at the time.

MADISON LEAVES PLAYBOY

Holly Madison's Playboy era is officially over: she confirmed on Wednesday that she quit her photo editorship so she could "move on."

Madison, in a blog entry on her Web site, said she left Playboy because she has moved to Las Vegas and the Playboy job didn't pay enough to "make a commute worthwhile."

Her blog continued:

"No. 2. After two years of it, I no longer found it challenging. It got to be routine, which was sad for me, since I was initially so passionate about the job and the creative aspects involved.

"No. 3. It was awkward. Not that anyone tried to make it awkward or didn't treat me fairly ... it just was.

"It annoys me when people call the job fake as if it was just a set up for the show. If I had wanted a fake career for 'Girls Next Door,' I would have stuck with the jewelry line because that required very little of my time. I spent way more than full time directing shoots, editing, making mock layouts and approving retouching. "So as you can imagine, when one is trying to move on with their life, it isn't beneficial to spend so much time on something that doesn't pay much and sadly enough is no longer rewarding to you.

But I loved my job while I had it, appreciate the opportunity and the experience greatly and wish whoever takes my place the best."

The blog entry didn't mention her boyfriend, Las Vegas illusionist Criss Angel. They began dating last fall while she was living at the Playboy Mansion, she told CNN's Larry King during an interview that aired in late December.

Madison's publicist, Steve Flynn, said she resigned from Playboy a couple weeks ago.

"For all intents and purposes, she outgrew the position. It was no longer challenging, and she wants to concentrate on the next phase of her life," Flynn said.

MEDIA UPDATE

Layoffs at Lotus Broadcasting's KWWN-radio, 1100 AM, have claimed eight jobs, including on-air personality Pauly Howard.

He's been a member of the "Afternoon Gridlock" team from 3-6 p.m. with Mitch Moss and Seat Williams for more than a year.

Moss, the program director, announced the news at the start of Tuesday's show, saying "economic news will not allow us to continue the show as it was."

Contacted on Wednesday, Moss praised Howard as "ultratalented ... someone who loved his job and had a passion for it."

Howard, who spent seven years at the station, five of them with Williams on the "Clubhouse" show, said he plans to remain in Las Vegas and hopes to return to radio.

The parting was amicable, he said, adding "they're great people over there. Things will work out."

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Hot stuff: Zowie Bowie, the high-energy duo of Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor, are rumored to be heading for the Palms, with a March 6 debut at the lounge space. They have been building steam and buzz at Red Rock Resort with their hot show, which includes a vintage Vegas act. ...

"Tony n' Tina's Wedding" opens Friday at Planet Hollywood Resort on Friday, days after ending a seven-year run at the Rio. It's going in a newly created space in the high-limit area, formerly known as the London Club. The show starts at 7 p.m. It is dark on Sunday. ...

I'll be signing my new book "Sinsational Celebrity Tales" at the Hard Rock Hotel from 6-8 p.m. tonight.

SIGHTINGS

Longtime NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, dining at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (Forum Shops) on Tuesday. ... At the Hard Rock Hotel on Tuesday night: Actor Dominic Purcell, who plays the lead in the hit TV series "Prison Break," and Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Anxious to rid myself of those bothersome billion-dollar endorsements." -- From David Letterman's "Top Ten Michael Phelps Excuses."

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