Jay Mohr’s peripheral political ties

Comedian-actor Jay Mohr isn't a big political player in Hollywood, but he does have tangential connections to two political campaigns -- Barack Obama's and Al Franken's.

Obama will air a 30-minute ad on broadcast TV networks during prime time on Oct. 29. That means Obama's half-hour will pre-empt Mohr's new CBS sitcom, "Gary Unmarried," in which Mohr plays a divorced dad.

"That's fine with me. The man needs to get his message out, and so do I," says Mohr, who performs an all-new set of comedy at The Orleans this weekend.

Mohr jokes the Obama break for his sitcom will help the show because it can't be canceled if it's not on.

"That's another week on the air!" he cracks. "I mean, they're not gonna say (at CBS), 'You're not doing well' " in the ratings because the show will be in recess.

As for Franken, the ex-"Saturday Night Live" writer-actor is leading in the polls to become a Democratic senator from Minnesota. Mohr previously unleashed sharp words about Franken in an autobiography that chronicled Mohr's stressful years at "SNL" in the 1990s.

But Mohr is rooting for Franken.

"I hope he wins big," Mohr says. "He's a super intelligent man. He's a wrestler. He knows what it's like to get down and fight. And anything that happened on 'Saturday Night Live' aside, I think Al Franken would be a super representative of the people of Minnesota."

What was the trouble between them at "SNL"? In short, Mohr says: "He's irascible and a little older."

Mohr does some political humor and dead-on celebrity impressions at 8 p.m. today through Sunday.

For more Mohr, he says more in an interview in the back of today's Neon section.

BEST BETS AND PAID CELEBRITY APPEARANCES

• Look in today's Neon for details on Friday's shows -- Justin Timberlake's charity concert at Planet Hollywood, co-starring Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, 50 Cent, Adam Levine and Will.i.am ($78-$367); Mary J. Blige at the Palms ($100-$200); "America's Got Talent Live" at MGM ($40-$100).

• And Saturday's shows: Jimmy Buffett at MGM ($69-$211); Cheech & Chong in the Palms ($45-$75); Joe Jackson at Ovation ($43-$68); Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton in Primm ($38-$55).

• Blush at Wynn celebrates its first birthday as a club by rolling a red carpet rubbernecker at 11 p.m. Saturday starring Mena Suvari, Jenna Fischer, Neil Patrick Harris and Olivia Wilde.

• Super genius Seth MacFarlane -- creator and star of "Family Guy" -- celebrates his own birthday at Tao at The Venetian. Red carpet rubbernecking is slated for 10 p.m.

• And car freaks, your event this weekend is the Barrett-Jackson car show at Mandalay Bay (Barrett-Jackson.com; $10-$40).

Doug Elfman's column appears on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 702-383-0391 or delfman@reviewjournal. com. He blogs at reviewjournal. com/elfman.