Madonna punted on move to Vegas
Madonna had a three-year, $150 million Las Vegas deal on the table five years ago but wasn't ready to make the move.
When that fell through, Las Vegas deal maker Jack Wishna said he moved on to Michael Jackson.
"It was exactly five years ago in August," Wishna told me by text message on Sunday.
A British tabloid, The Sun, is reporting that Madonna has been offered a five-year, $1 billion deal in Las Vegas.
Wishna said Madonna told him she "liked living in England with her kids and didn't want to do a sit-down show in Vegas."
"After she said no, I focused on Michael Jackson in 2006 and created a deal for him."
The deal involving Jackson and Madonna was to have rotating headliners working at one property, "creating the next generation of 'headliner in residence' if you will, but utilizing multiple headliners in one theater. Four major names in one year, one showroom."
That scenario, which involved other superstar names, "is still going to happen soon at a hotel/casino in Las Vegas," said Wishna, who engineered Jackson's return to the United States in late 2006 for a Las Vegas comeback.
The new deal and headliners will be announced when it is finalized, he said.
The plan, Wishna said, "is to change the face of the entertainment industry here once again."
What makes the new concept unique is that it will use the biggest names in music "to help us discover the 'stars of tomorrow' and both would work together on the same stages in Vegas," he added.
Eleven years ago, when Wishna put together Wayne Newton's long-term residency at the Stardust, it represented a break from the multiweek deals given Las Vegas icons Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Newton.
As for the tabloid report of the five-year, $1 billion deal, Wishna scoffed at the numbers.
"No entertainer is worth $200 million a year to any venue or gaming operator," he said, "whether in this economy or the boom years of the last decade."
GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ...
It's ballerina week at The Mirage.
The Gentlemen's Club Expo, a nice way of saying the annual national strip club convention, is under way.
Actor and comedian Hal Sparks of "Queer as Folk" is hosting tonight's luau for the exotic dancers industry at the Dolphin Bar.
The opening party is sponsored by industry icon Dawn Rizos, who won Innovator of the Year in 2007 and Best Club of the Year. She owns The Lodge strip club, a Dallas legend.
Today's program includes an afternoon of how-to workshops for the ED crowd .
The convention is sponsored by the industry bible, Exotic Dancer magazine, fittingly known in the business as ED.
Comedian Ralphie May hosts the 13th annual awards show Tuesday in the Grand Ballroom and the Wednesday finale, titled "Woodystock," is from 9-12 p.m. at Rick's Cabaret.
SIGHTINGS
Actor John Travolta taking in Norah Jones' concert Sunday at the Palms' Pearl concert venue. He dined at Piero's Italian Cuisine on Saturday with friends. ... Jai Rodriguez from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," at the inaugural Abbey Beach party Sunday at Vdara in CityCenter. The event was put on by West Hollywood's The Abbey Food & Bar. ... Actor and Elvis impersonator Paul Casey, while walking into the Little White Wedding Chapel on Friday to sing at a wedding, ran into Hollywood director George Lucas. A big fan of the "Indiana Jones" franchise, Casey dashed out to his car, grabbed the latest Indy comic book and had Lucas sign it. Lucas was there for a family wedding.
THE PUNCH LINE
"For Minnesotans, Ricky Rubio might as well be a stripper. Fun to watch, but no matter how much you'd like it, he's not coming home with you." -- NBA blogger Myles Brown, after an impressive outing Sunday by the Spanish teen phenom in Team USA's 86-85 victory over Spain in a friendly game Sunday. Rubio was the No. 5 pick in the NBA 2009 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves but decided to play for Regal FC Barcelona.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
