Mirage signing ‘Talent’ winner

Ventriloquist/impressionist Terry Fator, whose popularity has exploded since he won NBC's "America's Got Talent," will be introduced Tuesday at a news conference as the new headliner at The Mirage.

A 2 p.m. news conference has been scheduled, Vegas Confidential has learned.

Fator will move into the theater vacated by fellow impressionist Danny Gans, who moves to Wynn Las Vegas late this year after almost nine years at The Mirage.

How's this for irony: Fator told me last November, after he signed a 15-show deal with the Las Vegas Hilton, that seeing Gans perform was the turning point of his career.

About 21/2 years ago, during a car ride from Las Vegas to Butte, Mont., the ventriloquist began singing a Garth Brooks song. His manager, John Raymond, a Butte native, interjected, "Have you ever seen Danny Gans?"

Fator hadn't, but on his next trip to Vegas, he attended Gans' show and the light bulb went off. No dummy, Fator switched from doing comedy with his eight characters to singing impressions with them.

After winning "America's Got Talent" last summer, he became a YouTube sensation.

As of Saturday, his breakthrough appearance on the NBC show had registered 10.5 million visits on YouTube, when his pig-tailed character Emma Taylor sang Etta James' classic "At Last."

View it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnVDHzUAj30

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Was Shaquille O'Neal making a statement Friday when he showed up at The Bank nightclub at Bellagio. O'Neal is among the celebrity investors in The Bank's main rival, Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace.

Rumors have been flying that some of the celebrity investors, who include O'Neal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Celine Dion, are pulling out over image concerns after a February IRS raid at Pure and Pure Management Group's headquarters. ...

A member of the "Jersey Boys" cast slipped and fell during the first act Friday, and his understudy finished the show. Erich Bergen, who plays Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons, "banged up his knee," according to a spokesman for the show. "If he's not back tonight, he'll be back early next week." Understudy Mike Backes stepped in. ...

If that wasn't TV talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, who was it? Wayne Crane, marketing director of Hawaiian Tropic Zone at Planet Hollywood Resort, said a man who identified himself as a Light Group security guard called to say he was bringing in Dr. Phil last weekend. The man who looked like Dr. Phil declined photo requests, except for one with an HTZ employee. Louis DiCenzo, who handles publicity for Dr. Phil, said the talk show host was not in Las Vegas last weekend. Alex Acuna, public relations director for Light Group, said security for his company would not take a celebrity to a non-Light property.

SIGHTINGS

Britney Spears and Palms owner George Maloof, photographed together Thursday on their way to Sur restaurant in Beverly Hills. ...At LAX (Luxor) on Friday: Jack Osbourne, son of legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne.

THE PUNCH LINE "Nelson Mandela is turning 90. He has asked Amy Winehouse to perform at his 90th birthday party. When asked why he likes Amy Winehouse, he said, 'She's spent more time in jail than I did.'" -- Conan O'Brien

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