Open not shut, first lady argues

Attorneys for Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons are citing examples of why Gov. Jim Gibbons' bid to keep secret his divorce proceedings should be ruled unconstitutional.

In a motion filed Wednesday, Reno-based attorneys Cal Dunlap and Monique Laxalt listed several high-profile divorce cases that led to such rulings.

One of the examples in the motion was the case of California supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle, a former business partner of Bill Clinton.

Janet Burkle won her challenge when a California court concluded that the First Amendment provides a right of access to court records in court proceedings.

The first lady's attorneys said the Nevada statute is similar to the California version that was declared unconstitutional.

In court documents, Ron Burkle argued that the record should be sealed to keep his wife from publicizing his business affairs to the media and to guarantee his "constitutional right of privacy."

Dunlap and Laxalt contend the order by Carson City District Judge Bill Maddox to seal the divorce court files should be declared "void and in violation" of the constitutional rights of the first lady.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

"Toni Braxton: Revealed" has been canceled, the Flamingo Las Vegas announced Thursday, "to allow for Ms. Braxton to focus on her health." The singer has been sidelined since early April when she experienced heart palpitations. Her two-year contract was scheduled to run through mid-August. ...

Clay Aiken, sperm donor. The 29-year-old "American Idol" star has impregnated 50-year-old Jaymes Foster, his record producer and sister of prominent record producer David Foster, according to the celebrity Web site TMZ.com. ...

Former UNLV football player Marion "Suge" Knight has been ordered by a Los Angeles bankruptcy court judge to put Death Row Records up for public auction June 24. The minimum starting bid has been set at $24 million and includes rights to the recordings of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. ...

Former Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees is among E! Entertainment's "Pageant Queens Gone Wrong: 15 Pageant Scandals," which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. Alicia Jacobs, former Miss Nevada USA and Mrs. United States, offers commentary, calling Rees "misguided." Jacobs says, "Once she got to Las Vegas, her association with people like Tiffany Masters and that 'lifestyle' probably didn't help her cause." Masters appeared in the 2003 film "Fluffy Cumsalot, Porn Star" with a cast that included Ron Jeremy, Marilyn Chambers, Jenna Jameson and Seymore Butts. ...

Be proud, Chris Berman. A locally owned thoroughbred named Backbackbackgone set a stakes record Sunday in the Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes race at Hollywood Park. The performance was shown on ESPN's SportsCenter's Top Ten Plays of the Day that night. Bought in March, the Gerson Racing Team's colt won by four lengths; his only other race was a 10-length romp at Bay Meadows. The 2-year-old is owned by Mark Wayman, Matt Vest and local publicist Laura Herlovich.

MAY I RECOMMEND

Local sports fans have the chance to see a Las Vegas team fight for the valley's first professional title in decades when the Wranglers face the Cincinnati Cyclones in the 2008 Kelly Cup Finals.

The Wranglers and the Cyclones were tied 1-1 in their best-of-seven series going into last night's game at the Orleans Arena. They play again tonight. The Las Vegas Stars captured the Pacific Coast League pennant in 1988. On the non-pro side, UNLV's men's basketball team captured the NCAA title in 1990. Tickets: (702) 471-PUCK, 284-7777, www.lasvegas wranglers.com or at The Orleans, Gold Coast and Suncoast box offices.

SIGHTINGS

Erich Bergen, who plays Bob Gaudio in "Jersey Boys" at the Palazzo, attended Cher's show Wednesday at Caesars Palace and afterward presented Cher with a custom-made, rhinestone-encrusted sailor's hat as a gift from the entire cast and crew. ... Jessica Simpson, her father, Joe, and brother-in-law Pete Wentz of the Fall Out Boy are among the VIPs expected for Saturday's grand opening of Palms Place. Wentz, who recently married Ashlee Simpson, will be doing a set during the evening. Also attending: "The Hills" co-stars Lauren Conrad and Lauren "Lo" Bosworth, Luke Wilson, Eve, Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, Donald Faison and Ian Ziering.