Ralph Lamb show joins CBS lineup

One of Ralph Lamb's first telephone calls Sunday was to a friend in Italy.

Lamb, 85, called actor Dennis Quaid to share some exciting news: CBS has given the green light to the drama series based on Lamb's years as an iconic Las Vegas sheriff.

Quaid, 58, will play Lamb in the series, which will be titled "Vegas" and be part of the CBS fall lineup.

"He's tickled to death," Lamb said. "He kind of liked the movie because it's rough and tumble and he's a cowboy. He's got a ranch himself and when I was down in New Mexico (watching the pilot being filmed), I thought he did a magnificent job."

Joining Quaid will be Michael Chiklis ("The Shield"), Jason O'Mara ("Terra Nova"), and Carrie-Anne Moss ("The Matrix").

"Vegas" will be directed by James Mangold, who helmed "Walk the Line" and "3:10 to Yuma." Author Nicholas Pileggi, best known for his classic mob films "Casino" and "Goodfellas," has been collecting stories from Lamb over several years.

BACK IN PLAY

Holy cow, what's happening on the former site of Ivana Trump's abandoned 73-story residential high-rise?

Seven years after that deal fell apart amid runaway condo development, the site has been the scene of recent activity. Located at the northeast corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, it was the former site of the Holy Cow Brewery during the 1990s.

Australian developer Victor Altomare originally named it The Summit before bringing Trump into the project, which was to carry the name "The Ivana."

Her ex-husband, Donald Trump, who was building his first Las Vegas tower at the time, predicted an early demise for "The Ivana."

"The location is bad, it will never sell," he said. He had reportedly built his tower a few feet higher than Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas for bragging rights.

Billed as the "biggest super tower" on the West Coast, "The Ivana" would have been nine feet higher than her ex's project, but Altomare folded in late 2005. It was about the same time that George Clooney and Brad Pitt were lending their name to the Las Ramblas hotel-casino project, before it faded away as the recession loomed.

NEW BEST FRIEND

It looked like another unscripted moment during The Tap House's weekly open-mic night on Monday.

But the man on the microphone had an emergency announcement. Political gadfly J. Michael Schaefer told the crowd that he saw a towing company removing two vehicles from the paved lot next to The Tap House.

No sooner had he announced the license plates when Bob Harry, a co-owner of The Tap House, rushed out the door. Since he has a lease on the adjacent property (formerly Fellini's), he assumed he could park there.

Harry got his car back, but Schaeffer, who is running for a seat in the Assembly, said it's another case of "predatory towing" and if elected he intends to push reform of Nevada's towing laws.

SIGHTINGS

Celebrity chef Hubert Keller, rocking out as guest DJ at Mix Lounge (The Hotel at Mandalay) on Saturday night after the clambake at Mandalay Bay Beach. Both events were part of the Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appetit weekend. ... Chef Gordon Ramsay, spotted at Lavo (Palazzo) and the Snow Patrol concert (Cosmopolitan) on Saturday. ... At Marquee (Cosmopolitan) on Saturday: Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush.

THE PUNCH LINE

"My psychiatrist said I should call." - From David Letterman's "Top Ten Things Your Mother Doesn't Want to Hear on Mother's Day."

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