Report: Newton turned down gig

Wayne Newton has backed out of a deal with the Tropicana, where he had planned to hold his 50th anniversary as a Las Vegas entertainer.

Newton, after negotiating a lengthy engagement, said no danke schoen, according to a source.

"The press conference was already set for Aug. 3 with shows set to kick off Sept. 3," said the source.

Newton, 67, had a blockbuster deal in place, with the assistance of local dealmaker Jack Wishna, but it fell through this month.

"He (Newton) wanted a bigger piece of the pie in the deal and tried to reduce Wishna's stake in the deal," said the source.

None of the parties or their reps returned responses by deadline Saturday.

The development comes amid reports that Newton has not been paying bills.

Two lawsuits were filed earlier this month, one for non-payment of $32,000 worth of hay for his horses and $36,999 remaining on a lease for a 2005 Escalade.

Earlier this year, Newton's wages were garnished to the tune of $91,000 from his MGM Grand paychecks after his former pilot, Monty Ward, won a judgment for more than $450,000 in back wages.

Wisha had negotiated Newton's Vegas comeback deal in 1999, when he signed with the Stardust for what was advertised as the richest contract in Las Vegas entertainment history, up to 40 weeks a year for 10 years with the potential of $25 million a year.

That deal had an exit option after five years, and Newton took it, saying "the time had come to move on to new challenges."

JACKSON UPDATE

Michael Jackson's mysterious manager, Dr. Tohme Tohme, is back in the news,

He told the celebrity Web site, TMZ.com, that he returned $5.5 million in cash to Jackson's estate, money that the entertainer said was going to be used for a Las Vegas "dream home."

The money, which came from recording residuals, "was a secret between Michael and me," the manager told TMZ. Tohme had a number of meetings with Jackson in Las Vegas.

Rolling Stone magazine, in its latest issue, reported that Jackson intended to buy a Las Vegas "dream home" that belonged to the Sultan of Brunei.

Las Vegas realtor Zar Zanganeh, who was hired as Jackson's listing agent two years ago, reiterated Saturday that Jackson's interest was in a $20 million-plus home owned by casino developer Gary Primm.

Jackson had stayed in one of the three Las Vegas homes owned by Prince Jefri of Brunei, brother of the Sultan of Brunei, according to Zanganeh, "but never made any unsolicited offers."

On the custody front, Jackson's oldest sister, Las Vegas resident Rebbie Jackson, has agreed to raise Jackson's three children, TMZ also reported.

SIGHTINGS

Chicago Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro, playing tennis with his wife at the International Tennis Centre on Friday. ... Slash, celebrating his 44th birthday at The Mirage on Friday with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler and Kiefer Sutherland during stops at Rhumbar, Stack and Jet. ... David Duchovny and Tea Leoni, dining with their kids at Japonais at The Mirage before attending "Love" on Friday. ... Stacy Keibler, formerly of "Dancing With the Stars," dining at Shibuya (MGM Grand) on Friday before hosting at Tabu (MGM Grand). ... Mel Gibson, checking out "Bodies. ... The Exhibition" (Luxor) Thursday with his son Tommy. ... Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, at Dos Caminos (Palazzo) on Thursday, celebrating the sale of his Henderson-based apparel and footwear retail company to Amazon last week for about $850 million in cash and stock. ... Aerosmith's drummer Joey Kramer, buying a handpainted $1,000 Swarovski-studded Great China Wall shirt for himself and a $1,000 silver dragon lighter as a gift for Slash's birthday. ... Pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdrek from MTV's hit show "Rob and Big," filming scenes for the hit MTV show "Fantasy Factory" at the Blink-182 concert Friday at The Joint at the Hard Rock.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Began with a moment of silence for the Taco Bell Chihuahua." -- From David Letterman's "Top Ten Surprises In The President Obama News Conference."

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