Ted Kennedy had faith in brother

Ted Kennedy liked John Kennedy's chances so much in the 1960 presidential race that he couldn't resist betting on his brother, a big underdog.

JFK's little brother made the wager while campaigning in Las Vegas and won a nice chunk of change.

"My winnings would have given me enough money to buy a new car, a really fancy new car," Teddy wrote in his new book, "True Compass."

"The speedy Aston Martin DB4 had just come out a couple years earlier in England, and I really wanted one," he wrote.

The mistake, he said, was "telling dad about it, and he hit the roof. He really went after me tooth and nail. I never did collect on my bet, and I've always wondered what happened to the money."

The car, a favorite of James Bond's, would have been a good investment. That model, priced about $3,000 then, fetches $200,000-plus these days on the car collector's circuit.

By the way, who would have booked that bet back then? If you know, call me or send me an e-mail.

MEDIA UPDATE

Jack Landreth, program director at KXNT-AM, 840, and local nurse Ursula Moser are getting married Saturday at Red Rock Resort, with station personalities Alan Stock and Casey Hendrickson attending, as well as Mayor Oscar Goodman. Landreth and Moser met on the eHarmony dating site almost two years ago. They grew up 9 miles from each other in the Chicago suburbs of Northbrook (him) and Arlington Heights (her). ...

KVBC-TV, Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs is guest speaker Thursday at the Women In Communications luncheon at Maggiano's. ...

Food critics John Curtas and Max Jacobson are co-hosting the State of Nevada broadcast once a month on KPR-FM, 89.3. Their next outing is 9-11 a.m. Friday, with a rebroadcast from 7-9 p.m. ...

Jennifer Dunne, vice president of PR and advertising for Wynn Resorts, recently got engaged to Jim Jones of Las Vegas. A 2010 wedding is planned after they settle on a beach location. ...

Local publicists Ken Langdon (Heat Communications) and Steve Flynn (Steve Flynn Enterprises) have teamed up to create LangdonFlynn Communications, LLC.They will specialize in public relations, special event coordination, marketing, advertising, restaurant consulting and social media management. ...

KXNT has announced the winner of its Radiostar 5 competition. Chris Matlock, a local marketing firm owner, will be hosting a weekend shift. The time slot has not been determined. ...

Detroit sportswriter and best-selling author Mitch Albom discusses his novel "Have a Little Faith: A True Story" on Oct. 25 at the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada. Albom has sold more than 28 million books. Titles include "For One More Day," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and "Tuesdays with Morrie." Ticket information: 794-0090.

SIGHTINGS

Holly Madison and a guy friend, picking up a pup Sunday, her second, from Adopt A Rescue Pet. She got the little girl so her dog Napoleon would have company. She named her Josephine, after Napoleon Bonaparte's frisky wife Josephine. In the process, Holly won another fan: Adopt a Rescue Pet's Marelyn Shapiro, featured in the "Heroes" TV series a few years ago for adopting seven children. "She could afford whatever kind of dog she wanted," Shapiro said. "She saved a life. Says a lot about her." ... At Simon Cowell's 50th birthday party near London over the weekend: Las Vegas-based Earth, Wind and Fire, a Frank Sinatra impersonator, who sang "New York, New York," and a group of Rat Pack impersonators. Attendees included "American Idol" colleagues Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson, along with British chef Gordon Ramsay, supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, Kevin Spacey, Piers Morgan, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff, and even Simon's three ex-girlfriends, Sinitta, Terri Seymour and Jackie St. Claire. Paula Abdul and Sir Elton John were invited, but didn't attend.