Wallace set to host R-J awards program

The host will jest and honor the best when comedian George Wallace emcees the annual Best of Las Vegas awards show Saturday afternoon at New York-New York's Zumanity Theater.

The Flamingo headliner will hold sway over the 2 p.m. ceremony in which numerous winners in the Review-Journal's 2008 Best of Las Vegas survey will be given the Crystal Award, joined by celebrity performers and presenters.

Winners scheduled to be recognized include those in the categories of best showgirls, Las Vegas museum, print journalist, magician, bargain show, production show, comedian, performing arts group, all-around performer, local hotel, downtown hotel, Strip hotel, radio personality, local TV anchor and local weathercaster.

The complete list of recipients will be published Sunday in the Review-Journal.

In addition to Wallace, entertainment will be provided by Clint Holmes, the cast of "Zumanity," the singing group Mosaic and the Second City improvisational comedy troupe.

Tickets for the show are $25 per person and can be purchased by calling 740-6815. All proceeds will benefit the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

This year marks the 27th annual Best of Las Vegas Readers' Poll and the first time ballots were collected online, netting nearly 8,000 responses.

That's a huge leap from last year's 1,657 and the previous all-time high of 3,962 in 1998.

Most of the ballots were from Nevada, though other voters in the United States claim to hail from California, New York, Florida and Texas.

Others said they were from international locales such as Britain, Canada, Australia and Afghanistan.