Yearwood exacts her recompense

Country husband-wife duo Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have this deal.

After completing his five-year engagement at Wynn Las Vegas, it's all about her.

When his Las Vegas run ends, he will be moving to New York City to support Yearwood's lifelong dream of performing on Broadway.

Yearwood, since marrying Brooks in 2005, has scaled back her career to help Brooks raise his three daughters, 17, 15 and 13.

She will join him on stage on occasion before shifting her focus to a Broadway stage.

She's seen enough Broadway shows to know which one she one she won't be pursuing.

"I saw Reba McIntyre in 'Annie Get Your Gun,' and I won't be doing that because no one could do it any better," Yearwood said.

She was Brooks' opening act when his career exploded in the late 1980s. After his divorce was final in 2000, they began dating, and he proposed to her in 2005 at the unveiling of an 8-foot statue of Brooks in front of 7,000 fans at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Harrah's headliner Rita Rudner also is going country. She has written a song with local guitar teacher Dan Land. It's called "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight," and she will perform it during her show Saturday. She started show business as a dancer, but she can sing, too. Rudner sang on Broadway and performed with composer Marvin Hamlisch in a cabaret show. ...

For former Gov. Bob Miller, playing with a broken foot in the celebrity pro-am tournament at TPC Summerlin on Wednesday was worth the pain. Miller declined to have it treated because it would have forced him out of the event and the chance to play with PGA vet Jim Furyk. Miller's teammates couldn't have been happier with the result. They won the event, with 12 of their 19 points coming on the back nine. Miller scored almost half of the winning 19 points. He hurt his foot during a household mishap. ...

Another casualty of the economy: After eight years here, the National Association of Television Program Executives convention is moving to Miami in 2010. It's been in a downsizing mode.

MAY I RECOMMEND ...

Comedian Frank Caliendo and his cast of characters launched a 10-year deal at the Monte Carlo this week. His John Madden impressions delight everyone, but Madden. Caliendo performs at 9:30 p.m. on Monday-Tuesday and Friday-Saturday. Tickets start at $59 and can be purchased by calling (702) 730-7160 or by visiting www.montecarlo.com.

SIGHTINGS

Forty-one Nashville-based entertainment media members, at a dinner hosted by Brooks and Steve Wynn at his SW Steakhouse on Thursday. They were flown in by Brooks and Wynn and are staying at Encore. The guests were media who had supported Brooks throughout his career. Dinner included a special performance by a giant frog puppet that wore a cowboy hat and performed Brooks' hit "Friends in Low Places." ... At Pure (Caesars) on Wednesday: Kobe Bryant, with his two sisters; Lamar Odom (without new wife Khloe Kardashian), Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher and Luke Walton. ... Justin Timberlake, playing the Wynn Las Vegas course on Thursday after a night of club hopping. He was at Nobu for dinner and checked out Wasted Space (Hard Rock) and LAX (Luxor). Also at Wasted Space: Jason Giambi. ... "Peepshow" co-star Holly Madison, jogging down the Strip in a red UFC bikini Wednesday night with a film crew in tow. They were filming her reality show pilot. ... That Lady Gaga lookalike seen at the Palms on Wednesday was Adar Wellington, who stars in the "Brickhouse" segment in "Peepshow." She's playing "Lady Palms" in the commercial.

THE PUNCH LINE

"The Fox News White House correspondent, a man named Major Garrett, has the swine flu. And President (Barack) Obama has ordered Fox News quarantined. For up to five years." -- Jay Leno

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