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My encounter with Michael Jackson

From gaming writer Howard Stutz:

Last week's untimely passing of entertainer Michael Jackson brought back memories of a brief encounter I had with the pop star 20 years ago.

The $630 million Mirage was a week from opening in November 1989, becoming the Strip's first new resort in 15 years.

I was scheduled to interview Mirage developer Steve Wynn for a preview article. While waiting in the executive office reception area, the door swung open and out walked what appeared to be a very realistic Michael Jackson impersonator.

"It's him," the receptionist said smiling, noticing my perplexed look.

Jackson had been hanging around the hotel's under-construction theater, watching as entertainers Siegfried & Roy rehearsed their much-hyped show that wouldn't open for several months. ...

Jackson decided to sit in on the interview. When I say, sit in, I mean just that. He hardly uttered a word. It was a little odd, to say the least, sitting across the table from one of the world's greatest and most mercurial entertainers while Steve Wynn waxed on and on about the virtues of the Strip's newest icon.

All of sudden, Wynn was called out of the room. ...

I tried to make some small talk with Jackson.

I asked him what he thought of The Mirage. All he muttered was, "It's beautiful." I then asked him if he would like to perform at the resort. He just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "I wish Steve would come back so I wouldn't have to answer any more questions." ...

I noticed Jackson was wearing a jacket with the logo of the National Hockey League's Minnesota North Stars. I decided to play on our mutual Los Angeles ties. We were both raised in Southern California.

"I thought you would be a Los Angeles Kings fan," I said to Jackson. He gave me a perplexed look until I pointed at the North Stars logo. Jackson said a friend gave him the jacket.

Wynn returned a few moments later. ...

I used the Jackson encounter as the article's lead anecdote. Wynn called the day the article appeared to thank me for the story.

For more visit www.lvrj.com/blogs/stutz

The skinny

From columnist John L. Smith:

If you think Michael Jackson was skinny when he died, just wait until the carnivores and scavengers in his life get through picking his bones.

After hearing almost nothing but bad things about Jackson's upbringing, it was creepy to learn that Joe and Katherine Jackson had been awarded temporary custody of the King of Pop's three children. I hope those kids are skilled at tug-o'-war because chances are good they're going to be pulled to pieces by the loving granddad who supposedly abused their father and by a biological mom who had next to nothing to do with raising them.

Says AP: "The swiftness of the legal motions underscore the fact that Jackson's death leaves a vacuum if he died without a valid will, as the parents assert in documents filed in Superior Court. If no will is filed, the number of potential claimants that could emerge seeking custody of the children or a piece of his empire are many."

For more visit www.lvrj.com/blogs/smith

Americans expect politicians to cheat

From political writer Molly Ball:

A plurality of Americans believe most members of Congress have extramarital affairs, according to a new national poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports.

The poll, conducted last week "following Nevada Sen. John Ensign's admission that he cheated on his wife with a campaign staffer," also found the nation evenly split on whether those who have affairs should leave office.

Asked whether they think most federal lawmakers are cheaters, 37 percent said yes, 24 percent said no and 38 percent weren't sure.

As for whether cheaters should resign or be forced out of office, 40 percent said they should, 41 percent disagreed and 18 percent were undecided. Republicans were more likely than Democrats or independents to say politicians who have affairs should leave office.

Sixty-one percent said their trust in a politician caught in a sex scandal was diminished.

For more visit www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics

Seeking transparency in campaign finance laws

From columnist Jane Ann Morrison:

Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid won't tell me how much he has raised for his gubernatorial bid. Under Nevada's designed to conceal, not reveal, campaign finance laws, he doesn't have to report campaign contributions and expenditures until next January, so he's not going to tip his hand.

The most recent reports from January said the commissioner had raised $669,000 and Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley had raised $591,000 and spent $313,000, leaving her with about $278,000 left over from her 2008 Assembly race.

Both their numbers are little better than pulp fiction since they don't include money left over from previous races or what they've raised since January.

Last Thursday, the same day I bashed Nevada legislators for their abysmal failure in reforming campaign transparency, the Center for Public Integrity ranked state legislatures for financial disclosure standards. Nevada flunked, as usual. Our state is getting worse, not better, because our legislators like hiding their dollars.

Fore more visit www.lvrj.com/blogs/morrison