Columnist Kate Maddox: Gans set to take Spelling test

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, April 4, 2000 | 10:08 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

Danny Gans is moving closer to seeing his real life on the little screen. His opening-night audience on Saturday included some Aaron Spelling executives. E. Duke Vincent, Spelling's right-hand man and the producer of "Beverly Hills, 90210," was in the crowd along with other television heavies.

Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, said that things are moving along nicely for Spelling's latest creation, which is tentatively titled "The Danny Gans Show." In a couple of weeks, writers will be flown in from Hollywood to meet with Gans and try to put together a pilot. The writing process should be completed by July and then the show will be shopped to the networks. After the pilot is picked up -- which everyone involved is certain it will be -- the actual show should be in full swing by the end of the year.

The beauty for Gans is that he won't have to go anywhere, nor will he need to alter his schedule all that much. When the TV show is in production, Gans will merely cut back his duties at the Mirage by one night, putting on four shows a week instead of the usual five.

Spelling, who has masterminded successful TV shows for decades, is fully behind the project, and with the cancellation of "90210," he is apparently devoting most of his time to the Gans sitcom. The show will be based on a charismatic family guy who has a successful, nightly impressionist show in Las Vegas. Go figure.

And, on the way-off chance that the whole TV thing falls through, Gans' new showroom at the Mirage isn't such a bad fallback plan. Saturday night's grand opening drew raves from fans and audience members -- including Steve and Elaine Wynn. Gans donated profits from the performance to charity.

The Riviera's entertainment director, Steve Schirripa, will be taking some time off from Las Vegas to pursue his acting career. Schirripa has just extended his contract for HBO's hit series "The Sopranos"; he will now be a series regular. Unfortunately, to accommodate the shooting schedule, which begins Aug. 1, Schirripa will have to move to New York for six or seven months. He will, however, remain with the Riv in a consulting capacity, and he will still be booking the comedy club and the lounge acts.

Schirripa also has a small role in the upcoming Flintstones flick "Viva Rock Vegas," as well as a part on NBC's new series "Battery Park." Those are just two projects in a longish list of upcoming possibilities for the actor/ entertainment director.

Schirripa plays the right-hand guy of Uncle Junior, the aging crime boss who's facing jail time on the show. The season finale of the award-winning mobster hit is Sunday.

There is new talk of a Ritz-Carlton hotel being built in Las Vegas. Rumors about the luxury chain coming to Vegas have been around for a couple of years -- the last project thought to be in the works was a 526-room hotel at the Mountain Spa resort and residential development in northwest Las Vegas.

As of yet, however, the hotel hasn't found a home here, but it looks as though they're hot on the trail of the property at the corner of Koval and Harmon, just off the Strip, which is owned by the estate of businessman Richard Tam.

One source admits that although no papers have been signed to date, plans are in the works for a 300-room complex with an additional 150 luxury condominiums. The hotel, which will include a small casino, will be geared toward the 35-and-over crowd with an emphasis on the Ritz's specialty: luxury. Insiders report that the construction on the hotel could begin in six to eight months.