Thursday, Jan. 25, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.
John Ratzenberger milled quietly through a crowd of media types and sat down at a small table.
In town for the 38th annual National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) show at the Las Vegas Convention Center earlier this week, the TV actor was one of many familiar faces in the crowd.
So many, in fact, hardly anyone noticed him.
Every so often, however, someone would approach Ratzenberger, of "Cheers" fame, and offer a handshake and a hello, which the actor gratefully acknowledged.
A few feet behind him, a woman spied the gray-haired actor and said to a friend, "Look, it's Norm from 'Cheers.'"
Actually, Ratzenberger played know-it-all postal worker Cliff Clavin on the long-running sitcom. Norm Peterson, the lovable beer-guzzling barfly, was played by George Wendt.
Did it matter? Certainly not to Ratzenberger, who never even heard the faux pas. And to be honest, certainly not to most everyone at the event, which opened Monday and closes today.
At a department store, maybe a Ratzenberger appearance elicits more attention. But this was NATPE, where cleavage-enhancing tops were the style du jour, and there was enough makeup to outfit a small army of clowns.
Consequently, low-level celebs such as Ratzenberger tended to blend in with the 20,000 "ordinary people" (but not the public) who attended this year's event. But the parade of pretty people was for a reason: promotions.
NATPE was for TV execs to peruse what's available to them both in terms of programming and technology. It seemed in booth after booth some lavish and huge, some ordinary and small there was somebody selling something.
In that respect, the event resembled a flea market. Only, at what flea market would you find a saleswoman who looks like Gena Lee Nolin?
At NATPE to promote her syndicated show, "Sheena," which airs locally at 5 p.m. Saturdays (KVVU Channel 5), the former "Baywatch" beauty seemed to draw attention wherever she went.
Even as she made her way through the maze of booths at NATPE, with an assistant at her side, or stopped to chat with fellow celebs-turned-promoters, comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay and Rod Roddy, the announcer of "The Price is Right," all eyes seemed to gravitate her way.
No wonder. The former Las Vegas resident was wearing a tight, multicolored ensemble, which Nolin quickly pointed out was not part of her regular wardrobe rotation.
What wasn't so obvious, perhaps, was how seriously she took the event.
"You see people buying the show, and it's important to make sure you're there and you're personable," Nolin said. "You need to be able to go one-on-one with these people."
Adrian Paul, star of the formerly syndicated TV series "Highlander," considered NATPE important enough to attend, even though his new TV series, "Tracker," won't begin filming until later this year.
Paul said he was at this year's convention to generate some buzz for the show, while also gaining feedback from those interested in purchasing the syndicated series.
"(NATPE) allows people to share ideas," Paul said. "When you're out of the marketplace, I don't think you can see everything out there."
Plus, he added, "You get the idea a lot better when you're sitting down with somebody."
But celebs hawking their wares was only one facet of NATPE.
There were also those without a recognizable name or face who just wanted to get noticed; small, independent producers of potential TV shows or documentaries crammed into row after row of generic-looking booths -- all waiting for a distributor or TV executive to make them an offer.
Such as Richard Dennison, president of Riden International Corp., who had such low-budget movies as "Devil's Playground" and "Pitstop" to sell. But it was "Rats -- The Film" that he was really promoting.
A 74-minute documentary on the rat infestation plaguing our nation's capital, Dennison said although he personally believed in the film, it had proven "a tough sell" and received minimal interest.
"It hasn't been a wise investment so far," Dennison said of paying about $5,000 for a booth at NATPE. "But this is where you have to be if you want to sell your programs."
Several booths down, Roberta Corbett sat while a TV played a video of "Can Do," a children's activity program that allows for real-time, at-home participation.
Corbett, who came up with the idea for the show in November, said she would like to see "Can Do" picked up either in syndication or distributed on video. But with little marketing experience, she said she was relying on NATPE to help in that process.
"Everyone said, 'Make something and go to NATPE.' Especially the people making the booths," she joked. "They were really pushing NATPE."
Meanwhile on the other side of the convention, a small crowd of media waited patiently for a chance to interview Pamela Anderson.
At NATPE to promote her successful syndicated show "V.I.P.," shown locally at 2 a.m. Saturdays (also on Channel 5), Anderson was scheduled to arrive mid-afternoon with three of her female co-stars, but ran late.
Mitchell Messinger, director of media and talent relations for Columbia TriStar, which owns and distributes "V.I.P.," apologized profusely and said that Anderson and Co. had numerous commitments with other sales representatives.
This ultimately meant that a select few of the media on hand -- big-name TV shows such as "Extra" -- had access to Anderson, while others -- such as this reporter -- were left out in the cold.
Messinger said that Anderson probably was the "big draw" of the show, which, apparently, was nothing new. He said he's routinely deluged with calls from those who want something from the former Playboy playmate -- mainly appearances at conventions and various functions.
All of this commotion over Anderson, he said, still amazes him.
"I know (Anderson) as well as I know my wife, and she's just like anyone else," Messinger said.
Meanwhile 10 feet away, Anderson and her co-stars posed for photos, while a long line of NATPE attendees patiently waited for their chance to stand next to the star of the show.
One can only wonder if Ratzenberger was one of them.
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