Columnist Joe Delaney: Showrooms should keep giving locals a break

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001 | 8:15 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066.

With Harrah's offering $10 tickets for groups of four to see Clint Holmes, "Skintight" or the Improv, plus the Scintas at the Rio through Nov. 30 and other hotels offering two-for-one deals to locals through Halloween, the participating hotels have an excellent opportunity to make show-goers out of the million-plus people who live in Clark County.

First, the offer should be extended through Dec. 24, with every possible hotel participating ... Fill those showrooms ... Las Vegans, except for the 10,000 or so who are out of work thanks to the hotels overreacting to the events of Sept. 11 and the week that followed, do work and have the money to attend shows ... Make an effort to make them regulars, seeing shows and spending time in our hotels.

Once they are on the premises, they will eat, drink and even venture a few dollars in the casino ... Behinds on chairs, that has always been the answer ... What's wrong with having local behinds on those chairs? ... Do the math and you will see how valid this suggestion is ... One has to give to get, so let's do it, hotels, give the locals a break through Dec. 24.

Strictly observing

Prior to moving to Las Vegas in 1962, I had an extensive career in the recording industry ... For this reason, I have spent several columns describing the attempts of certain companies and individuals to deprive working musicians of their rightful income for recordings made without their knowledge or proper subsequent notification and settlement.

The matter may go to trial ... The Caesars Palace performance tapes could be made legal if Concord Records and its subsidiary, Neon Tonic Records, would simply pay the musicians the money due them under existing agreements with the American Federation of Musicians, to which the recording companies, Caesars Palace and the musicians are all signatories.

Once the matter goes to trial, the legal result may not always reflect the customs and usage in the recording industry ... The decision may hinge upon some obscure point and set a dangerous precedent.

It was not surprising that a federal judge ruled recently that the singers do not own the term "Rat Pack" and dismissed the joint Sinatra-Davis lawsuit ... The "Rat Pack" was a group of film stars led by Humphrey Bogart ... Sinatra was on record as hating the term, preferring "Board of Directors" with himself as "Chairman of the Board."

"The Rat Pack Is Back" at the Sahara is an obvious use of the stage personas of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop recreating a birthday party at the Sands ... It was even more blatant at the Desert Inn with pictures and specially named drinks ... The approach has been carefully modified since.

It would seem that this is legal in Nevada, thanks to earlier legislation that opened the door for all forms of impressionist performances ... There is another Nevada case worth commenting on, although the matter is also moot ... It would have been so easy to doctor that tape from the late '80s of Bobby Berosini allegedly beating his orangutans just before a Stardust performance.

This was the basis of a suit brought by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which resulted in putting Berosini out of show business ... The tape was made by a dancer with whom Berosini had an argument ... Just by speeding up the portion of the tape where Berosini supposedly beat the orangutans, it appeared that he was hitting them harder than necessary.

The orangutan is a very strong animal and could severely disable or even kill a person with one blow ... You might want to get his attention, but you really wouldn't want to make one angry, especially just before a performance ... The performance at the show in question, I'm told, went off smoothly and without incident ... The case has been closed, but was justice done?

Star-policy rundown

It's David Brenner, 8 p.m., and the Amazing Johnathan, 10 p.m. (Golden Nugget); Mac King, afternoons, and Clint Holmes, evenings (Harrah's); Society of Seven (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); Tom Jones, plus Rick Springfield in "EFX Alive" in separate theaters (MGM Grand); and Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans, in separate theaters (Mirage).

Plus Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Rita Rudner (New York-New York); Art Garfunkel (Orleans); Clint Black (Paris); Penn & Teller and Scintas, in separate theaters (Rio); Steve Wyrick and Michael Holly, in separate theaters (Sahara); Bill Engvall (Stardust); Survivor (Suncoast); Rick Thomas (Tropicana); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian).

Thursday jazz special: Marv Koral All-Stars, with Carl Fontana, Gus Mancuso, Bob Badgley and Pat Sherrod plus guests (Jazzed Cafe), starting at 7:30 p.m. ... See you Friday.