VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Sound advice: Tune in to Rita

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 3:34 a.m.

Move over, Dr. Phil.

You too, Abigail Van Buren.

Rita Rudner is on the couch.

Actually, she is in the Barcalounger next to the couch.

The Las Vegas comic is all set to become America's newest advice dispenser.

Her syndicated talk and advice show, "Ask Rita," has officially been picked up in several key national markets -- including New York, Houston and Chicago -- and is set to debut Jan. 27.

It will air in the Las Vegas Valley on KVBC Channel 3, following "The Today Show."

The show, which will be taped at MGM Grand, features Rudner and three or four guests giving comedic advice to problems offered by viewers and audience members.

Rudner's husband, Martin Bergman, is set to produce.

"There is always a good mix of entertainers here and the audiences are always in a good mood," Rudner said in a news release. "This is going to be a show that really can't be found anywhere else.

"I like to say that I may not be as wise as Dr. Phil, but I promise you that I have more hair."

Yes, that probably was the real Jerry Lewis on your answering machine advocating Question 11.

That is the half-cent property tax increase to fund a homeless trust fund for Clark County.

County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who proposed the tax increase, convinced the veteran funnyman to make the pitch.

The recording is being automatically sent this weekend to 42,000 homes.

Looks like Las Vegas went vegetarian all of a sudden.

The much-hyped CowParade was perhaps not so well done.

There were supposed to be about 150 of the arts-and-crafts cows around Las Vegas, but nearly three weeks after the demoo, uh, debut of the exhibit, there are hardly any heifers here.

There are a handful in Summerlin, a Wayne Mooton cow in front of the Stardust, another in front of the Four Seasons and a pair in Desert Passage at Aladdin.

The displays had a huge impact in other towns, from Chicago to New York to Kansas City.

Speaking of steak, as we sort of were, Tom Colicchio of CraftSteak at MGM Grand will be at Fashion Show mall this afternoon signing copies of his great new book, "Think Like a Chef."

Look for the Polish Prince of Pop to be spending some more quality time in Las Vegas.

Bobby Vinton just sold his Blue Velvet Theatre in Branson, Mo. The buyer was producer David King, whose "Spirit of the Dance" has performed with Vinton for the past three years.

Vinton, 67, said he will concentrate on Vegas and Atlantic City gigs, and that he has no plans to retire.

"I'm going to keep doing it for as long as I can -- and as long as someone will come to listen to me," Vinton told VegasBeat.

They are the butt of an enormous number of jokes, but other entertainers should be as involved in the community as Siegfried & Roy.

The pair gave treats to more than 3,000 area school kids who made their way to the Jungle Palace on Halloween. The event has quickly become a Las Vegas tradition.

Ricci Martin, while carefully stepping through the human peculiarities at Bikinis on Halloween night: "This place looks like Stan Dragoti's living room."

About 2,500 revelers, most in costume, had filled the place to overflowing.

Dragoti directed such films as the horror spoof "Love at First Bite."

Massapequa, the Long Island, N.Y., community that has produced Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco and most of the Baldwin brothers is also the hometown of sex-change operation pioneer Christine Jorgensen -- and Las Vegas' favorite cross-dressing "La Cage" star, Frank Marino.

"Pretty illustrious company, huh?" Marino told VegasBeat.

Marino is zipping home Thanksgiving week, but since the show must go on, plus-size impersonator Jimmy Emerson is filling in for Marino Nov. 21 through Nov. 25.

His riff as Madonna's larger sister is nearly as good as his impressions of Roseanne and Anna Nicole Smith, or as Emerson calls her, Manna Nicole.

Emerson also fills in the week of Dec. 10, when Marino takes his family to Disneyland. Now that ought to be a sight to see ...