Time to pass the meatball at Greek Isles

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 8:28 a.m.

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: Greek Isles.

Tickets: $49.95.

Information: 737-5540.

There is no lack of awards in today's world.

It seems that every field of endeavor, from the arts to the sciences, tries to honor the best among its peers or those who have made the most significant contributions.

There are Grammys, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, Clios and Golden Globes, to name but a few.

Now there are the Meatball Awards, created by a Las Vegan whose respect for a certain class of entertainers that has been largely overlooked compelled him to take action.

"It's time to honor lounge entertainers," said Don Manarina, executive producer of the awards show and an account executive and graphic artist with Las Vegas Color.

The Meatball Awards ceremony debuts Wednesday night at Greek Isles.

Comedian Cork Proctor, former head of entertainment for Coast Casinos Inc., will host.

Among those who will be honored during the evening are Sonny King, Blackie Hunt, Dennis Bono, Steve Cutler (founder of the Casino Legends Hall of Fame), Jimmy Hopper, Sam Butera, Bob Anderson, The Checkmates and the Treniers.

Joe Delaney, the longtime Las Vegas Sun entertainment columnist who recently died, will also be given a posthumous award to be accepted by his daughter, Kathleen.

The ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m., will be preceded by a cocktail party at 6 and followed by a meatball festival at 9.

"The ceremony is really to honor the history, the life experiences of the people who have worked in Las Vegas for years, especially in the lounges," Manarina said.

Manarina said the Meatball Award grew out of a simple desire to want to do something for entertainers he saw performing at Bootlegger Bistro.

At the Bootlegger's lounge on Friday and Saturday nights, veteran comics and musicians Blackie Hunt and Sonny King host "Off the Cuff," a revue that brings entertainers out of the audience to perform.

"I spend a lot of time there, watching Sonny and Blackie," Manarina said. "They and the other entertainers inspired me -- all of them have the same spirit, an eagerness to sing and dance and do whatever they do.

"I just wanted to give them a gift, and I came up with the Meatball Award."

He says he called it "Meatball" because the Bootlegger is an Italian restaurant, and the word has a comical ring.

As word spread, the award began to take on a life of its own.

Ginny McCord, with Encore Entertainment, became the technical director. Lawrence Matzkin became the promoter and singer Grant Griffin became the producer. Les Kincaid, a local expert on wine and food, became the culinary producer -- he selected eight award-winning chefs to prepare their favorite meatball recipes for the ceremony.

"The whole idea is to honor the vintage Las Vegas entertainers, the tradition of lounges," said Griffin, who first performed in Las Vegas at Sahara in 1956. "These are the people who have been the workers in the entertainment industry.

"At one time lounge acts were as exciting, if not more exciting, as the main showroom. You could see entertainers like Shecky Greene, Don Rickles and Jackie Gale -- they came up through the lounges into the main showrooms."

Griffin said he and a committee that included Matzkin, Manarina and other observers of the local entertainment scene came up with a list of potential award recipients and then narrowed it down to those they decided would be the first honorees.

"We came up with enough names for three award ceremonies," said Griffin, who is busy preparing for a concert at The Orleans on Oct. 23.

Griffin said the lounge entertainers of the past were "the work horses, the ones who entertained the average person."

He recalled when the performers in the lounges worked grueling schedules.

"Las Vegas used to be a 24-hour world," he said. "In the old days entertainers did six 45-minute shows a night, with a 10- or 15-minute break in between. And they worked six nights a week.

"You had lounge entertainment around the clock. At four in the morning you could see a lounge act."

In addition to the awards, McCord said the evening will include plenty of entertainment and reminiscing about the old days of Las Vegas.

"When people enter the room they will be greeted with music from the '50s and '60s," she said. "Before the curtain comes up, there will guys backstage wearing mikes and telling stories. It will be like the audience is eavesdropping on a conversation."

Matzkin said the ceremony is a way of making people aware of Las Vegas history.

"We are honoring those people who contributed to the entertainment of the past, as well as those who are currently performing," he said.

Griffin said some of the entertainers who will receive awards have been honored in the past for their contributions.

"But they need to be re-recognized," he said. "It keeps the entertainment industry alive. It keeps the younger generation aware of what it takes to get to a certain point.""