VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Future unclear for Gans TV project

Monday, Dec. 22, 2003 | 10:47 a.m.

Danny Gans -- The Mirage headliner with little recognition outside of Las Vegas -- was this close to having his own syndicated television show and possibly becoming a breakout national star.

VegasBeat has learned that Gans has been approached by reps for Bob Young and John Tomlin, the team that virtually created tabloid television when they started "A Current Affair" on the fledgling Fox network 15 years ago.

The team was hoping to present a pilot at the NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) convention in Vegas next month, sources close to the pair of producers say.

But for reasons that are still not yet entirely clear, the deal fell through -- for now.

"We get approached by people all the time," Gans' rep Chip Lightman told us Sunday night. "The first was Aaron Spelling a few years ago. But Danny just hasn't had the time to do any of these shows."

Personally, we'd make the time if someone was dangling a national television show in front of us.

One concept discussed was Gans hosting an "American Idol"-type show featuring contestants doing celebrity impersonations.

In Gans' Mirage show, the former minor-league baseball player often reels off more than 50 celebrity impersonations. His repertoire includes everyone from Michael Jackson to Jimmy Stewart to Kermit the Frog to Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Producers Young and Tomlin are also responsible for such shows as "Inside Edition," "American Journal," "Shipmates" and "Judge Mills Lane."

Tomlin started his career in television. Young, before making the move to broadcast, was the photo editor of the New York Post and remains a confidante of Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Post's parent, News Corp.

New headliner

Gans and Lightman will have something new on their plate starting Jan. 16.

The duo and Gladys Knight told us Sunday that they are going to produce a show starring comic George Wallace nightly at 10 p.m. in the Flamingo Showroom, confirming what we first reported last week.

He replaces Amazing Johnathan, whose last Flamingo show was Dec. 17. Johnathan is expected to return whence he came, the Golden Nugget.

Knight does an earlier show at the Flamingo Showroom; Breck Wall's "Bottom's Up" is the room's afternoon entry.

The contract is for three months with a series of renewal options.

Twin gift

Jenny Rose Orlando, 12 -- yes, Tony Orlando's daughter -- got an early Christmas gift last week.

She was sitting backstage at The Orleans after her father's holiday show when a special-delivery package package arrived for her. Return address: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Seems that Orlando pere's pal, Vegas dealmaker Jack Wishna, knew that Jenny was a huge fan of the twin teen stars, so he contacted them. The Olsens then took it upon themselves to pick out 30 items from their collection of licensed merchandise and send it along.

Where's Tony?

The heavily promoted Bellagio "master mixologist" Tony Abou-Ganim, whose drink recipes have been featured everywhere from the New York Times to virtually every food and beverage publication in the nation, has apparently left the company.

No official word on why.

Messages left for a Bellagio spokesperson -- and Abou-Ganim on his home answering machine -- were not returned.

Music man

Some people are never satisfied. Everything would be appear to be going great guns for Ron Futrell, the anchor of the rising-in-the-ratings KTNV Channel 13 morning news show.

But he still wants to be a rock star.

Futrell and talented local musician Shawn Eiferman stormed the stage at Adobe Gila's open guitar night at Sunset Station on Thursday.

They played some Bob Marley and Sublime tunes and were quite well received.

Futrell conceded it may be a little early for him to abandon the airwaves to become a Strip headliner, "but with a little work, you never know."

Score

Tonight, Ken Baker is in town as an author. He returns next week in his usual role, as a hot-shot celebrity magazine editor.

The one-time teen hockey prodigy -- whose career was cut short by a brain tumor -- is signing copies of his comeback memoir, "They Don't Play Hockey in Heaven," at today's midnight game between the Las Vegas Wranglers and the Bakersfield Condors at The Orleans Arena.

On New Year's Eve, Baker -- the West Coast executive editor of the glossy US Weekly -- will appear with Ryan Seacrest on Fox's live broadcast from the front of The Venetian. Baker will announce the winners of a "Readers Favorite" poll that his mag conducted, and then give away a car to a lucky reader.

Celebrate

Thursday is Christmas, which means some pretty big birthdays around town.

Among those blowing out candles that day include former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren, former gubernatorial candidate Stan Colton, District Judge Michael Douglas, auto and hotel entrepreneur Jim Marsh and a real son of a Guinn, Gov. Kenny Guinn's son Steven.

VegasBits

No trick: That was David Blaine eating dinner at Nobu (Hard Rock Hotel) Saturday night with the hotel's new comedy headliner, Jeff Beacher. Blaine wanted to go to Light (Bellagio) afterward, but Beacher has been banned from all MGM MIRAGE properties after a stunt last week where he jumped into a fish tank at the Rainbow Cafe. So they went to Club Paradise instead ...

Do-si-do: Spotted dancing at Rain in the Desert (Palms) on Friday night were Mike Tyson and Lance Bass. No, NOT together ...

Camera: A crew from The Travel Channel was at AquaKnox (Venetian) Saturday night filming a segment for next year's series "Vegas Eats." Moments after they left, Robin Leach and some friends walked in for dinner ...

New shingle: Politico and ad man Tom Letizia has opened an office in Detroit to represent some auto dealerships in the Motor City and in Cleveland. Letizia has had an office in Las Vegas for the last 28 years ...

Auld: Dave Johnson from "Survivor 6: The Amazon" and DJ Hurricane of the Beastie Boys will be at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) on New Year's Eve.

From Sun wires

Civil rights legend Rosa Parks may be close to settling a legal battle against two rappers she has accused of tarnishing her name.

Park's case received a boost this month when the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the suit, clearing the way for a federal appeals court in Detroit to hear her case against OutKast -- the rap duo of Andre 3000 (Andre Benjamin) and Big Boi (Antwan Patton).

One of OutKast's songs is called "Rosa Parks," although the song makes no direct references to the civil rights icon.

The song's chorus goes, "Ah ha, hush that fuss/Everybody move to the back of the bus," but the rest of the song is about rivalries among rappers.