VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: For the moment, Joint is not jumping

Friday, Feb. 7, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

Quite a leap from Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and Bob Dylan to ... Margaret Cho.

The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel has evolved from one of the nation's premier rock venues to, well, a comedy club.

But a Hard Rock exec insists it is just a temporary lull.

"Granted, last year we had a pretty spectacular lineup," Hard Rock Marketing Director Yale Rowe said.

"But this year is far from over. We have holds on 25 or 30 top acts. Come talk to me again in a few months."

Last year, with hotel President Don Marrandino at the helm, The Joint had a dazzling run of historic rock acts.

Marrandino left at the end of 2002 to join Le Reve, and the pizzazz seems to have left with him.

While Ozzy Osbourne on March 14 is a decent get, Sigur Ros, for example, plays The Joint on April 5. It is a little-known band from Iceland.

And while Ozzy tickets top out at more than $300, there is more underground buzz about his daughter Kelly Osbourne, who plays at the Huntridge Theatre on March 8, where tickets are $10.

Of course, Cho plays The Joint on March 8. Hopefully she'll sing instead of tell jokes. She hasn't been that funny since ABC canceled her sitcom a few years back.

Such top-shelf acts as Kiss, Billy Joel, Elton John and white-hot rapper Ludacris -- who play March 16 at Rain, March 28 and 29 at MGM Grand Garden Arena and March 15 at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, respectively -- would have been naturals for The Joint.

The Ludacris show is of particular interest.

On Thursday hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said he was calling for a boycott of Pepsi products starting next week in reaction to the company pulling an ad featuring Ludacris. Simmons also asked for an apology and a $5 million donation to his charity organization, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

So what is in store for The Joint?

Said Rowe: "I guarantee that before you know it The Joint will be back on its throne as the best place -- anywhere -- to see live, name music acts."

In the air

Spring is coming: Pitchers and catchers report this weekend and the Seattle Mariners play the Oakland Athletics on Sunday in an exhibition game in Tokyo.

Somewhat closer to home, tonight local ballfield denizens Greg Maddux, Mike Maddux, Rodger Fairless, Lori Harrigan and Mike Morgan will be inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Joining them will be the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; it is being inducted for its work before it put Las Vegas on the global sports map by having its Super Bowl ads rejected by the NFL.

Hall Chairman Steve Stallworth (his daytime job is vice president of the Orleans Arena, where the Las Vegas Wranglers will play) hosts today's Siena Golf Club tourney and gala dinner at Cox Pavilion.

Look for previous inductees Randall Cunningham, Jerry Tarkanian, Marty Barrett, Lionel Hollins and members of the Cashman family to attend.

Twist and shout

Beatlemania has nothing on Wigglemania.

A live show of the new kiddie favorite was SRO Wednesday night at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts -- and hundreds were turned away.

The Wiggles are four Australian singers and their friends, including Dorothy the Dinosaur, Capt. Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus.

The phenomenon is so huge that The Venetian's Sheldon Adelson had to pull enough strings to fill a marionette factory to get enough tickets for his younger relatives.

Adelson presided over a huge family group in the Gold Circle seats; there was barely enough room at the end of the row to seat Bellagio's Fontana Lounge crooner Jimmy Hopper and his family.

Chef Herschel

Going from booth to booth at Sysco's Food and Equipment Show on Wednesday at the Cashman Center was Las Vegas restaurateur, club owner and musician Tommy Rocker.

He spent a lot of time at Kevin Mason's Honey Smoked Fish booth, where Mason was making some delectable smoked salmon quesadillas.

Then Rocker settled at booth No. 808 -- manned by former pro football player Herschel Walker.

Walker now runs something called Herschel's Famous 34 Appetizers.

"That was my uniform number -- we don't have 34 different products," Walker told Rocker.

Walker said that the money was better in the NFL than in appetizers, but he loved working with his mother's old recipes for such specialties as fried catfish.

Look for Walker's tasty treats soon at a Tommy Rocker's restaurant near you.

Secret source

Memo to the gentleman from the Anthem Country Club sales office who called and then faxed me a note Thursday about Jennifer Lopez: Sorry for my mistake.

In my item last week about Lopez and Ben Affleck looking at a $2.3 million Anthem mansion, I wrote that greens fees there are $520 per month. Thanks for pointing out that they are actually $525 per month.

Also, our exclusive item last week about Lopez's $250,000 Super Bowl bet was discussed by Tony Kornheiser and Dan Patrick nationally on ESPN TV and Radio on Thursday and this morning, and also on CNN. Thanks for mentioning the Las Vegas Sun on the air, media friends.

VegasBits

Louie Louie is telling friends that some of the celebrities coming to town to see the Rolling Stones on Saturday night might drift over to see his show at the Stardust afterward -- including his mentor, Madonna, who just moved to Los Angeles and is rumored to be visitingVegas this weekend. He appeared in Madonna's "Borderline" video as her boyfriend ...

VegasBeat makes its regular Friday radio appearance today at 4:10 p.m. on KNUU 970-AM (K-NEWS). Dennis Regan from Catch A Rising Star and Donna Law from the Utah Shakesperean Festival follow.

From Sun wires

Ronald Reagan, who has been in seclusion since disclosing in 1994 that he had Alzheimer's disease, celebrated his 92nd birthday Thursday at his Bel-Air, Calif., home with wife Nancy.

Joanne Drake, the former president's chief of staff, said it was a low-key affair. She said chocolates -- Reagan's favorite -- played a part in his day.

Matter of trust: Michael Jackson filed complaints with two TV watchdogs Thursday over a documentary about his life, during which the King of Pop revealed he sometimes lets children sleep in his bed.

Jackson had his lawyers file the complaints with Britain's Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission, saying he had been "unfairly treated."

His legal team also claimed that "Living With Michael Jackson," which aired Thursday night on ABC's "20/20," was an infringement of his privacy.

In a statement Jackson said British journalist Martin Bashir, who spent eight months making the 90-minute program, broke the trust placed in him, and added he felt "more betrayed than perhaps ever before."

"I trusted Martin Bashir to come into my life and that of my family because I wanted the truth to be told," Jackson said in the statement.

Serious airtime: First it was girl trouble, now the Rolling Stones are dissatisfied with the state of air quality.

The veteran rockers performed a free concert at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Thursday as part of an environmental group's efforts to raise awareness about global warming.

Former President Bill Clinton introduced the Stones with a speech about the dangers of global warming, telling the audience it is up to average citizens to "stop the planet from burning up."

archive