VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Vegas Super Bowl galas are a sure bet

Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 | 9:12 a.m.

Sixteen days and counting.

"Super Bowl Sunday is easily the biggest day of the year in this town -- and it is right around the corner," Johnny Avello, director of race and sports operations at Paris and Bally's, told VegasBeat this week.

More money is wagered in Las Vegas on Super Sunday than any other day of the year, Avello said.

"When I come into work that morning there are lines around the room of people waiting to place bets," Avello said.

He said that any of the teams still alive in the playoff hunt -- except perhaps the Atlanta Falcons -- would generate maximum financial activity.

"People know Michael Vick, but really, the team doesn't generate much excitement for us.

"The Raiders, 49ers, Jets, Eagles, Bucs ... they are all fan favorites. But it hardly matters. The event is bigger than the teams that play in it."

Avello also said that his properties are expecting nearly 9,000 visitors at three separate parties, one VIP event and two that are open to the public; Paris Las Vegas is hosting a viewing party inside its Le Theatre des Arts, as is the Jubilee! Theater at Bally's.

Elsewhere in Las Vegas party plans are well under way for Super Bowl XXXVII, set for Jan. 26 in San Diego.

One of the priciest parties on the Strip will be at the Riviera. For $125, there is the usual fab buffet, open bar and big-screen TVs; the big draw will be some of the most prominent names in recent football history.

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Deacon Jones, ex-Dallas Cowboy signal-caller Danny White and former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig will be among those making the scene.

Ex-Rams Vince Ferragamo and Tom Mack, and Cliff Harris, who played for the 1978 Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, are co-hosting the $50 per-person bash at the Stardust.

The Sahara says its $50 per-head party in the Golden Room has already sold out.

The Flamingo Las Vegas is having a party in the Second City Theater, Bacardi rum and Miller beer are tossing a booze-filled party at the Las Vegas Hilton and Mandalay Bay will toss a party in its main ballroom.

ESPN Radio will be broadcasting live from the Brew Pub at the Monte Carlo.

Even the conservative Stirling Club is getting into the game: It is hiring models to dress and perform as cheerleaders and is conducting a betting pool, with advice from noted oddsmaker Lem Banker.

Soon-to-be permanent Vegas fixture Celine Dion will not be in town that weekend -- she'll be at the game, singing "God Bless America."

She'll also be wearing her eponymous fragrance, which is set to launch nationwide in conjunction with the opening of her Caesars Palace show "A New Day" on March 25.

The game is often overshadowed by the commercials. The highlight this year might be an ad that Willie Nelson filmed for H&R Block.

The country crooner, of course, has been besieged by tax problems in the past.

Pips squeak

I first saw Andrew Dice Clay at a place called Pips Comedy Club in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, N.Y., when I was a teenager.

Later he appeared on a television show with another Pips veteran, Rodney Dangerfield. To say that The Diceman killed would be a slight understatement. His next stop was a sold-out arena tour, and national stardom followed.

Nowadays he is generally marginalized in the same fashion as other veteran comics who have a Las Vegas presence, such as Gabe "Welcome Back Kotter" Kaplan and "Good Times" star Jimmy "Dyn-o-mite" Walker.

Haven't seen Kaplan or Walker lately, but have seen Dice. He remains as hilariously crass as ever, and when he appears in Las Vegas -- he is back at the Stardust tonight and Saturday -- he peppers his act with local references.

He is definitely worth another look.

Say what?

Shhh. Hip-hop stars Nate Dogg, Warren G and Coolio (whose "Gangsta Paradise" was brilliantly parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic in his "Amish Paradise") should be making unannounced appearances tonight at The Beach.

The Paradise Road club is hosting a party this evening for Dub magazine.

On Jan. 19, 2 Live Crew is performing at The Beach. The band was at the epicenter of the rap lyrics debate after it was arrested onstage in Florida in 1990; its "As Nasty as They Wanna Be" was the first record ever to be judged legally obscene.

Power couple

Here's hoping the third time is a charm. Assemblywoman Genie Ohrenschall has tied the knot again, marrying former Nevada state legislative counsel Frank Daykin.

They did the deed Saturday at Lake Tahoe.

"Oh, don't write about me," a modest Ohrenschall said. "I find it hard to think of myself as a bride anymore."

Ohrenschall met the groom 31 years ago.

Both bride and groom are members of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, a national group of respected lawyers that works to make sure state laws mesh so "we can be a more uniform country, legally speaking," she said.

The couple will be taking a honeymoon after the current legislative session.

Ohrenschall was the subject of intense public scrutiny in 1998 when she briefly lost custody of her 16-year-old daughter. The teenager, who suffered from ulcerative colitis, weighed 49 pounds.

VegasBits

Newsweek previews the upcoming Las Vegas production of "Mamma Mia!" in its Jan. 13 edition. The show opens at Mandalay Bay next month ...

He'll be back: Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in Las Vegas on Monday. He and Elaine Wynn will be at the Lied Memorial Boys & Girls Club on South Lindell Road to announce the expansion of the Greater Las Vegas Inner-City Games' after-school program ...

Lenny Kravitz gave the first performance at Mandalay's Bay's new convention center's music hall. He played for nearly two hours at a private Microsoft party Wednesday night ...

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., got some nice national face time Tuesday debating President Bush's tax plan with Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., on Jerry Nachman's MSNBC talker ...

Public radio station KNPR 89.5-FM has its lineup set for its 2003 Smart Listeners campaign. The poster includes KLAS Channel 8 anchor Paula Francis, Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia, Clint Holmes, Wynn and Penn & Teller ...

Doesn't cost anything to watch Dr. Phil's syndicated advice show. However, tickets to his March 15 Aladdin gig range from $65 to $152 ...

Among the celebrities making appearances at the Consumer Electronics Show on Thursday: Morgan Fairchild, Master P. and Drew Barrymore, sharing a stage with Sony Worldwide President Kunitake Ando.