VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Atlantic City fete to reflect well on Vegas

Wednesday, July 2, 2003 | 10:57 a.m.

The Borgata Hotel, the first Atlantic City casino to open in 13 years, is hosting a three-day party starting today to herald its arrival.

Of course, Las Vegas will be well represented.

"Being here today is reminiscent of Las Vegas circa 1989, before The Mirage opened," MGM MIRAGE Corporate Affairs Vice President Alan Feldman told VegasBeat over the phone from Atlantic City on Tuesday.

"The Borgata will forever change the way people think about Atlantic City. Years from now we'll look back on July 2003 as the turning point here just as we remember November 1989 as having the same impact for Las Vegas."

More than 100 Vegas-based MGM MIRAGE and Boyd Gaming (the new hotel is a project of those mainstay Vegas gaming companies) staffers were on the East Coast for the weekend ceremonies, including Terry Lanni, Jim Murren and John Redmond from the former and William S. Boyd, Marianne Boyd Johnson and Don Snyder from the latter.

Longtime Stardust oddsmaker Joe Lupo is now the vice president of operations at the gleaming new property.

"This is very different than what I was doing in Las Vegas, very challenging and exciting," Lupo said. "Handicapping a sports event may involve a thousand different factors. But getting an entire casino off the ground is putting together a million different pieces."

Chef Luke Palladino, formerly of Onda at The Mirage and who opened Olives at Bellagio, is set to become the nation's newest celebrity chef with his two new Borgata eateries where he is a partner, Specchio and Ombra.

Specchio means "mirror" in Italian, and Palladino says the restaurant is his reflection of Italy. Ombra is a Venice colloquialism for a glass of wine.

Early reviews have been phenomenal.

The reservation book for Ombra this weekend already has supermodel Mazzie Rizer and actors Lukas Haas, Stephen Dorff and David Arquette written in.

Also, some Vegas acts are headed East. The Scintas will leave their Rio showroom and play the Showboat in Atlantic City July 18 to July 20.

And Russ Merlin will headline "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show" at the Tropicana in Atlantic City from Thursday through July 17. Entertainers from the Las Vegas show will rotate headlining every two weeks throughout the two-month Jersey engagement.

Where else

By day, Carole Montgomery is a Little League coach and vice president of the PTA at her son's school, the Gilbert Magnet School for Communication and Creative Arts on West Cartier Avenue.

By night, she is the bawdy comic in "Midnight Fantasy," the long-running adult revue at Luxor.

"What can I tell ya?" she told VegasBeat after her show Sunday night in her distinctive nasal New York twang. "I am the world's first PT&A mom."

Rock On

Vegas character Monti Rock III called VegasBeat Tuesday to give us the scoop: He is reviving his top-selling '70s act, Disco-Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes.

According to Rock and someone with actual credibility, Mitch Graham, the director of casino operations at the Castaways, a show featuring Rock is under "serious consideration."

Graham said plans are being made for a late-July start date at the Castaways Events Center.

It's business as usual at the hotel, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.

"If everything works out, and I have no reason at this point to think that it won't, Monti Rock will be a Vegas headliner," Graham said.

Disco Tex's 1975 single, "Get Dancin', " sold more than 7 million copies.

Rock (real name Joseph Montanez Jr.) left his native Puerto Rico at 14 "to begin my quest for fabulousness." His most famous role was as Monty the club disc jockey in the John Travolta movie, "Saturday Night Fever."

But Rock says his greatest contribution was to "proudly and fearlessly carry the freak banner to pave the way for the likes of everyone from RuPaul to Freddy Mercury."

Pomp, circumstance

Penn & Teller are the featured speakers at the Roger Bryan Elementary D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony today.

The wonderfully twisted duo and Rio headliners are serious about few things. Keeping kids off drugs is one of them.

"We are doing this because of our absolute commitment to substance avoidance and to show our support for the hard work these local fifth graders have put into completing the 17-week drug awareness and life skills course," Penn said.

In addition to the address, they'll also perform some of their PG-rated illusions.

Legend deal

Imperial Palace has hired some new dealers -- including Madonna, Zorro, Flip Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Liberace, Patsy Cline and Elvis.

Yes, the home of "Legends in Concert" -- perhaps the best celebrity impersonator show on the Strip -- is bringing the talent from the stage to the pit.

Following in the footsteps of The Rio's new Bevertainers program, the IP last weekend introduced its "Dealertainers" concept. The group, which received a month of dealer training, is in a specially designated "Legends Pit" from Thursdays through Sundays starting at 6 p.m.

VegasBits

Class clothes: Rapper Nelly dropped "a few grand" on items at the new Louis Vuitton store at the Forum Shops at Caesars on Sunday afternoon ...

Dy-no-mite! Former "Good Times" star Jimmie Walker has been booked to play the Riviera Comedy Club for seven nights, starting Aug. 18 ...

From French Lick: Larry Bird and some friends had lunch at Spago the other day. He was in town for a private Caesars high-roller meet-and-greet with Magic Johnson and Julius "Dr. J" Erving ...

Name game: Tony Curtis and wife Jill Vanden Berg were at The Stirling Club over the weekend for their "Name the Nightclub" party. A new evening destination on the property is being planned for a fall opening.

High steppin': Loni Anderson walked out of the Salvatore Ferragamo store at the Forum Shops the other day with several pairs of new shoes.

From Sun wires

Justin Guarini was ticketed Saturday by Grand Prairie, Texas, police after witnesses said he almost ran over a young girl with a personal watercraft at Joe Pool Lake in Arlington, Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Guarini, 24, was the runner-up on Fox's "American Idol" last year.