Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.
Life continues to be difficult for management at KVVU Channel 5, the Las Vegas Fox affiliate.
The station's latest controversy centers on two accounting department staffers who dressed in blackface on Halloween during a Village People skit.
News director Marc Weiner quickly realized the skit, performed at the Fox office in Henderson, was in poor taste, witnesses say, and he immediately ordered a segment about the party -- complete with a tape of the duo -- pulled from Friday evening's newscast lineup.
Several Fox staffers contacted us to report the incident, but none would go on the record.
The station has had no black on-air reporters since morning anchor Richelle Carey was fired over the summer. She is now a morning anchor at the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, KMOV Channel 4.
Susan Lucas, vice president and general manager of the Fox affiliate, said in a written statement, "This was an unfortunate incident that was not intended to be offensive to any group. I've discussed the issue with the employees involved and they have assured me they meant no offense.
"Nonetheless, I have informed our staff that this incident reflected poor judgment and these actions will not be condoned in the future."
Last week we reported MGM MIRAGE veep Alan Feldman blasting the station for being more concerned with promoting itself than accurately reporting the Roy Horn tragedy.
Also, to follow up on a story we first reported, Robin Leach has submitted his resignation to the station -- but Lucas has not accepted.
Among the issues being debated are Leach's use of news department resources for his syndicated "Penthouse Vegas" late-night variety show, and the fact that Leach is doing a sweeps-week special, "Life of Luxury," for ABC -- a competing network.
Hype
Feldman wasn't only singling out KVVU when he made his comments about local stations being guilty of excessive hype.
VegasBeat has received several e-mails the last few days about our friend George Knapp at KLAS Channel 8.
Seems that last week, throughout its prime-time lineup, the station had been promoting an exclusive jailhouse interview Knapp held with Binion murder case figure Sandy Murphy, which aired Thursday night.
But she never appeared on camera -- it was simply Knapp talking about talking to her.
"We never said she would be on camera," Knapp told VegasBeat. "That was one of the conditions of the interview. Along with every other journalist in town, I would love to get her on camera.
"Most interviews are not on camera -- I am not talking to you on camera," Knapp pointed out. We didn't feel a need to remind him that television is a somewhat more immediately visual medium than a newspaper.
Viewers misunderstood the promos, Knapp said, if they expected to see Murphy actually behind bars.
No illusion
Late-night Stardust headliner Anthony Cools, who performs an adult hypnotist act, lost all of his possessions in a fire in his hotel residence early Tuesday morning.
"Everything is gone," a distraught Cools told VegasBeat. "But no one was injured, and I can replace all the clothes and material stuff. The sprinklers came on and contained it, or it could have been a lot worse."
Investigators think the blaze started with a faulty battery charger for his digital camera. The first alarm came in about 2 a.m., when Cools was elsewhere in the hotel with friends after a performance.
Fan base
Michael Jackson sure does have a large and loyal fan base.
After writing a generally positive appraisal of The Gloved One after meeting him during an appearance at the Aladdin last week, VegasBeat was deluged with e-mails offering a comment or three.
Fans from Sweden, Belgium, Canada and across the United States (a link to the item had been posted on some Jackson message boards) were positively grateful that their hero got some good ink for a change.
To update, Jackson has been spotted around town dozens more times since his Aladdin appearance, with nary a strange or inappropriate episode occurring. He has been spied at an FAO Schwarz (Forum Shops at Caesars) shopping spree and at a Halloween-night excursion with a party of 15 to Fright Dome at Circus Circus.
Even some of the more subversive staffers at the Four Seasons, normally quick to drop a dime on their famous regular guest, have had nothing but nice things to say about Jackson lately.
No cheap seats
The top ticket price for "Mystere" jumps from $88 to $95 effective Dec. 19.
Also, effective Dec. 16, Cirque du Soleil is raising prices on its new "Zumanity" show. Cabaret stool prices rise from $55 to $65, theater seats from $75 to $85, love seats (for two) are now $170 and duo sofas are $210 -- more than $100 per fanny.
But they have a ways to go before they are in competition for the highest ticket prices in town. A top seat for "O" is currently $150, Celine Dion tickets top out at $225 and prime Elton John ducats for his upcoming headlining gig are $250, before taxes and service charges.
VegasBits
Chow time: Mekhi Phifer ("8 Mile") had an early dinner at Spago (Forum Shops at Caesars) Monday night with a gal pal. Both enjoyed barbecued ribs and tall glasses of iced tea ...
Zoom: Among the car racing figures making appearances today at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) auto show: Mario Andretti, Andrew Firestone, Robby Gordon and Don Prudhomme. Thursday brings in J.R. Granatelli, Curt LeDuc, Kyle LeDuc and Richard Petty ...
Johnson & Johnson: The other gossip column in town got its Larry Johnsons mixed up. The column reported that the Larry Johnson "getting looked up to" at the Palms over the weekend was the 6-foot-7-inch former UNLV and pro hoops star. It was actually the football player Larry Johnson, the 6-foot former Penn State bruiser drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson (of the Chiefs) was in Vegas during his team's bye week, as reported Monday by Sun sports columnist Dean Juipe ...
Fame: A second David Bowie show for Feb. 6 has been added to the calendar at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. Tickets go on sale Saturday and are priced at $304 and down.
From Sun wires
David Letterman is a daddy.
Letterman's girlfriend, Regina Lasko, delivered a boy late Monday night. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces and is 21 inches long, Letterman announced on his show Tuesday night.
Letterman said the baby -- his first child -- is named after his late father, Harry Joseph Letterman.
Wynn sells painting: Casino developer Steve Wynn sold one of the "season's sexiest" paintings for a record amount at a Christie's auction Tuesday night.
Wynn sold "Nu Couche" by Amedeo Modigliani for $26.8 million during the Impressionist and Modern art auction in New York City.
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