Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 | 10:42 a.m.
It was Old School. With a capital "O."
The Las Vegas Casino Legends Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Tropicana's Tiffany Theatre.
Talk about a time warp. The Class of 2003 included Connie Stevens, who was introduced to the theme of her classic show "77 Sunset Strip;" Jack Carter, whose first television competitor was Milton Berle; "Bottoms Up" creator Breck Wall, who first took the stage at Jack Ruby's Carousel Club when John F. Kennedy was president; Frankie Valli, a Vegas headliner for 42 years; and two relatively younger performers: Bill Acosta, "The Man of 1,001 Voices," and Harrah's Carnival Court king Cook E. Jarr.
Also honored was What's On founder Murray Hertz, who was awarded with the inaugural Joe Delaney Award for excellence in entertainment reporting.
The feeling here is that the Casino Legends Hall of Fame is a vastly underappreciated entity. Some of the main reasons Las Vegas is called the Entertainment Capital of the World are because of the aura, mystique and heritage that these entertainment icons represent.
We felt bad that there weren't more younger, grateful faces in the crowd. And why can't the Hall of Fame's tireless curator and founder, Steve Cutler, find a local television outlet to broadcast the event?
The segment of this year's ceremonies where host Clint Holmes sat and asked each of the inductees a few questions would have made for wonderful television. The audience was mesmerized to hear Carter reminisce about his time on Broadway with Sammy Davis Jr. in "Mr. Wonderful." And the applause was deafening when Jarr sang the Checkmates song "Drift Away" -- and then welcomed the Checkmates to the stage from their seats to join him.
"This is really history here," Valli said. "I wish that Vegas was a little more in tune with it."
Celeb central
There was a big game of celebrity hide-and-seek going on at the Palms all weekend.
More than two dozen bold-faced names -- including Don Cheadle, Martin Sheen, Shannon Elizabeth, Edie Falco and Carrie Fisher -- were on the property to tape an upcoming Bravo celebrity poker series. But when we reported Friday that Ben Affleck had arrived and was going to be the surprise player, the Bravo folks circled the wagons and refused to allow any media into the event.
Bravo and the hotel also inconvenienced scores of hotel guests when they shut down the elevators whenever Affleck, Jennifer Lopez or her mother, Guadalupe, went up to or down from their 28th floor "Real World" suite.
Security also spent lots of time shooing away members of the national entertainment media who, after reading VegasBeat on Friday, rushed to Vegas and congregated near the Key West room, where the poker event was taking place.
Away from the Palms, however, Bennifer didn't seem to mind being seen, causing quite a scene when they dined on the outdoor patio at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris Las Vegas). After that, they were visible at the poker tables at Bellagio, where they stayed until 5:30 a.m. Saturday.
Also, the poker players, who included Mimi Rogers, Scott Stapp (Creed), Tom Green, Hank Azaria and Allison Janney, could not have been more gracious to fans who spoke to them at various other Palms locales such as Little Buddha, N9NE and ghostbar.
So, who won the tournament? Well, Bravo is already mad at VegasBeat, so we won't spill the beans. But we can say that Affleck was in the final grouping. The tournament airs on the cable network the first week of December.
He's back
Steve Dacri, the "Xtreme close-up" magician who was so popular at Caesars Magical Empire -- before it was shut down to accommodate Celine Dion's dressing room -- is packing them in these days at The Orleans.
Dacri, known as the magician with "The Fastest Hands in the World," is performing in a Friday-through-Monday dinner show in a 50-seat private function room at Sazio; another dinner show, the wacky mafia-themed "Ba-Da-Bing," continues to pack 'em in to a somewhat larger Sazio room.
VegasBits
Sharp: How do the guys on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" stay looking so good? They visit Vegas for spa treatments. The boys were at Michael Boychuk's Canyon Ranch Spa (Venetian) on Friday getting the once-over ...
Funny: Ray Romano partied at Tabu (MGM Grand) Friday night after his Mirage performance ...
Beverages: Turnberry Place developer and owner Don Soffer enjoyed some quality time with James Caan and George Hamilton at the Stirling Club bar Saturday night ...
Soapy: Former "General Hospital" star Tyler Christopher and several pals spent Saturday night at Studio 54 (MGM Grand) ...
Spin: The official closing party for Gloria Estefan's triumphant gig at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace took place Sunday night at Risque (Paris Las Vegas). Highlight was Miami club figure Nayib Estefan -- her son -- at the turntables ...
High profile: Big doings at Stratosphere. The installation last week of its latest thrill ride X Scream, which debuts on Halloween, generated reams of national publicity. We also hear the hotel is the front-runner to pick up the naughty "X" show, which had its last performance at the Aladdin on Sunday night ...
Cooking: Chef Josh Thomsen was part of the team that helped earn Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel a "Best New American Restaurant" nod from Esquire magazine this month. Thomsen's new place, The Lodge at Pebble Beach (Calif.), has been ranked as the top North American Resort in the 2003 Readers Choice Awards in Conde Nast Traveler magazine ...
Cue: "Law & Order" fixture Jerry Orbach turns 68 today. He is coming back to Vegas in March to appear at the International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo. An accomplished pool player, he'll host a Challenge the Stars benefit event when he is in town ...
Behind: The gossip column in the paper across town reported Saturday that New York City outlaw bar Hogs & Heifers was coming to downtown Las Vegas. VegasBeat first reported that on July 22, when Douglas Lein, Las Vegas' marketing manager for economic development, broke the news to us.
From Sun wires
New York magician David Blaine has emerged from his plastic box after 44 days dangling near the River Thames, 50 pounds lighter and hungry -- but claiming he had benefited from much food for thought.
"This has been one of the most inspirational experiences of my life," Blaine told the crowd that turned out to cheer his last few hours of isolation Sunday in a 7-foot-by-3-foot box.
"I have learned more in that box than I have learned in years. I have learned how strong we are as human beings."
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