VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Hint: Everybody loves Teller

Saturday, April 3, 2004 | 7:03 a.m.

VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

Teller, The Rio headliner and silent partner of Penn Jillette, zealously guards his original name, which he was given on Valentine's Day, 1948, in Philadelphia.

Teller legally changed his appellation to a single name at least 20 years ago, but refuses to say exactly when, or why, or much of anything, actually, about his moniker.

Through spokesman Glenn Alai, who confirmed the name information, Teller would only say: "My legal name is Teller."

The single name appears on his passport (Cher, Madonna, Bono, Pele and Sting all have two -- or three -- names on theirs), and Teller's driver's license reads "NFN (or, No First Name) Teller."

We were first alerted to the full name when a plane ticket was spotted with the longer name. Seems it is sometimes easier to give a first and last name to a ticket agent than to try and explain you have only one name.

Trying to downplay the news, Alai said: "His first name has been reported from time to time."

That might be, but we've never seen it in print before, so here it is: Raymond Joseph Teller.

Robert Siegel, the host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," made a surprise visit to Las Vegas, and appeared with KNPR 88.9-FM program director Flo Rogers on the air Thursday morning.

He then met with volunteers in the phone center, and took some calls from benefactors.

That night he and Rogers dined at Rosemary's on West Sahara Avenue with chefs and owners Wendy and Michael Jordan.

"Friends" star Matthew Perry is one low-key guy.

He was standing by himself, after traveling by himself, at a baggage claim carousel at McCarran International Airport on Thursday afternoon. No one besides Las Vegas Sun editorial cartoonist Mike Smith recognized him.

Smith was at the airport to pick up his mother. Perry was coming to town for the filming this weekend at Palms for the second Celebrity Poker Showdown, the Bravo television series.

In other poker news, and there is an awful lot of it these days, the World Poker Tour has returned to Las Vegas for the Five Star World Poker Classic at Bellagio. It runs through April 23.

The final event of the tournament, the WPT Championship, will be taped as the grand finale of the 14-tournament, $30 million tour.

More than 115 players have already paid their $25,000 entry fee or earned their seat via satellite tournaments. Players may still earn a spot by winning one of the tournaments being held at the hotel throughout the first two weeks of the event. The WPT Championship begins April 19 -- at high noon.

In days gone by, the ranks of high society were defined by who could fit into the Fifth Avenue ballroom of Mrs. William Astor. To be part of that Four Hundred was to be part of the aristocracy.

In Las Vegas, the number has been boiled down to 12.

Organizers of the April 15 Nevada Cancer Institute fund-raiser have identified "The Vegas Dozen: 2004" -- two six-packs of society guys who will be honored at a Saks Fifth Avenue gala.

The honor roll (alphabetically): Bill Boyd, Mark Fine, Brian Greenspun (disclosure: he is the president of this newspaper), Oscar Goodman, Tom Kaplan, Terry Lanni, Irwin Molasky, Jim Murren, Blake Sartini, Bill Weidner and Daniel Van Epp.

Doyenne Phyllis McGuire is the mistress of ceremonies of the event, which is subtitled "The Men We Love & Why We Love Them."

Mark your calendars. Sixties favorites Herman's Hermits, Tommy James & The Shondells and Chad & Jeremy play the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on May 22.

Tickets go on sale April 17.

Also at the Aladdin, Linda Ronstadt and her "Symphony Greatest Hits" tour plays July 17. Tickets are not yet on sale.

Oprah Winfrey is coming to Las Vegas. On April 19 the daytime diva will receive the 2004 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters during its annual convention.

New role for Mamma Scinta. She is going to be a permanent wedding guest -- at "Tony 'N Tina's Wedding," that is.

Starting this week, Mary Scinta, matriarch of The Rio's performing family, will take over the role of grandmother Mama Nunzio every Wednesday and Thursday evening.

It should be an easy transition into the stage role. She has 14 grandkids.