VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Orleans acts adhere to ‘Apollo’ creed

Thursday, July 8, 2004 | 10:59 a.m.

It's showtime at The Orleans.

The world's most famous amateur hour -- "Showtime at the Apollo," from the legendary theater in Harlem -- is visiting Las Vegas to look for some stars of tomorrow.

Producers of the nationally broadcast program, which boasts that it has been a launching pad for such stars as Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, Beyonce Knowles and Lauryn Hill, will be in Las Vegas a week from Saturday.

At 10 a.m. on July 17 auditions -- limited to 300 acts -- will take place.

From that group, approximately 12 to 16 acts will be selected to perform live at The Orleans Arena on Aug. 14.

The audience at that event will decide who will be sent to the Apollo to perform live this fall in front of one of the toughest crowds anywhere.

The winner also gets $1,000 in cash.

Audition packages for performers are available at The Orleans Arena. Tickets to watch the show are available at any Coast Casino property.

The host of the Aug. 14 event will be Capone, "The Gangster of Comedy."

Ray Chew and The Crew, the house band for the Apollo, will also be performing.

Lee redux

Tommy Lee was back in town over the holiday weekend. His brief DJ stint and security-escorted exit from Light (Bellagio) two weeks ago, first reported here, made national news.

This trip was a lot less eventful. He DJ'd without incident Sunday at the club OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars).

"He was a true gentlemen and a delight to work with," club partner Branden Powers said. "Our crowd loved it! Anyone with a true understanding of electronic music and culture couldn't but love Tommy's music."

At one point, Powers said, Lee "became so comfortable that he took off his shirt, put on his nipple rings and posed for pictures with fans."

Shake-up

Hedda Muskat, the much-ballyhooed producer brought in from Los Angeles to help recast "The Vegas Show," has left the program.

Just as she arrived in Las Vegas, she won an Emmy award for her work on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

"The Vegas Show" has had some trouble finding its footing since it returned to the air on a different channel with a different co-host, Brian McKnight, who replaced Clint Holmes.

Insiders say that the show is moving in a positive direction, but ratings are low because of limited promotion from both its host station, KVVU Channel 5, and the Golden Nugget, which sources close to the show say isn't doing enough to help fill the studio audience.

About 100 people have attended each taping in a studio that can accommodate an audience twice that size.

"Channel 5 and the Nugget have been nothing but supportive," show producer Rick Garson told us. "We will start promoting the show next week, once all the early kinks are ironed out."

Score

The foundation run by Cheyenne High School grad and current Baltimore Ravens linebacker Edgerton Hartwell is hosting a football seminar for women tonight at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Ten bucks at the door -- which goes to charity -- gets you an "interactive and entertaining seminar to educate women about the game of football," taught by Hartwell, Roland Williams, Tyrone Wheatley and Marcus Tuiasosopo of the Oakland Raiders and Patrick Surtain of the Miami Dolphins.

Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

Punk past

VegasBeat bumped into some music history over the holiday weekend in the Hamptons.

Steven Kasher, an agent who helps my photographer father sell his vintage wares to galleries and museums, had us over for a barbecue at his girlfriend's beach house.

The name on the mailbox was Spungen, so I asked if the person was any relation to Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sex Pistol Sid Vicious. Sid stabbed Nancy to death at the Chelsea Hotel in 1978 before he died of a drug overdose days later.

Long story short, yes, it was Nancy's sister's place.

Nancy's mother, Deborah Spungen, wrote the best seller "And I Don't Want to Live This Life," which was subsequently made into the movie "Sid & Nancy," starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb.

Also spotted back East over the weekend: KVVU Channel 5 morning anchor Cher Calvin, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art prez Andrea Bundonis and, outside the East Hampton movie theater getting tickets for "Fahrenheit 9/11": Kid Rock, movie director Brett Ratner and girlfriend Serena Williams and rap mogul Russell Simmons.

VegasBits

Night: Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and Carrot Top were at Tabu (MGM Grand) Wednesday night ...

Bet: Michael Bolton came out about even while playing blackjack in the Peacock Lounge (Hard Rock Hotel) over the weekend. He was swamped by fans while playing, and the hotel had to call in extra security ...

Shop: "Wild On!" TV show host Brooke Burke was shopping at Mandalay Place over the weekend with her daughter, Sierra, 2. They lingered for a while in the Urban Outfitters store ...

Whack: Actor Joe Gannascoli (Vito Spatafore from "The Sopranos") loved the fawning fans who kept coming over to his table at the Pink Taco (Hard Rock Hotel) during lunch the other day ...

Delay: Illusionist Dirk Arthur's grand opening in "Splash" at the Riviera is being pushed back to July 19. Logistics for his animals are still being worked out ...

Back: The Society of Seven, which was at the Aladdin until Steve Wyrick moved in, is negotiating an afternoon show at Bally's to start Aug. 2 ...

Sun: Lounging at Rehab, the Hard Rock's Sunday afternoon pool party: Keith Bullock of the Tennessee Titans; Matt Geiger, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers; Brian Kelly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers and OPM partners Michael Goodwin and Paul Martinez, sharing a cabana with Lee ...

Happy Day: The original celebrity restaurateur, Spago patriarch Wolfgang Puck, turns 55 today. Also today, Jerry Vale is 74 and Steve Lawrence is 69.

From Sun wires

Bachelor' ties the knot: Unable to pop the question to Estella Gardinier on ABC's "The Bachelor" last fall, Bob Guiney wed "All My Children" star Rebecca Budig Saturday in a surprise ceremony, Us Weekly and People magazines reported.

The ceremony was at the Guiney family's home in Long Lake, Mich.

Bounty hunter gets series: Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman is starring in a new reality series about his work.

Chapman, who tracked down convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Mexico last year, will be featured in "Dog the Bounty Hunter," a 12-part series to air on the A&E channel.

In a written statement, A&E promises to depict the "wild-and-woolly" life of Chapman and his wife and business partner, Beth Smith.