VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Cingular sponsorship is not in the cards

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 10:34 a.m.

What is televised from Vegas obviously does not stay in Vegas.

And if drinking and swearing is involved, communications giant Cingular Wireless doesn't want to be part of it.

Poker, however, is apparently OK.

Since the beginning of Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," which was filmed at the Palms, Cingular Wireless has been one of the show's largest sponsors and funded the $250,000 prize pool, which went to various charities.

But now representatives of Cingular have apparently watched the show, which is in its second broadcast season, and are pulling the company's sponsorship.

In a statement, Cingular says it reviewed several episodes of the show -- which has featured celebs Matthew Perry, Dave Navarro and Ben Affleck -- and determined that "some of the language used and the depiction of excessive alcohol use are not appropriate in the context of our guidelines."

A few weeks ago an episode of the show featured players downing tequila shots, using some naughty language and talking trash.

Bravo spokesman Bill Brennan read us a statement from NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, which said that while it respects Cingular's view, the show "delivers the fun, energy and excitement of Las Vegas to a broad audience in an entertaining manner that is totally within our own point of view and guidelines."

Brennan said no new sponsor had been lined up, but one could be announced by tonight's broadcast of the show, which is the second-highest-rated program on the network behind the smash "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

Tonight's "Celebrity Poker" episode (it airs at 9 p.m. on Cox cable channel 53) features celebrity competitors Angie Dickinson, Jeff Gordon and Penn Jillette.

Low key

No public celebrations are planned for today's fifth-year anniversary of the JW Marriott in Summerlin.

Instead, a reception was held last week to honor the 110 employees who have been at the property since it opened.

"We are so proud of our resort and the fantastic team members we have," said general manager Jim Rose. "To honor the 110 charter associates with a special distinction was paramount in our minds when we thought of celebrating the five-year anniversary, as they are the foundation of our property."

The Deuce

Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce, the Los Angeles burlesque/cabaret club at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, is perhaps the nation's hottest evening destination.

"On any given night you'll see people like Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Naomi Watts, Sting ..." club owner Ivan Kane told VegasBeat during a phone conversation Wednesday morning.

"And that is the same type of clientele we'll probably have when we open in Las Vegas in September."

Confirming months of rumors, Kane said the club, which will have the same moniker as the original in L.A., is slated for a mid-September opening at Mandalay Place.

"I mean, who doesn't love Las Vegas?" Kane said. "It was a natural to bring the club there. Vegas is tailor-made for it, and Mandalay Bay has the perfect sort of upscale, classy and hip demographic that is our audience as well."

The club will feature nightly cabaret shows -- not strippers, Kane emphasized, but choreographed performances, accompanied by a live three-piece jazz combo.

Kane said the club will also be the focus of a reality show on Bravo next season.

Real cutup

More sick days are coming up for Danny Gans.

After missing chunks of stage time because of a series of seemingly bizarre incidents, such as stepping on his sleeping dog and falling and bumping his head as a result, Gans is scheduled to have some hand surgery.

During a June 20 hand operation for an old tendon injury, doctors found "a mishmash of injuries to his fingers and hands," Gans' spokeswoman Melanie VanBurch said in an e-mail.

The Mirage headliner is going back under the knife, and his show will be dark from Aug. 3 to Aug. 23 as he recovers.

"I'm glad I'm getting this done sooner than later so I can put all of this behind me, but I am not looking forward to missing all the shows," Gans said in an e-mail message.

Delayed

The Las Vegas Monorail was a little late during its inaugural run Wednesday morning.

Several celebrities -- including Gladys Knight, George Wallace and Jillette -- complained that they were left standing in the hot sun for more than an hour waiting to be picked up.

"There isn't even a bottle of water out here for us," Jillette told folks standing with him at the Harrah's stop.

Monorail spokesman George McCabe confirmed that the train was late getting started because some speeches ran long. But he estimated that the train was no more than 20 minutes late.

The inaugural trip carried celebs and dignitaries, including Gov. Kenny Guinn, along its 4.4-mile route.

The monorail opened to the general public at 8 a.m. today (see Stephen Curran's story on the monorail on page 1B).

VegasBits

Breaking bread: Two hospitality industry titans, Hard Rock Hotel owner Peter Morton and former Studio 54 impresario and current trendy hotelier Ian Schrager had dinner together at N9NE (Palms) on Tuesday night. Also spotted at N9NE was Wisconsin head football coach Barry Alvarez ...

Pose: Supermodel Naomi Campbell had lunch Tuesday at Pink Taco (Hard Rock Hotel). That night she and fellow models Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Adriana Lima were photographed at Body English for a Victoria's Secret catalog ...

Girls: The local bar chain PT's has put together a 2005 calendar made up of its more fetching servers and bartenders. Tracy (no last name offered) is appearing to promote the calendar at 4 p.m. Friday at the PT's Pub at 2280 S. Nellis Blvd. The calendars will sell for $12 and are available starting Aug. 2 ...

Club: Romijn-Stamos and famed Los Angeles nightclub promoter Brent Bolthouse partied Monday night at V Bar (Venetian) ...

Sing: Linda Ronstadt is 58 today. She plays the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Saturday night.

From Sun wires

Slim-Fast drops Goldberg: Comic Whoopi Goldberg's sexual puns on President Bush's name at a John Kerry fundraiser got her canned Wednesday as spokeswoman for Slim-Fast weight-loss products.

Waving a bottle of wine, Goldberg launched her double entendres in New York City last Thursday at a gala that raised $7.5 million for Kerry's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Other performers at the event called Bush a "cheap thug" and a liar. A Bush campaign spokesman called the concert a "star-studded hate fest." Calls for boycotting Slim-Fast shakes and snacks spread through conservative Web sites.

Trudeau recalls Bush: Cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who has skewered politicians for decades in his comic strip "Doonesbury," tells Rolling Stone magazine he remembers Yale classmate Bush as "just another sarcastic preppy who gave people nicknames and arranged for keg deliveries."

Trudeau attended Yale University with Bush in the late 1960s and served with him on a dormitory social committee.