Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 10:36 a.m.
Who is the biggest fan in Las Vegas of Howard Stern, the notoriously potty -mouthed shock jock?
It just might be vintage Vegas entertainer Robert Goulet.
On Stern's nationally syndicated morning drive-time radio program Tuesday (heard locally on KXTE 107.5-FM), one of the bits was the "Restless, Restless" song contest.
"Restless" is a, well, unusual ditty penned by Tom Gesimondo, the business manager for Stern's New York outlet, and Vinne Favale, Gesimondo's songwriting partner. (The lyrics are available on Stern's Web site.)
The contest asks listeners to record and then send in their own version of the love song.
Blues, classic rock, polka, Hawaiian, soul, rap and ballad versions were offered. Stern played versions by, he said, William Shatner and Goulet, who performed an upbeat, jazzy take on the tune.
Goulet's version was terrific, Stern and his sidekicks agreed.
Frankly, we thought it was a put-on -- Robert Goulet listens to Howard Stern? -- until we called Goulet's Las Vegas office after the show to double check.
"Yes, it was really him singing," Goulet's assistant told us. "He is on tour now doing 'Camelot,' but he has actually appeared on Stern's show in the past and is a big fan."
Static
Last week it announced a national syndication deal.
This week it stopped taping future episodes.
Next week "The Vegas Show" is again going off the air.
We queried show producers Rick Garson and Howard Lefkowitz, and got an e-mail back from the latter.
"Rick has food poisoning, and I am jammed," Lefkowitz said. "Yes the show goes off the air as of Monday. There will be an announcement sooner rather than later."
The national deal with MGM Television is very much in place, according to KVVU Channel 5 General Manager Susan Lucas. KVVU has been the most recent local outlet for the program.
"Yes, it goes off Monday, and we expect it to come back sometime this fall after it has been re-tooled a little bit," Lucas told us. "MGM has picked it up, and of course everyone is very excited about that."
She said it has not been decided what would air in "The Vegas Show" time slot in the interim.
Moore controversy
Aladdin prez Bill Timmins has left Las Vegas, but not to escape the firestorm of controversy surrounding his decision to have security escort Linda Ronstadt from the hotel after her remarks onstage Saturday night in support of Michael Moore.
Timmins left town Tuesday afternoon after turning down requests to appear on "The Today Show," "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Nightline."
Hotel spokeswoman Tyri Squyres confirmed that Timmins had left town, but said it was because he had a surgical procedure scheduled at an out-of-state hospital.
Timmins also reportedly received a long message on his voice mail from Moore himself Monday.
Write on
Paul Newman and Gore Vidal have joined the board of advisers of the Las Vegas-based Institute of Modern Letters.
Its founder is Mandalay Bay prez and Iowa Writers Workshop grad Glenn Schaeffer.
The Institute of Modern Letters is devoted to "rescuing persecuted writers, providing them with funding, shelter and freedom to write without fear of oppression," according to a statement.
Other board members include Salman Rushdie, Sting, James Ellroy, A. Scott Berg, Umberto Eco and Russell Banks.
Maybe they can all team with Ronstadt and the Dixie Chicks and form a similar group for persecuted musicians.
Rumors
Several interesting rumors were overheard as we made our evening rounds this week. Among the most intriguing:
Andrew Sasson is having more trouble than he anticipated getting all the necessary official paperwork in order for his new Panorama condo tower ...
Donna Baldwin would be in charge of The Spa at Shadow Creek, which would be located in Steve Wynn's home after he vacates the place when his new Wynn Las Vegas is completed ...
Caesars Entertainment is quietly shopping its spectacular Cascata golf course in Boulder City ...
The Greek Isles is also said to quietly be on the block ...
But the best one of all is about an Asian-themed casino based on the Forbidden City. The property's exterior would resemble the Great Wall of China. Businessman Jeremy Liu, who just plunked down $3.15 million for an Anthem Country Club mansion, is rumored to be the force behind the project.
The Anthem home is the same one that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck once toured before deciding not to buy.
VegasBits
Alone: Musician Eric Benet, ex-husband of Halle Berry, checked into the Palms this morning. He is participating in events surrounding the New York International Independent Music Festival this week at the Palms' Brenden Theatres ...
Return: Golden Nugget entertainment director Joe Leone was seen having lunch Monday with former Nugget headliner Martin Nievera at the Carson Street Cafe. Is he set for a return to the hotel? ...
Shop: Former NFL star Franco Harris was window shopping at the Desert Passage (Aladdin) on Sunday ...
Ante: Dave Navarro, Tommy Lee and the Goo Goo Dolls' John Rzeznik will headline the first Vegas Rock Star Poker Tournament at the Palms the weekend of Aug. 26. Top prize is $10,000. Registration runs through Aug. 12 at Vegasrockstarpoker.com, a Web site that is part of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, one of the tourney's sponsors ...
Guide: Do you know a lot about bizarre Vegas history -- things like where Tupac Shakur was shot, Bugsy Siegel's favorite haunts and where Liberace and Elvis and Frank and Dean used to hang out? If you do, or want to, then call Twisted Productions at (702) 456-1200 and sign up to be a tour guide for their new Haunted Vegas tours. Similar to the tours of movie stars' homes in Los Angeles, the Haunted Vegas tours start Aug. 7 ...
New reality: Caesars Palace will be the focus of yet another reality TV series. According to information in a news release, the new A&E show sounds remarkably similar to the "American Casino" program being aired on Discovery Channel and "The Casino," Fox's show set at the Golden Nugget. According to the news release, the A&E program will include "a regular cast of Caesars employees and a revolving cast of wide-eyed tourists, first-time gamblers and other visitors of all descriptions." The new show so far has no name or airdate ...
Back in Time: Monday's item reporting Time magazine's cover story about Las Vegas was incorrect. The magazine most recently featured a cover story about Las Vegas in 1994, not eight years ago as was reported.
From Sun wires
Jackson expecting quadruplets: Michael Jackson reportedly is expecting quadruplets from a surrogate mother, the latest twist in the strange life of the accused child molester.
Us Weekly says Jackson, 45, recently spent time with the unnamed, pregnant woman in Miami, where he stayed in a $4,000-per-night hotel suite. The National Enquirer says she's an actress and former Prince groupie who wrote him a fan letter.
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