VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Group taps celebs for Bush

Friday, July 30, 2004 | 5:19 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.

WEEKEND EDITION

July 31 - Aug. 1, 2004

Here's a group that most likely will not have Linda Ronstadt as a charter member: Entertainers for Bush.

Founded a few weeks ago by some midlevel entertainers on the East Coast, the organization is recruiting in Las Vegas and has asked Wayne Newton to be its official national spokesman.

California governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been approached about being the group's honorary chairman.

"The idea behind the organization is to demonstrate that not all entertainers are Hollywood liberals. Most of us are mainstream family people," said Las Vegas resident Dale Davidson, a comedian that entertains at many corporate events in Las Vegas and who is heading local recruiting efforts.

"It is our hope that we'll have at least 1,000 entertainers on board by Sept. 2, when a series of Bush house parties will be held across the country," Davidson said.

Some may say it is a case of lawyers getting what they deserve.

On Monday night a sewer line broke down and backed up onto the property of the State Bar Association, 600 E. Charleston Ave., spilling thousands of gallons of raw sewage onto the front lawn, parking lot and inside the basement, where hundreds of boxes of paperwork were stored.

More than 2,700 gallons of muck, to put it delicately, were extracted from the building on Tuesday, and the premises had to be closed for the rest of the week for a thorough clean-up effort.

Crews were outfitted in full hazardous-material gear, including gas masks, while removing the debris. The office is supposed to reopen Monday.

La Vida Vegas? Ricky Martin could be the new big-name Strip headliner.

According to the Web site for the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the singer has been approached by investors in a new Latin-themed casino and hotel complex who want him to be the next Mr. Las Vegas.

The businessmen plan to do with Martin what Caesars Palace did for Celine Dion -- build him his own theater.

Reps for Martin were not reachable before deadline.

Michael Flatley and four friends dined Thursday night at Charlie Palmer Steak (Four Seasons).

We think we know what channel Guggenheim Hermitage Museum director Elizabeth Herridge watches when she wants to catch up on the news.

Her sister, Catherine Herridge, is the Homeland Security Department correspondent for Fox News.

Who was cooking in Vegas restaurants on Thursday night?

Chefs and general managers from scores of local eateries (Postrio, Aureole, Simon Kitchen & Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, and about two dozen more) all congregated at Tabu (MGM Grand) for the first Main Event, a monthly industry mixer sponsored by Las Vegas Food & Beverage magazine.

The event featured impromptu table dancing by Krista Johnson of the architectural powerhouse firm Avery Brooks & Associates (it did the marvelous Chinois redesign); Lil' Tim Loomis of the "Beacher's Madhouse" show at the Hard Rock chatting with Mike Milner; the MGM Grand's executive director of nightclubs and entertainment; and Excalibur magician Tony Blanco doing close-up card tricks for Robin Leach and two of his, uh, nieces.

Rob Van Winkle, best known as Vanilla Ice, was at Rain (Palms) on Thursday night.

Ice at Rain. Hmm. Does that make sleet? Slush?

That sure didn't take long.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will declare Tuesday "Downtown" Gordie Brown Day.

The Golden Nugget headliner, a brilliant comic impressionist, has been performing downtown for less than three months.

Maybe at the proclamation ceremony he'll unveil an Oscar Goodman impression.

There was an unprecedented gathering of local TV weather talent in a KNTV Channel 13 conference room Thursday night.

Jerry Brown and Darren Peck from KVVU Channel 5, Dana Wagner from KVBC Channel 3, Kevin Janison from KLAS Channel 8, Kim J. Runk of the National Weather Service, and KNTV's Bob Jeswald and Nate Tannenbaum are all acting as judges for the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Emmy Awards.

Talk about a mighty wind.