VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: NPR’s Edwards dialed in on book tour

Friday, June 11, 2004 | 10:34 a.m.

Bob Edwards is ever the diplomat.

The host of NPR's "Morning Edition" was removed from his post in March, causing quite an uproar in the media and among his legion of dedicated fans.

But Edwards refuses to bad-mouth his bosses, who reassigned him as a "senior correspondent" last month.

At a reception at Caffe Giorgio (Mandalay Place) Wednesday night, where Edwards was promoting his new book, "Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism" (John Wiley & Sons, $19.95), we asked him what he listens to in the morning now that he is not on the air.

"I can't hear you, son," he smiled as he cocked his head and put his hand to his right ear.

Feigning deafness, he continued, "I am not sure what you asked, but I am so busy flying from place to place promoting this book I don't have time to listen to anything these days."

Then we both went to the bar so he could smoke a cigarette and we could watch Yankees closer Mariano Riviera shut the door on the Colorado Rockies.

"I bet this (ESPN) is the only channel that doesn't have Reagan funeral coverage," the silver-tongued broadcaster cracked. "Of course, since he played the Gipper and Grover Cleveland Alexander, maybe they ought to carry it, too."

He called the Reagan death coverage on TV "complete overkill," and pointed out some faults that the media have been overlooking in their blind praise of the 40th president.

"Do people remember that he called ketchup a vegetable?" Edwards said. "That he said some people actually choose to be homeless?"

Then he snuffed out his cigarette and went back to his party.

Crazy town

What's a guy who goes to parties for a living to do?

Tonight features six nearly simultaneous A-list events in Las Vegas.

Top of the dance card is the little get-together for 2,000 at the Garden of the Gods at Caesars Palace's magnificent pool area to mark the first anniversary of VEGAS Magazine and the opening night of the CineVegas Film Festival.

Stars ranging from anniversary edition cover girl Daisy Fuentes to Dennis Hopper are expected to join co-publishers Jerry Powers and Michael Carr for the gathering, which will feature fireworks to be shot off the hotel roof.

Jerry Seinfeld is expected to make an appearance after his sold-out Colosseum gig.

At the Golden Nugget, James Gandolfini and most of his "Sopranos" castmates -- including Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Lorraine Bracco, Steve Schirripa, Steve Van Zandt and Dominic Chianese -- are attending a private high-rollers party.

On Saturday night several members of the "Sopranos" crew have promised Nugget headliner Lon Bronson that they are going to sit in with his All-Star Band.

Two jock-heavy events are also part of tonight's mix.

Boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard hits Whiskey Bar at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino for the pairings party for his first celebrity golf tourney to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

At the Cox Pavilion, induction ceremonies take place for the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Honorees will be longtime Southern Nevada sports contributor Jack Cason; Richie Clyne, the pioneer of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; former UNLV football coach Tony Knap; Dwaine Knight, who took the UNLV golf team from obscurity to the nation's top ranking; and Bonanza High School grad and NFL 1,000-yard rusher Gerald Riggs.

The Godt-Cleary Gallery at Mandalay Place is having an opening party for an exhibition of glassworks by the renowned Italian company Venini.

Pieces in the exhibition include a sculpture based on a design conceived by Leonardo da Vinci in 1493.

The gallery will also have works from its in-store collection by artists Ellsworth Kelly, James Rosenquist, Thomas Ruff, Robert Mangold, John Baldessari and David Hockney.

Finally, tonight is a concert by the most hyped and eagerly awaited new band in years, Velvet Revolver.

The all-star group includes former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland, the ex-Guns 'N Roses trio of guitarist Slash, bass player Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, and guitarist Dave Kushner from Suicidal Tendencies.

They play The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

French fry

Entertainment legend Jerry Lewis knows why the French are perceived as being such rabid fans of his.

"They have good PR people," the 78-year-old Las Vegas resident said at an appearance in Boston this week.

"France has had the reputation for being a Jerry Lewis groupie for years and we don't even know why," the comic said. In terms of sales and fan mail, Lewis said France ranks seventh on the list of Lewis-o-philes behind Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Lewis was in Beantown to speak to medical professionals about his health history and pain issues.

VegasBits

Stars: The cast and crew of "Ocean's 12" -- including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Elliot Gould, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Scott Caan and director Steven Soderbergh -- are expected to touch down in Las Vegas in early July to film. Filming is taking place in Italy. The movie's release date has been set for Dec. 10 ...

Good: Former UNLV star and NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham is holding his third annual "Unity Day" at the Cox Pavilion on Saturday. Cunningham is the founder and president of Remnant Ministries, a nonprofit organization that works with families in need in the Las Vegas area. Admission is free and there will be more than $75,000 worth of prize giveaways, including three new vehicles from Findlay Toyota ...

Correct: Roy Horn was treated at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles last year after the tiger attack, not Cedars-Sinai, as we reported Thursday. VegasBeat regrets the error.

From Sun wires

Kimmel apologizes: Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show was pulled off the air for a night following a joke the comedian made about Detroit during the NBA Finals.

Kimmel was talking to ABC sportscaster Mike Tirico during halftime of Tuesday's game when he said, "They're going to burn the city of Detroit down if the Pistons win, and it's not worth it." Tirico, an Ann Arbor resident, immediately objected, telling him to be careful about making fun of Detroit.

ABC made the decision to pull Wednesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" from affiliates nationwide shortly after the program was taped that night in California.

Bardot convicted: Brigitte Bardot was convicted Thursday of inciting racial hatred for portraying Muslims in a negative light in a book. The Paris court said the former film star compared them to "invaders, cruel and barbaric."

Bardot, 69, and her publishing house were fined $6,050 each, to be paid to two anti-racism groups that took them to court.