Monday, March 15, 2004 | 10:35 a.m.
Funny and feisty Las Vegas resident and entertainment icon Jerry Lewis is seemingly back to his old self.
In a wide-ranging radio interview with AP Network News, he minced no words in discussing Martha Stewart, Justin Timberlake and his concern that young people only know Eddie Murphy as "The Nutty Professor" -- when he originated the role.
Lewis, who turns 78 on Tuesday, acknowledges that his 1963 "The Nutty Professor" was the highlight of his film career, and he wants people to know he was the original.
"What I'm trying to do right now is release 'The Nutty Professor' this summer in theaters, and I want to charge $2 for children to come and see the movie," Lewis said. "I have a hunch that I really can start something because I happen to believe that the prices to movies are ridiculous."
Then he moved onto some other hot topics.
"They're watching the Super Bowl and look at what Justin Timberlake did. I thought that he was a skin disease. I didn't know that his name was a person. Timberlake pulls her (Janet Jackson's) bra off and from what I saw it was no big deal.
"I've seen a better set on late-night television."
He seemed sympathetic toward Stewart.
"Look at what they're doing to Martha Stewart. No matter what she did, she shouldn't be so punished that she looks at television and they're showing her the size of the cell that she'll be living in and that maybe she can work in the kitchen. Come on. Isn't that a little gross? That's kicking someone when they're down."
Lewis also said he has lost 58 pounds since his appearance on last year's Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon -- and is looking to lose 22 more to return to his pre-illness weight.
He bloated up as a result of taking steroids to combat a respiratory illness.
A return to the stage at The Orleans, where Lewis remains a contracted headliner, is expected in the fall.
Overflow
Madhouse, indeed. An estimated (by us) 300 people with tickets were denied admittance to "Jeff Beacher's Comedy Madhouse" show at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel Saturday night.
"A lot of dwarves snuck inside -- under the legs of the security guys -- and took seats that weren't theirs. So, unfortunately, some legit customers couldn't get in," Beacher joked with us Sunday.
"Seriously, almost every single one of our invited guests showed up -- and brought friends -- so we had an overflow situation, and we're very sorry for anyone who was inconvenienced."
Beacher and the hotel said that anyone who had bought tickets but did not get in will be entitled to a full refund and tickets to a future Beacher performance.
Goal
The National Hockey League is looking for some good ink after the uproar surrounding last week's suspension of Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi for a vicious and unprovoked on-ice attack of Colorado Avalanche Steve Moore.
To that end, we hear that the league has stepped up and is helping to facilitate the slow-going negotiations between the Maloof family and Disney, which is looking to sell its Anaheim Mighty Ducks franchise.
VegasBeat first reported in November that Joe, Phil, Gavin and George Maloof were contemplating making an offer to buy the NHL team.
"This (Bertuzzi) incident has been a real black eye for the sport, and having a high-profile and successful family like the Maloofs become associated with the league would not only deflect attention from the negative, but would be a boost to the entire operation," a source with strong ties to the local hockey community told us.
Neil news
"American Idol" Clay Aiken sings Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire" on his new single, "The Way/Solitaire," which drops Tuesday.
How'd that relationship get started? Ask 'em yourself -- Sedaka will be participating in a live chat on Aiken's website (ClayAiken.com) later this week. The day has not yet been nailed down; check the website for details.
Also, Sedaka's "Love Will Keep Us Together" is featured on the soundtrack of the new "Starsky & Hutch" movie.
Sedaka returns to The Orleans Showroom from March 30 to April 4.
You're hired!
Another strong personnel acquisition for the revitalized Golden Nugget.
John DiCostantino has been hired by new owners Tim Poster and Tom Breitling as the downtown hotel's director of player development.
DiCostantino is a 25-year Las Vegas veteran who worked for many years with Steve Wynn, first when Wynn owned the Golden Nugget, and later at The Mirage. He was most recently in a similar post at Caesars Palace.
DiCostantino was busy this weekend escorting special guests and high-rollers to a couple of private shows at the hotel by Barenaked Ladies -- all of which was filmed for "The Casino," the Fox reality show set at the Golden Nugget, which wraps up taping this week.
(See Kirk Baird's story on "The Casino" on page 1E.)
VegasBits
Royal one: Prince Albert of Monaco was hanging with friends at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Saturday night ...
Royal, too: Belgium Princess Marie-Christine attended the 7:30 p.m. performance of "Zumanity" (New York-New York) on Saturday night ...
Juice bar: O.J. Simpson was enjoying the views from ghostbar (Palms) on Saturday night, as were Metallica's Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk and "Saved by the Bell" principal Dennis Haskins ...
Meat: "MADtv" star Nicole Sullivan had dinner at N9NE (Palms) on Saturday night, as did Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez ...
Guest: "Food 911" host and chef Tyler Florence had a tete-a-tete the other night at Simon Kitchen and Bar (Hard Rock Hotel) with restaurateur Kerry Simon ...
TV Party: KVVU Channel 5 weatherman Ted Pretty and his fiancee, 10 o'clock news reporter Heidi Hayes, are getting married April 4. Among the group feting them on Saturday at Gustav's Cigar Bar at the JW Marriott Las Vegas were Casey Smith, Cindy Cesare and Janine Gill from KLAS Channel 8, Ryan Tyson, the GM of the Las Vegas Gladiators arena league football team, and KVVU newsies Cher Calvin, Josh Talkington, Shelly Brunner, Lorraine Blanco and Renae Murcia.
From Sun wires
Pavarotti says goodbye: The great ones have the hardest time saying goodbye.
For 11 minutes, Luciano Pavarotti soaked up the bravos after Saturday night's performance of "Tosca" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
It was his final night of staged opera, the 68-year-old tenor had revealed Friday, the end of a career that began 43 years earlier. He stuck out his arms, and he waved to the crowd. He put his hands together and bowed his head in tribute to his fans.
Pavarotti performed in Las Vegas on Feb. 28.
Stirring passion: Andy Rooney certainly knows how to stir the passion in his viewers.
The "60 Minutes" curmudgeon said Sunday he got 30,000 pieces of mail and e-mail in response to his Feb. 22 commentary, in which he called "The Passion of the Christ" filmmaker Mel Gibson a "wacko."
It's the biggest viewer response ever to a segment on the CBS newsmagazine, which has been on the air since 1968, a spokesman said.
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