VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Newton might have been father of country

Thursday, May 27, 2004 | 10:23 a.m.

It had been a long time.

But when Wayne Newton and Desi Arnaz Jr. got together Wednesday night it was like no time had passed at all.

Back in the day, Dec. 27, 1965, to be precise, Newton was a guest star on "Here's Lucy," the comedy Lucille Ball -- Arnaz's mother -- starred in after the classic "I Love Lucy" went off the air.

Arnaz, who now lives a quiet life in Boulder City, also appeared on that episode of his mother's sitcom.

The two young men were friendly after that, but eventually lost touch -- until Arnaz ventured to the Stardust on Wednesday.

Newton thanked Arnaz after his show, recalling that Ball helped steer him in the right career direction. Seems that Newton was so good in his guest shot that Ball was ready to cast him in a series that would star Newton as a country bumpkin. (The unnamed Newton show never was produced.)

In 1965, Newton was big, but not huge, having made appearances on Ed Sullivan's and Jack Benny's shows, along with "American Bandstand."

Ball told Newton that the proposed TV show would likely make Newton rich and famous -- but that it would typecast him forever. As the story from Arnaz goes, she also told Newton that she loved his musical skills and said he'd do fine if he pursued a career in music.

She was right, to say the least.

Hilton head

Kathy Hilton -- mother of celebutantes Nicky and Paris Hilton -- will be in Las Vegas on Saturday to help cast a new reality show.

Details are sketchy -- the network is afraid that someone may copy the show's premise, whatever it may be -- but NBC is looking for "14 deserving men and women to take part in an unscripted television series."

It is safe to assume that Hilton Hotels will be featured prominently in the show, producers said.

The national tour of casting calls starts at the Flamingo at 11 a.m. Saturday. Details of where to go once you arrive should be posted in the lobby.

Penn on Horn

Penn Jillette, speaking on "Entertainment Tonight," said that seeing a taped interview with Roy Horn last week was an amazingly uplifting experience. But The Rio headliner added that the injured entertainer now "has to appear in public, with Siegfried and those tigers."

Jillette told the internationally syndicated entertainment news show that he is one of the few people besides doctors and Horn's family who have seen Horn's X-rays, which were taken after the Oct. 3 incident. Jillette termed The Mirage headliner's comeback an "amazing display of the wonders of modern science."

During the "ET" interview Jillette said that Horn "is walking with a lot of help." When asked if Horn's vision was 100 percent, Jillette said: "I don't know about that."

The brief Siegfried & Roy appearance made last week was to promote the new animated NBC fall series "Father of the Pride." During that taped appearance, which aired on NBC's "Today" show, Horn's right eye appeared to not be fully open, and his left arm appeared to hang limp.

Hearty sked

Another Thursday, another heavy party calendar in Las Vegas. This evening brings the private pre-opening party at Body English, formerly Baby's, the basement club at the Hard Rock Hotel.

The club opens to the public at 10:30 p.m. Friday.

VEGAS Magazine is having yet another party tied to a fashion retailer. This time it is with, and at, the new Roberto Cavalli store in the Forum Shops at Caesars.

Virgin Records is hosting a private soiree at ghostbar (Palms).

And curiosity-about-town Monti Rock III is having the first of a series of weekend birthday parties at pal Chuck Maguire's Alta Drive manse.

One of Vegas' prime party people, Light's Andrew Sasson, will be out of town, however. Jet East, his chic Hamptons club, was shuttered by the New York State Supreme Court last winter for not complying with zoning laws -- and it has still not passed code, reports The New York Daily News.

So Sasson is back East trying to sort things out and get the club open by this weekend, which is the kick-off to the frenzied Hamptons summer season.

Assuming it opens on time, and Sasson is assuming just that, he'll oversee an Esquire magazine party hosted by Vegas party boy and NFL star Jeremy Shockey and the ubiquitous Tara Reid.

Good man

When Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman recently toured Opportunity Village, the facility for developmentally challenged adults, he was the first mayor in its 50-year history to ever do so, according to OV exec Linda Smith.

Goodman was so moved that when Forum Shops club OPM asked him to have a "Martinis With the Mayor" function, he agreed only on the condition that the club make a sizable donation to the organization.

"We had no problem with that," OPM owner Michael Goodwin said.

At the event, which also marked OPM's first anniversary last week, Goodwin shared with Goodman how he was a big player in the redevelopment of downtown Albuquerque, where he has opened several bars and clubs.

Goodman made Goodwin promise to take a long look at investing in downtown Las Vegas.

VegasBits

Star: Val Kilmer showed up at the big Stirling Club party Tuesday night for the shopping center convention. Turnberry Place developers Don and Jeff Soffer hosted the 007-themed fete along with tan man George Hamilton ...

Stars: Tiger Woods and The Rock partied at Tabu (MGM Grand) Tuesday night. Woods, no stranger to casino action, then hit the tables. He is in town for this weekend's "Tiger Jam VII" fund-raiser ...

Stars galore: Reba McEntire hosted a party of 40 -- which grew as the evening went on -- at Charlie Palmer Steak Wednesday night after she hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards at Mandalay Bay ...

Starring: The news we broke on Sunday is now official -- Vegas barrister David Chesnoff is one of Martha Stewart's new lawyers. Chesnoff, who also helped get Britney Spears' 55-hour marriage annulled, has been discussing the Stewart case on CBS' "The Early Show" this week ...

New star: "Downtown" Gordie Brown, the Golden Nugget's newest headliner, makes his debut Friday night ...

Starry eyed: The Sling Shot, a new thrill ride that shoots riders up and down a 100-foot tower and is only one of six such rides in the world, opens today at the Adventuredome at Circus Circus.

From Sun wires

Rocking the vote: Summertime promises to be sweet indeed for Fantasia Barrino, the newly crowned "American Idol."

Barrino, who wowed viewers with her rich, gospel-tinged performance of pop tunes, including the Gershwin standard "Summertime," claimed the victory Wednesday for her 2-year-old daughter, Zion.

"I fought so that my child can have the best," said the 19-year-old single mother from High Point, N.C., who had a 1.3 million-vote edge over Diana DeGarmo when the results were announced.

America got it "100 percent right," said Simon Cowell, the usually acerbic "Idol" judge and music producer who was among those who fell under Barrino's spell.

More than 65 million votes were cast, a record in the Fox show's three seasons.