By Jerry Fink

Fri, Oct 8, 2004 (8:50 a.m.)

It took 53 years but Binion's Horseshoe finally has a headliner.

The wait was worth it.

Insult-comic Vinnie Favorito is the first entertainer to perform onstage at the legendary casino, founded by Benny Binion in 1951. Binion was more interested in gambling than shows, and so he never bothered to build a stag.

The venue has one now -- at Benny's Bullpen on the second floor. For years the room was the main site for the World Series of Poker. Now it has a small stage and lots of curtain walls, creating a 400-seat theater.

Favorito should not have a problem becoming a favorite entertainer downtown, which has made great strides in recent months in bringing top-notch entertainment to the Fremont Street Experience area -- Gordie Brown at the Golden Nugget and "Ovation" at Lady Luck, to name a couple.

With entertainers as good as Favorito and Brown as major attractions, eventually downtown should provide some real competition for the Strip.

Favorito is no young comic using old Vegas as a springboard for his career. The Boston native has been insulting audiences for almost 20 years, but the venom he spews is non-threatening. As in Don Rickles' act, Favorito's comments come out as being harmless, and often hilarious.

"I'm from Boston," he said. "I moved out to Los Angeles, where I don't fit in at all. Are their any Californians here? I hate you people. You are the phoniest people in the country ..."

And then Favorito launches into a rapid series of insults that hit Californians, Supercuts, razors, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and a long list of other topics and individuals in the audience.

"What I like about California is that it's very ethnic, like where I'm from in Boston," Favorito said. "Are there any Mexicans here tonight? No? Check the kitchen.

"Hey, I like Mexican people, as long as they aren't driving a car. The don't have Mexicans where I come from -- they have Puerto Ricans. I like Puerto Rican people, but how much (expletive deleted) can you do to a Toyota Corolla? They lower these cars to the ground, then they paint them like banana yellow and they put Porsche mirrors on the sides. Yeah, that's a Porsche. And then they put decals of Jesus Christ on both headlights."

Favorito's show moves so fast, his targets don't have enough time to feel the sting of his barbs -- and they have as much fun as the audience members who avoid his deadly aim.

"I love cowboys," he said to one fan with a cowboy hat. "You got Klan written all over you. Hey, if you aren't getting any of this (expletive deleted) just let me know."

He speaks to a dozen fans, asking their names, occupations and other details, and then turns their comments against them. And then he weaves them into his show, constantly referring back to those he has spoken to as he brings new fans into the act.

He addressed Melissa, a social worker whose clients include battered wives.

"You help put the spouses in jail?" Favorito said. "And you believe everything they say, because they never lie. Did you ever have a woman you knew was lying ... and did you ever want to just punch one of them?"

To a group of female softball players from Canada in town for a tournament.

"Oh, you're lesbians," he said. "If you're a woman playing softball, you're a lesbian."

He asked a fan if she worked. She replied that she was a domestic engineer.

"So the answer is no," Favorito said.

To a young couple from Colorado, both postal workers, he said, "You're going to shoot each other.

"Do you fight, or do you think to yourself, '(expletive deleted) no, she's disgruntled.' "

The comedian has jokes and observations within the performance.

"I was actually working here in Las Vegas when the terrorist strike happened," Favorito said. "I didn't want to work that night. I was onstage and said, 'Hey, let's go down the street to the Aladdin and kick some (butt).' "

He had some advice for husbands with nagging wives.

"Put on Court TV and watch the Scott Peterson trial," he said. "The next day, go look at boats. She'll calm right down."