Columnist Jerry Fink: Bono plays it again, at Sam’s

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

After five years Dennis Bono's weekly radio variety show shows no sign of aging.

Taped at Sam's Town Live at 2 p.m. Thursdays and broadcast at 7 p.m. Fridays on KJUL 104.3-FM, "Las Vegas Now" draws more than 800 fans to every taping and tens of thousands of fans who listen to the program on the air.

"Why it works so well is that it caters to a group of neglected people," Bono said during a recent interview at the Bootlegger Bistro, a favorite hangout. "In the cross section of America, there are more people over 50 than under 50."

The over-50 group is his fan base. About 1,500 of them belong to the Dennis Bono Young at Heart Club.

Of the 800 audience members each week, almost all of them have attended the show before.

"Maybe 300 attend the show religiously," Bono said.

Friendships have been forged in the lines as fans wait to swarm into the showroom.

"A lot of them said they met in line," Bono said. "I thought they meant online, like on a computer Web site."

But the site was Sam's Town, and before that Sunset Station, the radio station's first home.

The 400-seat showroom was much too small for the fan base. After a failed attempt to syndicate the show on television, Bono moved it to its current location, where it has been for a couple of years.

The price of admission at Sunset Station was a two-drink minimum. At Sam's Town you only have to be a Prime Rewards Club Card member.

"We have a wonderful working relationship with the casino," Bono said. "And we have a great staff -- it's like a family."

The audience feels like it's part of that family.

"They aren't going to let us fail," Bono said.

In return they are entertained by some of the top performers in the world.

The list is impressive, with guests that include Paul Anka, the Smothers Brothers, Mickey Rooney and hundreds of others.

While the headliners draw the most attention, Bono especially likes the entertainers who are down in the trenches, working 52 weeks a year in lounges and opening for the headliners.

"I respect them, as well as the ones just breaking into the business and looking for a gig," Bono said.

Of the lengthy guest list, only a couple have been duds. And he can edit them out for the radio audience.

You aren't likely to hear much controversy on Bono's show.

"I'm no Larry King," Bono said. "We've had people talk about a subject. We've had some solemn shows -- but we are an entertainment-oriented show so we don't delve too much into controversy."

Bono opens each show with a song, a monologue and some light-natured kidding with pianist Bob Rosario. Then the guests perform and afterward sit and chat a bit with the host. At the end of the show he sings another song.

"It's the best gig in the world," Bono said.

Hi, Bob!

Bob Newhart will be taking his button-down mind and wry sense of humor to the Golden Nugget at 9 tonight and Saturday night.

"I'm kind of particular about the rooms I play," the 75-year-old Newhart said during a recent telephone interview from his home in Los Angeles. "I like the smaller rooms -- and the Golden Nugget has something like 400.

"When you perform in a room with 1,800 seats, that's kind of an extravaganza," Newhart said.

His most recent appearance in Vegas was in July at the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theater, which has a seating capacity of about 900 -- and he filled almost every seat.

At the Nugget, Newhart will perform in the Ballroom Theatre. Opening for him is local singer Michaelina Bellamy, who often performs at the Sahara.

"The Nugget is like Vegas used to be, when Howard Hughes had the Desert Inn and Frontier," Newhart said. He recalled that the best showroom in town was the 750-seat theater at the Sands.

Shortly before launching his tour Newhart wrapped up a shoot for the hit TV series "Desperate Housewives," in which he has a recurring role.

"I play the boyfriend of Teri's (Hatcher's) mother, Leslie Ann Warren," Newhart said.

He wasn't interested in starring in a series (he's been in several, including "The Bob Newhart Show" from 1972 to '78 and "Newhart" from 1982 to '90.)

But he liked the recurring role idea.

"I thought it was funny and well written," Newhart said.

He didn't do much acting after his most recent series, "Bob," ended its run. But then he made a guest appearance in the NBC drama "ER" two years ago.

"It was a very enjoyable experience," Newhart said.

And he received an Emmy nomination.

Newhart also enjoyed performing in the film "Elf" (2003). He may reprise his role in "Elf II," a prequel to the first movie.

He likes his current pace.

"This is ideal," Newhart said. "It's just the right amount of work.

"In 'Desperate Housewives' there are four or five stories going at the same time, so I go in at 6 a.m. and I'm out by 1 -- I wouldn't want the weekly grind."

In addition to the TV series, his tour and a future movie, on Tuesday, Newhart released a DVD of the first season of "The Bob Newhart Show," which co-starred Suzanne Pleshette as his wife, Bill Daily as his neighbor, Marcia Wallace as the office receptionist and Peter Bonerz as his office neighbor.

Newhart said the cast still gets together occasionally, most recently last month at the TV Land Awards ceremony, where his series won the Icon Award.

"It was very nice seeing everybody," he said. "It brought back some wonderful memories. We got a standing ovation."

In July, PBS will chronicle Newhart's illustrious career on its "American Masters" series.

In between it all, he's writing a book.

"It's anecdotal kind of stuff, a look back over my career -- movies I have done," Newhart said.

He has done 14. His first was "Hell is for Heroes," a film starring Steve McQueen and featuring Bobby Darin and James Coburn.

"I enjoyed doing movies as a break from what else I was doing," Newhart said. "But I really enjoyed the pace of a television show. There's an awful lot of down time when you're doing a movie.

"But I have since learned how to cope with that that. I surround myself with gadgets."

He says he is more active than he anticipated this year.

"These things just came along," Newhart said. "They are all interesting projects.

"I have some things in the offing I don't know when I will have time for -- there's a movie for TV called 'The Librarian' with Noah Wyle ..."

Newhart says he likes to be active.

"I'm off three months and I go out of my mind," he said.

That would be out of his buttoned-down mind.

'Aga-boom'

Who says there is no family entertainment in Las Vegas?

"Aga-boom," one of the most creative shows to hit Vegas in a while, is perfect for the entire clan.

The production, reminiscent of a Cirque du Soleil show, features a troupe of three clowns performing strange and wondrous routines.

"Actually, there are 3 1/2 clowns," said show creator and head clown Dimitri Bogatirev. "My 9-year-old son is also in the show."

The third clown is Phil Briggs.

There will be three performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. today through Sunday at the Suncoast.

The production itself is a family show.

In addition to Bogatirev's son, Anton, the cast includes his wife and fellow clown, Iryna. His brother, Vassily, composed the music for the show.

Bogatirev and his wife, who are residents of Las Vegas, were clowns for "O" when it premiered at Bellagio.

Eventually, he said, they grew tired of being surrounded by water all the time.

They preferred being surrounded by paper in their show, which has been touring the world.

Bogatirev says the Russian word for paper is "boomaga." The title of the show is derived from that word.

"When you repeat the word rapidly over and over again it comes out sounding like 'aga-boom,' " Bogatirev, a native of Okessa, Ukraine, said. "We use lots of paper in the show. We drop a lot of paper into the audience. There is big audience participation -- big garbage bags."

Bogatirev says the "Aga-boom" clowns are nothing like circus clowns in the United States. They are more like those found in Cirque du Soleil productions.

"We are theatrical clowns," he said. "The style from Russia is to become a character onstage -- without talking we create stories, but from the theatre of the absurd."

Bogatirev says they began experimenting with "Aga-boom" in Las Vegas libraries that have stages.

"We were successful and took the show to Los Angeles," he said.

The show received good reviews in the Los Angeles Times and then moved to Broadway for two months last December.

"We were sold out," Bogatirev said.

They were written about in the New York Times and in Variety.

"We have created a new form of entertainment for the family," Bogatirev said.

The troupe recently returned from an engagement in Dubai.

"There were big billboards everywhere," he said. "The king of Dubai was on one side, on the other side was my face."

They performed nine shows in a circus tent that held 1,000 fans.

"One never expects to see Arabic people watching clowns," Bogatirev said.

Admission is $24.95 and $34.95. For information call 636-7111.

Cirque du Vatican

Juggler and acrobat Anatoli Miagkostoupov once performed in the Vatican for the late Pope John Paul II.

"I was with the Moscow Circus in 1987 when my act was named the best act of the year in several magazines," said Miagkostoupov, who produces and performs in "Candyman: From Russia with Love" at Fitzgeralds.

He said only the Pope and the media were present for the performance.

Afterward, John Paul II said to Miagkostoupov, "I am happy you are doing this, entertaining people of the world and bringing happiness.

"He thanked me for doing my mission."

It is traditional to kiss the Pope's hand.

"We were from Russia," Miagkostoupov said. "We were not educated in such things. I turned around and shook his hand."

His photograph with the Pope appeared around the world.

"Thanks to that picture I got my green card in 10 days," Miagkostoupov said. "In 1991 the INS started giving visas for athletes, performers, famous people from abroad.

"I just had my documents, plus the INS was impressed by my picture with the Pope."

Vegas views

The Vegas Showcase, sponsored by Callback Entertainment, will begin at 6 p.m. May 4 in the Golden Nugget showroom.

Entertainers will perform for the public and for talent-buyers seeking acts.

In addition to the acts that have been booked, special guest appearances will be made by surprise performers during the evening.

The event is being hosted by Tom Jones impersonator Harmik (one name only).

Tickets are $19.95 for VIP seating, $16.95 for general admission. There is a discount for locals.

For information call 891-9222.

Entertainer Michael Cagle ("Spotlight" at Bourbon Street) believes in helping young entertainers.

The singer has been asked to help coach some of the students who will be performing in the Desert Pines High School production of "Grease" on April 27.

"In my hometown I helped get a children's theater going," Cagle said. "I have taught music, drama and musical theater classes.

"Getting involved with the Nevada high school drama departments is a complete thrill and honor. I get to give back what I have learned and get to, hopefully, mentor and help someone get closer to their dreams."

A Hooters groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at San Remo by the PENTA Building Group.

PENTA, founder of the Hooters Restaurant chain, recently bought the hotel-casino, which is located south of the MGM Grand.

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