Tuesday, April 18, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.
There was a time when mentioning the name John Stuart did not conjure images of "The Daily Show." But today we draw a distinction: This John Stuart (whose first and last names are spelled differently than, but sound the same as, Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show") is the founder of "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace. And this John Stuart will be honored next month by the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.
Stuart will be recognized on May 30 at the IP during the Celebrity Impersonators Convention. The event will be held following the convention's Talent Showcase and Brunch in the Legends Showroom.
Stuart founded "Legends in Concert" in 1983. Impress your friends by knowing that the original "Legends" lineup was Sheri Rae Parker (Janis Joplin), Phil Sadalla (Bobby Darin), George Trulinger (Buddy Holly) and Susie Griffiths (Marilyn Monroe).
In March, Stuart was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Reel Awards in Palm Springs, Calif., for his contributions to the entertainment industry.
Stuart is hardly alone among 2006 Walk of Stars honorees.
Also being honored, on April 27, is longtime Las Vegas entertainer and humanitarian Toni Aileen Hart, who performed with her family at the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Tropicana and Aladdin for eight years. She produced the family's groundbreaking album and landed her son, Larry, his first Grammy Award nomination for "Amazing Grace."
Hart holds a doctorate in theology, and in 1984 founded the Hartland Foundation, which awards scholarships to underprivileged children and young adults. She hosts fundraisers and special events at her lavish Hartland Mansion.
Already reported as an honoree is late Flamingo General Manager Chester Simms, who worked as an executive at the hotel in the '50s and '60s. Simms will be honored on May 6 in a ceremony planned around the Kentucky Derby (he was a big horse-racing fan); accepting the award on his behalf will be his son, Doug Simms.
The Walk of Stars was launched in 2004 by Clark County to recognize individuals of prominence in a variety of areas. The 180-pound stars are to be placed on a stretch of the Strip between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road. An endowment of $15,000 is required to induct an individual.
NoteMart
Yet another Stewart/Stuart: Not really a Vegas item, but it is now: Officials at DaVinci Academy, a charter high school in Ogden, Utah, wanted to sign Jon Stewart to host their annual gala. They did - but not "The Daily Show" host.
They inadvertently booked Jon A. Stewart, a 39-year-old former motivational speaker, businessman and part-time professional wrestler from Deerfield, Ill., who was surprised to receive an invitation to appear at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center.
Stewart asked if the officials had the right Jon Stewart. When told they did, he accepted an airline ticket and rental car for $421. Then a reporter asked the comedian Jon Stewart's publicist about the booking and was told that the Academy Awards host was not scheduled to appear in Ogden, ever.
That bit of news disappointed the more than 700 ticket-holders who paid $50 apiece to see the comic ...
Pride redux: Following Sunday's news that a Pride Fighting Championships card is headed for the Thomas & Mack Center in October, I received e-mail correspondence referring to coverage of Pride's parent organization, Dream Stage Entertainment, in Japan. The hot news over there is that DSE is allegedly linked to organized crime (an organization called yakuza). Also implicated are Japanese networks Fuji TV and Nippon TV, Japan's two largest free TV networks, and as one informed source wrote to me, "Implicating those TV networks ... is a major, major deal."
However, on Monday Daren Libonati said he was not concerned with the reputation of DSE, which gained licensing with the Nevada Athletic Commission in 2002. "They have been nothing but professional in every way," said Libonati, the executive director of the Thomas & Mack Center, Sam Boyd Stadium and Cox Pavilion.
Libonati said he hopes to attend a Pride event in Japan (the next one is set for May 5 at the Osaka Dome) before bringing the series to the United States, and also has visions of a mixed Pride-Ultimate Fighting Championships card in Vegas - possibly at Sam Boyd Stadium - in the spring of '07 ...
Rock show: On the weekend before tonight's grand opening Red Rock Resort drew laudatory coverage from the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and BusinessWeek magazine. The L.A. Times' Jane Engle writes that the resort "... comes fully loaded ... In contrast to the keep-'em-in-the-dark ambience of many gambling palaces, the casino's floor-to-ceiling windows will let the sunshine in."
From BusinessWeek's Christopher Palmeri: "Not long ago the formula for off-the-Strip properties was simple: cheap food and better odds. But that's no longer the case." He uses Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch Station Casino as examples of that trend. The New York Times also gives a detailed wrap of the resort, but manages to incorporate its suburbia location as "Summerlin, Nev." ...
Dialed in: Supporters of Nevada Public Radio will be treated to a VIP opening of Red Rock's 16-screen Regal Cinemas during tonight's grand opening. For $25 guests receive a ticket to a sneak preview film, soft drinks and popcorn. All proceeds will go to Nevada Public Radio; tickets can be purchased at www.knpr.org or www.classical.org and be picked up at the theater's will call window.
The title of the film is being kept secret; all that is being divulged is that it is being screened three weeks ahead of its national release, it premiered this year at Sundance and features "boots, kinky ones," which would indicate the movie is "Kinky Boots" ...
Two-night stand: The MGM Grand Garden Arena announced a second date for Madonna, on May 28. Her first show, on May 27, is sold out. Tickets for the second date are $75, $175, $265 and $375 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM and all Ticketmaster outlets.
Other big arena shows on the horizon are Pearl Jam (July 6 at the MGM), Rascal Flatts (July 15 at Mandalay Bay Events Center) and Def Leppard-Journey (Aug. 18 at Mandalay Bay Events Center) ...
Keepin' on this music medley: Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland are the first performers confirmed for the Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be held May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast on CBS ...
Everything and the kitchen Zinc: Celebrity Chef Joseph Keller is holding the grand opening of his newest restaurant, Bistro Zinc in MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas, on April 27. The fare is American cuisine, with French influences ...
"Bob Dole wants the seafood fettucini": A day before his appearance Monday at the UNLV Barrick Lecture Series, Bob Dole was spotted dining at Bellagio's Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare. He was said to look tan, rested and ready ...
Bebe's in black: A fair follow-up to Monday's item about spiraling ticket prices in Vegas is that Bebe Neuwirth's ticket prices for her show Saturday night at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall range from $45 to $90 - a bargain for a Tony Award-winning performer (and UNLV students are admitted for $12.50) ...
The fix is in: OK, the reggae version of "Red Red Wine" I referred to a few days ago was by UB40, not Bob Marley (the moral of this story is never rely on foggy memories of the Fremont Street Reggae & Blues Club to identify musical acts, or anything else). Also, the appearance by Barry Manilow on "Larry King Live" will not be this Friday; after a late scheduling change it aired last Friday and it was thoroughly entertaining ...
Better use these before the Wranglers are eliminated: Two plates spotted recently, NHLCRZY and, simply, HOCKEY.
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