Tom Gorman on low-key celebrity interviewer Bobbie Katz, who could fill up the Enquirer, but she values relationships with stars

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

Because he covers celebrities, Robin Leach is a celebrity.

Because she covers celebrities, Bobbie Katz is hungry.

I've only run into Leach a few times. I love his accent, his twinkle, his unabashed giddiness in covering Las Vegas' glitz and glam. I admit that I watched his delightfully kitschy TV show, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." And I'm envious that this roly-poly, balding fellow is able to surround himself with such eye candy.

At a VIP party for magicians Penn and Teller at the Rio several years ago, I watched Leach's blonde, buxom bombshell-of-a-date pull her top up to her neck, bend over and pointedly dip herself into the frosting of a big cake. It left a big impression on the cake and, obviously, on me. Leach laughed and took pictures.

I don't begrudge Leach his celebrity and party high jinks because, from what I understand, he really is a nice fellow.

But among the reporters who cover the celebrity side of Las Vegas, the person I really love is Bobbie Katz.

I'd be surprised if you know Bobbie's name. She doesn't thrust microphones into celebrities' faces for a quick sound bite as they walk down the red carpet.

Bobbie is a freelance writer, one of about 20 in Las Vegas who struggle to make a living by selling articles about Las Vegas to newspapers and magazines.

As fun as that might sound - schmoozing at big parties with famous entertainers - hers is not a cushy life. Unlike salaried writers for newspapers and magazines, Bobbie is constantly hustling to sell an article for $200 here, $300 there.

She lives in a small suburban townhouse and drives a car that's about 10 years old. She hasn't taken a vacation for a dozen years because she can't afford to go a week or two without writing and selling articles.

If Robin Leach trades on his own celebrity, Bobbie wins access because of her gentle personality. She quietly sits down with performers in their dressing rooms, in the theater seats between shows, at their homes or, if they haven't arrived in Las Vegas yet, by telephone.

She interviews them thoughtfully and respectfully. Her stories aren't "hit pieces" because the word would get out and publicists would stop giving her access. And she doesn't want to be known for writing star-struck fluff because that would diminish her credibility with the editors who buy her articles.

This month, Bobbie has interviewed Celine Dion, Harvey Fierstein, Ann-Margret, James Darren, Donny Osmond, Nancy Wilson and Rich Little. Some have become old friends.

She and Liza Minnelli talked about the loss of their mothers. Shecky Greene told her about his preperformance anxiety attacks. She cried with Anthony Newley about his cancer, and she listened as Engelbert Humperdinck talked about the loneliness of being on the road.

One of her big fans is Strip headliner Clint Holmes. "She has access to people because she is more than a casual reporter," he told me. "She is a person of consistent kindness, which is a great quality."

Bobbie began her freelance career interviewing celebrities in Atlantic City in the 1980s. She interviewed Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Harry Connick Jr. when they were still up-and-coming.

When her mother died in 1991, Bobbie decided the best way to move on with her life was to move to Las Vegas.

Her interviews have been published in some of the largest newspapers in the country (her clips from the Los Angeles Times span more than 10 years) and in some of the smallest (such as Vegas Voice, a freebie newspaper you might find in a library or in the giveaway stack at a convenience store). She has written for trade journals and hotel in-room magazines.

"It's a tough business but I love to write, and I love the people I meet," she said.

She doesn't disclose names but said that she has become a confidante to some stars, and first-name friendly with most.

"I could probably fill up the National Enquirer with what I've heard and learned," she said. "But I value my relationship with these people. I'm not looking to trash anybody."

I asked her what she has learned about celebrities in general. "They need approval, and they seem more vulnerable than most people," she said.

"A lot of them don't understand why they've made it and others haven't. They are uncomfortable at the thought of being idols, and they fear that they won't be able to live up to the accolades, or that they'll lose that public heat. They're scared. They're fragile."

This was the first time, Bobbie said, that she had ever been interviewed.