Columnist John Katsilometes: Observing the art of the deal with a Steve Wonder impressionist

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006 | 8:26 a.m.

Fabulous Las Vegas runs Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach John Katsilometes at kats@ lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-2327 or (702) 812-9812.

I am dealt jack of clubs and ace of spades, and I call out to the dealer, blackjack!" He raises his hand for a high-five -- and misses. A pit boss standing nearby steadies him and we try again, with success.

See, he's blind, this dealer. Or pretends to be. He also makes like he's Stevie Wonder, one of the more distinctive members of the Dealertainer lineup at Imperial Palace. Since 2003 the group of 29 Dealertainers have performed for and (mostly) fleeced customers from noon to 4 a.m. at the casino's blackjack pit.

Those given the Dealertainer treatment include Bette Midler, Billy Idol, Bruce Springsteen, Gwen Stefani, Janet Jackson and the Blues Brothers. Long-lost legends Elvis, Louie Armstrong and Marilyn Monroe are also impersonated behind the felt tables.

Feeling that, perhaps, I could call out my own hands -- seven or eight consecutive blackjacks! -- to Mr. Wonder, I played $20 against him Thursday night. It was hit-and-miss for awhile; I was never up more than $5 and wound up losing my entire nest egg.

People see me and say, 'This is going to be easy,' but I tend to get pretty hot, said Wonder impressionist Lannie Counts (great name for a dealer), who has been performing on and around the Strip in various bands since he arrived from Phoenix 15 years ago. It's a lot of fun, though. People like the idea of playing a cards against Stevie Wonder.

Counts hams it up, turning his name plate upside down and asking pit bosses to describe the people seated in front of him. He rhythmically shifts from side to side, mimicking one of Wonder's famous physical traits, while firing cards haphazardly to chuckling players.

Counts originally performed as Flip Wilson, but was not immediately recognizable as the moderately famous comic. I'd wear a tan suit and people were asking who I was supposed to be, Counts said. Then he tried Ray Charles before settling on Wonder, because his music and voice are more lively. His songs have more of a party feel.

Yes, it's all fun and games -- until I drop $20.

NoteMart

Canon focuses: Canon U.S.A. held its annual fundraiser for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Friday and Saturday. Friday night was a buffet reception at the Four Seasons Grand Ballroom (featuring a live and silent auction and music from Billy Joel tribute Movin' Out at the Four Seasons Grand Ballroom; Saturday was a celebrity golf tournament at TPC at The Canyons.

The veritable cavalcade of celebs lending their time to the event included former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, ace relief pitchers Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage, onetime Strip impressionist Andre Philippe-Gagnon (who is hoping for a return to a full-time Vegas headlining gig by the end of the year), choreographer Cris Judd, TV anchor John Daly, actors John Ashton, Richard Burgi, Bryan Cranston, Brenda Epperson, Robert Hays, David Naughton, Joe Regalbuto, Tanya Roberts, Stephen Root, Sara Rue, Kevin Sorbo and Michael Storm ...

Tao or never: I always thought alt-rock band Jane's Addiction would have been even more powerful with Mike Tyson in the lineup; spotted at Tao on Friday were Tyson and JA frontman Perry Farrell ...

That's All Right, Momma: The 71st anniversary of Elvis's birthday is today. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the King's breakout year of 1956 (when he turned 21) and Elvis Presley Enterprises says in a statement it plans many licensing and merchandising programs, special events and entertainment projects, which are in the works and will be announced over the course of 2006. Yes, we certainly can use more Elvis-themed products out here ...

Give us some cred: As I filled out a press credential request form Thursday for the Miss America Pageant, to be hosted by James Denton and scheduled for Jan. 21 at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts (and this could be the year for Miss Idaho), I stopped on the line that read, FOR WHICH MEDIA? It provided a list of media outlets: Radio, TV, magazine, Internet and other. Yep, newspapers are becoming other.