John Katsilometes on veteran entertainment deal maker Jaki Baskow, who is honored at a special Oscar night party at the Bellagio

Monday, March 6, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

Jaki Baskow arrived in Las Vegas 30 years ago Sunday - the anniversary of that event coincidentally landed on the night she was honored by the Arthritis Foundation at an Oscar party officially sanctioned at the Bellagio.

Thus, the longtime entertainment deal maker has an informed opinion about Las Vegas trends - and she is bemoaning the loss of lounges.

"When I got here the lounges were the thing. That's how Las Vegas got to be Entertainment Capitol of the World," Baskow said during Sunday's fundraiser, which drew about 500 people to the Bellagio Tower Ballroom. "The first lounge act I saw in Las Vegas was Freddie Bell and Sonny King at the Sands."

Along with Richard Burgi of "Desperate Housewives," hosts Cathy Ray and John Daly and auction emcee Christian Kolberg, several of Las Vegas' top entertainers were on hand. Those in the house included Clint Holmes and Kelly Clinton, Gordie Brown, Frank Marino, members of the Blue Man Group and the Las Vegas Tenors.

Burgi got off a good line during a quick interview with Ray, saying he was originally drawn to Baskow because "we're both from God's country - New Jersey."

NoteMart

No Mirage: That Mirage gift package we spoke of (and wrote about) in Sunday's column, the one given to Academy Awards nominees who did not win in the major categories, was estimated to be worth more than $52,000. Along with the three-night stay, butler service and four tickets to a Cirque du Soleil production we wrote about Sunday, the package reportedly includes a complement of hangover-prevention remedy, Atlantic luggage, a Lasik eye procedure, Brazilian swimwear and an oversized box of Altoids ...

Woods embarks: Actor James Woods was born in Vernal, Utah, scored a perfect 800 on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and 779 on the math. He went on to major in political science at MIT.

What's all this have to do with Las Vegas? That same James Woods muscled down two dozen oysters at Fix at the Bellagio on Friday.

Woods was in town for the National Heads-Up Poker Championships at Caesars Palace. Also on hand(s) at Caesars was Jennifer Tilly, who celebrated the 10th anniversary of her nomination for best supporting actress in "Bullets Over Broadway" by playing in the tournament. Tilly is the only celebrity (as in, movie-star celebrity) to win an open World Series of Poker tournament title; she won the Ladies-Only No Limit Texas Hold-Em event at last year's WSOP ...

Packing them in: Palace Station headliner Earl Turner has a particularly loyal fan base - evidenced by an e-mail I received Saturday from Gayle and Jesse Johnston of New Orleans. They have seen Turner at least 80 times (all when he performed at Harrah's in New Orleans), and are planning a trip to Vegas April 11-15 to see him again ...

Road work: In its March 13 edition, Time magazine reports that the closing of "Avenue Q" at Wynn Las Vegas is both a "lesson and opportunity" for the national Broadway industry. Pat Halloran, president of the Independent Presenters Network (55 theater owners, operators and presenters across the country) has put up $1 million toward "Spamalot's" run at Wynn Las Vegas - but the deal also includes a tour outside of Las Vegas.

"Avenue Q" did not tour while it played in Vegas. Steve Wynn paid the producers $5 million up front for an exclusive run at his hotel.

"After 'Avenue Q,' we all became a little smarter," Halloran said.

As the story explains, a successful run in Las Vegas can help boost interest in touring shows, the best example being "Mamma Mia!" which enjoys success on the road and at Mandalay Bay. As for "Avenue Q," producers have sent "kiss and make up" cards to tour presenters across the country - and that promotional orange "Avenue Q" fuzz will be stripped from Vegas cabs when the show closes May 28 ...

Drive! Progress is being made at the "autotainment" attraction the Drive at Sahara, scheduled to open this spring, with 10,000 tons of asphalt having been set on the 11-acre site across from the hotel on the east side of Paradise Road. This week 25 tons of dirt will be placed on the off-road course.

The partnership between GM, The Las Vegas Monorail and Sahara will give visitors the opportunity to drive some of GM's best vehicles (think of it as a $10 test drive), including new Corvettes and H3s ...

It's a date: The dates for this year's "Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon" were off in Sunday's column. The telethon, this year to be broadcast from Las Vegas, will air live from the South Coast on Sept. 3-4 ...

Nice car - but can he tackle Vince Young? Spotted recently, a burgundy Porsche Carrera with Nevada vanity plates USCTRJN.