Tue, Nov 7, 2006 (7:09 a.m.)

As the Rio prepares to unleash Prince on Las Vegas, George Maloof isn't exactly green (or purple) with envy.

The owner of the Palms was asked Monday whether the Rio's partnership with one of the great artists of his generation would have any adverse effect on business at his ever-evolving resort.

"No. None," Maloof responded during a phone interview. "It's a show. Shows open all the time."

Maloof said the additional traffic (which is a tourism and gaming industry term for "people") brought by Prince to the Rio might actually boost business at the Palms, which sits across Flamingo Road from the purple-hued resort owned by Harrah's.

"It brings people to the other side of the Strip, so it's easier to come over to the Palms from there than if they were at a show on the Strip, at the Luxor for example," Maloof said. "The more people who make it over (from the Strip), the better it is for us."

Maloof also said he's not too familiar (yet) with the specifics of Prince's arrangement with the Rio. "I don't know the details, to be honest. So I haven't really thought about it and won't know until I see the show," he said, then chuckled. "Hey, it's the Entertainment Capital of the World. We have a lot of shows here."

As for Prince's music, Maloof said, "I know he puts on an unbelievable show, but I'm not a big fan."

At the venue formerly known as Club Rio, Prince will headline shows on Fridays and Saturdays (ticket prices are $125), although his performance schedule beyond this weekend has not been officially announced. On Wednesdays, the club, 3121 (the mysterious title of Prince's most recent release), will also be home to performances by FOPs (Friends of Prince) or artists booked by Prince. Thursdays will be "Latin Libido Night" (although we expect there will be room for the odd Greek-Italian columnist); tickets and cover charges for Wednesday's and Thursday's events will be $31.21. Prince is also a partner in the restaurant formerly known as Fiore Steakhouse. The new 3121 Jazz Cuisine opens Friday with a largely revamped menu (Apollonia strudel?), although a few of the Fiore items will remain - think of it as a kind of "greatest hits" package.

NoteMart

Wayne Allyn Root - author, renowned handicapper, cable chat show frequenter and (in 2010, probably) Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate - has posted his odds for this year's midterm elections and the 2008 presidential race. He lists the Democrats as 1-to-3 favorites to win control of the House of Representatives (picking up between 18 and 22 seats), but the Republicans as 6-to-5 favorites to retain control of the Senate. Root's picks, in order, to win the 2008 presidential election are John McCain (3-to-2), Rudolph Giuliani (2-to-1), Mitt Romney (at 3-to-1 Root's dark horse pick), Hillary Clinton (4-to-1), Al Gore (5-to-1), Barack Obama (8-to-1) and Bill Frist (50-to-1). ...

A visit with the reliably dapper Michael Severino of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada (where it is always happy hour) on Monday turned up this nugget: The state's largest liquor distributor will grow significantly in 2007, from a warehouse covering 300,000 to 350,000 square feet to about 450,000. The business on South Jones Boulevard houses in high stacks between 900,000 and 1 million cases of beer, wine, hard liquor, water and assorted mixes (hic) ...

Venetian headliner Gordie Brown frequently and effortlessly slips into a dead-on impression of Donald Trump. On several occasions Brown has uncorked the impression of The Donald for Trump friend and deal-maker Jack Wishna. So Wishna, making a deal, told Trump about Brown's mimicry and had Trump sign a photograph (of himself) for Brown. Trump did so and sent it to Wishna, who gave it to Brown on Brown's opening night on the Strip. Trump's inscription: "To Gordie, you are HIRED! Good luck at The Venetian, your fan, Donald J. Trump." ...

We're just going to go ahead and congratulate friend and fellow Beatlemaniac Dennis Mitchell on the 800th edition (without a repeat) of his outstanding "Breakfast With the Beatles" on Sunday on KKLZ 96.3-FM. Mitchell began hosting the show in 1991 and it is consistently entertaining, even for nonfans. You can still listen to Mitchell's landmark broadcast from Sunday, an hour of the Beatles' No. 1 hits, at www.beatlesradioshow.com ...

The March of Dimes' 22nd annual Nurse of the Year Awards Dinner, held Saturday at the Rio, honored Eloise "Ellie" Powell with the night's highest honor, Distinguished Nurse. Powell has been a nurse for almost 50 years and is reportedly getting the hang of it ...

Dig it: A black Bentley, too shiny for its own good, has a plate frame reading "www-dot" along the top, DIRT4U2 as the plate, and "com" on the bottom. Clever stuff, DIR T1.

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