Did his involvement in Vegas Jacko tribute get Steve Friess' producing partner fired from Jersey Boys?

Las Vegas Sun

Erich Bergen, who was the frontman and star of the Las Vegas Michael Jackson birthday tribute he produced along with Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer, Gay Vegas author and comp queen Steve Friess, has been fired from the Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys-- and in the words of one Vegas columnnist, caused a media "kerfuffle" in the process.

Bergen, who portrayed Four Season Bob Gaudio in the show at the Palazzo Hotel & Casino on the Strip, has turned himself into a Vegas personality, performing at the Liberace Museum (his version of Britney Spears' "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" is a YouTube staple), and then going national with his flogging of the “Michael Jackson’s Untimely Death Was The Best Thing That Could Ever Have Happened to Michael Jackson’s Music Show” while his partner Friess stayed in the shadows.


His surprise axeing was reported in the Las Vegas Sun and in an angry Twitter from Friess' BFF, beauty queen-turned-TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs:

I am SO FURIOUS! Just heard that my friend.
ERICH BERGEN was "let go"
from JERSEY BOYS!
Told not 2 return from his vacation!
Wow. BIG MISTAKE

When respected Las Vegas writer Richard Abovitz Los Angeles Times blog item expressed wonderment over such a fuss over a common cast change in an ensemble Vegas show, a supporting player at that, Freiss responded with a tantrum on his own Vegas blog.

Oddly, Friess, who claimed loudly that the mysterious overdose death of Vegas headliner Danny Gans was not a story worthy of investigating or reporting, claims that the departure of a supporting castmember of an ensemble show is actually big news:

"... it's odd to me that Abowitz overlooks the fact that Erich's name has been in the papers for most of the time he's been in Vegas, an unusual feat for even the stars of shows with more singular performers. He's been pivotal in turning the Liberace Museum's showroom into a hip place for young Strip talent to jam, he raised $103,000+ less than a month ago for Las Vegas schoolkids in a show that drew massive amounts of international news coverage and he was the mouthpiece for 'Jersey Boys' only a fortnight ago on one of the most-watched TV shows of the summer.

"When someone makes a name for themselves, we call them celebrities. And when celebrities are summarily dismissed from the jobs that made them celebrities, the public is understandably curious. Fame + Controversy = Newsworthiness. Is it really that baffling?"

The pompous use of the word "fortnight" notwithstanding, Friess neglects to address the elephant in the room: whether Bergen got the axe because of his association with Friess and his involvement in the controversial exploitation of Michael Jackson's death.

We've emailed Friess. He has yet to respond.


(Fame + Controversy = Newsworthiness? Unless it's Danny Gans, we suppose...)

Jersey Boy promotes the Las Vegas "Michael Jackson’s Untimely Death Was The Best Thing That Could Ever Have Happened To Michael Jackson’s Music" show

Las Vegas writer, New York Times stringer, Gay Vegas author and comp queen Steve Friess is taking a back seat in promotion of his controversial “Michael Jackson’s untimely death was the best thing that could ever have happened to Michael Jackson’s music show.” Friess, who wrote that “Michael Jackson’s untimely death was the best thing that could ever have happened to Michael Jackson’s music,” is allowing Erich Bergen,who appears in the Vegas production of Jersey Boys to be the face of the hastily-arranged birthday “tribute" to the pop star. Appearing on a local television, Bergen parroted Friess’ claim that “We’re not here addressing any of the tabloid or the news version of Michael Jackson. We’re really just celebrating his songbook.” He also promised publicly that “all the money, every single penny, a hundred percent, is going to the Clark County Public Education Foundation, earmarked for music education in particular.”

The show, featuring many Vegas acts, takes place August 29th at the Palms at 3 pm. We’ll hope that all those who take the time to participate also make room on their schedules for the Jerry Lewis Telethon September 6th and 7th.

New York Times' man in Las Vegas makes shocking Britney Spears death joke as tickets go on sale for his Michael Jackson birthday "tribute" show

Tickets have gone on sale this weekend for the Michael Jackson birthday "tribute" show produced and promoted by New York Times reporter, Gay Vegas author and local comp queen Steve Friess, who celebrated Jackson's death as "the best thing that could ever have happened to Michael Jackson's music" and led the media coverup in reporting the similar prescription painkiller death of local superstar Danny Gans.

In celebrating the queue at the box office, Friess also added a sick Britney Spears death joke to

Friess (right), who is the primary Las Vegas freelance reporter for a number of national and international publications, took the highly unusual step of profiting off the subject of his reportage, jumping at the chance to be the first to exploit Jackson's death with an August 29th 3 pm "tribute" at the Palms Hotel, where Jackson had recorded and where Friess participated in an unofficial wedding ceremony with local television news producer Miles Smith.

"I would never do anything like that. I would never lend my name to anything that charges readers money-- no matter the cause," one Las Vegas-based journalist told us.

Yet, with memories as long as Dory the Fish's and investigative curiosity lagging slightly behind that of the members of the Warren Commission, the Las Vegas news media have been happily hyping the unusual money-procuring brainstorm without question.

In a post on his casino-promoting blog with a headline that squeals, People On Line At Box Office!!!, Friess previews the sale of tickets that top out at $504, and includes YouTube videos of various local news reports on his endeavour.


Primary among them is a report by Alicia Jacobs (top) the beauty queen turned TV entertainment reporter who used her longtime close personal friendship with Danny Gans to help distract the media and public from the unpleasant facts about his reliance on the drugs that killed him, and in the process diminished her credibiity even in a gladhanding, palm-greasing media environment like "Sin City."

After our coverrage showed the links between Jacobs and Friess in the deliberate campaign to stop coverage of Gans' tragic death, one would have expected her boss at KVBC-TV News to insist that she remove herself from the Jackson concert story. Her boss, however, is Friess' unofficial husband, Miles Smith.


In a shocking footnote to the concert ticket sales posting, Friess makes a sick joke about cashing in on the potential death of troubled popstar Britney Spears.


Under a YouTube video of his co-producer Erich Bergen "singing Britney Spears at the Liberace Museum" (we don't make this stuff up, folks), Friess adds:

"Memo to Erich: If something awful happens to Britney Spears and you decide to do one of these things, you're on your own. :-)"

Friess has ignored repeated requests by Tabloid Baby for an interview or clarifications of his intentions.

Las Vegas writer who applauded Michael Jackson's death now producing a concert in Michael Jackson's name

The Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer, gay guide writer and noted comp queen who led the fight to prevent journalistic investigation of Danny Gans' overdose death has moved quickly to be the first Sin City personality to capitalize on the tragic passing of Michael Jackson.

Steve Friess, who wrote earlier this month in the Las Vegas Weekly that "Michael Jackson’s untimely death was the best thing that could ever have happened to Michael Jackson’s music," is producing and promoting a concert at the Palms Hotel & Casino on August 29th called "Las Vegas Celebrates Michael Jackson."

According to Friess' website, the show at the Pearl concert venue will celebrate "the music of the King of Pop on the occasion of his 51st birthday" and is "a benefit concert to raise money for music education in public schools.

"My partner in this venture, 'Jersey Boys' star Erich Bergen, is really the visionary behind all of this as well as the true MJ die-hard, but I jumped in because it seemed like a terrific, timely and dignified way to use this pop-culture moment to do some real good."


Friess is promoting the show with a separate website and on Facebook. He has not announced ticket prices, talent, or what charities will benefit, though he claims: "Every dime is going to the causes we choose -- VH1's Save the Music Foundation is the leading contender at this point."

I’m just going to come right out and say it:
Michael Jackson’s untimely death
was the best thing that could ever
have happened to Michael Jackson’s music.

--Steve Friess, Las Vegas Weekly

Tabloid Baby has contacted Friess several times in an effort to determine what charities will be benefited by the show, the details of his relationship with the Palms (site of his unofficial marriage to and honeymoon with local TV news executive Miles Smith), and whether he finds it unusual for a New York Times reporter to be sponsoring such an event (especially after his aggressive stand against "exploiting" Danny Gans).

He has not responded, beyond referring to our reporter as a "stalker extraordinaire."


Still unclear is why Friess would want to honor Michael Jackson. Last week, Friess floated a story by Gans' manager Chip Lightman that Jackson's brothers were angling to take over Gans' spot at Steve Wynn's Encore Theatre. Last month, he wrote an astounding column in the Weekly that commended his fellow local journos for avoiding coverage of the mysterious death of Strip headliner Gans, noting that "in Las Vegas, when left to our own devices, we do things a little differently."