The Danny Gans daisy chain: Steve and Chip and Alicia and Norm and Miles and--

To quote Aretha: Who's zoomin' who? With those closest to the late Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans amending their stories of what they knew about the state of his health when he died in bed on May 1st at the age of 52, and with the relationships among the major media players-- the ones who are parceling out the "official" information, reporting it, and protecting it -- coming into a more clear focus, we're not sure what to to believe.

We've been called conspiracy theorists, and much worse, as we look for answers to what killed this supposedly healthy entertainer, but now, who knows? As the Las Vegas media waits patiently for the "official" report from the Clark County Coroner, did Gans manager Chip Lightman and Gans friend Alicia Jacobs toss up the "high blood pressure" story as a way to explain away drugs they know the toxicology report will list in Gans' system? Why is Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review-Journal transcribing whatever they say, only to retract it days later when they tell him something else? Are they and supposed freelancer Steve Friess hiding something more sinister? Are they hiding anything? Was Danny Gans just a good guy with a bad ticker?

We're not saying. We're still trying to keep track of the players, and their connections:


Steve Friess is the Las Vegas freelance reporter and writer (for publications including The New York Times and USA) who went ballistic and began posting obscene insults about us after we asked him why local reporters weren't investigating the events leading to, and speculation regarding the possible cause of Gans' death.


Chip Lightman was Danny Gans' manager for most all of 18 years. He phoned a local TV reporter with news of Gans' death in the early morning hours of May 1st. He's been working the media, while working with hotel-casino magnate Steve Wynn to book acts into Gans' showroom, ever since.


Alicia Jacobs is the woman who got the 4 a.m. phone call from Lightman. She's a beauty queen-turned-television entertainment reporter who boasted a close, 13-year friendship with Danny Gans. She broke the Gans death story on KVBC-TV News.


Norm Clarke is the Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist who often quotes Steve Friess and has run several stories about Alicia Jacobs and Chip Lightman since Gans' death, including their claims that they had no idea what caused the former athlete and "health nut" to pass away prematurely.

On Thursday, Norm Clarke wrote that his paper had entered into a deal with Chip Lightman to publish Gans' autobiography. Today, one day after we interviewed Alicia Jacobs about Danny Gans (and the day after Steve Friess increased his attacks on this news organization), Norm Clarke went online with the exclusive story that Chip Lightman and Alicia Jacobs both knew all along that Danny Gans was a ticking time bomb, with high blood pressure and a family history of "heart problems."

Miles Smith is the executive producer of KVBC-TV News. He is Alicia Jacobs' boss. And he brings us full circle to Steve Friess.

How?


Miles Smith, Alicia Jacobs' boss, is Steve Friess' "husband" (in quotes because Smith and Friess were wed by a rabbi at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas-- same sex marriage is not legal in Nevada).

(UPDATE: We originally ran a great punchline photo of Steve Friess and Miles Smith in bed together. But Steve Friess has claimed ownership of many photos we've run and demanded we remove them. Mr. Friess, a journalist, has also taken action to have TabloidBaby.com shut down... )

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO OF STEVE FRIESS LITERALLY IN BED-- UNDER THE COVERS-- WITH KVBC TV NEWS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MILES SMITH.

Developing...

Chip Lightman sues, threatens to write tell-all book about Donny & Marie Osmond

Danny Gans' former manager Chip Lightman has declared war on Donny and Marie Osmond, filing a lawsuit against them and threatening to reveal the secrets of the Mormon siblings in a "tell all book."

Lightman struck out on his Twitter account in response to the Osmonds' announcement that they were bouncing him from his role as producer of their show at the Flamingo Hilton.


Gans and his longtime friend and sidekick Lightman brought the show to the Flamingo two years ago under their Ganslight banner. The Osmonds said on September 25th that the Ganslight contract expired last week and that "we have decided not to renew that contract.

"The show will of course continue... and we hope to explore future opportunities with Chip Lightman."

Lightman posted Friday on Twitter, a common means of communication among Las Vegas showbiz insiders, claiming there are two years left on their "commitment" and accusing Donny Osmond of "putting out false information" (he'd later accuse the brother-sister act of "contractual interference and deceitful dealings" and claim that Donny told him his contract wouldn't be renewed unless he'd take a 50 percent pay cut).


Most chilling to the "squeaky clean" Mormon Osmonds and others in Sin City circles was Lightman's threat that he "has already been approached for a 'TELL ALL' BOOK."


Lightman indicated the type of the secrets he could be prodded to spill back in December when, unprompted, he contradicted the official timeline of Gans' untimely drug-related death on May 1, 2009, that Gans' wife Julie had given police.

Fun Fact: Lightman tweeted on March 21st that "Donnie & Marie are a class act."

Danny Gans' manager spreads Jacksons rumour with help of New York Times stringer and death coverup blogger

Another connection between overdose victims Michael Jackson and Danny Gans is being floated this evening in the form of unsubstantiated gossip from Gans' former manager Chip Lightman on the Las Vegas blog of New York Times freelancer and comp queen Steve Friess:

"Chip Lightman, the late Danny Gans' manager, informed me today that he's been contacted by an envoy for Michael Jackson's surviving brothers about the prospect of a permanent Jackson Brothers show in the vacant Encore showroom at Wynn Las Vegas."

Is Chip Lightman to be believed?

In the days following Gans' untimely death on May 1st, Lightman and Gans' close personal friend, beauty queen turned TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs clouded the truth about Gans' drug use and worked overtime to mythologize him as a heroic, religious figure with stories that were either shrugged off as exaggeration or retracted. Meanwhile, Friess began a smear and harassment campaign aimed at stopping TabloidBaby.com from investigating or reporting on the mysterious circumstances of Gans death.

It was later revealed that Jacobs works for Friess' unofficial same-sex marriage partner at the local NBC affiliate and was the "celebrity guest" at their nonbinding gay wedding at the Palms. (The group's curiously close and ethically questionable relationship was explored here in a post subtitled The Danny Gans daisy chain.)

Oddly, while floating Lightman's latest Barnumesque blather without any confirmation, Friess (above left) dismisses it in the same posting:

"Lightman noted that the call was extremely preliminary and that it's unclear exactly what the Jacksons have in mind... Lightman also noted that there's no telling how Wynn management might react, but I suspect the answer would be a 'HELL NO.'"

While it's understandable that Lightman would be looking to be involved with the act that ultimately takes over Gans' spot at the Encore Theatre, and should be given a pass for trying to float an idea in front of his boss, Steve Wynn, Friess' role in spreading the rumour brings to mind his involvement in spreading false rumours about Gans' death in order throw journalistic investigators off the scent of painkillers and steroids.

Let's see how long it takes this one to make The New York Times.

Chip Lightman's lawsuit calls Donny Osmond "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy"

Chip Lightman knows how to hit Donny Osmond where it hurts: smack in the middle of his squeaky-clean Mormon image.

Lightman, who made his reputation as manager and sidekick to the late local superstar Danny Gans, filed suit against the wholesome entertainer last week after Osmond announced he was dropping Lightman as producer of the Donny & Marie show at the Flamingo (Lightman and Gans-- who died suddenly in May 2009--brought the brother-sister act to the Flamingo, in effect reviving their careers, two years ago, producing the show under the Ganslight banner).


Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Lightman's suit claims Donny Osmond was "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy," out to "line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle of exotic cars, luxury hotel suites and private jets," and acted in ways that are "contrary to the wholesome, all-American, good-natured image that he presents to the public."

"The lawsuit claims that Osmond conspired to cut Lightman and the William Morris Agency out of a Flamingo contract extension through 2012, and claims Donny threatened not to perform beyond next week if "the Flamingo did not terminate any and all agreements" with Lightman.

"The suit alleges that '(d)ue to the declining economy, poor investments and his extravagant lifestyle," Donny "lived paycheck to paycheck scraping by to cover his own expenses.' That, Lightman alleges, motivated him to try to cut costs and commissions.

"The Osmonds' attorney, Howard King, said Wednesday he had not seen the complaint to comment on specifics. But he wrote in an e-mail, 'Of course, we are surprised and disappointed that Mr. Lightman took such precipitous action, especially in light of the substantial sums he has been paid, despite the facts that he neither created, financed or owns the show, nor does he engage the 48 talented and dedicated people who produce and perform the show each night.'"

Weatherford reports that the lawsuit claims the Osmonds each had a base salary of $1.6 million, plus 40 percent of gross box office receipts over $250,000, and that the Flamingo obtained life insurance policies for both Donny and Marie in the amount of $5 million each.

He also points out that Gans stopped working with Lightman from 2004 through early 2008, but reconciled.

Donny Osmond spoke at Danny Gans' memorial service and is set to host the Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run for Life in nearby Henderson on Saturday.

(Mike Weatherford's also got a good joke buried in the story, so check it out here.)

Lightman's solo act issue in Osmond lawsuit

There's an interesting and forgotten footnote to Chip Lightman's lawsuit against Donny Osmond, for firing him as producer of the Donny & Marie show at the Flamingo. In August, 2009, after it was announced that Donny would compete in ABC's Dancing with The Stars, Mike Weatherford wrote in the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"The Flamingo was wise to lock in the duo with a contract extension through Oct. 15, 2012. The two originally were courted by late impressionist Danny Gans and his manager, Chip Lightman, who produced under the name GansLight Entertainment.

"Lightman says Gans' family is no longer financially involved in the Osmond show. He's helming it under the name Chip Lightman Entertainment. However, the giant building wrap on the side of the Flamingo is cost-prohibitive to change, so Gans' name will stay."

Lightman's suit claims his contract with the Osmonds show runs through October 15, 2012.

In his Las Vegas Sun article on yesterday's Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run for Life, John Katsilometes reports that "Osmond talked glowingly of Gans, who was managed by Lightman and instrumental in bringing Donny & Marie to the Flamingo two years ago. He says he took on the role of spokesman for the annual run-walk charity event as a tribute to Gans."

“'This shows it is not just a publicity thing with me,' Osmond said. 'Danny was such a good friend of mine. We texted jokes to each other. He came to the show, and he’d have notes for me all the time because he’s such a perfectionist. He came into my dressing room and had four pages of notes, and 90 percent of what he said was spot on.”

DANNY GANS BOMBSHELL: MANAGER SAYS VEGAS STAR DIED "A COUPLE OF HOURS" BEFORE HIS WIFE CALLED 911

LEILA NAVIDI

In a shocking interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Danny Gans’ manager has raised disturbing new questions about the circumstances of the musical impressionist’s drug-related death.

Chip Lightman, who was first to receive word from Gans’ wife Julie that the Las Vegas Strip star had died in his bed early on the morning of May 1st, indicates that Gans may have died hours earlier than police reported, and that Julie Gans phoned Lightman a half hour before she called 911.

STEVE MARCUS/LAS VEGAS SUN

According to the incident report from the Henderson Police Department, Gans’ wife Julie (“Julia”) awoke “at approximately 0340 hours… and realized Daniel was no longer snoring. When Julia checked on Daniel she realized he was unresponsive and she could not tell if he was breathing and or if he had a pulse.  Julia immediately called 911.”

Lightman, however, tells Sun columnist John Katsilometes that Julie Gans called him at 3:15 a.m., and told him that Gans had died “a couple of hours ago.”

“I get a call at 3:15 in the morning, and it’s Julie, his wife, and she goes, ‘Dan is gone.’  I’m like, 'What!?’  At that moment, it was like I was dreaming.  I didn’t think I was awake and on the phone, and then I go, 'What do you mean?’ And she said, ‘Danny died, Chip.’ I’m saying, ‘No.’  She said, ‘Call whoever you have to call and let them know, and I’ll talk to you later.’

“I asked, ‘When did it happen?’ She said, ‘A couple of hours ago.’”

Henderson police report that Julie Gans called 911 at 3:44 a.m.


Lightman also responds to a question Tabloid Baby first asked in the days following Gans’ death: why he immediately phoned Alicia Jacobs, the beauty queen turned local entertainment reporter who flaunted her close relationship with Gans, to inform her of Gans' passing.

“I had collected my thoughts, and I thought, ‘OK, how do I get the word out? Do I get Steve Wynn up at about 4 in the morning and tell him?  Or do I call (Wynn Las Vegas spokeswoman) Jennifer Dunne?  ... I finally just called Alicia.  She was the first person I thought of to get the word out, get it on the air, and I knew her number.  When something like that happens, you’re in shock.  Danny had just done an interview with her, and she was fresh on my mind when I thought ‘media.’  I thought, ‘I’ll just call Alicia.’  They were friends, too.”

HENDERSON, NEVADA POLICE REPORT

Lightman’s latest statements are all the more disturbing in light of the fact that they come more than seven months after Gans’ death, with more than enough time to prepare his answers, and after he and others close to the situation have altered their stories more than once to fit new information and circumstances that arise.


And while it's Lightman's backhanded swipe at Gans' widow in an interview to promote the Gans autobiography that stands out, Lightman's latest version also paints a very different picture of Gans.

While he once claimed that Gans seemed to be in perfect health in the days leading to his death, he now tells Katsilometes that the star was ill.

“A few days before he died, I said, ‘You don’t look like you feel well.’  He said, “I’ve been fighting something.  I’m just drained beyond drained.  My shoulder has been acting up, the kids are sick, everyone around me is sick.’  The Wednesday night before he died — we always sat and met before onstage, usually at 7:10 — and he didn’t look good.  He looked worn out..."

He admits that Gans may have been using steroids-- for his vocal cords:

"People said to me, when the coroner’s (report) hadn’t come out yet, 'We know he’s doing tons of steroids, and he had bulked up like the Hulk,' and all this stuff.  And you know, if Dan did that, he didn’t do it around me.  If Dan took any steroids, it was for his voice, to lessen the inflammation on his vocal chords...  He worked out five days a week, and he had a 2,000-square-foot gym at his house."

He even says Gans' Encore Theatre may have been cursed.

“The biggest concern was the room People said it was a bad-luck room, it’s cursed.  Dan was saying, ‘Spamalot didn’t work, Avenue Q before Spamalot didn’t work.  Nothing has worked, and they were very good shows.’"

The Henderson Police Department investigation into Gans’ death was open for almost two months, but no criminal charges were filed.  We do not know if the police looked into the records of Gans' home or Chip Lightman's phone calls.

Julie Gans and her children moved to Los Angeles during that time.  Although the three teenage children have been brought out to speak with the media twice since the tragic death, Julie Gans has not been seen in public.

The Las Vegas news media as a group deliberately avoided any investigation of the circumstance of Gans' death or unexamined private life (Katsilometes wrote the day after Gans’ death about rumours of Gans’ steroid use — but never followed up), and Steve Friess, a local blogger, comp queen, New York Times stringer and close associate with Gans boss Steve Wynn, joined with Jacobs in a campaign to stop any investigation into the death and in fact, have this site shut down.

Public perception of the Born Again Christian, athletic, corporate entertainer has shifted in recent months with the revelations that a pharmacy co-owned by Gans marketed a male erection party pill.  Gans’ children, brought out to face the media last month to promote the recently-published autobiography, changed a story they’d told earlier to acknowledge that their father did take prescription medication.

Developing...

AUDIO: JULIE GANS' 911 call

Chip Lightman says he hopes for "amicable" resolution to his lawsuit against "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy" Donny Osmond

Amicable???!!!!!

Danny Gans' former manager Chip Lightman has made it very clear that Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer (who, interestingly did not pen the recent high-profile Times stories on the Vegas economic slump or Liberace Museum), Gay Vegas author, concert promoter and comp queen Steve Friess wasn't far off the mark when he wrote: "In Las Vegas, when left to our own devices, we do things a little differently.”

Lightman has filed a blistering lawsuit against Donny Osmond for firing him as producer of the Donny & Marie stage show at the Flamingo Hilton, accusing the squeaky-clean, caffeine-free, toothy, Mormon entertainer of being "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy," being out to "line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle of exotic cars, luxury hotel suites and private jets," and acting in a manner that's "contrary to the wholesome, all-American, good-natured image that he presents to the public."

Yet, Lightman now says he hopes the suit's resolution will be "amicable."


Amicable.

Amicable!

Lightman's publicist spread the 23-page complaint yesterday as an attachment to an email that read:

"At this time the claim will speak for itself.
I am hopeful and optimistic
that an amicable resolution
will come quickly
to this unfortunate situation
I never wanted to find myself in."

Lightman, who announced the lawsuit on his Twitter account, also deleted from his Twitter page a threatening "tweet" aimed Friday at Donny and his sister Marie.


This "tweet" remains this morning:


Marie Osmond's son committed suicide in February.

Danny Gans' manager settles lawsuit aganst Donny & Marie; apologizes for "hurtful" comments that "may have been made"

Danny Gans' former manager Chip Lightman has gotten the "amicable" resolution to the lawsuit he fired against Donny & Marie Osmond for firing him as producer of their show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, after all.

Lightman released a statement yesterday:

“I am pleased we were able to resolve this matter and am sorry that, in the heat of battle, comments may have been made that were hurtful to the Osmonds. Both Donny and Marie are talented, hardworking artists and I wish them continuing success in their careers.”

Donny responded:

“My sister and I want to thank Chip Lightman for great contributions he made in launching our show at the Flamingo. We look forward to the opportunity to work with him again in the future.”

"Comments (that) may have been harmful"?

"...work with him again in the near future?

Maybe Lightman really did have material for a tell-all in his pocket, as he'd threatened on Twitter before deleting the tweet.

In his suit against the toothsome twosome, the unloved Lightman accused Donny of being "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy," being out to "line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle of exotic cars, luxury hotel suites and private jets," and acting in a manner that's "contrary to the wholesome, all-American, good-natured image that he presents to the public."


As for Marie? Lightman says the tragic mother was "liable for the fraud perpetrated by Donny through her acquiescence, awareness, and utter failure to disclose" his action.

Tabloid Baby's 2009 Mystery of The Year

What ever happened
to Down Charleston Blvd?

The Las Vegas-based website operated for several months with a concentration on show reviews and other entertainment-related stories. And then, in May, it began covering the death of local superstar Danny Gans, despite an agreement by other journalists and news organizations in town that the untimely, unexplained, suspicious demise of the biggest name in town at the age of 52 wasn't news. As Las Vegas was swarmed with rumours and chatter that the mainstream sources studiously ignored, the anonymous workers at Down Charleston Blvd brought them forward, asked questions and pursued the leads. Down Charleston Blvd went farther than any other media organization, even bringing up the whispers that Gans may have been murdered.

And then on June 16, the site ran an item entitled More on Danny Gans Overdose-- and went dead. Never heard from again. Our email correspondence with the editor ended in a string of unanswered emails. That final posting remains online, a monument and, perhaps, a warning.

If Danny Gans did not die for our sins, Down Charleston Blvd very well may have.

Here it that final post in its entirety:

More On Danny Gans’ Overdose
Posted on June 16, 2009 by downcharlestonblvd

Before we get into the details and news let me say a few things.

Since news broke about what killed Danny Gans we have received some more information from our sources, plus we gained more sources who are now willing to divulge certain details they know being that the word is out that Gans used drugs. With the details we know, the information that has been provided to us, and what fact checking we could do, I will try to piece together exactly what we know at this point and answer some of the questions you have emailed, plus question we posed on our last update.

Contrary to what you may have heard or read in a certain Las Vegas newspaper; Hydromorphone is NOT a commonly prescribed drug here is Nevada. The only thing common about Hydromorphone here in Nevada is it’s availability on the streets, mostly in Las Vegas.


It’s powerful potency, high addiction possibility, and high price make it a a well sought drug here in Las Vegas (despite it’s high price) for those who want to take things to the next level. With all pain medication, you build up a resistance to it. All of the sudden 1-2 pills isn’t getting rid of the pain and/or giving you a high/euphoria. So you have to increase the amount you are taking to get the desired effect. The euphoria you get from prescription drugs in the opiate family is not like the buzz you would get from marijuana, alcohol, or other street drugs.

One of the many areas/topics I have covered as a journalist is drugs – whether prescribed or not.
I

t started with an article and essay (years ago) on the differences and trends between drug usage between lower income neighborhoods and higher income neighborhoods -or- if you will, between Ghettos and Suburbs. I’ve spent a lot of time with all kinds of users. I’ve went to and stayed in areas of Las Vegas that no other journalist has gone or will go. with that said, one of the best descriptions I have heard about using prescription pills in the opiate family is that the euphoric feeling is similar to being high on marijuana or having a beer buzz except you don’t have the negative affects. Meaning your have the high but you are still able to function and carry on with your normal life. The only difference is everything feels so much better. You are happy, excited, energetic, and feeling good all over. This is the exact reason why so many have become addicted from all walks of life. Most people would be absolutely shocked if they knew who abused prescription drugs.

Now, lets get down to details on what we know.

First and foremost, lets call it for what it really is – an overdose

Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy’s “Death was accidental” + “No signs of drug abuse” have little to no merit. Being that key details have not been released and will most likely never be released (Gans’ Family would have to authorize it) secondly, Murphy has been receiving a lot of skepticism and criticism from many in the medical community. Publicly and Privately medical professionals have sounded off on local televisions, newspapers, radio, and even privately calling Murphy’s results without merit, vague, and possibly incorrect. Some have privately questioned his experience and credentials based on his final results in the Death of Danny Gans.

Another physician that was feeling the burn was Gans’ physician Dr. Michael Fishell. Knowing his name was quickly circulating after the coroner’s results were released, Fishell knew people would put the pieces together and assume that he recently prescribed Danny Gans the drugs that ultimately killed him which would tarnish his business badly. He quickly spoke with the Review Journal making clear that the only time he prescribed Gans’ hydromorphone was 5 years ago, He went even further by accessing all of Gans’ records and found that none of Gans’ other physicians in California or Nevada had prescribed him hydromorphone.


This pretty much dismisses the possibility of a malpractice issue but this also verifies are report that a source had told us Gans did not have a prescription for hydromorphone.

Gans has been addicted to Hydromorphone for over 5 years

A reliable source tells us that Gans became addicted around the time he first received the prescription for hydromorphone. The source was unsure how often Gans took the pills initially, and did not know when dosages were upped. As stated above, to get the effect you have grown accustomed to, you eventually have to take more then before.

Our source said that they were not sure if Gans knew himself that asking for more prescriptions and/or going to other doctors would cause suspicion and possibly an investigation or if a close associate told him.

Our source did say that very few people knew Gans was even taking it, let alone continuing to take it for so long.

As far as other drugs – our source says that Gans’ did dabble with steroids on and off – which started way back in his baseball playing days.


He also used and tried various pain meds, typically in the synthetic opiate family. When he started using hydromorphone, he liked it so much that it was almost always what he took because it trumped all the other pain meds he took and tried.

How and Where did Gans get the dillies (hydromorphone)

Our source was not a 100% certain on this, but with compiled details from all of our sources there are two possibilities. One being a close trusted associate of Gans that he trusted and this associate relied on Gans for something, most likely income, and this person most likely did not associate with Gans’ other friends. The second possible and more likely person would be Gans’ manager Chip Lightman. It’s quite common for mangers to provide their clients with whatever they want, sometimes including drugs and women. It happens in Vegas a lot. I have seen it personally and I have been approached by out of town Managers and associates of high profile people asking where they can get this or that, usually offering to pay me for such information. Everyone’s heard “What Happens Here, Stays Here” but the motto amongst locals is “It’s all about who you know”

Chip Lightman has been called a lot of things by a lot of people.


Some in the local entertainment industry despise dealing with the man.


His reputation for being a “pain” is pretty widespread.


He’s been sued, Danny Gans Fired him, only to rehire him later, he’s been accused of propping Danny up way higher then he should have been, and one source told us “Chip is a lying, bloodsucking asshole, which really means he his skills as a manager are sharp but he is no one I’d want to ever be friends with” another source close to Gans told us on the topic of Chip Lightman – “Chip’s comments in the RJ since Danny died are phony” our source went on to say “Chip gives the impression that he is real close with Danny’s family but that is not entirely accurate, and his comment about being haunted by who gave Danny the pills shows he is a incompetent manager or a flat out liar”. Lightman’s comments since Gans death, as well as comments from so-called friends of Gans have drawn criticism and speculation that Lightman is still playing PR Guy even after his clients death and the so-called friends were obviously not very close since they had no idea that Gans was taking scripts. I’ve received far too many emails saying that the comments from Chip and Friends are only making Danny Gans look worse and they should just “Shut Up”

The Signs Gans was using

Our source pointed that when Gans would tell reporters and friends about taking a Tylenol or a Motrin that those were Gans; “code words” and in actuality he was referring to Dillies (hydromorphone)


Our source also noted “With all the injuries Danny suffered over the years and the constant wear and tear from his performances, he’d still continue to do active things like play golf and more then once he’d hurt himself, agitate a muscle, and he wouldn’t stress about it like he used to; He’d say I’ll take a Tylenol, I’ll take a Motrin and I’ll be better. That kind pain would not be fixed by no over the counter pain medicine, his confidence in being better by the next day or so was because he had Dilaud.

Is there anything to Dr. Michael Fishell’s speculation that Gans may have taken what was left of the prescription of hydromorphone/Dilaud he prescribed Gans in ‘04-’05?

Not likely, unless Gans had a good amount of pills left and took a lot of them all at once or within a very short period of time.
Dr. Fishell’s interview with the Review Journal showed how little he knew Danny Gans, which he wouldn’t be the first ‘friend’ on that list. Dr. Fishell saying he spoke because of rumors about Gans using is not the whole truth, he also spoke out for his own reputation as well. Anyone reading what he said to the RJ can clearly see that he is is denial.

What about Gans not using Dilaudid or other pain meds because of his voice being affected?

Nearly every person who said Gans wouldn’t of used pain meds because they would damage his voice were the same people who denied or had no idea that Gans even took pain meds. Can prescription medications damage your voice? Yes and No. I’ve heard loss of voice associated with many different types of prescriptions, not as much with pain meds. However it is possible, yet the several sources we have spoken with said that it may have been a concern of his but it didn’t stop him from using.

Now, there have been celebs who have abused pain meds before, some of these people rely heavily on their voice. Whether they are singers, rappers, or host a radio show – yet where is the loss in their voice?

Will Gans’ Family Ever Consent To Releasing The Report?

The chances of Gans’ family giving consent are extremely slim.


The chances would be higher if there was a doctor involved in prescribing the meds because the family would likely want justice for the doctor’s malpractice. From what we have gathered, giving consent to release the results would only further tarnish Gans’ image because it is likely it would show other drugs, perhaps alcohol (which can be fatal when combined with hydromorphone) or perhaps in some medical circles it would show Gans did have drug abuse problems.

it is certain the meds were prescribed, just not to Gans’ himself.


Now whether it was prescribed to someone close to Gans or someone he never knew, we may never know.

Is The Review Journal Covering Up The Gans Story?

A friend, and Review Journal Employee has informed me that the RJ has been extremely reluctant to talk about Gans. They want to story to be gone as soon as possible. As also reported by Tabloid Baby The Review Journal has gone out of it’s way to bury details, not report specific facts, and rarely ask questions. Now this is not the first time the Review Journal has buried stories or reported as little as possible.

Las Vegas is a very transient town so many residents here are unaware of the history of the Review Journal, and do not remember some of the issues that had many Las Vegan’s furious. What you wont hear about from the RJ is the many letters, emails, and comments they have received whether phoned in or posted on their website (and then deleted)


What are readers complaining about?


They want to know whats going on with the death of Danny Gans. Some readers practically begging for more coverage. Last Friday in their ‘Letters To The Editor Section” you see a headline criticizing the RJ for looking into a public figure aka Gans. At a quick glance it appears that all of the letters to the editor are about this, but in actuality it is only one letter. My friend/RJ Employee told me that they did that as a response to all the criticism they have received from readers and abroad as a way to somehow justify why they haven’t been doing their job.

With Danny Gans being propped up as this squeaky clean guy, evangelical christian, devoted family man… It has all now blown up and backfired.


On all levels, the general public feels it was all a sham. The sad thing is that if Gans truly did have an addiction problem he could have got help. Although our source said that they were not aware of Gans discussing his problem with anyone in his church or his family – some now speculate that he was too afraid that going to anyone or even going public would absolutely ruin him.

The public’s perception of Gans has turned dark. Whether he had a addiction problem or not, it is absolutely clear that he should not have taken hydromorphone. He left behind a wife and a child – some have called it “Selfish”, “Cowardly” and just plain “Stupid” – Words I thought I’d never see describing Danny Gans.

Alan (a DCB Reader) from here in Las Vegas wrote in an email to us

“Shame and Embarrassment is what Gans would have got if he had been open about his problem, he may have lost a lot but even so, it’s much better then dying and leaving your family behind to pick up those awfully jagged pieces”

Story of The Year:
The Death of Danny Gans
Journalist of The Year:
Steve Freiss
Top Trend:
Dying

Donny & Marie boot Danny Gans' manager

Chip Lightman, the longtime manager of late Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans, has been bounced as producer of Donny & Marie Osmond's show at the Flamingo.

Gans and Lightman brought the show to the Strip venue two years ago, reviving Donny & Marie's Las Vegas career. There have been rumours for weeks that the Osmonds were severing ties with surviving producer Lightman (and the Ganslight company), but everything was confirmed late yesterday in a statement from Donny Osmond:

"The contract with Ganslight to produce our show expires in a few days, and we have decided not to renew that contract. The show will of course continue, and we look forward to a long run. We want to thank everyone at Ganslight for their efforts, and we hope to explore future opportunities with Chip Lightman."


Donny Osmond gave an emotional eulogy at Gans' memorial service at the Wynn after Gans' untimely drug-related death on May 1, 2009. We reported last week that Donny will again host a Danny Gans memorial charity run in nearby Henderson on October 9th.

Lightman made headlines last December, when he contradicted the timeline of Gans' death, stating that Gans' wife Julie told him that Gans had been dead for several hours before she called 911, telling police she just discovered his lifeless body. Henderson Police chose not to investigate the discrepancy, stating "there is no evidence to not believe" Mrs. Gans' timeline. The Las Vegas news media also failed to investigate the circumstances of the musical impressionist's mysterious death.

Battle between ghostwriter and family holds up publication of the autobiography that Danny Gans finished writing the day before he died

“As far as any word I'd like to get out...
words have been spoken and rumors spread,
but the real story has yet to be told.
'The Voices In My Head’ is that story."

--RG Ryan, Danny Gans’ ghostwriter

Plans to rush-release Danny Gans’ autobiography, said to be completed the day before he died of a drug overdose on May 1st, have been thrown into chaos as Gans’ family and ghostwriter tangle behind the scenes in secret negotiations that fans had assumed were completed before the first words were typed.

RG Ryan (left), novelist, poet, songwriter and blogger (Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s) says he and the Gans’ family have made a deal that will see the book published— with his name attached.

The book, The Voices In My Head, became an instant part of the Danny Gans legend when Gans’ manager Chip Lightman revealed it was not only in the works but had completed hours before Gans died. However, the veracity of the claim remained in dispute, as Lightman and Gans’ close personal friend, beauty queen-turned TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, had been working together from the time paramedics pronounced Gans dead to spin the circumstances of his death and life into spiritual and often misleading directions.

The book also played a major role in the Las Vegas news media’s hands-off approach to the unpleasant facts about Gans’ life and death, when-- less than a week after his passing-- the publisher of Las Vegas’ major newspaper, The Review-Journal, made a deal with Gans’ family to publish the book and make a quick killing.

The paper’s own columnist Norm Clarke broke the news:

"The family of Danny Gans is moving ahead with plans to have his autobiography published next month. "

Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, and Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick met on Monday, and 'we're crossing the T's as we move forward on a handshake,' Frederick said.

"The R-J is planning a mid-May ad campaign to allow people to reserve copies. "'We are proceeding at a fast pace to have the book printed and available in June,' Frederick said.

"Lightman said the book will also be printed as a hard-cover collectors item and hopefully will be available in June.

"The book, tentatively titled 'Voices In My Head,' will be published by Stephens Press, a division of Stephens Media, the parent company of the Review-Journal."

Plans became undone sometime after it was revealed on June 9th that Gans had died of an overdose of hydromorphone, a painkiller known as “drug store heroin.”

The prologue to the book was posted on coauthor RG Ryan’s website, but removed the day after we posted screen grabs of the text.

When we asked at the time why the page had been removed from his site, Ryan referred all questions to Lightman.

Yet Ryan indicated there was more intrigue on July 3rd, when he posted:

“After weeks of not knowing what was going to happen, I have come to an agreement with the estate of Danny Gans.

“It was nine months of hard work (completed the day before he died) and I am so looking forward to his remarkable story being in the hands of the fans he loved, and who loved him in return.

“I’ll try to keep updates happening here and on Twitter regarding a date for publication.

“rg”

When we reached Ryan via email this week, he confirmed that the story of Gans’ autobiography being completed hours before his death was not a public relations fabrication:

“Yes, it was finished at eleven AM on Thursday. We were supposed to get together at four Friday afternoon, May 1.”

As for details of the behind-the-scenes holdup, he replied:

“Can't say a whole lot at present as negotiations are at a critical point. I can tell you that the book will be published, I am still credited as co-author and it's going to be a great read for the people who were truly fans of Danny Gans.

“As far as any word I'd like to get out...words have been spoken and rumors spread, but the real story has yet to be told. ‘The Voices In My Head’ is that story.”

Las Vegas Weekly celebrates Danny Gans' special friend Alicia Jacobs-- but doesn't get into that 4 a.m. phone call or all those texts he'd sent her

The Las Vegas Weekly and its editor Scott Dickensheets have rolled out another cover story on a major figure in the Danny Gans case. Following up on last week's confessions from Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer, Gay Vegas author, concert promoter and comp queen Steve Friess, comes a laudatory profile of controversial beauty queen-turned-television entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs.

Jacobs was a close personal friend of Gans, and on May 1, 2009, the the first member of the media to learn of Gans' death, getting a 4 a.m. phone call from Gans' manager Chip Lightman. The article touches upon the incident without exploring the details of the morning or her relationship with the musical impressionist:

"Jacobs defends her reporting of Gans’ death last year. The two were genuinely close. They dined together and, sharing an interest in physical fitness, worked out together. Jacobs was the first journalist contacted by Gans’ manager, Chip Lightman, after he learned of Gans’ death.

"Danny Gans and Alicia Jacobs became close friends during her career in Vegas. Jacobs sobbed through her segment announcing Gans had died and spoke emotionally of their friendship. It was a unique moment in broadcast news for the emotion displayed on-air by the reporter. Local media critics pounced.

“'I have thought about that and re-lived it many, many times in my head. Honest to God, I would not have done anything differently,' says Jacobs. 'I thought I could get through the story. But I remember seeing b-roll of Danny on one of the monitors, singing and dancing, and losing it. To this day I don’t believe he is gone … So, yes, I got a little emotional on the air. You know what? It was real. We are real. Sometimes it’s okay to be real on the air. People cry, hurt and feel pain. I wouldn’t change it.'”

"But what about--?" No, there is no follow-up.

The profile, From Beauty Queen to Extra: The Journey of LV's Top Celebrity Broadcaster, is written by Las Vegas Sun columnist John Katsilometes, a journalist who touched on Gans' rumoured drug use in his initial story about Gans' sudden passing at 52 (the powerful opiate Dilaudid would be named as a cause), but who backed off immediately along with the rest of the Las Vegas media pack. Perhaps that's why it celebrates Jacobs' role as a correspondent on the syndicated television infotainment show, Extra, and is full of sympathetic, humanizing notes about her adoption, disfiguring car crash and career-threatening love of animals, while not pressing her on the issue for which she's gained the most notoriety.


An accompanying photo of Jacobs as "Mrs. United States," however, does reveal that she is not a natural blonde.

Those texts? Click here to read all about them.

And click here to read Kat's fascinating article. Even with his hands tied, he's a great entertainment writer.

Meanwhile, we look forward to next week's cover story on Chip Lightman.

"The word is... no word": Tom Mitchell and his Las Vegas Review-Journal team wait obediently to be spoonfed answers to the Danny Gans mystery

Danny Gans, a photo worth a thousand words (Leila Navidi/Las Vegas Sun)

"The word is... no word."

If you've come late to the story and want an idea of what's wrong with the Las Vegas news media and its disgracefully lax and irresponsible "coverage" of the death of its local superstar Danny Gans, look no farther than today's "Breaking News" report on the website of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Here it is.

Right here.

Just click.

Never has a newspaper appeared to be more pleased and smug that there is not an answer in the mysterious passing of one of its city's foremost figures and prime economic generators. Rarely is a newspaper, with a newsroom full of aggressive, competitive reporters who know their ship is on the verge of sinking, so obsequious, obedient and... and... incurious as this gang of civic boosters laboring under the fussy mustache and cartoonish Stetson of editor Tom "McCloud" Mitchell.

"The Las Vegas Sun put more
time, effort and column inches into
investigating the final years
of Las Vegas legend Sam Butera,
who died this week at 81, than the
entire local news media combined
have dedicated to the death
of Danny Gans."

To bring you up to date: Last night, beauty queen-turned-TV entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, Danny Gans' close personal friend (and, with his manager Chip Lightman, guardian and promoter of his myth) somehow got the news that the Clark County Coroner had finally received the results of the long-awaited toxicology report that might explain why this seemingly robust, athletic, teetotaling, healthy-eating Born Again Christian, clean-living, spiritual family man died in his sleep at 52.

This morning, we spoke to the coroner's office. The spokeswoman there wouldn't elaborate beyond what Alicia Jacobs reported. She wouldn't answer our questions about whether steroids or other drugs were involved.

"We're not allowed to give out any information," she claimed.

The local boys though, they got to speak to coroner Mike Murphy. Their secret? They don't ask questions. They listen. They transcribe. They never, ever challenge an answer. They copy down the party line. Their editors sanitize the story even further so even someone like Steve Wynn would approve.

And then the story is released without a byline.

Tom Mitchell, the cowboy-posing pissant who accused our journalistic team of plagiarism and has yet to apologize, will have to take the blame for this one (from which we excerpt a portion):

****

Cause of death for Gans will take at least two more weeks
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The word is... no word. A medical explanation for the death of entertainer Danny Gans at age 52, which shocked Las Vegas last month, is still at least two weeks away.

“It’s not available for release and we’re still poring over the information,” Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy said today about toxicology reports that have now been submitted to a medical examiner. “We’ve gathered what we believe is all the critical information and now we anticipate an answer within the next couple of weeks,” he said, but added that it could take longer.

“You need to remember that Mr. Gans died on May 1 and we’re just at the beginning of June and it takes two to four weeks just to gather that information, so we’re in the right time frame. And once you get all the information, it could create the need to do other testing. But all the initial information is in, so we have to review it and see where it goes.”

Murphy declined to speculate about possible findings. Gans’ family has said he was on medication to control high blood pressure, but otherwise had no health issues as far as they knew. As the wait for a conclusive cause of death continues, Gans’ manager, Chip Lightman, said the family is “doing as well as can be expected..."

Lightman added that the coroner had promised Gans’ wife, Julie, that she would be the first to be called when test results come in.

Lightman has said that on the night before Gans died, he had slept poorly. Police responded to a call from Gans’ Henderson home at around 3:45 a.m. May 1. Paramedics arrived but could not resuscitate him...

****

Fellow journos: Have a field day parsing that one.

We'll stick with the most obvious ringers. Interesting that the crack reporters at the Review-Journal allowed themselves to be lectured on process by the controversial coroner, and then reprinted the late, unsubstantiated claim by Lightman and Jacobs that Gans was dealing with high blood pressure-- yet did not bring up national reports of Gans' steroid use ("steroids" being the first word on anyone's lips when Gans' death is discussed).

Even comp queen, Gay Vegas author, former New York Times stringer and Gans cover-up accomplice Steve Friess (left) admitted "Gans' suspected steroid use has been out there for years."

(Just think, Tom. A simple warning about steroids might save the life of a high school athlete.)

The paper also did not comment on word that Gans' wife Julie would be the first to get the results. With all respect to Mrs. Gans, it is all to obvious that the second person to receive the findings will Lightman, who will then get laundry help from Jacobs.

The Las Vegas Sun? Fughedabout it. The Pulitzer winners are running with an Associated Press story. In the end, the Sun today put more time, effort and column inches into investigating the final years of Las Vegas legend and Tabloid Baby pal Sam Butera, who died this week at 81, than the entire local news media combined have dedicated to the death of Danny Gans.

Don't ask, don't tell?

Shame, guys.

Every one of you hiding behind Alicia Jacob's miniskirts might as well be at the end of one of her leashes or inside one of her controversial doggie purses.

Is it fear? Incompetence? Pressure from advertisers and higher-ups?

We'll place our bet on the chance that there's one reporter in the Review-Journal newsroom who's mad as hell and busting at the seams to get the real story out.

You know where to find us. (Find us by clicking here!)

"The word is... no word?" Ask some tough questions. Follow up what you know. You'd be surprised how many words you'd be able to come up with.

Tom Mitchell and his crew have neglected their responsibility and as result are adding to and extending the Danny Gans mystery. They've set the stage for what is bound to be the most disputed and disbelieved post mortem since the report from The Warren Commission.