Tough times for Wayne Newton

With his career-encompassing multimedia show, Once Before I Go, at the Tropicana, these should be golden days for Las Vegas superstar and Tabloid Baby pal Wayne Newton, but according to John Katsilometes at the Las Vegas Sun, these are definitely the worst of times for the Midnight Idol.

Two weeks ago, Wayne's daughter Erin, 33 and pregnant, suffered liver, kidney and respiratory failure and delivered baby boy via cesarean section. Then she fell into a coma until last weekend. Doctors say her condition is consistent with HELLP syndrome, which attacks the kidneys and liver, and is in motion during pregnancy.

After doctors told Wayne that Erin probably wouldn't recover, she awoke "unexpectedly" on Monday.

Wayne had canceled many of his February shows to fly to and from St. Louis to be with Erin, his adopted with first wife, Elaine. (They divorced in 1985. He and his current wife Kathleen have a 7-year-old daughter, Lauren.)

Wayne was in the hospital with Erin this morning when Clark County Sheriff's civil-process deputies and moving vans turned up at his famed 40-acre Shenandoah ranch and estate personnel arrived at his estate on behalf of his former pilot Monty Ward, trying to seize property to execute on a judgment that totaled more than $500,000 in past-due wages.

The deputies were turned away.

Wayne and his family have been hit with all kinds of bad news at least since December. His wife's older sister died suddenly the day after Christmas in Los Angeles, six days after the death of his friend and USO touring colleague Brittany Murphy died.

What else? Kats adds:

"This month, a lawsuit was filed against Newton in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas by speedway magnate and onetime Newton friend Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, charging that Newton is delinquent on a $3.35 million loan Smith had personally guaranteed. As a result, Smith is seeking foreclosure of Shenandoah, one of the city's signature properties.

"Newton also still is entangled in a $32,000 lawsuit for hay delivered to the ranch for his dozens of Arabian horses, an action that dates to 2009, and earlier this month an airport near Detroit claimed Newton owes more than $60,000 in storage fees after he abandoned a $2 million plane there more than three years ago. The craft reportedly is being eaten away by mold and is useless except for scrap."

Las Vegas writer Steve Friess comes clean, tries to explain his involvement in sick spreading of "false rumors" about the death of Danny Gans

"The Wayne Newton thing came from an email I wrote
to her last weekend when I wrote,
'Look, next he'll say Wayne Newton's involved!'
She fed that to you and you bought it!"
--Steve Friess

We will hand it to most of the journalists who ply their trade in Las Vegas, Nevada. They may not agree with us at TabloidBaby.com about the aggressive coverage that has been lacking in the case of the mysterious death of Strip headliner and legend Danny Gans-- they may even think we're over-the-top-- but they know we are doing our jobs and have not insulted, threatened or harassed us.

And why would they, when a journalist as well-respected and accomplished as Ray Richmond has saluted our coverage?

Would that we could say the same for freelance writer and Gay Vegas author Steve Friess (above), who as a Las Vegas stringer for national and international publications and media outlets has exercised some control over what image gets out-- and what image stays in--the town. He attacked us. He tried to shut us down. He called us all sorts of names in trying to stop the story.


As it would turn out, Steve Friess had good reason to want to cover up the truths and muddy the trail in the story-- from his reliance on "comps" to the man with whom he shares a bed (above).

And then, suddenly, today, he wrote the story on his blogsite. Steve Friess admitted that he knew all along about whispers that Danny Gans was a steroid juicer. And while trying in vain to convince his readers that the Danny Gans story is not a story ("...not... Anna Nicole Smith or Elvis Presley or Heath Ledger... Danny Gans did not self-destruct in public and use that self-destruction as a form of self-promotion..."), Steve Friess published every rumor about Danny Gans' death-- including at least one that he himself had made up.

We caught him on it. In a day of backtracking and tapdancing, Steve Friess sent us an email this afternoon, trying to explain himself once again:

"From: Stevefriess@aol.com
To: Tabloid Baby
Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 20:29:10

I received a forward from one of my more zealous fans, whom I ordered earlier this week to stop toying with you. She explained that she had been feeding you false rumors, first baiting you by revealing my relationship with Miles to gain your trust. She says she figured you knew because I never have hidden the information and your lack of awareness only served to prove just how far outside the loop in Vegas you actually are.

Anyhow, she then proceeded to pass along a series of ridiculous ideas only to watch you swallow each one whole. She figured you'd figured out by now that you were being scammed -- I pretty much told you so myself upon learning of it the other day -- but emails exchanged today seem to indicate you're not that bright.

She wants me to blog about this, about how you bought every one of her bizarre ideas no matter how silly and now have a whole new universe of conspiracies. In fact, the Wayne Newton thing came from an email I wrote to her last weekend when I wrote, "Look, next he'll say Wayne Newton's involved!" She fed that to you and you bought it!

I will not blog about this. For one thing, I'm beginning to pity your mental instability. It's cruel to mock it.

More importantly, though, I won't ever mention your name or your blog again, let alone read it. Had I exhibited that restraint in the first place, nobody would ever know who you are. I can't undo that, but I can avoid making my mistake any worse.

Good luck to you. I do expect you to get meaner and meaner the more I ignore you. Knock yourself out.

I sincerely hope you get some help.

-Steve Friess"


A few final notes: We're "mean"? Hell-lo! We did not "swallow" any of Steve Friess' (above) false leads. We were well known long before he flew into our radar. And far from ignoring us, Steve Friess has baited us. In his post today, he referred to us as "gay-obsessed lunatics," "Internet nutjobs" and "crazies," among others.

We hold no animus toward Steve Friess. This charade is not distracting us from our investigation or our work (we have operatives on the ground and on the phones) and we consider this sidebar to be a very colorful and important part of the overall story.

We do believe he owes TabloidBaby.com and our readers an apology.


(Steve Friess threatened us every time we posted his picture, so we've been forced to used fascimiles. Help us get it right by sending us a nice photo of Steve Friess today!)

Wayne Newton's last stand?

Wayne Newton is returning to the Las Vegas Strip in what could be his last stand-- but probably won't. The Midnight Idol will be opening at the Tropicana's Tiffany Theatre in an autobiographical show he's calling Once Before I Go (the title of his autobiography, a surprisingly angry, intense and entertaining book), mixing monologue, multimedia and of course music, backed by a full orchestra. Wayne is a longtime Tabloid Baby pal, recorded one of Tabloid Baby's top live albums of all time and has always been a tremendous showman. As Vegas has gone through various changes over the past decade and a half, Wayne has bounced among various casino showrooms and despite some recent health problems promises to be as exciting as ever. Anyone with a love for Las Vegas and a sense of history should see him while they can. The show opens October 14th and is set to run through next April. Performances are scheduled for five nights per week, dark Sundays and Mondays. Tickets: $149.99 for front-row “Golden Circle” seats, $99.99 and $79.99.

(Wayne is 67. He's been performing in Vegas for fifty years-- since May 1959, when he and his older brother Jerry performed as the Newton Brothers at the Carnival Lounge at the Fremont Hotel.)

Two weeks after the death of Danny Gans, Las Vegas writer Steven Friess admits he knew of steroid rumors, confesses to covering up death theories

It's been two weeks since Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans was pronounced dead in his home of still undetermined causes.

From the first we heard the news of the passing of this great, historically significant and unique entertainer, the Tabloid Baby team has pursued the story day after day, while being struck by the fact that Las Vegas journos didn't find the story worth pursuing beyond adulatory quotes from the likes of Carrot Top (Nothing against Carrot Top. We think he's cool and he makes us laugh). The official excuse was that there was no news to report until the officials released the official cause of death with the official toxicology report, since the official autopsy could not determine what caused this ox of a man's heart to stop at the age of 52.

The first solid clue there was something amiss came when we were attacked, threatened and insulted online by a character named Steve Friess (above & left), a local booster and comp queen who authored a book called Gay Vegas and writes for a number of national publications.

Friess' online hissyfit when he learned of our dogged pursuit of the Gans story was puzzling, until it was revealed that his conflicts of interest only began in his bed, which he shares with Alicia Jacobs' executive producer, and that this self-promoting freelancer exists at the pleasure of the casino kings to whom the words "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" are more than a catchphrase.

Well what a difference two weeks, or as he writes on his blog, a "fortnight," makes.

Today, Friess continues his name-calling:

"Some gay-obsessed lunatics -- well, he refers to himself in the plural, anyhow -- believes anything said about the matter at this stage is thanks to his 'vigilance.' I've since realized that Internet nutjobs will say and do what they wish regardless of accuracy, propriety or basic common sense and never back down even in the face of contrary evidence or reasoning..."

Friess goes through his usual motions: attacking RadarOnline, The National Enquirer and Perez Hilton for covering a story that he could have made a bundle on had not his freelance status been so compromised; denying there's "public appetite" for the story; insisting that "short of those tests being completed, there's not a lot for legit reporters to do."

But then Steve Friess (above left) does something more. While apologizing on behalf of the ones who tried to obfuscate the facts, he admits that he realizes a coverup took place. And while making excuses all along the way, he even slips up and admits he was part of it.

Most spectacularly, Steve Friess admits he has been covering up the story of the real Danny Gans for at least, well, at least... a "fortnight":

"...Gans' suspected steroid use has been out there for years."

He also prints the alternative theories that are out there, though carefully labeling them "bizarro":

"Danny Gans was (a) actually killed in a DUI hit-and-run; (b) was having an affair with a local news personality who has tried to get Mayor Oscar Goodman and Wayne Newton* and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce (!?!) to help cover up Gans' actual cause of death or (c) committed suicide because Steve Wynn booked Whoopi and Beyonce..."

Read Friess' entire column here.  It is an incredible document of self-righteousness, delusion and ass-covering.  Bottom line: Everything Steve Friess denied, he now says he knew all along.

Real Journos

Meanwhile, real journalists, like the ones at The Las Vegas Review-Journal, responded professionally to our prodding. Insiders tell us they feel bound by "rules," and are hamstrung to do much before an official report is released.

But they admit our prodding has had an effect.  Mike Weatherford's chilling account of Danny Gans' depression on his final day was published after sitting around for more than a week. And Norm Clarke's hastily-added one-liner begs a followup:

"No one's willing to discuss it, but there's an insurance issue involving Danny Gans and his deal with Encore at Wynn Las Vegas that suggests Gans had concerns about his health."

Sure, they say we at TabloidBaby.com seem to be "obsessed" or even "insane." And there are those who'd try to lump Tabloid Baby with the new generation of bloggers who conjure fantasy and post whatever comes into their heads.

They're wrong.

Danny Gans was an Old School entertainer.  We're Old School journos.

This is the Old School talking.

Decades of newspaper and broadcast journalism experience. Contributors on four continents. Experienced two-finger typists who've taught a generation of journos to follow a good story where it leads.

Murder?

The case of Danny Gans should have been, and should be covered from all its angles. That's how important it is, and as uncomfortable and ad-revenue endangering some of those angles may be, those are the angles that manage to be covered up as time passes.

Was Danny Gans murdered in his bed? We'd not pose that question, but thanks to the wait-and-see attitude of the Las Vegas media, that story is floating around the Internet as we type.

Will the toxicological report close the book on the Danny Gans case?

Probably not, no matter what is revealed, because the ones who should be on the front line of finding  the truth are content to wait for an official report from a controversial coroner's office.  It's these paid professionals, sitting around their news meetings debating whether a story's worthy of coverage, who've allowed the story to spin out of control.

A Review-Journal reporter said it himself when he wrote the lede to yesterday's coroner story that was copied somewhat inaccurately by every news station in town:

"The mystery of Danny Gans' death remains almost two weeks after he died in his home, leaving rumors to fill the information void."

Steve Friess confessed to it in his column today.


* The "Wayne Newton" reference, never made public, was part of a tip emailed to TabloidBaby.com offices. Friess' inclusion of it indicates that he was part of a deliberate effort to mislead journalists investigating the Gans story.
(Comp queen Steve Friess threatens us every time we post his picture, so we're forced to used fascimiles. Help us get it right by sending us a nice photo of Steve Friess today!)

The Rio, the casino that Gans built, turns 20

The Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas celebrates its twentieth anniversary this weekend, and the spirit of Danny Gans hangs heavy over the raucous celebration.

The Rio is the big suite hotel just off the Strip on West Flamingo Road that for years was best known for its very sexy waitresses in their low-cut outfits, later for the residency of New York hipster magicians Penn & Teller and recently the big police raid over the summer for prostitution and drug activity around the swimming pool. But it will go down in Las Vegas and show business history as the place where cleancut, Christian musical impressionist Danny Gans planted his flag and really made his name when he moved there after a residency at the more downmarket Stupak's Stratosphere that began in 1996. It was the place where management raised his ticket prices to a then unheard-of $99, whereupon Gans raised a stink about it and where he itched to move on and find a room in the Big Show, on the Strip.


Danny Gans left for Steve Wynn and the Mirage in 2000, a sequence of events that's recounted in his autobiography, The Voices In My Head, which was published posthumously, months after his untimely death on May 1st due to an overdose of the powerful opiate hydromorphone, at 52, a death-- and life-- that has gone woefully and shamefully unreported by the members of the Las Vegas news media-- print, television, Internet and Twitter-- for reasons they know best, or perhaps because, as one local stringer for national publications who doesn't know one should dress to the nines when offered an aftershow backstage meet-and-greet with the legendary Wayne Newton (though he was probably "making a statement") actually put in print, "in Las Vegas, when left to our own devices, we do things a little differently.”

Art Vargas returns to Las Vegas tonight

Singer and entertainer Art Vargas returns to Las Vegas tonight for a three-night stand that could give him to move, as the late, great Danny Gans put it, from Cleveland to "playing for the Yankees."

The engagement at the Rampart Casino in The Resort at Summerlin, is miles from the center of the Las Vegas action, but is seen as an opportunity for bookers, critics, columnists and trendsetters to witness an exciting act that deserves a showroom on the Las Vegas Strip

Vargas is a veteran showman known for his Bobby Darin impression in the Legends tribute show that's taken him from the Strip to venues across the county. It's his own retro solo show, which has played lounges, clubs and rooms away from the Vegas mainline, that has generated excitement in recent months, with Vargas seen as a potential successor to the Las Vegas attractions like Louis Prima, Wayne Newton and Danny Gans.

RAMPART CASINO
Aug, 20, 21 & 22 ( Fri, Sat, & Sun) 3 nights!

Swingin’ the Music that defined the Golden era!
In true Vintage Vegas Style,
Las Vegas showman Art Vargas
brings to life Vintage Las Vegas
through exciting song & dance performances,
reminiscent of the legendary stars
of Vintage Las Vegas... Live!
Acclaimed as one of Vegas' best performers!
The Los Angeles times says:
“Art Vargas is Vintage Vegas thru and thru!"
With The Swingin’ Swank Set band
and featuring the fabulous Vargas girls!
Nostalgia, Excitement, Classic Cool...
Nobody does it like Vargas!!
NO-BODY Ya Hear that!!?

Experience the BEST!
Get your Tickets now! For Aug 20, 21, & 22
Call RAMPART CASINO (702) 507-5900

Hudson Brother embarks on solo tour

It was a month ago that we brought you the exclusive photo of the first Hudson Brothers reunion in twenty years, and only a few days later that we revealed the sudden appearance of a Hudson Brothers MySpace page. Now, we learn that a Hudson Brother solo tour is about to begin. In the grand tradition of Ray Davies, Neil Innes and Frank Sinatra and brother Mark Hudson's Livin' On the Edge tour will take the audience through a rolickin' past and into the future. Find the latest information here and here. Meanwhile, here’s the release on the Mark Hudson solo tour that we’ll bet will include guest shots from Brett and Bill somewhere along the way:

LIVIN' ON THE EDGE
A ONE MAN SHOW FEATURING MARK HUDSON
MUSIC, STORIES & COMEDY

Mark Hudson is the Forrest Gump of Rock & Roll. He was with John Lennon during his famous lost weekend. He was with Led Zeppelin when they tried to set light to Elton John at a party. He was asked by Cher to do something very private that had always eluded her. This is just the beginning. Mark always seemed to be in the room when something historic, funny or just plain unbelievable was occurring.

In "Livin' on the Edge", Mark talks about his experiences with rocks' elite through monologues, funny anecdotes, impersonations and lots of music. The stories will leave you in stitches and the songs will keep playing in your head. His colourful outfits, colourful facial hair and colourful wit will hook you right from the start.

Mark wrote the Grammy winning song "Livin' on the Edge" for Aerosmith. He went on to write a dozen other Aerosmith songs, as well as producing several of their albums. He co-wrote "The Reason" with Carole King which became a huge smash for Celine Dion. He has produced tracks for Ozzy Osbourne, Hanson, Elmopalooza, Ringo Starr, Baha Men and many more.

Mark was the vocal director and backup vocalist for artists such as David Cassidy, Wayne Newton, Cher, Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi, Aaron Neville, Harry Nilsson, Hanson, Leif Garrett, Night Ranger and more.

In addition, Mark starred in a Prime Time music/comedy series with his brothers in 1974 entitled "The Hudson Brothers Show." This led to a Saturday morning show entitled, "The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show." Mark's TV career landed him a spot as the band leader on the "Late Show with Joan Rivers" on Fox and most recently on the X Factor in England; a show starring Simon Cowell which also stars Sharon Osbourne. (Mark is known in England as "Weird Beard" for his brightly colored beard.)

Oh and by the way, Mark is also the uncle to Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson!

Las Vegas writer Steve Friess finds it "strange" that ordinary folk are being invited to Danny Gans' memorial

Steve Friess, the Las Vegas comp queen, Gay Vegas author and Vegas freelance writer to the world, has finally discovered something "strange" in the case of the death of Danny Gans-- and it's the fact that ordinary Las Vegans are being invited to Gans' memorial service.

We reported this morning that at least one Las Vegas ticket service was inviting Gans' neighbors to celebrate his life in the 3 p.m. show at the Encore Theatre, and we described it as a "nice gesture to Gans' hometown fans."

Friess, whose story in the Las Vegas Weekly a week after Gans' death opened with him and his "husband" in bed, wondering "who's going to care" about Gans' passing, copied our report on his blog this afternoon and referred to the regular folks as "seatfillers."

Seatfillers.

He writes:

"I find this a bit strange.

"Isn't that a little odd and awkward? I mean, is someone concerned about the room not looking quite full enough? It's a memorial -- in fact, it's been referred to in various media accounts as a 'private; memorial -- not a show or a popularity contest. They sent out all these invitations to friends, family, media folk, etc. It's nice that they're opening it up to the public, I suppose, but then they're not really. You have to have tickets..."

How out of touch is this guy?

Friess' concern with the unwashed mixing with the Vegas elite (treating them like people hired at an awards show to fill in empty seats to make the room seem full) seems bizarre in light of the fact that Friess insisted publicly that Gans' death was not worth of reportage because he was such a regular guy. His obsession with being part of the "in crowd," however, may explain his crusade to prevent this news organization from covering the Gans death mystery. His public tantrum, which included name-calling, an attempt to shut down this site, and as he admitted in an email, helping concoct false rumours connecting Wayne Newton and Mayor Oscar Goodman to Gans' death (see kvbcsecrets@yahoo.com and ask for Anony Mouse), was apparently connected to the fact that his "husband" is executive producer of Alicia Jacobs, the beauty queen-turned-TV reporter and longtime Gans chum who was the first journo to be notified of his death and has been a determined promoter of his legend ever since.


"Miles shook me awake last Friday at about 7:30 a.m.

“'I need you to wake up,' he said. 'You need to get up. Now.'

"I was confused. I’d told him I didn’t need to be up until 8. But he looked grave.

“'Danny Gans died in his sleep this morning,' he said.

"My bleary look gave way to a puzzled one. It was the only reaction to such strange and awful news. How does a 52-year-old health nut die in his sleep?

"Here are my first and second comments, in this order: 'Oh, that’s so sad.' Then, after a long pause: 'But I wonder who’s going to care.'

"Yes, that sounds cold. But I meant—and Miles got it immediately—who in the national media will recognize this passing as a significant story? That’s my job and to some extent my function in this community, to determine what of the local news rises to the level of broader significance and interest, and which publication is going to want me to document it..."

Friess, who had a story appear in the New York Times that day (it was about a plastic surgery convention) apparently paid the price for his ignorance about what makes a national story. The New York Times was one national news organization that wanted the story, and today the biggest story of his career was the subject of a New York Times feature by Dan Barry.

(Note: Steve Friess threatens us any time we use an actual picture of him,
so we have to improvise...)

UPDATE: Steve Friess sent us an email: "The NYT has cut back dramatically in all areas as it struggles to avert bankruptcy and is not taking any freelance for their arts coverage. I'm in fine stead with the sections of the Times I write for regularly and have several new assignments at this time. Thanks for your heartfelt concern."

Steve cut off our ability to reply to her emails so we'll reply here: "The New York Times story wasn't an 'arts' story but a news feature in the Times' National section. And if the Times is going bankrupt, it can thank freelancers like you who wouldn't know a story if it bit him on his big spanked ass!"

Vegas columnist blasts Danny Gans book!

In the Las Vegas news media’s first examination of Danny Gans’ posthumous autobiography, a veteran newspaper columnist is challenging the accuracy of the book, blasting it as a "grudge" and the attacking abilities of Gans’ co-author.

Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist Mike Weatherford's scathing column and supporting blogpost appears today-- on the six-month anniversary of Gans’ death by Dilaudid. Weatherford challenges the facts in Chapter 34 of The Voices In My Head, claiming that he is the unnamed columnist who appears in the chapter, allegedly telling Gans on their first meeting that he was not his friend or fan, that Gans needed topless dancers in his show, and broke a promise not to review Gans' opening-night gala at The Mirage. Writes Weatherford: “The first mostly wasn't true. The second I can only figure was a joke... The third issue is fuzzier. I don't remember what was said about reviewing the gala.”

Weatherford attributes the jab in the chapter to the fact that he had given Gans’ Mirage opening a less-than-perfect rating. “Gans' manager, Chip Lightman, called to raise hell about the letter grade, which was an A-. Apparently that minus sign bothered them. ‘The No. 1 show in town should be an A plus-plus-plus, you should like everything about it,’ Gans later told the Los Angeles Times.” Weatherford gives a detailed blow-by-blow rebuttal of the chapter on the Review-Journal blog page. He also throws in a punch at Gans’ co-author, RG Ryan: "I didn’t have room for the details, which if sloppy co-author R.G. Ryan had bothered to ask me about, might have kept the chapter out of the book to begin with.” Weatherford characterizes the issue as “sad.” His characterization of the chapter as a “grudge” gives promise that the book will be a no-holds-barred response to the local media who disparaged Gans’ talent, much in the style of fellow Strip legend Wayne Newton’s classic autobiography, Once Before I Go. Weatherford’s blast is all the more extraordinary because the Gans book is published by the Review-Journal’s parent company. The publisher made a deal with Gans’ family in the days after his death on May 1st, and perhaps coincidentally, its reporters did not follow up on or investigate the mysterious circumstances of his death at 52. Weatherford, for example, never followed up on his column in which he reported that Gans was “down in the dumps” and “in unusually low spirits” the day before he died. We at Tabloid Baby are still waiting our copy of the book from Amazon.com, which signaled a three-to-five week wait.

Never mind the bollocks, the Spice Girls were great

The Spice Girls are making a new video, preparing for their reunion tour and have updated their website. We don't have time for the Becks-Posh ridiculousness and erased the new season of Dancing with The Stars from the TiVo after Wayne Newton got voted off, but back in the Nineties, the Spice Girls were one of the best pop acts in the world. Their singles were perfect, their cartoon image very cool, their message positive and their videos really watchable.

The Spice Girls not only were tops of Britpop and helped lead the Cool Britannia movement that made London fun for about eighteen months, but alongside Oasis and Blur made the best music the decade had to offer, with a first album (left) that certainly ranks among the Top 100 in pop history (though their second CD disappointed).

Check out their revamped website (and check out their individual solo work, which you probably haven't heard if you're in the States).

Stars' praise helps sell Danny Gans book

"Danny Gans poured his energy into everything he loved, from his family to his faith, from baseball to his career in entertainment. When it came time to document his life story, he poured his energy into this project as well. Sadly, one day after this manuscript was completed, Danny died.

"His inspiring story remains, offering a compelling mix of touching tales and life lessons. From the baseball diamonds of his youth to his sold-out stardom on the Las Vegas Strip, Danny charts the struggles and successes of his life. Along the way, he tells us of the heartwarming courtship of his wife, Julie, and his close relationships with his father and mother.

"An uncommon gift as an impressionist lifted 'The Man of Many Voices' to the pinnacle of the Las Vegas entertainment industry, where he will be long remembered as a much-loved performer and a generous man. Here is the story of Danny Gans, told in his own voice, and from his own heart."

--The Voices In My Head website

The Voices In My Head, the Danny Gans autobiography now on sale online (see the ad and link on this site) and possibly available at tomorrow's Henderson, Nevada charity run renamed in Gans' honor, is being launched with testimonials by the biggest stars in the world-- and his former manager:

One of the most unique human beings and entertainers in the world has been taken from us in an unexpected moment. We will all try to go on with our lives without our dear friend. At this moment it seems almost impossible.
— Steve Wynn

When you think of Danny Gans the first thing you think of is entertainer. The second word you think of is best. He is Las Vegas, and he was Las Vegas, and he will always be Las Vegas.
— Larry King

Danny Gans… worked tirelessly to entertain his audience and even harder to help the underprivileged in Las Vegas. With his loss, the world is a sadder place.
— Andre Agassi

Not only was he the best in his field, but he was such a kind and loving person.
— Celine Dion

The Las Vegas Strip is better for having had Danny Gans’ light shine so brightly, and will be forever impacted by his loss.
— Siegfried & Roy


Beyond his spot-on impressions, Danny Gans will be remembered for the impression he left as an entertainer, a humanitarian, and family man and friend.
— Louie Anderson

Danny Gans was quite simply one of the greatest entertainers ever to step foot onto the stage. In my twenty-seven years in Las Vegas, I have never seen anyone better.
— Lance Burton

We’ve lost an amazing entertainer. His friendship, charisma and talent will be greatly missed.
— Donny & Marie Osmond

Danny was an immense talent and a great friend. He brought so much to Las Vegas, both on and off the stage. I will miss him.
— Wayne Newton

Danny Gans will not only be remembered as a Las Vegas entertainer, but as a man who loved his family, loved God, and loved the city of Las Vegas.
— Chip Lightman

He could conjure up a vast array of the world’s most celebrated names, but when you think about his love for his family, or his many philanthropic interests, it’s clear that Danny’s finest role was playing himself. We have lost him far too soon and he will be greatly missed.
— Elaine Wynn

The book, published by the owners of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not being sold on Amazon.com. It's available in trade paperback or hardcover with an adudio CD.

John Birch Society honors Danny Gans

Tabloid Baby’s determined investigation into the mysterious death of Las Vegas headliner Danny Gans and the equally mysterious lack of coverage by his hometown media has resulted in international attention of all stripes.

One item that caught our eye this morning is a tribute to Gans on the website for the right-wing (anti-Communist, anti civil rights-legislation) The John Birch Society. The last person we heard mention The John Birch Society was Phil Ochs, and he died about thirty years ago, but apparently they're still out there.


Included in the post, ‘Sin City Showman Who Loved Jesus’:

“…Given the other talented headliners that are synonymous with the Strip, like Celine Dion, Wayne Newton, and the Blue Man Group, it was a huge compliment that Gans was voted ‘Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year’ eleven years in a row. Tickets for his sold-out show at the Mirage started at about $100. Earlier this year, Gans had switched to plusher digs at the Encore Theater (seating capacity: 1500), which is part of the Wynn Resorts.


“Not surprisingly, the success made him wealthy, but it also made him generous, Gans had raised two million dollars for local charities. 

Benny Perez, pastor of The Church at South Las Vegas, told KVBC-TV, an NBC-affiliate, how this unusual showman managed to keep it together in a place that is notoriously nicknamed ‘Sin City’:



"'Danny Gans loved God; number two; Danny Gans loved his family; and number three; Danny Gans loved life. And if we could just do those three basic things - all of us love God, love families, our friends, our people around us, and love life - I think Las Vegas and the world would be left a little bit better. And that's the message of Danny Gans.’

“The athletic Gans never intended to be a variety entertainer. Since age seven, Gans’ dream was to play major league baseball, but an Achilles tendon injury during his time in the minor leagues ended that pursuit. Gans told Bonnie Hunt, who hosts a daytime talk show, that while he was recovering in the hospital from his life-altering accident, his roommate, a man ill with cancer, gave him an odd message: ‘I know why I’m here right now. I’m going to be fine. I’m here for you. I’m your messenger, and my message to you is God has something better for you. I don’t know what that is, but it’s going to make you happier than baseball.’

“Two months after that conversation, the twenty-something Gans was performing stand-up comedy; his hospital roommate/messenger was eventually healed from cancer; and the rest, as they say, is history.

.."

As we'd predicted, the Danny Gans legend is already spreading far beyond Las Vegas, and like Elvis Presley before him, Gans promises to become even bigger in his afterlife thanks to tales like those and the the since-retracted story from Gans’ manager Chip Lightman and Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke that has nonetheless quickly become part of Gans lore and which caps the Birch item:

"Ironically, Gans closed his very last show with a song he did not typically sing. It was Bobby Darin’s 'The Curtain Falls'..."

What are they hiding? Las Vegas journo Steve Friess calls us "a**holes" for asking questions about the mysterious death of Danny Gans

It’s one thing for Las Vegas journo Steve Friess to give us an honest reaction to our question about why he and his fellow professionals have done no investigation into the very mysterious and untimely death of local headliner and religious figure-in-the-making Danny Gans.

It’s quite another for him to go online and call us “asshole” and “vermin” and accuse this site of spreading “hatred” by doing basic reporting.

But that’s what Steve Friess is doing this morning.

In a brash and rash move that is bound to do harm to his standing in the national journalistic community, the man who bills himself as a journalist with credits including "Newsweek, The New York Times, Time, Boston Globe, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, US News & World Report, San Francisco Chronicle, People, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, Reuters, Travel + Leisure, Baltimore Sun, Newsday, Philadelphia Inquirer, America West, The Advocate, Out, Genre, TimeOut New York, Editor & Publisher, South China Morning Post, Korea Herald, and others,” has gone into public personal attack mode after we asked privately why local journalists have not investigated the Gans death story.



In a post titled: “From the Files of ICK!” he writes of

“Two gross things popped up today worth being shamed:

"1. Moonlite Bunny Ranch's Disgusting Publicity Stunt…"

and

"2. DANNY GANS HATE BLOSSOMS ANEW. A man is dead. A family and community is in mourning. Toxicology reports will be finished soon enough to reveal the cause. And what does this asshole want to know? He wants to know why the Pulitzer-winning media in Las Vegas isn't badgering the shit out of Gans' confidants and paramedics to get to the bottom of what killed the man. And in the absence of this pressing use of precious journalistic resources, the same asshole is implying inappropriate relationships Danny did not have and taking words by Robin Leach out of context to imply there's some news on Gans' demise.

"I wouldn't have known except that I think this Perez Hilton wanna be (and I can't imagine why anyone would wanna be one of those vermin) thought I might be a kindred spirit and emailed me to ask me why the Vegas media hasn't dug into this most pressing issue of our time. To which I responded thusly:

"'Uh, because until the toxicology reports come back it would be irresponsible and inappropriate for legitimate reporters to write baseless speculation...'"

You can read the rest of his email here.

But hold on a second: “Badgering the sh*t out of Gans’ confidants and paramedics”? Wasting “precious journalistic resources?" These same journalist resources have gone into overtime to get comments from and fill column inches with laudatory quotes from people like Steve Rossi.

We’d settle for a tape of the 911 call.

Look, we realize that Vegas is a company town and that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but let’s get a few things straight:

Danny Gans was a superstar. According to KVBC, he was a religious leader. A local reporter who boasted of a close personal relationship with him claimed to have been informed of his death within 15 minutes of the call to paramedics. She also claimed to have received many text messages from him in the hours before his death. The first word that comes out of the mouth of every insider we've spoken to is "steroids." Katsilometes in the Sun hinted at it.

Baseless speculation?

We're reporters, pallie. This is raw meat to reporters.

We don’t need to pull out our credentials when it comes to our history with, or love and support of Las Vegas and its headliners from Jerry Lewis to Sam Butera to Cook E. Jarr to Wayne Newton. We simply find it hard to believe that a man who bills himself as a journalist would consider it to be inappropriate or hateful to go beyond official statements from resort owners and police public information officers to bring readers some semblance of the truth.

And Perez Hilton does a pretty good job.

Shame on Steve Friess.

Remembering Danny Gans

Word of the untimely passing of Danny Gans has, as would be expected, shocked Las Vegas and show business insiders who know the entertainer and musical impressionist-- whose recent move from his theatre at The Mirage to Steve Wynn's Encore across the Strip made possible Terry Fator's multimillion dollar leap from America's Got Talent-- as the best Vegas-only star since Wayne Newton.

"Danny Gans was a great guy, a real family man, and he gave a hundred percent onstage and in life," says Jerry Peluso, the Las Vegas-based film and television producer and tribute group impresario. "As you can imagine, it's all over the radio this morning. He was set to be onstage at the Encore tonight.

"I remember when I had the (Beatles tribute) Fab Four at the Hilton, Danny showed up with his family but the show was 21 and over, so they wouldn't let his kids in-- and they wouldn't make an exception even for a big star like Danny. So they comped Danny, the wife and kids to Benihana's across the hall. I went over and gave his family Fab Four t-shirts, and told Danny if he ever got a babysitter to come back to the show. He showed up the next night with his wife.

"Danny and I talked about producing a Beatles tribute show on the Strip-- but we were beaten to the punch-- by the Beatles themselves, with Love.

"And Danny really was a great baseball player. I produced a show called Las Vegas Celebrity Secrets for the Travel Channel and Danny told me how he was a ballplayer until someone stepped on his Achilles tendon in a game and ended his career as a baseball player. About two years, later I saw Danny at Cashman Field. It was a week before the season opened for the minor league team and Danny was taking batting practice. He hit about five balls out of the park. I was with Jason Giambi-- pre-steroids-- and Jason said, "Man, that guy really leaves an impression."


Mark Hudson, Tabloid Baby pal and famed rock producer and performer, also commented this morning:

"Danny Gans was one of the greatest performers I've known in my life. I'll miss him not only as an entertainer, but as a friend."

Barry Manilow, what happened?

Word today that Barry Manilow will soon announce he's quitting his longtime engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton comes two days after Barry sent a memo to his fan club insisting he's not sick (just a "skinny guy" who's "filled with energy" and still has his hair) and a day after he launched a subscription website to show archival footage of his past concerts.


Barry's likeness has been plastered along the side of the hotel-casino where Elvis and Wayne Newton once ruled, and his Manilow giftshop off the Hilton lobby has been a Las Vegas favorite, featuring not only t-shirts, jewelry and memorabilia, but bottles of the legendary Manilow water.


Hilton execs announced Barry's longterm deal in December 2004.

The Manilow.tv site will run a new concert each month.

Engelbert makes the list of best live albums ever

No music collection is complete without the live albums seen below. For years, the list has remained stable, but now, unexpectedly, from out of nowhere, another monster live set enters the pantheon of the greatest live music albums ever recorded.

Totally Amazing is a 22-track collection recorded somewhere out there on the Indian casino and Vegas showroom circuit, and it’s a powerhouse performance by a man who represents the best of a vanishing breed: the singer who stands alone in a tuxedo before a big swinging band, armed only with a microphone, charisma and a voice that brings down the house.

That man is Engelbert Humperdinck.

Engelbert has never gotten the respect he deserves. With his romantic, string-washed backing and schmaltzy country western repertoire, the sideburned Casanova was always an also-ran to his to Sixties stablemate Tom Jones. But life in Vegas, high-roller showrooms and a thousand theatres-in-the-round as an Elvis standard-bearer has honed his voice and act into something magnificent. Backed by a powerhouse band that includes an uncredited sax player who gives Sam Butera a run for his money, Engelbert rolls out the hits, standards and entertaining curveballs with a self-deprecating humour and saloon singer command before an enthusiastic crowd that based on the singalongs (and he does the singalongs better than Do Ho in his prime) is made up entirely of women!

They don’t make albums like this anymore, not since the 1960s and 1970s, when Humpy was in his prime. Now, at age 70, marking his fortieth year in the business, Engelbert has created a modern classic, with a pristine sound, taking the listener inside the showroom experience that culminates with a very distinct version of My Way.

This is the sound of Elvis Presley if he'd taken care of himself. This is Tom Jones if he grew up. This is what Robbie Williams should strive for. And on the back cover photo, Engelbert is almost indistinguishable from Gene Simmons.

Totally Amazing is totally amazing! It’s up there with Sinatra at The Sands, Sammy Davis Jr. at The Cocoanut Grove as one of the best live albums ever recorded! No kidding!

The live list:








Wayne Newton In Person!... Sinatra at The Sands... Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas... Sammy Davis, Jr. at The Cocoanut Grove... Elvis: The Alternate Aloha Concert... Don Ho Live at The Polynesian Palace... Allen Sherman, the Boston Pops & Arthur Fiedler: Peter & The Commissar... Oasis: Familiar To Millions... Merle Haggard: Okie from Muskogee, Recorded Live in Muskogee, Oklahoma...Slim Dusty Live at Wagga Wagga... Louis Prima, Keely Smith & Sam Butera: The Capitol Sessions... Donny Hathaway Live... Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison... The Allman Brothers Live at The Fillmore East... Darin at The Copa... and introducing... Engelbert Humperdinck: Totally Amazing!

That's Tabloid Baby's list. Did we leave anyone out?