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.

Art Vargas brings touch of Prima to the Palms

Art Vargas himself summed it up in hipster code for his Facebook friends early this morning: "Mondo Lounge was a gass!... Swingin time with the swank set... very cool crowd, swank settin' hipsters... diggin the scene, layin it down old school style... like no other dig it the most daddy!"

The red hot Vargas brought down the house at the Palms' Key West ballroom in Las Vegas last night, working the Mondo Lounge convention crowd and giving bookers, agents and tastemakers another solid reason why the man who's played the big rooms reviving the ghost of Bobby Darin while working lounges and bistros with his own retro-themed classic Vegas act, deserves a showroom of his own, his name on a giant marquee and billboards in and on the way from the airport as big and ubiquitous as Danny Gans'.

And while Vargas has the potential to take Danny Gans' role as the living embodiment of Las Vegas entertainment, the mantle he's really in line to assume is that of Louis Prima, the all-round entertainer who turned the Vegas lounge into the center of Vegas cool, and deservedly ascended to headliner status. Nothing made that more clear by the guest shot in last night's show by none other than Prima's daughter, Lena. Lena, youngest daughter of Louis Prima and Gia Maione, has carried on with her Louis-centric career and is regarded as Vegas loyalty.


Posted Vargas: "What A GASSS it is performing with you Lena!! Lets build a barn and do a show! just like Mickey & Judy! you are great, you must have your dad's heart and soul, what a legacy, the passion and performance is so real, what a thrill, and the audience so loved it! It is magical ..."

The Vegas media will catch up soon enough. Stay tuned.

Art Vargas plays the Palms Saturday night

Art Vargas, the charismatic, energetic veteran showman we've picked as a prime candidate for a showroom of his own on the Las Vegas Strip, gets a few blocks closer when he brings his show to the Palms Casino Resort Saturday night at.

That's tomorrow. At 8.

Hot off last weekend's success at the Rampart, Vargas and his group The Swank Set will be the highlight of the "Mondo Lounge Ultimate Retro Party and Conference," which "brings together fans of retro fashion, tiki, pin-ups, exotica music, Atomic Age cocktails, bachelor pad living, ballroom dance and the vintage Vegas Rat Pack vibe," which Vargas brings in spades with his signature brand of very timely retro cool rock and jazz. Bookers, tastemakers, music critics, gossips and big time talent agents are well advised to make their way to the Palms. Vargas is Vegas future.

Steve Friess pulls boners in LA Weekly transgender sportswriter story

Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer, Gay Vegas author, concert promoter and comp queen Steve Friess apparently made some embarrassing errors when he brought his opinionated work to Los Angeles in the form of a reheated LA Weekly cover story on the tragedy of LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner, who committed suicide after coming out publicly as a transgender, then changing his mind.

A correction in the LA Weekly print editions and website today reads:

"A story published August 20 about the life and death of former L.A. Times sportswriter Mike Penner incorrectly spelled Amy LaCoe's last name as LeCoe. In addition, the story should have said that Penner's father died 12 years ago, not when Penner was 12 years old; that Penner met his future wife, Lisa Dillman, when she worked at the Detroit News, not at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune; and that the couple wed in 1986, not 1987."

We'd criticized the article after it was published in August as a riff on past coverage, including details from a comprehensive Los Angeles Times article, and spanked Freiss for his lazy and kneejerk degrading descriptions of Los Angeles architecture.

Friess came to our attention in May 2009 when he attacked us publicly for asking questions about the mysterious death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans. He later helped in an active campaign to mislead reporters on the case-- and made a move to have this site closed down.

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.

Rich Little returns to scene of wife's funeral to say "so long" to Tony Curtis

Weeks after the funeral of his wife, Marie, who committed suicide in July, legendary impersonator Rich Little returned to the Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas for the farewell to show biz pal Tony Curtis.

The Palm Valley View Cemetery is also the final resting place for Little's fellow impressionist and George Burns impersonator Danny Gans.

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."

Art Vargas is returning to Las Vegas

"I saw Las Vegas future and its name is Art Vargas!"
--Sam Peters

The man who should be a Strip headliner returns to his swingin' stompin' grounds at the Rampart Casino, October 15, 16 and 17.


Beat a path off the beaten path to catch Art Vargas before the big bookers, promoters and agents catch on and place him a theatre with big ticket prices.

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.

Liberace who?

"When this started 30-some years ago, Lee was still a name. Keeping that brand alive has been very difficult. When Liberace passed away, no one really did what they did with the Presley estate. If you turn on XM Radio, you're going to see a Sinatra station, you'll see an Elvis station. When you look at Liberace, his music is well-played, interpreted by a real talent. But it isn't kept alive the way Elvis or Sinatra's is."

--Jeffrey Koep, chairman of the Liberace Foundation board of directors, on Friday's announcement that the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas will close October 17.

Liberace Museum closing after 31 years

The Liberace Museum, tucked into a strip mall of East Tropicana Avenue two and half miles from the Las Vegas Strip, will close on October 17th, after 31 years in business.

The announcement came on Friday, the week in which a performer known as Prince Poppycock moved to the America's Got Talent finals after performing in a red-white and blue shortpants outfit that was surely a tribute to Liberace's star-spangled hotpants, and the month in which Michael Douglas, who is set to portray the flamboyant showman in a biopic directed by Steven Soderburgh, began treatment for throat cancer.

From Tabloid Baby, Chapter 38:

"...The papers would say it last snowed in Las Vegas in 1990. Wayne and I were in town for that last storm. We'd just arrived to shoot 'Vegas Week' material for A Current Affair. That was when Wayne got Maureen to dress up as a showgirl and I shot a piece on the Liberace Museum that we promoted as the discovery of the little known 'Mrs. Liberace.' The story was true. She was his sister-in-law."

Somebody book Art Vargas for Jerry's telethon

They're talking in Las Vegas about Art Vargas killing at the Bootlegger Bistro Saturday night with a swingin' show, a packed house and a wild, cheering crowd that went even wilder when Vargas was joined onstage by Louis Prima's daughter Lena for a version of Old Black Magic. The gig was the latest showcase for the old school showman and topnotch singer that could soon have him headlining in his own room on the Vegas Strip where he belongs, and amid the musical impressionists, magicians, acrobats and superstars, there's surely a place.

With word that Jerry Lewis was filling next weekend's MDA telethon with a roster of little-known Las Vegas acts, we're more than a little disappointed-- and surprised-- to see that Vargas is not among those scheduled. Put this guy and his Swank Set on at 11 pm Sunday and they're guaranteed to bring down the house at the South Point and have those phones ringing and web hits adding up.

Las Vegas Sun features Tabloid Baby video clip in Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon preview

The Las Vegas Sun has posted a clip from the Tabloid Baby YouTube channel as part of a feature story tribute to Jerry Lewis as his 45th annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon approaches.

The clip depicts Jerry in full throttle mode in the final hour of the 2009 MDA telethon, which added $60.5 million to the cause.

The Sun's reliance on material posted by the Tabloid Baby team reveals clearly how the Las Vegas news media looks to Tabloid Baby since our site excoriated local journalists for the shamefully lax and negligent coverage of the mysterious and untimely death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans.


The Sun article notes that the telethon from the South Point Casino-- far from the legendary Strip that 84-year-old Jerry Lewis helped put on the map and cultivated--faces obstacles in this tough economic times and confusing celebrity grid:

"He just keeps marching on, even with the changing economy, even without the support of stars who once clamored to be seen on the telethon.

“'You hear the list of performers this year — Brad (he searches for a word) Stump, Helen Utch, Ruth Belmenent,' he said. 'And these people are some of the best talent in America. But it’s a big difference' from big-name stars.

“'People don’t want to do a telethon anymore because they have to get off their butt, get on a plane, come here and do it,' he said. 'But I don’t want them when they don’t want to, because they don’t come with the right attitude. If they come out of pressure, they’re no good to me.'"


The 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon begins Sunday, Sept. 5 at 9 pm EDT, live from the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas. It concludes Labor Day, Sept. 6 at 6:30 pm EDT. Check listings for local stations, start and end times, or visit mda.org.


Social media followers of MDA’s Twitter, Facebook and sites will get a behind-the-scenes look at the show during the broadcast.

Read the only behind-the-scenes account of Jerry Lewis and the MDA telethon in Chapter 6 of the book, Tabloid Baby.

(NOTE THE BABY PICTURE)

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN M. BOWEN/ LAS VEGAS SUN

Vegas is coming up Vargas!

"Swingin'!" "Smokin'!" "Great!"

Those were only a few of the superlatives tossed toward entertainer Art Vargas after last weekend's triumphant return to Las Vegas in a showcase bound to get the singer and his classic, retro-flavoured act his own showroom on the Strip where, among magicians, impressionists, tributes and comics, there is definitely a lucrative niche awaiting.

The heat from the three-night stand at the Rampart casino at the Summerlin Resortis already evident as Team Vargas has announced another show on Saturday night at his favourite haunt, The Bootlegger Bistro on Las Vegas Boulevard.

This time it's only five minutes from the Strip.

He's getting closer!

Art Vargas & The Swank Set
Live at The Bootlegger Bistro!
Sat Aug 28th
Bootlegger Bistro
(702) 736-4939
shows at 9:30 pm and Aug. 29 12:30 am

The Bootlegger Bistro
7700 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, NV

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

The answer is "D"

The Las Vegas Weekly is filling summer pages with The Vegas IQ Test.

This is Question #10:

The Prima torch is passed to Art Vargas

Louis Prima gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sunday and Art Vargas will be at the Rampart Casino August 20, 21 and 22. Bookers for showrooms on the Strip, from the Imperial Palace to the Tropicana, and lounge stages from Cleo's Barge to La Cabaret, should be on hand to book this Vegas veteran with a show that mixes vintage Vegas swing with modern hipster cachet.

Louis Prima with Keely Smith & Sam Butera & The Witnesses

Louis Prima is finally getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Legendary musician and showman Louis Prima would have turned 100 this year, and to celebrate he'll receive the 2,413th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sunday. The ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Montalban Theatre. His Louis Prima Jr. and daughter Lena will be on hand to accept the long-overdue honor. Louis Prima recorded many of his great sides at the Capitol Records building at Hollywood and Vine. He died 32 years ago. His sax player and Tabloid Baby pal, the equally legendary Sam Butera, who kept the tradition alive for decades, died last year.