Fundraiser to benefit veteran entertainer

Perhaps the "Enormous Norm-A-Thon" was simply meant to be.

"Nobody in their right mind would ever undertake a project like this in three weeks," says Nelson Sardelli, the veteran lounge singer who is helping steer Sunday's fundraiser for Norman Kaye, his friend since 1965.

"We just had to pull together and go forth," Sardelli says of the three-hour concert offering more than two-dozen scheduled entertainers, starting at noon in The Orleans showroom. Tickets are $20 at the door.

So far, the tentative schedule ranges from entertainers of Kaye's era -- Pete Barbutti, Charlie Callas -- to those who carry the torch of old-Vegas tradition: Clint Holmes, Jimmy Hopper and the Las Vegas Tenors.

Kaye is the last remaining member of the Mary Kaye Trio, the act that launched the lounge as the swingin' all-night focal point of golden-era Vegas. The trio was "a magical name in Las Vegas," Kaye noted at the funeral of his sister Mary in March of last year (Frank Ross, the third member, died in 1995).

Kaye was equally proud of his near-40 years as Nevada's poet laureate. And lot of us were surprised a couple of years ago when the octogenarian summoned friends to the Bootlegger Bistro for a special occasion: his wedding.

But in March, Sardelli circulated the e-mail "Norman Kaye needs help." His friend had suffered a stroke and was facing eviction from a rehabilitation center if he couldn't pay $180 per day. On March 18, entertainers called a meeting and agreed to do what they do best: put on a show.

With The Orleans underwriting nearly all production costs, the event stands to raise a meaningful amount of money and its organizers face only more mundane and familiar problems: getting all the performers on -- and off -- the stage.

"No more than three 'I've Got You Under My Skins' will be allowed," Sardelli jokes in his written instructions for performers to clear song choices in advance. ...

Management at the Flamingo Las Vegas isn't getting ahead of itself. Plans were already in the works to announce the showroom's post-Toni Braxton future even before Braxton's current health scare.

Hotel officials could announce the next resident headliner as early as next week. The smart money is on Donny and Marie Osmond, who are booked for a short stint at the MGM Grand in July. They would open at the Flamingo Las Vegas soon after Braxton wraps up on Aug. 20, assuming she is in strong enough health to continue her commitment.

Braxton will take a break through May 6, giving more time to evaluate her heart after a recent bout of chest pains. The singer has pericarditis, so she doesn't want to take any chances.

This summer should bring at least two engagements by the reunited Morris Day & The Time, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Those two assuredly are doing it for love not money, since they left the band to become the superstar producers behind Janet Jackson and others.

The lack of an early evening show for the rest of the month gives afternoon magician Nathan Burton time to break in the stage; he debuts Monday. ...

After last week's column about one producer's attempt to knock ticket prices back to a realistic level, a Las Vegas-based entertainer e-mailed proud news about launching the most expensive show in town.

Bette Midler? Elton John? No, they don't seem to know my e-mail. Try Steve Dacri.

That's right. The close-up magician announces he has teamed up with Six Tables restaurant, 2110 N. Rampart Blvd., for a $300 dinner show. Thirty tickets are available for each show on Saturdays and Sundays starting May 17.

Not exactly a recession-buster, but Dacri says the target audience is "the well-heeled visitor and the money-is-no-object folk." The proprietor, Roland Levi, "sells out his restaurant seats almost every night," Dacri adds. "There are a lot of people who still spend money and want to be treated well, and that is really our audience for this one." ...

Billy Crystal has canceled a May 3 concert in the MGM Grand Garden, citing family issues. He may reschedule, but MGM officials are instructing ticket-holders to get a refund. ...

The Academy of Country Music Awards always brings the big names of Nashville to Vegas. But for those who insist on details, the Academy has announced the first batch of singers who will perform at the May 18 bash in the MGM Grand Garden: Rodney Atkins, Dolly Parton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. ...

Finally, it's a proud tradition of Las Vegas journalism to preserve our petty, territorial turf claims by mocking any big-league, out-of-town coverage of the Strip.

In that spirit, I call attention to USA Today's story Friday about the return of headliners "who aren't just has-beens." The story quotes Billboard reporter Ray Waddell: "The stigma that only old acts do Vegas is dead, thanks to Celine. The casinos now realize they're looking for the next generation of gambler."

Need we point out that while Celine Dion herself is barely 40, her demographic appeal was hardly to that "next generation"? The quote stood out even more considering the Life section cover graphic, in which Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni -- a true expert on the concert industry -- picked nine can't-miss acts as candidates for long-term casino contracts.

After 15-year-old Miley Cyrus, whose name doesn't quite scream "hip new generation of gambler," the next youngest was 46-year-old Garth Brooks.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.