January 19, 2009 1:13 PM

Norm Clarke on his new book Sinsational Celebrity Tales

Mark_Wolf(Q) Before we get to celebs behaving badly, how is Las Vegas weathering the recession?
Norm_Clarke(A) It's a tough situation. We lead the country in foreclosures and that's just the beginning. It's very surreal to drive down the Strip and see skeletal projects stalled halfway up. Not the visual Vegas wants.

EP(Q) Hi Norm, a friend of mine expressed interest in your book and I tried to buy it for him but couldn't find it anywhere, (B&N, Tattered Cover..) where is it available?
Norm_Clarke(A) Hi EP I'm in town for a book signing tonight at Tattered Cover LoDo. I think that would be the best option. I'm there from 730 to 830 if you want to stop down and get it personalized...thx
EP(C) I'll try to make it, thanks!

Mark_Wolf(Q) Which celebrities make dealers and waitresses' hearts beat faster because of the anticipation of big tips?
Norm_Clarke(A) The biggest whale was Kerry Packer, a Australian media mogul would play for $200,000 a hand. He was known for his incredible generosity. He would not only leave $200,000 tips but he would put down $200,000 bets for the dealers. if it hit, they all shared. In my book I have a Big Spenders chapter. He gave a single mom cocktail server $150,000 "to buy a house."


Norm_Clarke(A) Ben Affleck is another -- or was until he settled down -- a big tipper. They love him at the hard rock. In 2000, a year after i got to vegas, he won 600 grand and tipped out at 150 Gs...and checked into rehab the next day...

Mark_Wolf(Q) And which ones make them roll their eyes and mutter "tightwad" under their breath? Michael Jordan is legendary for not tipping. The dealers nicknamed him "Hoardin" Jordan years ago. And Scotty Pippen was known as "No Tippen" Pippen.....

EP(Q) What made you decide to go this route (writing the book/leaving the Rocky)?
Norm_Clarke(A) Hi EP My brother has been a photographer at the Las Vegas Review-Journal since the early 80s. He regularly told me war stories about celebrities who behaved and often added, "We don't have your style of column so this never makes into print." That was like an arrow to my heart, thinking about all the incredible material. Once i got there, the book just seemed like a natural follow...
Norm_Clarke(P) I wrote Vegas Confidential: 1,000 Naked Truths about 4 1/2 years ago and followed up with this one Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales. The first one was 100 top ten lists about Everything Vegas. This is more behind the scenes....

Mark_Wolf(Q) Who do you think so many of the celebs-behaving-badly stories seem to have a Las Vegas dateline?
Norm_Clarke(A) In a sentence: They come and knock down three Cuervo shots and think they are invisible.

EP(Q) How did you go about doing research for the book? Did you just wait for celebrities to come marchin' in or did you search them out?
Norm_Clarke(A) EP They just come marchin' or staggerin' in....I open up my laptop every morning about 7 a.m. and just go ....ohhhhhhmyyyyyyyyygawwwwwd.....
I then start sending out emails to be my contacts to confirm the tips...but in many cases the tips are coming from clubs and restaurants that want the publicity and in many cases will drop a dime on celebs who behave badly...

Mark_Wolf(Q) Does Barack Obama have a Vegas connection?
Norm_Clarke(A) Yes, in fact i had an item in today's column (normclarke.com) that a year ago on michelle's 44th birthday he surprised her with a necklace at a vegas restaurant. A year later, they celebrated on the train to Washington DC. The interesting sidenote: Barack was asked a year ago if he ever played his celebrity card to get a restaurant reservation. He mentioned that Vegas dinner as one of the rare occasions. And I'm still stunned that the restaurant hasn't called to say he was there.
But that could change--i shamelessly begged the restaurant to call me with the dish in today's column

Dan(Q) What's the economy doing to clubs out there? Will people still pay the big money for bottle service?
Norm_Clarke(A) Hey Dan, great question: The first that happened was the outrageous celebrity fees disappeared. The big names like Britney and Paris will still get six figures but the B, C and D listers are basically being offered to "host" an evening....and they can bring in their friends. It means K-Fed has to get a real job ...
One more thing on the impact on the clubs. A number of them are hurting and they took another hit on NY Eve when steve wynn opened XS in his new hotel Encore. it may be the most spectacular club in the world....big pool scene....$3,000 cabanas...etc

chett(Q) I enjoy reading your column online and learning the latest about entertainment in Vegas. Do you know any more about Cheap Trick's Sgt. Pepper show? That's something that would lure me down there.
Norm_Clarke(P) hey chett I think the Next Big Thing might be Cirque du Soleil's Elvis show at City Center...that's the $10 billion multi-tower project that's been in the news for its struggles. I think we're all interested in seeing how Cirque does The King... Should be huge. The Elvis brand has never waned.

Mark_Wolf(Q) What are some of the Colorado/Vegas connections you've reported?
Norm_Clarke(A) The Javon Walker incident comes to mind. And who didn't see that kind of thing happening. Blinged-up celebrity sprays 1,000 dollar bottles of champagne on crowd...bad guys notice and bad guys hatch a plan to relieve him of the bling. Given that the champagne spraying reportedly started the chain of events that led to Darrent williams death, why wouldn't that be seared in your memory?

Dan(Q) Is the Beatles "Love" still going strong? I"m tempted to make the trip.
Norm_Clarke(A) Dan. Yes, LOVE is still going one of the hottest shows. Definitely worth the trip. Love and Jersey Boys are my two top recommendations. Oh and coming up, Steve Wynn has a deal to do a Jersey Boys-esque show with the Bee Gees They would hire actor/singers of course.

Dan(Q) Why do they have to rip down the classic hotels for new ones? You'd think they'd preserve some of that history. What's the best "old" place left standing?
Norm_Clarke(A) Dan, money talks, and no where louder than Vegas. Here's an anecdote that says something about why they keep building behemoths: When wynn bought the Dunes he paid $5 million an acre. When the New Frontier was sold over a year ago by Kansas billionaire Phil Ruffin, he got $35 million an acre. That land is so valuable somebody's always go a new idea...sad for certain, but its reality.

As for the best old building still standing....well they aren't fancy but every time I walk through the Sahara and Riviera my heartbeat quickens; so much history there. One of my big thrills was attending the Desert Inn's 50th anniversary. A lady came over and said 'Thank you for remembering us in your column.' I almost fell out of my chair. It was Keeley Smith. Oh to have seen Louie Prima and Keeley rock the Sahara.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Lots of people thought O.J. Simpson got away with murder, but it was Las Vegas that finally brought him down. That coverage must have been a zoo.
Norm_Clarke(A) hey mark: I nicknamed it "Cirque du OJ" and it was a circus, at least the jailing and hearings. The low media turnout for the trial surprised us. not sure what to read into that. Most likely it wasn't sensational enough....My favorite scoop: I was tipped that OJ was so confident that he had a victory party planned...The highlight for me was getting to meet Dominick Dunne ...Had a 4 hour dinner with him and would have been over the moon with a 30 min sitdown. He's an extraordinary story teller....Send positive thoughts his way...he is a rough shape. My girlfriend and i sent him a foto of our evening out and he send us a DVD of his documentary...

iggypuppet(Q) Hi Norm... John here, thanks for the tip on the book signing, I'm going to try to make it. As for LV, does it ever get to the point where folks do an "uh-oh" when they see you coming?
Norm_Clarke(A) I'm sure they freeze when I show up shortly after a messy incident, but i have a great relationship will almost every place in town because they know I'm fair and almost always get their side of the story. In this Blackberry era i can walk away from dinner at a restaurant and go 100 feet and interview a celeb who just made headlines. I do believe, for the most part, they are happy to see me because it means they are getting ink in the column and on the Web site, and because the column has been on the Drudge Report for more than five years, the "hits" are stratospheric. as you know, a lot of vegas type businesses live by the old adage: no such thing as bad publicity.....

Mark_Wolf(Q) How did you and Criss Angel get so crossways?
Norm_Clarke(A) Back in April, 2008, Donald Trump's Miss USA contest was in town and i had a sighting of Angel with Pamela Anderson at Elton John's show. His girlfriend, Miss Nevada USA, was not happy about that tidbit and he showed up with some makeup bling. I ran that, and then found out he told a judge (who's husband was president of Planet Hollywood Resort, the host hotel) to "give my girl high marksl." Even if said in jest, which was his defense, that's highly inappropriate. I ran into Trump and he said he was "not happy" about it. I wrote that and when Miss Nevada didnt make the final cut, Criss flipped off an NBC cameraman . I happen to walk past him on the way to the after-party and he went ballistic. Basically said I was dead to him and the next time i ran his name in my column "you will need two eyepatches.'

Dan(Q) what celebrities actually are locals? And does the spot where Tupac was killed get sight-seers?
Norm_Clarke(A) Very few, mostly the Hollywood crowd. I'm sure some people check the Tupac site. I didn't know where it was until Evel Knievel died and a producer friend of mine told me he was in a limo with Evel and they were behind the car being driven by Suge Knight. It might have been two cars behind. But Evel, no stranger to tight spots, had the girls hit the floor of the limo....

iggypuppet(Q) Well, I always knew I was in trouble when I saw you come into Packards! lol See you later on...
Norm_Clarke(A) Hey Iggy Ah Packard's........ Stop by tonight and say hello.....I'd have a best seller if I had a chapter titled "The Chemically MisGuided."

Mark_Wolf(Q) Any wrap-up thoughts?
Norm_Clarke(A) I would like to say hello to the many friends I met here. I miss Denver a ton, especially Coors FIeld in mid-July when the soles of my shoes are melting. And I'd like to wish good luck to all my friends from my newspaper days here. When i got here in 1984 i had just spent 12 years with AP, many of them working the late shift by myself. The Rocky staff became my "family." And I owe so many so much. Being part of the newspaper war changed my life. I wish I could magically make things work out. Good luck and God bless all of you. I love you all...best Norm.

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