Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 4:40 a.m.
Even Mr. Las Vegas has trouble going 24/7.
It's the White House and the "Today" show in New York one day, "The Late Show" with Craig Kilborn in Los Angeles and a return to Las Vegas for a show at the Stardust the next. Today it's an all-star show, then it's a flight to Washington to prepare for an overseas USO tour.
"I really don't think the fatigue can get any worse than it's been," a weary but gracious Newton said during a late-night interview following a performance last week. "I don't ever remember doing anything where I've been so tired at night as I am now, but I'm so looking forward to waking up the next day to see what's going on next."
Today Newton awoke to prepare for "Las Vegas Salutes the Spirit of America," a sold-out, all-star benefit concert for United Service Organizations, at 2 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Acts and performers run the Vegas gamut, from comics to magicians to muted men painted cobalt blue.
Those volunteering in what could be known as the Strip's answer to "Live Aid" include Bob Anderson, the Blue Man Group, David Brenner, Lance Burton, Carrot Top, Denise Clemente, David Darkstone, Dian Diaz, Andre-Philippe Gagnon, Robert Goulet, Buddy Greco, Clint Holmes, Jimmy Hopper, Cook E. Jarr, Mac King, Steve Lawrence, Rich Little, Jerry Lopez, Louie Louie, Dana Martin, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., the McGuire Sisters, Melinda First Lady of Magic, Darren Romeo, The Scintas, Siegfried & Roy, Jessica Simpson, Darcus Speed, Rick Springfield, Fred Travalena, Earl Turner, Tina Walsh, Steve Wyrick, the casts of "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance," "O," "Jubilee" and "Storm," and the House of Blues Gospel singers.
That lineup includes Newton, naturally. The 58-year-old Las Vegas legend spoke of the show and his affiliation with USO:
Las Vegas Sun: Has there ever been an effort like this in Las Vegas, with almost all of its major stars performing in a single show?
Wayne Newton: Never. The city has never seen anything like this in all the years I've performed here. It's going to be a very special show.
Sun: How quickly did the idea for the show start to take form?
WN: We were in Hawaii when the events of Sept. 11 occurred. We were like everybody else in America, I'm sure, glued to the TV for the next 24 hours, and (my wife) Kat and (my sister-in-law) Tricia (McCrone) were saying, "We want to send money, we want to send money." And I said, "Let's see where this goes, because obviously it's not over yet." About two days later I started getting phone calls from Clint Holmes and Frankie Scinta, saying they needed to talk.
We got back to town Monday, did the opening show (at the Stardust) that night and had a meeting with Frankie and Clint the next night.
Sun: Was the discussion always centered on a single all-star show?
WN: It started out with the two guys saying they'd talked to a lot of the acts up and down the Strip. They all wanted to do something. And I said, OK, what does, "We want to do something" mean? Historically, sometimes it's just better to send a check and you don't get involved in all the other ancillary things going on. But we wanted to do a show, and the question I had was, where do you see the money going?
Sun: How was that determined?
WN: I said, "Do you foresee the money going to the firemen?" and they said, "Part of it." "To the police? "Part of it." "To the families?" "Part of it." Finally I said, "The reality is you really don't know where you want it to go. The reason I'm asking these tough questions is I am faced with the same decision." So we considered doing something for the only group that's been forgotten in this, and that's our military, and we started to think we'd do something for the USO.
Sun: Do you find that around the country people always seem to look at Las Vegas differently when it comes to charitable acts? It's as if they're saying, "Oh, look, even Las Vegas is doing something."
WN: They do, yes. Absolutely. It's like we don't have a heartbeat, and we don't have a conscience, and we don't have a moral fiber and all of those things you take for granted in other cities. And frankly, this city has more of all of those qualities than most other cities combined.
Sun: Do you foresee, just as an individual entertainer, taking a look at the long-term economic impact the attacks have had on Las Vegas and maybe doing something to aid out-of-work local residents?
WN: Absolutely. There's no question about it ... Something I was talking to a group of people about was getting together and adopting families -- adopting the possibility of taking over their house payment, their insurance payment. Instead of just sending money somewhere, we could find this pool -- if we could truly identify it -- and help those people who have been put out of work simply because of the effects of what happened.
Sun: Instead of just delivering money to some clearinghouse, in other words?
WN: Right. I was watching this thing before I came to work, about the $380 million that has been collected by the Red Cross and United Way, and they said, "Well, what we do is put the money out to other agencies, who are at the front of what's going on, so they can deal with the psychological problems." Be serious. The biggest psychological problem is how am I going to make my house payments? How am I going to feed my family? Send my kids to school? Those are the psychological problems. And so, that's why my thought was really a lot more polarized -- to go through the community, those of us who can afford to do it, and take on those responsibilities for three or four or five months. Then you have faces, and names, you're not just saying, "My conscience is clear, I've sent my check."
Sun: As chairman of the USO's Celebrity Circle you're so affiliated and linked with that organization. For you, does it get any more important than taking the torch from Bob Hope as the USO's chief spokesman?
WN: No. If I had to sit down prior to all this happening and say, OK, what could be the biggest compliment you could be paid as a performer and as an American? It would be that.
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