Thursday, April 8, 2004 | 10:48 a.m.
Usually, the old saying goes, there are at least three sides to every story -- yours, mine, and the truth, which lies somewhere in the middle.
That applies perfectly when talking about veteran Las Vegas news broadcaster Harley Akers. We don't know who or what to believe.
The other paper in town recently had a gossip item about Akers, a former local television news anchor. It said that he had won an international journalism award for his coverage of the war in Iraq.
Instantly we were contacted by people who said that Akers had made the entire thing up.
We were curious because we had never heard of the organization that gave him the award, the Societe of the Syndicate Internationale De Journalists, nor the company that he said he was working for when he won it, the International Television News Service.
Our librarian and chief of research, Rebecca Bagayas, did a computer search of both, and we e-mailed Ann-Christina Hansen, an official with the Brussels, Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists.
The Internet search came up with zip. And Hansen e-mailed back: "I am afraid that I have not heard of neither the award nor the journalist. But that does not mean they do not exist."
So we called Akers to clear it up. He had recently been hired as the morning newsman on KNUU 970-AM (K-News), and we called him Monday at the station and left a message.
He didn't call back, so we called again Tuesday. This time we were told he no longer worked there. Again, curious.
Finally we reached him at home.
Akers promptly ripped into KNUU and its management. "They have delusions of adequacy," Akers said. He said they brought him in under false pretenses, and demanded he do much more work that he had originally agreed to.
On Wednesday station program director Andy Vierra told us he'd prefer to take the high road and not respond to Akers' ad hominem attack.
Akers also maintained that his award was completely legit. The organization, he said, was "not made up of what Americans traditionally think of" as journalists, however.
He said it was a 500-member group, based in Geneva, of people in the media industry, such as camera operators.
Akers previously worked for KLAS Channel 8 and KTNV Channel 13.
Fold
The celebrity poker trend seems to have reached its peak.
A story in USA Today on Wednesday detailed how celebs such as Ben Affleck, David Schwimmer and George Clooney are poker fanatics. A sidebar story covered all the televised poker tournaments.
Now that every nook and cranny of the nation has been clued in to the poker craze, we expect that celebs will be looking for a new bandwagon to jump on.
Hmmmm. Wonder if Michael Jordan writes poetry.
Benefit
To support Las Vegas' obvious need for teen driver education programs, PT's Entertainment Group (they operate the locals chain PT Pubs) has announced that it will donate $1,000 from each of its 27 tavern locations to the Just Keep Thinking Safety: Josh Parry, Kyle Poff and Travis Dunning Memorial Foundation.
The three Henderson teens were killed Nov. 10, 2003, in a drunken-driving accident, one of several fatal car accidents involving teens that have rocked the community over the last two years.
Also, the entertainment group is sponsoring an April 29 dinner/dance fund-raiser at Silvestri Junior High School on Silverado Ranch Boulevard to raise more money for the foundation.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling Mary Vaughn at Silvestri at 799-2240, ext. 4302.
Music man
Las Vegas Philharmonic Music Director Harold Weller has been invited to conduct the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony in Sophia, Bulgaria. He'll be there Wednesday.
The concert will be held in the historic Salle Bulgaria, known for its old-world architecture and stunning acoustics. The performance marks Weller's European debut.
"The concert sponsors are really excited to have an American conductor coming to do an all-American program," Weller said. "And I am very proud to have been invited. There has not been much in the way of cultural exchange between the two countries."
Among the works he'll conduct are songs from movies, including "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T." and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
VegasBits
Pop: X-treme sport patriarch Tony Hawk took his three kids to see Blue Man Group (Luxor) on Monday night. The family all went backstage afterward for photos with the iconoclastic entertainers ...
Big star: Star Jones ("The View") had dinner the other night at Gallagher's steakhouse (New York-New York) with fiance Al Reynolds ...
Stars: No Doubt, one of the world's hottest and most critically acclaimed bands, plays a rare club gig when it hits Rain (Palms) on June 27. Tickets to see Gwen Stefani and bandmates go on sale April 24 ...
New gig: Jeremy Parker, who writes a Las Vegas media Web log, has been hired to write a political column for the Las Vegas Weekly. The column debuts next Thursday. (The Weekly and this newspaper are both part of the Greenspun Media Group) ...
Can we talk? The news we hinted at last week is now official: Joan Rivers plays the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theatre June 23 to June 26 ...
Hot: Tickets to the Aug. 7 Van Halen concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center sold out in 30 minutes last Saturday, so a second show has been added for Aug. 6 ...
Big date: Shecky Greene turns 78 today. Back on April 23, 1956, when Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier Hotel, he was the opening act for the Freddie Martin Orchestra, and the hot comic Greene ...
Funk: The Godfather of Funk, George Clinton, and his group Funkadelic play the Skin Pool Lounge (Palms) on May 21. Tickets go on sale Saturday. His live show is really something to see ...
Gamble: ESPN has given the green light to director Christian Darren to film "Hustle: The Pete Rose Story." Primary filming takes place in Toronto, but some Las Vegas locations are also being scouted. The film is set for a Sept. 25 debut, although some details, such as the cast, have yet to be determined.
From Sun wires
They write the songs: Charles Fox, Al Green, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Don McLean and songwriting duo Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield are this year's inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The 35th annual induction ceremony will be held June 10 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. Special award honorees will be announced at a later date.
"We are looking forward to another terrific and memorable evening where we spotlight the accomplishments of those who have provided us with the words and music that form the soundtrack of our lives," Hal David, chairman and chief executive of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, said.
Previous inductees include Carole King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Jim Croce and Burt Bacharach.
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