Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2004 | 9 a.m.
"Bottoms Up," a mainstay in Las Vegas off-and-on for 40 years, will be leaving the Flamingo on Oct. 16 after a four-year run.
Producer, creator and star Breck Wall says he is negotiating with two other venues as a possible home for the burlesque production. He had no comment on why the topless show is moving.
"We will make an announcement in the very near future about which hotel we will move to," Wall said Tuesday afternoon.
The show debuted at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas in 1959. Wall brought it to Vegas in 1964, where it has appeared in several casinos.
It debuted locally at the original Castaways, where The Mirage now stands. Then, Wall took it to the now-defunct Hacienda, where Mandalay Bay now stands.
It was at Caesars Palace for about two years before moving to the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton).
It played at the Flamingo for two years beginning in 1971, went to various other venues and then four years ago returned to the Flamingo.
'The Producers' stays in N.Y.
Mel Brooks will shoot the film version of his hit Broadway musical "The Producers" at a new movie studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Brooks, a Brooklyn native, said new financial incentives and his love of New York helped persuade him to shoot at the recently opened Steiner Studios.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki credited new state and local tax credit programs with attracting Brooks' film to New York.
"The Producers: The Movie Musical" will star Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. The $45 million production will begin shooting in late February, Brooks said Tuesday at a press conference at Steiner Studios.
Barenaked pilot for Fox
Fox Broadcasting Co. has ordered a pilot for a variety show starring the Barenaked Ladies that will feature the playful rock group performing music and comedy skits along with guest actors.
The Canadian band, known for writing upbeat songs with quirky lyrics and engaging their audiences with onstage banter, will have plenty of leeway to ad-lib on the show, tentatively titled, "The Barenaked Ladies Variety Show."
All of the band members -- Steven Page, Jim Creeggan, Ed Robertson, Kevin Hearn and Tyler Stewart -- will perform.
Horne to be honored
Opera star Marilyn Horne will return to her hometown to receive an honorary degree from the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford.
The 70-year-old diva was born and raised in Bradford, Pa., and on Friday will become the first person to receive an honorary degree from the satellite campus.
Horne served as honorary chairwoman of a $3.4 million fund-raising drive for Blaisdell Hall, the school's new fine arts and communication arts building.
Khan's son freed
Prosecutors declined to file charges Tuesday against the son of R&B singer Chaka Khan pending further investigation into the slaying of a teenager,
Damien Patrick Holland, 25, was arrested shortly after the Friday night shooting, authorities said.
"There's not sufficient evidence at this time to file criminal charges," a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said.
The victim was identified Tuesday as 17-year-old Christopher Baily of Los Angeles. Police earlier had said the victim was 18.
Holland and Baily were fighting and both struggled to control a gun, which fired and struck the teen, police said. Baily was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.
Morissette cancels
Alanis Morissette is the latest international star to cancel a concert in Indonesia because of security fears.
Morissette, who is touring with her new album, "So-Called Chaos," had been set to perform Sunday in the capital Jakarta, concert promoter Rini Noor told local television station Metro TV on Tuesday.
A U.S. travel advisory on Sept. 3 warned of possible terrorism attacks in Indonesia. Six days after the advisory was issued, a suicide bombing outside the Australian Embassy in the Kuningan district of central Jakarta killed nine people and injured more than 170.
The attack prompted Alicia Keys and British violin act Bond to cancel their concerts in Jakarta. Some groups, however, ignored the warning and have played in the capital in recent weeks, including British boy band Blue and German rock group Scorpions.
Mister Rogers on DVD
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood video store.
Mister Rogers arrived on DVD Tuesday in a commemorative documentary about the life of the man in the cardigan sweater and sneakers.
The Emmy-nominated, three-hour documentary, "Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor," chronicles the life of Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister who produced, wrote and hosted "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for more than 30 years. He died Feb. 27, 2003, at 74 after battling stomach cancer.
The documentary is narrated by actor Michael Keaton, who began his career as a stagehand on the show. In January the film was shown on PBS and was nominated for prime-time Emmys in the categories of nonfiction special and writing for nonfiction programming.
Clinton confirms speech
Former President Bill Clinton has confirmed his first public appearance since his heart surgery three weeks ago -- a speech at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., on Nov. 9.
Clinton will appear in Arkansas at the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting on Nov. 16, two days before he opens his library and one week after he fulfills a promise to speak at the New York college.
Clinton's appearances settle uncertainty about whether his health would allow him to participate in weeklong celebrations in conjunction with the opening of the library.
The announcement did not address Clinton's availability to campaign for presidential candidate John Kerry, which Democrats are hoping he will be able to do.
Franken on trail
Al Franken is taking his radio show on the campaign trail.
"The Al Franken Show" will broadcast live across the country starting Thursday and ending Oct. 9, making stops in eight cities including swing state battlegrounds Minneapolis; Columbus, Ohio; and Miami.
"It serves a lot of purposes," Franken told the Associated Press Tuesday. "The main one is to drive me into the ground before the elections."
The satirist-commentator shares hosting duties with Katherine Lanpher for the show, one of the daily programs on the six-month-old liberal talk radio network Air America Radio.
'Apprentice' bets on hold
An offshore bookie has suspended betting on the winner of the second season of NBC's "The Apprentice," citing an "unusual betting pattern on two contestants" from accounts originating in New Hampshire.
"We don't know if this is some kind of link to the contestants or some way involved with the production," BestWWTS.com wagering director Stuart Doyle told the Associated Press Tuesday. "When this has happened before, it's because someone has known the outcome."
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