Sunday, June 25, 2006 | 7:51 a.m.
The "Red Room" at Wayne Newton's Casa de Shenandoah estate is where he conducts many of his media interviews. It can be tough to concentrate in there, as the velvet-lined room is packed with polished plaques and trophies awarded to Newton throughout his six decades in show business.
Newton is about to add to the "Red Room's" decor. He is set to be honored again, on Wednesday by the Daughters of the American Revolution at the organization's Continental Congress convention at Constitution Hall in Washington. The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 and is "devoted to promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism," so says a news release.
Newton is being recognized for his long affiliation with the United Services Organization (USO); he has entertained troops in every U.S. military conflict since Vietnam, and in 2001 took over for Bob Hope as chairman of the USO's Celebrity Circle. Since, Newton has organized and performed in several USO tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Newton moves from Flamingo Las Vegas (his last show there is Saturday) to Harrah's in late November. He will split time with Rita Rudner in the showroom formerly occupied by Clint Holmes (who leaves in September to work on the show "Jam," which he hopes to take to Broadway). Rudner debuts on Oct. 2.
NoteMart
Things that make you go, "hmmm": A few days ago one of my Beatle fan friends asked me if the rumor was true that Paul McCartney is going to show up unexpectedly (well, not anymore) at Ringo Starr's show on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Beach. A quick check with Those Who Would Know has not provided any confirmation, but I can say that historically the reverse has been true: Ringo has turned up at Paul's shows before (he walked onstage during a Wings performance in L.A. in 1976) and those two will be in town Friday for the gala opening of "Love" at the Mirage
House rules: The locally famous home of Lonnie Hammargren is about to be nationally famous. Hammargren's ode-to-Vegas history house and complex at 4300 Ridgecrest Drive in southeastern Las Vegas will be the subject of the HGTV program "Offbeat America" at 6 p.m. today. The show, broadcast on Cox Cable channel 68, repeats at 6 p.m. Monday
We know Jack: This summer KKJJ FM-100.5 (aka Jack 100.5) celebrates its one-year anniversary in Vegas. The non-DJ, randomly selected music format is doing better than most experts expected (though the station did suffer a slight slide in ratings recently), and parent company Infinity Broadcasting is saving a ton of money by not having to hire DJs
Il Divo-lution!: Thousands of screaming young women populated Friday's Il Divo show at Mandalay Bay Events center. Veteran concert-goers say the response to the "popera" vocal quartet was as wild as any show they have seen (and heard). Il Divo opens for Barbra Streisand on Nov. 18 at MGM Grand Garden Arena
No kidding: Reader Gary Sunby owns a very orange '77 Corvette with a plate reading KDSRGON. The kids are gone for Sunby, who says he is "67 years young."
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