Monday, April 23, 2007 | 7:37 a.m.
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS MORRIS
When: 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays
Where: Hooters' Night Owl Showroom
Tickets: $36.95; 739-9000
The old San Remo hotel, one of the smaller and less distinguished resorts in Las Vegas, struggled for years to maintain an identity in the giant shadow of its neighbor, the entertainment-rich MGM Grand.
Its other neighbor, the Tropicana, casts a long shadow with the classic Las Vegas production "Folies Bergere."
San Remo's owners - with lounge music and a magic show - finally gave up about 2 1/2 years ago and signed over the property to Hooters, which had a higher profile and deeper pockets.
After remodeling, Hooters opened with shiny new bars, restaurants, rooms and, of course, Hooter girls. There were gaming, dining and drinking, but no real entertainment - no showroom, no theater.
Even under new ownership, the property has struggled, and NTH Advisory Group LLC, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, is trying to buy the resort.
As negotiations continue, Hooters owners decided having entertainment in the Entertainment Capital is a good idea and converted one of their high-end lounges into a 300-seat showroom.
That's a small room by Vegas standards. Even by Tunica, Miss., standards.
But it's a start.
An even better start is hiring sharp-tongued stand-up comedian Bobby Slayton to be the first headliner in the Night Owl Showroom. No word on how long his run will be.
His no-holds-barred approach to humor has garnered him a large following. If you don't know him from his raunchy, profanity-laced routines, you may be familiar with him from his acting roles. He was Joey Bishop in the made-for-TV movie "The Rat Pack" and has appeared in such theatrical releases as "Get Shorty," "Bandits " and "Dreamgirls."
But is he well - known enough and talented enough to help save Hooters?
"I want to thank Hooters for giving me the opportunity to single-handedly drag the hotel into the toilet," he says in his act.
Slayton, a New York native, begins slowly, perhaps to catch you off guard. One joke at a time, he shows you why he's called "The Pit Bull of Comedy."
His pace becomes increasingly frenetic and unpredictable as he gets deeper into his 80-minute act. The comedy caroms like billiard balls from topic to topic, from guest to guest.
"You have bigger hooters than the women working here," he tells one fan.
"I can make 90 percent of you people laugh, and maybe break up one couple," Slayton boasts.
He uses the "f" word a lot, not to mention a few other letters. Some might think he's a racist as he pokes funs at blacks and Mexicans.
"I'm all about edginess and political incorrectness and homo jokes," he warns. "There's no pretense here. I'm not a sexist or racist. I'm a member of the tough love program."
By midway through his act the jokes are coming so rapidly it's hard to keep up . People are laughing over the pay off lines and he's off and running with another topic.
"Las Vegas is the honeymoon capital of the country, and by the way it's also the suicide capital of the country. Why is that? Think about it. You wake up with a hangover, a wife and no money , and you wonder why the windows don't open all the way."
"My wife makes me feel guilty about going to strip clubs. 'What if your daughter worked in a strip club?' Well, I guess I'd get free drinks."
If Slayton can't create a buzz for Hooters, the resort may be doomed to live forever in the shadows of its neighbors.
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