CasiNotes: Joan Rivers: In reality, an icon with bite

TO BORROW a popular New Jersey tourism slogan from the 1980s, Joan Rivers and reality TV are perfect together.

The always-outspoken comedic icon, who tomorrow headlines the Atlantic City Hilton, seems to be missing the self-edit gene most human beings possess. She's a natural for an entertainment genre whose lifeblood is outrageousness.

I had to ask: Why has it taken Rivers until 2011 to hop aboard the reality-TV gravy train with "Joan Knows Best" on cable's WE channel?

"Because every time [producers] asked, it was always for stupid shows," Rivers said in her familiar Noo Yawk rasp over the phone from Tampa, Fla., where she had a stand-up gig. "I wanted to do something about families . . . new kinds of families and the problems they can have with adult children and parents [living together]."

In the series, high-jinks, hilarity and a good deal of mommy-daughter drama ensue when the 77-year-old self-described showbiz "semi-legend" leaves her opulent Manhattan condo to share the Los Angeles household of her daughter Melissa, grandson Cooper, and Jason, Melissa's live-in boyfriend.

Some of the problems the Rivers gals encountered during filming are pure sitcom fodder. In the first installment, Joan made a unilateral decision to replace Melissa's furniture. Other issues cut far more deeply into the tumultuous, emotionally complex relationship the women have. With taping wrapped (episode 4 airs next week), the two can't agree if the experience was beneficial or detrimental.

According to Rivers, Melissa thinks doing the show helped heal things between them, a view Rivers finds "interesting."

"I think it made it worse, living in very tight circumstances for eight weeks," Rivers said, though she later conceded that the truth, as usual, lies somewhere in-between. "We brought in a counselor," she said. "And as we speak, it's very good."

But, she added, "I think certain hurts will never go away."

Speaking of "certain hurts," Rivers is still smarting from being snubbed by the Academy Awards, which did not nominate her autobiographical 2010 film, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar.

"Somebody leaked it to us that [the reason it wasn't selected] was that it wasn't 'socially significant,' " she said, making no attempt to hide her disappointment and contempt. "It's about women and age and survival. But I didn't have an ugly foreign child in it."

The film by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, available on DVD and now on Showtime, chronicles a year in Rivers' life. It is arguably one of the best show business documentaries ever, thanks to the spotlight it shines on the frustration, heartbreak and even desperation that lie behind her glittering career. That's a testament to Rivers' willingness - a rarity among performers - to bare her deepest insecurities and vulnerabilities.

"My comedy has always been about truth, and that's what's always been good about me - and bad," she offered. "When [the filmmakers] came to me about doing a movie, I said, 'Only if we tell the truth.' "

To illustrate what she didn't want, Rivers invoked 2009's "The September Issue," a hagiographical look at Anna Wintour, the famous, and infamous editor of Vogue. "I didn't learn a g------ thing about Anna Wintour" in that film, she said. "So what was the point? I didn't want one of those kiss-a - documentaries."

If there has been one positive constant in Rivers' life, it may be Atlantic City. She recalled the good times she had as a child when her father brought her with him to medical conventions he attended at grand hotels like the long-gone Marlborough-Blenheim, where Bally's Atlantic City now stands. Professionally speaking, at this point only a handful of artists, including Tony Bennett and Don Rickles, have been headlining AyCee casinos as long as she.

"I love Atlantic City. It brings back a lot of wonderful memories for me," she said, recalling the days when "everyone was always dressed up to walk on the Boardwalk. It was an event."

Today, she added, "I think it's a fabulous place to work."

One of the many fascinating revelations in "A Piece of Work" is that Rivers has cataloged thousands of one-liners she's used during her 45 years in show business. Asked what she expected would happen to them once she's gone, Rivers said she hoped Melissa would realize they're probably worth a nice chunk of change and sell them.

Ultimately, she declared that she "couldn't care less" what becomes of them - or how she'll be remembered, for that matter.

"I don't worry about legacies, it's so stupid," she said. "Who cares? [Look at] Jack Benny, one of the great comics of all time. You say 'Jack Benny' to this generation and nobody knows [who he was]. And nobody cares."

Atlantic City Hilton, Boardwalk at Boston Avenue, 8 p.m. tomorrow, $35, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

When twentysomething tenor Marc Antonelli made his Tropicana Resort and Casino debut last fall, I wrote that while there was no question the kid can sing, if he was going to have any kind of career, he needed an act, rather than just standing there and performing song after song with no attention paid to either the audience or those sharing the stage with him.

I also suggested that given his status as a complete unknown to Atlantic City audiences, it would have been nice for him to share some autobiographical info during his show.

Well, my words didn't go unnoticed.

Monday night, the Boston-bred crooner delivered a sharp, entertaining turn that featured interesting between-song banter, much of it self-referencing (e.g. as recently as a year ago, he was working at Target). Antonelli told a few amusing jokes and related nicely to his supporting cast - a guitarist, pianist (playing to prerecorded tracks), two backup singers (AyCee lounge vets Suzie Neu and Gina Roche) and four dancers, two male, two female.

Antonelli, whose "Unknown to Irresistible" show runs through Feb. 26, seemed a little self-conscious during the non-singing moments, but that should fade as he grows more comfortable being more of an all-around entertainer.

As for Antonelli's vocalizing, it was even more impressive than remembered. There's no question he can deftly handle a smoky torch song like "Cry Me A River" or an upbeat, Sinatra-esque jazzer like "Come Fly with Me." But he tends to kick it into high gear with more complex and emotionally resonant numbers such as "Anthem," from "Chess: The Musical" and "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables," which showcased his formidable ability to leap registers.

These, as well as his efforts on Italian classics "O Sole Mio" and "Nessun Dorma" (from Puccini's "Turnadot") proved that as a vocalist, Antonelli can stand with the best out there today.

(Incidentally, this was not just self-aggrandizement on my part. After Monday's set, Antonelli's manager, Francesca Santoro, confirmed they had read my review and considered it good advice.)

Tropicana Casino and Resort, Boardwalk at Brighton Avenue, showtimes vary, $25, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

Chuck Darrow has been covering Atlantic City and casinos for over 20 years. Read

his blog www.philly.com/Casinotes. E-mail him at darrowc@phillynews.com. And listen to his Atlantic City reports

Saturdays at 1:45 a.m. with Steve Trevelise on WIP (610-AM) and 3:05 p.m.

on Atlantic City's WOND (1400-AM) with Marc Berman.