The casinos' new stars: Chefs & reality-show celebs lure throngs to stages

ONCE UPON A TIME, you needed to be able to sing a song or deliver a punch line to score a lucrative casino-headliner gig in Atlantic City. Today, however, gaming halls are also booking individuals who can whip up a souffle, house-train a golden retriever or communicate with someone's dead grandmother. To put it another way, the East Coast's gambling mecca is keeping it real when it comes to entertainment strategy.

Over the past couple of years, such television-created personalities as super-chefs Anthony Bourdain ("No Reservations") and Giada De Laurentiis ("Everyday Italian") as well as glam gals like Kendra Wilkinson ("The Girls Next Door") and Audrina Partridge ("The Hills") have trod upon turf that was once the sole province of entertainers. And the trend shows no sign of abating.

Saturday night, Cesar Millan - "The Dog Whisperer" whose National Geographic Channel show is one of cable's hottest hits, will appear before a quickly sold-out house at Resorts Atlantic City's Superstar Theater.

On May 9, Brooke Hogan, daughter of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan and co-star of "Hogan Knows Best," will do a 21st birthday meet-and-greet at The Pool at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. Two weeks later, Kim Kardashian, a 2007 "Dancing With the Stars" contestant, will make her own splash at The Pool.

Also headed to town is medium John Edward, who'll return to Trump Plaza in June. As they did when he last appeared there, his tickets will cost $175 each.

Come mid-summer, Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s various Atlantic City casinos will host the annual Food & Wine Festival featuring a slew of television chefs including Guy Fieri ("Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives," "Guy Off the Hook"), Emeril Legasse ("The Essence of Emeril") and Duff Goldman ("Ace of Cakes").

According to casino executives, booking reality stars is pretty much a no-brainer. "Customers are very interested in these people," reasoned John Pasqualoni, president and CEO of Resorts. "The proof is in the pudding. If they weren't selling out, we wouldn't be booking them."

The same philosophy has likewise gained a foothold within the local arm of Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns and operates Harrah's, Bally's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City and Showboat. The company blazed the reality TV trail with its "Lifestyle Series," which featured such personalities as chefs Paula Deen and Rachel Ray and Oprah Winfrey-propelled medico, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

"We found [celebrity chef bookings] were really popular events for us," said Jennifer Weissman, regional vice president of marketing for the four properties. "Our consumers have been watching them on TV, cooking their meals, buying their books and utensils. This is a great way to bring them to life."

While they may not sing or tell jokes, this new breed of casino headliner does share at least one thing with their more traditional show business counterparts: They don't come cheap. While Weissman wouldn't cite specific numbers, she did acknowledge the reality TV folks' booking fees are commensurate with those awarded entertainers - which means paychecks worth well into five figures (and, perhaps, beyond) are the price casinos can wind up paying for a 90-minute session by a reality TV star.

While people like Millan, Oz and the chefs may not be crooners or comics, they do have specific programs that rely heavily on audience interaction. Question-and-answer sessions are de rigueur, and the cooking experts always offer demonstrations. But at The Pool, the featured attractions need only show up and be their fabulous selves (and pose for pictures and sign some autographs). Which is perfectly fine with the paying customers.

"They are celebrities who our customers are involved with from a social standpoint," said Weissman. "They're reading about the celebrities and watching them on TV, and they want the chance to see them in person."

Despite Atlantic City's ongoing romance with reality television personalities, traditional show business attractions aren't being aced out by the parade of cooks, debutantes and psychics traipsing through the casinos.

"I see a mix of entertainers and reality stars [in the future]," predicted Resorts chief Pasqualoni. "People still want to see singers and comedians." *