‘Pawn Stars’ Harrison sold on ‘regular guy’ Rubio
Marco Rubio supporter Rick Harrison of "Pawn Stars" isn't buying what Donald Trump is selling.
Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida and Republican presidential candidate, was in town on Friday to campaign. That included a stop at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Harrison's Pawn Plaza, next to the home of TV's "Pawn Stars."
Rubio and Harrison became fast friends earlier this year. After meeting at a political fundraiser, they happened to be in Los Angeles at the same time a couple months later and had breakfast.
"We sat around for close to two hours," said Harrison, "and he never once asked me for money and never once mentioned what's best for the party," said Harrison.
Harrison was impressed.
"His dad was a bartender at Sam's Town in a bowling alley, and his mom was a maid at Imperial Palace. He's just a regular guy. I agree so much with his education policies," Harrison said.
Without being asked, Harrison offered his take on Trump, the front-runner.
"He's not a bad guy," said Harrison, "but in his head he's never going to realize what it's like to have two struggling parents living from paycheck to paycheck.
"He never grew up hearing the words, 'No son, we can't afford that.' His mindset is a lot different from us. And in the immortal words of (former New York City Mayor) Ed Koch, 'If you believe in nine of the 12 things I stand for, vote for me. If you believe in 12 out of 12, have your head examined.'"
After giving Rubio a tour of the $4 million center, a mix of restaurants and retail shops, Harrison performed the ribbon-cutting with a samurai sword. Joining Rubio for the ribbon-cutting was Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison.
During media interviews in his second-floor bar, Harrison told me Rubio asked who designed the center. Harrison said his wife, Deanna, drew it in a day after Harrison's son, Cory, "told me about the containers" (used to build Container Park) on Fremont Street.
"I had these junk buildings here, and they weren't making no money," Harrison said.
Going back to Rubio, Harrison said, "He's young (44) but we had some great presidents who were young. Look at Teddy Roosevelt. He was an amazing guy. Who knows what (John F.) Kennedy would have done."
Rubio is fourth in the polls, Harrison said, "but he polls No. 1 as the second choice. As people drop out his poll numbers are going to go up. Remember who was No. 4 (in the polls) four years ago?
"(Rudy) Giuliani," Harrison said. "I think he (Rubio) has seriously got a chance."
Tennis titans
Big-name tennis returns to Caesars Palace on Monday, evoking memories of when Alan King's Tennis Classic was celebrity central in the 1970s and '80s.
It was also where a small ballboy started raising eyebrows when he played the big boys. Andre Agassi went on to big things.
Agassi will be back on Monday, and he's bringing his wife, Steffi Graf, who will be matched with Martina Navratilova in a battle of icons. They met 18 times over nearly a decade, with each winning nine matches.
The event is the Mylan World Team Tennis Smash Hits, an AIDS benefit co-hosted by Elton John and Billie Jean King. The auction includes a piano bench signed by John and King.
The charity extravaganza raised more than $1 million in London last year. That brought the total to $13 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and other AIDS charities since 1993.
Andy Roddick, the last American to hold the year-end world No. 1 (2003), is also participating.
The VIP reception and auction starts at 5:30 p.m.
The scene and heard
Baseball legend Pete Rose will be at the grand opening of his sports bar on Tuesday night. It is located in the Hawaiian Marketplace at 3743 Las Vegas Blvd. South in the short-lived and regrettably named People's Republic. Rose told me he plans to dine there three or four times a week. ... I'll be tapping the keg at 7:30 tonight as an honorary mayor at the Hofbrauhaus for the Oktoberfest celebration.
Two pizzas, a salad and steak stromboli from Dom DeMarco's Pizzeria & Bar, 9785 W. Charleston Blvd., were delivered to Rubio's floor Saturday at the Element Las Vegas Summerlin. That's where President Barack Obama stayed in February 2012. That time the pizzeria got an order for a dozen pizzas and 20 cannolis for the president and his staff.
On this day
Oct. 11, 1979: Mobster Jerry Lisner is found shot to death in the swimming pool at his Las Vegas home. Mob hitman Frank Cullotta, a longtime associate of mobster Tony Spilotro, later took credit for the murder. Lisner was facing trial and there was concern he might cut a deal and testify against Spilotro and his Chicago mob operatives. Cullotta re-enacted the hit in the movie "Casino."
Sightings
Venetian headliner Naomi Judd and her husband Larry Strickland, meeting Celine Dion backstage before the latter's show on Friday. ... At Surrender nightclub (Wynn) on Friday: Wynonna Judd, with friends, and actor/comedian Dan Akroyd. ... Actor Edward James Olmos, filming a scene Friday at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center with mixed martial artist Anderson Silva for the film "Monday Nights at Seven."
The punch line
"A California mom is being sued because her son told everyone at school that Santa Claus isn't real. Yeah. What makes the story even worse is that her son goes to UCLA. He's a physics major. He's 21." — Conan O'Brien
Norm Clarke's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. On Twitter: @Norm_Clarke.
