Newton, Wayne

<div class="date" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); width: 533px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ct 19, 2011 10:55am</div><p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Following Tuesday night’s GOP debate in Las Vegas, Rep. Michele Bachmann picked up an endorsement from perhaps the Strip’s biggest star – Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton.<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During a post-debate interview with Fox’s Greta Van Susteren, Newton, who kept his arm around Bachmann’s shoulder for the entire spot, twice called the Minnesota congresswoman  a “beautiful lady” and endorsed her candidacy.<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“It looks like you’re on a date,” Van Susteren said of the pair.<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I am an entertainer but first of all, I’m an American and second of all, I’m a Nevadan, and third of all, I will support this beautiful lady as long as she wants to go,” Newton said.<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I watched the entire debate, and I don’t have to tell you how proud I was of this lady because not only did she hold her own, but she kind of stood alone, and I’m not talking about being female,” said Newton, who was in the hall where the debate took place. “I’m talking about the wonderful things and views that she has for America.”<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“It’s going to take electing this beautiful lady as president for things to really change because what it means is we have to get everybody back to work and we have to get people back in their homes,” Newton said.<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Asked if she’d be cruising the strip looking for additional celebrity endorsements, Bachmann said: “Hey, why not?” she said. “We’ll take support everywhere we can, and it doesn’t get better. This is a picture of America right here. This is like John Wayne, Wayne Newton, so I’m just thrilled.”<p style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Georgia; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In the spin room after the GOP debate, there was one person to whom everyone turned for his take on who won the night: Wayne Newton.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Yes, "Mr. Las Vegas" himself was in the audience Tuesday night, and he held court before a throng of reporters afterward.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"I thought Gov. Romney handled himself extremely well," Newton said. "He handled himself in a way I would have been proud of if he had been representing our country. I thought some of the other remarks were beneath the dignity of what the debates were about. I think all in all, if I had to pick a winner, it would be Gov. Romney"<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newton <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/280614/romney-wins-wayne-newton-primary-robert-costa" target="hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; color: rgb(0, 136, 195); outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">told</a> PJTV's Alexis Garcia that the GOP candidates would make a "great showroom act for Las Vegas, if we could get them all together."<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to NBC, Newton came into the debate <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/news/2011/10/18/8388936-wayne-newton-backs-romney-calls-perry-attacks-mean-spirited" target="hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; color: rgb(0, 136, 195); outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">hoping to support Rick Perry</a> but was turned off by the Texas governor's "mean-spirited" attacks on Romney.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Later in the night, though, he appeared to <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/18/michele-bachmann-picks-up-coveted-wayne-newton-endorsement/" target="hplink" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; color: rgb(0, 136, 195); outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">change his tune again</a>, appearing with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) on Fox News' "On the Record."<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">With his arm around the Minnesota congresswoman, he told Fox's Greta Van Sustren, "I will support this beautiful lady as long as she wants to go."<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">AS VEGAS -- Plans to turn Wayne Newton's sprawling Las Vegas estate into a celebrity museum have shifted into an ugly legal battle citing mismanagement, animal abuse and sexual harassment.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The company that purchased the rights to convert Newton's home into "Graceland West" filed a lawsuit this week in Las Vegas against Newton, his wife and her 76-year-old mother that claims the family unreasonably delayed the project to ensure it never opens.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Newton family claims the lawsuit is a preemptive strike because they had planned to sue the company for breach of contract after multiple construction delays. The family plans to file a counter lawsuit challenging the allegations made by CSD, LLC.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The legal wrangling paints an uncertain future for Newton's 40-acre estate featuring South African penguins, Arabian horses, Impressionist paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and 17th-century antiques collected from European castles.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newton's lawyer, J. Stephen Peek, dismissed CSD's allegations as "salacious" lies and said the Newtons had nothing to do with the project's delayed opening.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The real substance will come out in time," he told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The lawsuit seeks to have the Newton family immediately vacate their lavish estate, Casa de Shenandoah, and allow the $50 million project honoring the Las Vegas legend's music career to move forward. Construction plans for the museum called for an exhibition space, theater, zoo, visitors' center and other attractions.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The lawsuit also claims Newton sexually harassed a young female employee hired to train his 55 horses by repeatedly kissing her on the mouth. The worker quit and has threatened to sue Newton and CSD, according to the lawsuit.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Peek said the woman had been fired and described the accusations as an attempt to "obtain financial gain."<div id="ad_mid_article" class="ad_wrapper" style="list-style: none; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; width: 300px; float: left; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Under the terms of the museum deal, Newton, his wife and his daughter agreed to move to a newly constructed $2 million home on the estate so their mansion could be converted into a museum initially scheduled to open in late 2011. The lawsuit claims the family refused to relocate or turn over personal memorabilia.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"It is quite clear that it was always their intention to remain in the Mansion regardless of the terms of the agreement," the lawsuit alleges.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The company claims Newton's home was in a "sad state of disrepair" when it purchased the land for $19.5 million in June 2010, with his horses uncared for and 6-feet-tall animal manure piles covering the grounds.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The penguin ponds were disgustedly dirty, full of algae and were endangering the penguins, all of whom were sick and many had died," the lawsuit reads.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Peek countered that the home couldn't have been in disrepair because the TV show "The Amazing Race" filmed its season finale there in 2009.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He said CSD failed to obtain necessary building permits, causing emergency officials to halt construction of the visitor center. The company also allegedly bullied its employees.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Newton family released a statement from Geneva Clark, a partial owner of the museum, who denounced the allegations made by CSD's manager, Steven Kennedy.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"He is wrongly accusing the Newtons and mismanaging his role of leadership," Clark said in the statement.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newton allowed the AP to tour his estate in October 2010, just months after the deal with CSD was finalized. The property appeared to be clean and his animals seemed healthy and well-kept.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newton faced various financial woes in recent years. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1992 to reorganize an estimated $20 million in debts, including a $341,000 Internal Revenue Service lien for back taxes.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2005, he disputed IRS claims that he and his wife owed $1.8 million in back taxes and penalties from 1997 through 2000.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">More recently, sheriff's deputies were turned away from the ranch home in February 2010 while trying to collect a $500,000 court judgment stemming from back pay owed to a former pilot. That same month, Newton's billionaire buddy Bruton Smith tried to seize Casa de Shenandoah for repayment of a $3.35 million loan.<p style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 15px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">===What am I bid for a used penguin? A distressed two-fingered sloth? How about 150 lovebirds having second thoughts?In Nevada this week, a bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of 280 exotic animals -- part of a collection originally assembled by entertainment legend Wayne Newton -- to an Oregon wildlife center for $27,300, according to the <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/business/no-lovebirds-lost-newton-s-menagerie-sloths-included-winging-way-to-oregon-197689471.html" target="external" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(46, 83, 143);">Las Vegas Review-Journal</a>.The price -- less than $100 per critter -- represents a decline in the value of exotic animals, generally, say experts.The seller, CSD LLC, owns Newton's Casa de Shenandoah estate outside Las Vegas.Jasmine Bigbee, manager of the estate's wildlife center, said in bankruptcy court papers that the current market for exotic animals is "saturated." There's an oversupply, she said, in relation to the number of facilities licensed to care for them.Example: penguins.According to the Review-Journal, CSD's checkbook ledger showed that the estate paid $10,500 in 2010 for a single penguin. Today, according to the Oregon wildlife center, you can get yourself a perfectly nice penguin for as little as $1,000 while an exceptional specimine might fetch up to $9,000. A staffer there attributed the decline in exotic animal prices not just to a surfeit of supply, but to a lagging U.S. economy."The rate of new, qualified facilities has not kept up with the propagation activities of the captively held species," she wrote in an email to ABC News. Further, the decline in the U.S. economy "has made funds tight for new facilities."The Oregon buyer -- the <a href="http://www.chasing-tail.com/fundraising.htm" target="external" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(46, 83, 143);">Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center and Sloth Captive Husbandry Research Center</a> of Rainier -- said none of the 280 animals had yet arrived from Las Vegas. But staff excitement already was running high."Our specialty," said a staffer, "is our vast collection of the ultra-delicate, two-fingered sloth."The Oregon facility's collection of such sloths is the largest in captivity.Two of the sloths arriving from Las Vegas belonged originally to the Oregon facility's collection."We are absolutely ecstatic to be getting them back," said the staffer.Come June, once the transfer is complete, she predicted sloth fanciers will h</div>