NEWSMAKERS | Mary Hart to exit ‘ET’ after long run

NEWSMAKERS

Mary Hart to exit ‘ET’ after long run

NEW YORK

The list of exiting TV personalities seems to lengthen every day: Oprah Winfrey, Regis Philbin, Larry King, Katie Couric, Jim Lehrer, Meredith Vieira. Don’t overlook Mary Hart, whose last “Entertainment Tonight” broadcast is Friday. Celebrity and entertainment coverage has changed markedly since she began anchoring the show in its first year in 1982.

It was the first weekday syndicated show devoted solely to entertainment news when it began, and it has remained at the top of the ratings as similar shows have come along.

Hart, 60, has worked with five male co-hosts, most notably John Tesh and currently, Mark Steines. Nancy O’Dell will replace her.

Sahara hotel-casino closes on Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS

The venerable Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, where Elvis Presley stayed while filming “Viva Las Vegas” and the Beatles stayed when they performed in Sin City, dealt to its final gamblers and checked out its last guests Monday after six decades.

The Sahara is remembered as one of the Rat Pack’s favorite haunts and where an emphasis on lounge acts set standards for other joints that followed.

Vindicator wire services