Norm Clarke, Columnist, Vegas Confidential, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Terry, Montana, — population 600 — is located near the beautiful Yellowstone River and is a great place for a kid to grow up. For Norm Clarke, top-selling author and columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the journey from this small town to the bright lights of Las Vegas is one to remember.

"My father died when I was 10, which was about the same time that I had lost my eye" recalls Clarke. "My mom wouldn’t let me go out for football until I demanded it. I went out and did well and that helped my self-confidence.

"I will never forget, I was paid $10 to write my first sports story for the local paper, the Terry Tribune. You could actually get paid to cover sports! When I saw that big money I jumped at it."

Clarke worked his way up the ranks as a top reporter for several Montana papers. He joined the AP in March of 1973, in Cincinnati, and spent five- and-a-half years as the bureau’s lead sports writer. In 1979, he was AP’s first Southern California roving reporter. In 1984, he joined the Rocky Mountain News where he would became a sports columnist, and in 1996 he became their man about town columnist. He covered it all, including eight World Series, four Olympics, four Super Bowls and numerous breaking stories.

"The only job I ever pursued with passion was this one. Las Vegas is the land of opportunity. My first column, Vegas Confidential, ran in the Review-Journal in September of 1999."

Clarke’s column appears six days a week in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and is the first place several hundred thousand locals and tourists turn to each day. His lead stories feature the latest news on what’s hot, what’s new and what’s hip in Las Vegas.

From his breaking story on the Britney Spears quickie wedding to all the beautiful celebs at George Maloof’s Palms Casino, Norm knows first who is heating up the desert. Receiving your name bold-faced in Clarke’s column is the ultimate compliment for any entertainer, A-lister, business leader, or shaker-and-mover in town.

"I think I write a lot of major breaking news. So much stuff is coming in. I’ve pretty much got the system down where I can write it in three or four hours, yet sometimes it feels like it’s 24/7. My deadline is 6:30 p.m. I have the greatest job in the world.

"Sherman Frederick, the publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said he had a book in mind," says Clarke. "He said it would be a Top 10, a tourist guide. I would like to think we took it a couple of levels beyond even what Sherman had originally imagined."

Today, his "Vegas Confidential - Norm Clarke! Sin City’s Ace Insider: 1,000 Naked Truths" (Stephens Press LLC) is Clarke’s smokin’ hot, best-selling book. This 271-pager is a must read for every visitor and conventioneer who comes to Las Vegas and is one of the best values in town for under $10.

Clarke created 100 top 10 lists and valuable insights on Las Vegas’ hot spots and cool stuff, including Hottest Nightclubs, Best Celebrity Sightings, Best Places To Get Lucky, Most Romantic Restaurants With Views, The Strip’s Best Shows, Famous Firsts And Lasts, 10 Wildest Wagers, High-Roller Golf Courses, Norm’s Top 10 Must-Sees, and Whale Tales.

Does what goes on in Vegas really stay in Vegas? Perhaps, yet only ace-insider Norm Clarke knows for sure. His latest column, Vegas Confidential, will help keep us all abreast of who is really heating up the desert.

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