2005 NEWS STORIES

In 1974 they began a four-year run in MGM Grand's "Hallelujah Hollywood." In 1978 they returned to the Stardust in "Lido" as a 30-minute act.

In 1981 Siegfried & Roy took on their first full-length show with "Beyond Belief" at the Frontier, which ran for seven years. The duo signed with casino mogul Steve Wynn in 1988 and performed in a custom venue in the Ginza District of Tokyo as the Mirage was being built.

In 1990 they debuted at the Mirage in a 1,500-seat showroom. In 1996 they celebrated their 15,000th performance in Las Vegas, and also that year opened their Secret Garden at the Mirage. In 2000 the International Magicians Society named Siegfried & Roy "Magicians of the Century."

In 2001 the duo signed a lifetime contract with the Mirage, where, up until October 2003, they would appear in 5,750 performances.

TODAY: SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 at 11:11:39 PDT.
WHO SHOT AT HORN'S HOME TO BE MEDICATED
By Matt Pordum LAS VEGAS SUN
A judge has ordered doctors at the state's mental facility to forcibly medicate a former NFL kicker accused of shooting at the home of longtime Strip headliners Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn.

Cole Ford is charged with six counts of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle and two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon for the incident in which no one was harmed.

In January, District Judge Jackie Glass ordered the 31-year-old Ford to be taken to Lake's Crossing, the state mental hospital in Sparks, after doctors determined he was not mentally competent to stand trial.

On Tuesday, Glass granted a prosecution motion to involuntarily medicate Cole. The motion was not opposed by Cole's attorney. During his last court appearance before being committed to Lake's Crossing, Ford began talking over Glass, saying several times, "I don't take medication."

Ford, who has repeatedly said he wants to plead guilty to the charges, could face up to 27 years in prison if convicted of all charges. He was drafted out of the University of Southern California in 1995 by the Pittsburgh Steelers and released. He signed on with the Raiders and kicked for three seasons. Ford was cut before the 1998 season after missing several crucial kicks in 1997.

Family members in Tucson have said Ford started showing signs of schizophrenia after he left the Raiders and grew more reclusive until they lost contact with him in 1999. A civil suit filed by Ford against the Monte Carlo hotel on Jan. 28 is one reason why people are questioning his mental state.

In that lawsuit Ford was seeking $5 million from the Monte Carlo because, he wrote, by allowing people to place bets on the football teams for which he played in the 1990s the casino "acquired leverage from my works." District Judge Valerie Adair dismissed the lawsuit.

The 380-pound white tiger that mauled the legendary performer didn't end his life or spirit. Even though his injuries left him partially paralyzed with a damaged neck artery and crushed windpipe, Horn never gave up. Case in point: Last night, he and his partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, tapped the first keg of Oktoberfest beer to open the annual German celebration of Oktoberfest at the Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas.

The fact that Horn can now walk on his own power and attend functions proves that the 60-year-old animal trainer tapped into his own strength and bravery to overcome his injuries. It's a shame he can't bottle his spirit for the rest of us to sample.

NORM: SPECIALIST WHO TREATED ROY DIES
Roy Horn's stem-cell specialist, Dr. Albert Scheller, died of severe heart disease, according to assistant coroner John Fudenberg.

Scheller, who was found dead in his room at The Mirage on Aug. 29, was in Las Vegas to visit Horn, who had undergone stem-cell treatment with Scheller in Germany in June.

Scheller also was suffering from liver cirrhosis, which usually is related to heavy alcohol use and high blood pressure, Fudenberg said.

His body was identified through family and the German consulate in Los Angeles on Thursday and was released from the coroner's office for shipment back to Germany.

According to European TV reporter Daphne Barak, Scheller called her Aug. 27 from Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden at The Mirage. She told the TV show "The Insider" that she also had a telephone conversation with Scheller on Aug. 25. Barak said Siegfried and Roy told Scheller that they might postpone Roy's next stem-cell treatment "because of a meeting with Kirk Kerkorian (MGM Mirage majority-owner)."

Scheller was confident Roy would walk a few days after the next round of treatment, Barak said. Horn, in fact, walked a long distance unassisted Thursday night at the VIP premiere of "Avenue Q" at Wynn Las Vegas.

Barak told "The Insider" that Scheller mentioned that he had also visited another patient of his, Liz Taylor, the day before he flew to Las Vegas. "He was not happy about her health condition!" Barak said.

Scheller told Barak that Horn endured a rough five weeks of detoxing from painkillers before the June treatment. Asked to confirm that, Bernie Yuman, Siegfried and Roy's manager, said, "I would never address his medical condition specifically, but he's gone through quite a bit."

FRI SEP.09, 2005
ILLUSIONIST HORN WALKS INTO VEGAS THEATER
Illusionist Roy Horn made a slow, unassisted stroll into a Las Vegas theater, taking another step in his recovery from a near-fatal tiger mauling 23 months ago.

Horn "methodically" walked about 100 yards into the Thursday evening performance of "Avenue Q" at the Wynn Las Vegas resort, said Bernie Yuman, longtime manager of the "Siegfried & Roy" show.

Horn, 60, has been walking without the aid of a rolling walker after months of six- to eight-hour days in physical rehabilitation, Yuman said. His injuries included a damaged neck artery and a crushed windpipe.

Horn has made other public appearances in recent months. He was accompanied Thursday by his partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, and casino mogul Steve Wynn.

Horn was partially paralyzed when a 380-pound white tiger attacked him and dragged him by the neck during a live performance of the "Siegfried & Roy" show at The Mirage resort in Las Vegas.

Yuman said Friday that Horn and some friends were preparing to mark Horn's 61st birthday on Oct. 3 - the second anniversary of the attack. He declined to provide details.

"We're going to continue to celebrate his birthday and his life," Yuman said, emphasizing the inspirational elements of Horn overcoming adversity.