Tony Bennett to get a Vegas celebration

BENNETT TO BE HONORED AT GALA AS HE APPROACHES 90TH BIRTHDAY, CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Tony Bennett doesn’t talk about anything as though it’s over.

Albums with Lady Gaga? Another one is in the works, he says.

Tennis? “It’s pretty inconvenient to get to a tennis court in New York right now” from his residence overlooking Central Park. Does that mean he had to give it up? “No, no. I still love to play.”

Touring? “I’m still going strong and we’re sold out all over the world,” he says during a phone call last week.

Future collaborations? “I’d like to do something with Beyonce,” he says, “and she mentioned she would like to do something with me.”

But 90 is a birthday that demands some degree of looking back, even if Bennett’s 90th, coming up Aug. 3, is a milestone that can’t be confined to one city.

In having to share the standard-keeper of classic cool, Las Vegas probably comes in third after New York and San Francisco (if only because of, you know, that song). But it’s unquestionably first to the birthday party with Saturday’s Power of Love gala, celebrating Bennett in a fundraiser for the Keep Memory Alive Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Saturday’s gala at the MGM Grand Garden is a steep ticket — starting at $1,500 — but buys an eclectic tribute that includes hot “Late Late Night” host James Corden, Andra Day, Diana Krall, Darius Rucker, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Police guitarist turned jazzman Andy Summers. Oh, and quite possibly Tony Bennett as well. But he’s being a little cagey about that. “When I get there I’ll find out what they want me to do,” he says. “I’m looking forward to having a great time in Vegas.” Larry Ruvo, the driving force behind Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada and the foundation, provides further clues. When he was giving BENNETT,

“Let me tell you about retirement. All my friends who retired are dead. I don’t care what you do, you have to keep busy.” TONY BENNETT, SINGER, ARTIST

COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU. As both a tennis fan and player, it wouldn’t be unusual to see Tony Bennett looking athletic, as he appears in a 1977 photo near the Sahara. He says he’s been interested in how Las Vegas has developed since his early days here in 1960.

MATT SAYLES/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Tony Bennett, seen here at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, continues to record and perform in Las Vegas.