One of the more baffling questions concerning the impending sale of Trump Marina to a New York-based developer has been: Why is the Trump Organization announcing a summer entertainment schedule for the bay side property when the sale is scheduled to close later this month?

Well, now we know why.

According to a source close to the negotiations, Coastal Marina LLC, which is slated to take possession of the Marina May 28, asked the Trump people to book this summer's entertainment so there will be something to lure visitors there during the casino's transition to a Margaritaville-themed complex. Trump Entertainment Resorts responded by booking, among other attractions, "Hypnosteria," which will be AyCee's first-ever, extended-run hypnosis presentation (it opens in early July).

Also set is the 10th annual "FakeFest," a weekend-long orgy of rock 'n' roll tribute bands taking place June 26-28.

Before he remade the situation comedy in his own image, Jerry Seinfeld was, arguably, the funniest man in the stand-up comedy universe. But in the 11 years since "Seinfeld" ended its history-making run, his act had never quite hit the heights it achieved in his pre-TV-star days. Too often, it seemed as if he was merely resting on his laurels.  But Saturday night at Casears Atlantic City, the 55-year-old comic recalled his glory days with a hilarious set of observational routines.

Drawing on a good deal of new material, Seinfeld regularly knocked the ball over the fence by doing what he does better than any other comedian: making light of the absurdities and annoyances of everyday life.Whether the (mundane) topic was the relative importance of chairs and beds, motion-operated public restroom fixtures, the unnatural power cookies have over humans or the innate ridiculousness of modern telecommunications technology, Seinfeld was usually right on target.

Typical of Saturday's early show was his riff on the concept of the "deathbed:"

"Where is (the deathbed) section in the furniture store?" he asked in his oh-so-familiar, slightly sarcastic tone. Continuing the train of thought, he noted, "There's no death clock radio...either you get up or you don't."

He also eviscerated several banes of modern existence, including the overhyping of the weather forecast by local TV stations. He suggested the concept of the five-day forecast is silly because, he reasoned, "If there really was a five-day forecast, wouldn't we (get) a report every five days.?"

The final act of Seinfeld's hour-long turn found him in Alan King territory as he moved on to the subjects of marriage and parenthood (he's the father of three kids under 8). Among his gems here was sn observation on marriage, which he described as "two people trying to stay together without saying 'I hate you!.'"

In all, it was a welcome return to form.

Oh yeah, one final thought: 

Hey Jer!

Considering the paycheck you received most likely had five zeroes, it would have been only right that, in your opening bit, you got the name of the casino right: Caesars Palace is in Las Vegas. Last night, you were at Casears Atlantic City.

His name was synonymous with Las Vegas, but singing impressionist Danny Gans, who died Friday at age 52, was no stranger to Atlantic City.

Gans--whose cause of death has not yet been determined--made several annual weekend visits to Casears in the late 1990s and early Oughts.

Gans' Caesars turns left no doubt as to why he made eight figures a year in the Nevada desert. It's not that his vocal work was 100 percent accurate; many of his imitations were less than precise. But out of the 70 or so celebrity bits  that comprised a typical Gans show, the overwhelming majority were spot on.

And he didn't just stay in the standard mimics' box when it came to his choice of subjects. He often imitated singers--e.g.Michael Bolton, Aaron Nevelle--other impressionists would never think of doing. And he wasn't limited by gender: NatalieCole and Anita Baker were mainstays of his repertoire.

Gans was also an energetic and engaging performer with an extremely likeable stage presence.

I didn't know him well at all, but my two or three phone interviews with Gans were enjoyable as he was never anything less than engaging and gentlemanly--he seemed devoid of the kind of ego so many top-shelf entertainers possess.

It's a shame AyCee will never see him again.

The 25th annual Ron Jaworski's Celebrity Golf Challenge will take place May 16-18 at Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and its Atlantic City Country Club.

Run and hosted by the former Eagles quarterback and current "Monday Night Football" analyst, the bash will include a Saturday night Poker Open as well as Sunday's main event on the links. The entire event is a fundraiser for United Way Charities.

Among the gridiron figures already announced to participate are former NFL head coaches Bill Cowher (Steelers) and Mike Ditka (Bears), former quarterbacks Jim Kelly (Bills), Joe Theismann (Redskins) and Rich Gannon (Vikings, Ciefs, etc.). Also set is current Ravens' QB (and South Jersey native) Joe Flacco.

While you'll have to pony up big time to play cards and/or golf with these and other celebs, you can watch the action both days for $15 a pop.

For more information and a full schedule of events, call (888) 505-7070, or go to www.jawsyouthfund.com.

It will likely turn out to be a Band Aid on a tumor, but the hot weekend weather apparently kept things cooking inside Atlantic City's casinos.

Reports from AyCee suggest the summer-like weather brought the multitudes to town (a Saturday afternoon phone call from a Boardwalking source contained a warning the town was "packed"). That, naturally translated into some decent numbers for the gaming halls.

Among the properties doing land office business was Resorts Atlantic City. According to Resorts spokesman Brian Cahill, such "indicators" as parking and entertainment (attendance for country star Clint Black and the Boogie Nights disco), pointed to a solid Saturday, as did the slot "handle" (the amount of money wagered on the machines) which, reported Cahill, was "among the best days of the year."

Don't know why this should matter to anybody, but Fleetwood Mac is headed back to Atlantic City.

Jimmy Fallon's Saturday night set at Borgata left no doubts about the newly minted "Late Night" host's performing abilities. Now all he needs is the material to better serve his impressive talents.

Making his Atlantic City stand-up debut before a sold-out partisan crowd in the Big B's Music Box, Fallon proved to be a gifted and versatile performer. Whether strumming an acoustic guitar while singing a self-penned comedy number (e.g. the paen to older women who prefer younger men, "Cougar Hunting") or impersonating both contemporary pop stars (including Snoop Dogg and Amy Winehouse) and stand-up comics (among them such off-the-beaten track types as spacey Steven Wright and the late, great Mitch Hedberg) , the 34-year-old "Saturday Night Live" alum definitely had the chops.

However, while the audience was in his corner regardless of the bit, the bottom line is his material just wasn't that strong. His straight stand-up material--observational riffs on subjects like GPS units and side effects of prescription meds--was generally good, but never did he conjure any lines worth repeating.

The same applies to his song lyrics. They certainly resulted in smiles and chuckles, but he just didn't deliver the laugh-'til-it-hurts punchlines the best comedians provide at regular intervals.

Nor did he prove to be a master of the ad-lib. He certainly held his own with a variety of intrusive ticket-holders, but suffice it so say Howie Mandel he ain't.

Hopefully, Fallon's material will get better with time. For instance, in his best routine of the night, he offered a series of dead-on impressions of stand-up comics including Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Robin Williams, as well as Wright and Hedberg. But if he had utilized a themeatic concept--perhaps using the voices to recite the Gettysburg Address--the result could have been exponentially funnier.

Until he improves the content of his act, Fallon will continue to be a comedic version of a singles hitter rather than a home run slugger.

For most of the past couple of years, the folks at the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority--the organization charged with marketing Atlantic City to the world at large--have seemingly played the role of dance band on the Titanic as they've tried to keep things happy and light in the face of the iceberg known as the current economic crisis that has flooded the casinos with red ink.

Yesterday, however, the ACCVA and the city it represents hit some nice jackpots thanks to three announcements from disparate quarters.

The first was issued by the Atlantic-10 collegiate basketball conference, which re-upped its deal with the city to play the league championship series at Boardwalk Hall. The playoffs will run through 2012, with a two-year option tacked on top.

Not that the extension was a huge surprise. After all, the other cities bidding for the event were Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Springfield, Mass. and Dayton, Ohio (!). AyCee may not be London, Paris or Tokyo, but neither is it Cincinnati, Springfield or Dayton.

On another front, Air Tran airlines yesterday said that on June 11, it will begin running four daily flights (two each way) between Atlantic City and Atlanta. This should create a decent amount of new business, especially among southern gamblers looking for an alternative to Mississippi's Gulf Coast gaming halls.

And while there's still a long, hard road ahead, the day was topped off by what may ultimately prove to be the most important action of all: The pledge by State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) to take the federal government to court over its blatantly unfair ban on sports betting.

Lesniak is absolutely right when he asks how it can be legal to wager on a game in Vegas (and three other states) but not anywhere else. This is not only wrong, but un-American. We're supposed to be a free people, but only a small percentage of us are free to bet on sports within the borders of our home states? That's just insane.

Sports betting is a huge missing piece of the Atlantic-City-as-a-first-class-destination puzzle. It's time to complete the picture!