Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 26, 1993                   TAG: 9306260175
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PEOPLE

Brandeis University awarded the 97-year-old entertainer an honorary doctor of Humane Letters degree on Thursday. And to make it even more of an honor, Brandeis President Samuel Thier came to Burns, rather than making him travel all the way to Waltham, Mass.

"The most important thing about acting is honesty," Burns told Daily Variety. "And if you can fake that, you've got it made."

Burns was honored during a luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel so he could be surrounded by his family, friends and colleagues, said Thier. It was the first time Brandeis has had a degree ceremony away from its campus, he said.

Gamblers can start feeding slot machines at Debbie Reynolds' Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, at least temporarily.

The Nevada Gaming Commission approved a six-month, slots-only license Thursday, based on a recommendation from its investigative arm, the state Gaming Control Board.

The board suggested the limited license for the 193-room club, the old Paddlewheel hotel-casino, because of concerns about one of the financial backers, Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters.

Walters, who put up $1.6 million of the $2.2 million to acquire the club, was indicted but later acquitted in a federal bookmaking investigation.

Reynolds and her husband, erstwhile Roanoker Richard Hamlett, must submit separate license applications by next month.

Reynolds has termed the club a "momma-poppa operation" compared with much larger clubs in Las Vegas. She plans to display theater memorabilia and also have a theater and perform.

Elizabeth Taylor's new venture: costume jewelry for Avon, says New York Daily News columnist Liz Smith. "I think for me to go into the jewelry business is a bit of a natural, don't you?" she says. "I have loved it all my life. My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was her engagement ring. I was hooked."