Leading the proceedings are a male-female pair of talented singers/emcees who introduce the dances, give us the uneducated audience a little background on how the dance originated, and then sing (very well, I might add) while the dancers get down to business.

Hailing from around the world, the cast has competed in and won more ballroom competitions than there are probably trophy cases big enough to hold their awards. They are, without exception, masters at the craft and their unflagging energy, technique, and showmanship is a marvel to behold. During the American jive portion, one of the male dancer’s suspenders came undone and he did not miss a step while retrieving and re-securing the errant strap. I would’ve had a hard time doing that standing still.

Consider this, on “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance” (Travis should’ve won), the dancers do one or two numbers that last a couple of minutes at most. In “Simply Ballroom” the cast of about a dozen dancers goes more or less non-stop except for brief respites for costume changes for more than an hour. I was exhausted by the end of it and I just sat there and watched.

The music selections are varied enough to keep things interesting, with the tango getting a more classical selection but things like the cha-cha set to “Lady Marmalade,” which is not as cheesy as it sounds on paper. The most effective is probably the evocative rumba done to “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper), tender and heart-tuggingly romantic and making me wish I had brought a date to the show.

As mentioned, the newly redone showroom at the Golden Nugget is beautiful, with plush theater style seats, warm and plush wall coverings, a state-of-the-art light and sound system, and outside a full snack bar with candy and popcorn. The only downside here is that the relatively low height of the ceiling above the stage meant fewer and lower lifts than we’ve gotten used to seeing, but it was only missed during the American jive section where the performers were obviously holding back from where they would’ve gone with a higher roof.

I never watched “Dancing with the Stars” but I was obsessed with “So You Think You Can Dance” (Travis should’ve won) and although my tastes in dance lean more toward the modern and lyrical styles (Mia Michaels is a god), I was entranced by the ballroom styles on display in this show. If you liked either show, you’ll love “Simply Ballroom” especially when you note that the ticket prices start at $29 and top out at $40.

Oh, and Travis should’ve won.

Vegas4Visitors Grade: A-

Simply Ballroom
The Golden Nugget
129 E. Fremont St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-386-8100
website
Showtimes:

Nightly except Friday at 7pm
Tickets:

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas—even in Brazil, or at least Las Vegas’ nearest equivalent, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. For the third year in a row, the Masquerade Show in the Sky has transformed into the Holiday Show in the Sky, as the beads and Latin dancing of Carnivale are replaced with emblems of the winter holidays.

Still intact from the Masquerade Show are the classic themed floats of enthusiastic dancers (and curious spectators—for a small fee) running along an overhead track while more celebratory dancers and revelers continue on a stationary stage below. The Holiday Show dresses up the floats with seasonal accoutrements, but changes the costumes. That sexy Latin dancer? She’s now one of Santa’s elves. The caliente sounds of Gloria Estefan and Enrique Iglesias? Replaced by “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Joy to the World” and “Santa Baby.”

Don’t worry, the show hasn’t lost all of its Latin charm. “Feliz Navidad” has managed its way into the holiday spectacular. And even if that’s a Spanish song and they speak Portuguese in Brazil, it still matches the spirit of a holiday in which songs about Santa are sung to celebrate the birth of Christ. Either way, the show is free, and that’s a gift that keeps on giving.

By Justin Jimenez/Las Vegas Magazine

Cool is cyclical

About 7 miles from Downtown Las Vegas, there was a joint where everyone—including the janitors—wore tuxedos; Jimmy Durante and Xavier Cugat lounged, sipped cocktails and smoked cigarettes under the woo of Bugsy Siegel; and mobsters mingled among the social elite to the clanging of slot machines. The desert was still a desert, yet one lighted oasis refused to go dry.

With 105 guest rooms, a casino, and everything from a 40-horse stable to a nine-hole golf course, a $6-million Mojave landmark found the bill as the world’s most luxurious hotel after opening its doors in 1946.

The evolution of Highway 91 into the Strip started at the Flamingo.

Marking the 60th birthday of the flamboyant pink bird on Dec. 26, the anniversary serves as a bright celebration of its revitalization rather than an over-the-hill retirement party. Once touted by Siegel as a “real class joint,” the Flamingo is back on top, and again defining the direction of entertainment in Sin City.

The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino, as it was called then, was named for Siegel’s girlfriend Virginia Hill, a nickname he had given her for her fabulous legs, among other things. It was altered to The Fabulous Flamingo in 1947, as the management changed hands with the untimely departure of Siegel.

The casino was well ahead of its time. The hotel was a resort, offering a complete package; gambling was an amenity, not a punch line. The rooms received acclaim for the comfortable air conditioning, the pool was a destination not just a retreat, the gardens were lush and lavish, and the performance space attracted some of the most elite entertainers in the country.

“It started the epicenter of what we now know as Las Vegas,” Flamingo President Don Marrandino said. “It was the place. It was a pretty darned important place. I mean, one of the most important streets in the city was named after it. It started what Vegas has become known for internationally.”

Entertainment reigned supreme. The headliners roped people in, and the service kept them coming back. Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Wayne Newton, The Smothers Brothers—everyone from Liza Minnelli to Bill Cosby made appearances over the years. Flamingo was the first showroom to have VIP sections for special guests. While contemporary bottle service in nightclubs around town is credited to the Europeans, Flamingo pioneered the sugarcoated service to elite guests. Big names would come in to see big names. Walt Disney was known to hang out; Clint Eastwood was a regular in his playboy years, and it was always on Frank Sinatra’s Las Vegas beat.

On the gaming side of things, no tables could have been hotter. The whales came to play, and the reputation for the premier spot in the desert solidified.

“The Flamingo is one of the best names in business,” Marrandino said. “Just from a gaming standpoint, it is one of the most recognizable names in the industry.”

Mogul Kirk Kerkorian took over in 1967, and the Hilton Corp. later acquired the hotel in 1972. In 1998, a portion of Hilton’s ownership was changed to Park Place Entertainment, which was renamed Caesars Entertainment in 2004. The current owners, Harrah’s Entertainment, purchased Caesars Entertainment in 2005.

The remaining remnants of the original Flamingo were finally torn down on Dec. 14, 1993, to make way for the immaculate gardens. The only solid memento left is a plaque to Bugsy Siegel, still in the gardens today.

The edge was put into place by Siegel and the crew to follow, but began to dull with the rising competition over the next several decades. Marrandino has been given the block to sharpen it back to a razor point.

Cool has come full circle

“We wanted to get back some enthusiasm in the place, get the buzz going again,” Marrandino said. “We’re chasing that old cool. A great group of people has got that going again.”

Marrandino is the chic puppeteer that has greased up the attraction machines of the Rio and Green Valley Ranch, and was also the breath of youth that amped up the tunes of the Hard Rock Hotel. He’s now behind the wheel and steering the Flamingo back to glory. Alive and well, the iconic establishment has added major headliners, revamped its rooms and has plans for even further refurbishing to one of the most respected names in the hotel world.

“We have a fabulous team,” he added. “The employees have really grasped customer service. They have garnered strength in the Harrah’s philosophy. The Flamingo is in a great location, and things just keep getting better.”

The arrival of six-time Grammy Award-winner Toni Braxton, taking up a headlining concert residence this past August, only further proves his point.

“When we got the call we all looked at it and said, ‘Wow, Toni Braxton,’ but it was somewhat of a gamble at first,” Marrandino said about the decision to revamp the Flamingo Showroom to make way for Braxton. “However, in the end, it has worked out great. She is one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world. We couldn’t be happier.”

Add to it the already substantial lineup of comedian George Wallace and nationally acclaimed improv troupe Second City (responsible for spawning several Saturday Night Live alumni), and the showmanship seems to be reaching the bar set decades back.

Other draws continue to fall into place. The 15-acre, four-pool complex has become the summertime mecca to beat the heat. Pool parties complete with DJs and live music have evolved with the growing trend of daytime entertainment. Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is a nonstop dining party that provides a brilliant contrast to Steakhouse46, a premier eatery that lies just yards off the Strip.

With the decadent overhaul of 54 rooms and suites already in progress, and 600-plus rooms slated for upgrades by early 2007, the Flamingo will be one the nicest places to stay as well as let loose.

Splashing with the team colors, bright pinks become stylish in a way that was thought impossible post-1987. The white vinyl in combination with the contemporary furniture also resonates of a Marrandino stamp. Screaming of an upscale Miami bachelor pad, the upgraded rooms boast a premium sound system with MP3 hookup, a CD/DVD player, wireless Internet connection and a 42-inch, flat-panel high-definition TV. Even the check-in process got a tune-up as a custom blend of rock songs is handed over on a CD along with the room keys.

“We weren’t set up to attract the youth before,” Marrandino boasted about the hip gadgetry coming with the rooms. “But at the same time, we don’t want to displace any of our traditional visitors either. We are turning into a melting pot of sorts. We can cater to anyone; it fits what the Flamingo is.”

Adding to the sanctuary is a top-end bathroom. With TV screens built in to the mirrors, along with multiple-jetted shower fixtures, frosted glass walls and a neon pink glow, the throne is fit for a queen.

“We’ve utilized pink everywhere,” Marrandino said. “Pink is not just a feminine color, it’s unique and it’s ours. It’s one of the cornerstones of what we are branding. Pink is cool again.”
http://www.lvshowbiz.com/

The line to enter Gilley’s began forming before the doors opened at 5 p.m. Friday.

By 11 p.m. a river of humanity stretched a country mile through the New Frontier, coursing around rows of slot machines.

After the 650 capacity of Gilley’s quickly maxed out, general manager Larry Black went down the line, apologizing for the wait, up to three hours for some, and explaining that many would not make it inside.

“A lady came up to me and said she stood in line for hours just to get a T-shirt and prove to her mother, who went to the original in Houston, that she made it into Gilley’s in Vegas. Two and three generations know Gilley’s.”

No event packs the place like the 10-day National Finals Rodeo, and you never know who’s going to show up to mingle with the rodeo crowd.

This year’s drop-ins included Big & Rich, Bill Engval, Cowboy Troy, Joe Nichols, who hit No. 1 last year with “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” and former Dallas Cowboy Walt Garrison. They’re still talking about Toby Keith’s surprise performance at Gilley’s two years ago.

But Gilley’s status is the big buzz this year. Will it be in existence a year from now?

New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin, who also owns Gilley’s, has yet to announce whether he will raze the hotel-casino and start from scratch or incorporate elements of the property into the new project.

If Black knows, he isn’t saying. “I know I haven’t started looking for a job.”

While Ruffin’s plans for the New Frontier’s rebirth remain under his hat, it’s no secret that former Gilley’s GM Stoney Gray has a megaclub in the works. Word is it’s going into a well-known property.
reviewjournal.com — News - NORM

Thousands of people watched him host the Harrah’s revue “Skintight” for more than five years. The job parlayed into TV recognition as well, when the show was the subject of the E! reality series “Nearly Famous 2: Vegas Showgirls.”

But five months after “Skintight” morphed into “Bareback,” producer Greg Thompson opted to close it rather than inherit a dispute about logo art from Harrah’s Entertainment.

“Erocktica,” another Thompson production, closed the same October weekend. It went to the neon graveyard along with “Buck Wild,” “X,” “Headlights & Tailpipes,” “Cover Girls” and “Splash” in a bad year for smaller revues marketed by title.

More of the article here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Dec-10-Sun-2006/living/11267097.html

Barbara and Frank: The Concert That Never Was
Where: Riviera
When: 8:30 p.m. Tues.-Sun.
Cost: $42.95 plus tax and fee
Info: (702) 492-3960 or (866) 80-SHOWS

Pair two strong personalities fighting for the spotlight and you have tension. Combine the songs of two of the most prodigious music talents in history and you have plenty of content for a memorable evening with two American icons.

Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand never performed onstage together, but they often passed through Las Vegas during their illustrious careers. What it would have been like to see them together is the dream of Barbra and Frank: The Concert That Never Was.

The powerful voice of Sharon Owens, who looks a lot like Streisand, replicates the singer’s hits through the decades. She reaches an emotional peak with “Papa, Can You Hear Me.” Sebastian Anzaldo stirs memories of Ol’ Blue Eyes with “It Was a Very Good Year” and captures Sinatra’s aggressive charisma.

Sharing the stage, the two stars connect with each other and the audience in songs such as “All the Way,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Somewhere” and “New York, New York.” Video montages and playful, teasing chatter contribute to the precious illusion—creating a new memory of the way they were.
http://www.lvshowbiz.com/feature1.html

Coming ‘Soonalot
As construction of $70 million The Grail Theater continues to come together at Wynn Las Vegas, some early announcements have been made regarding the cast for the upcoming invasion of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” which is scheduled to debut on March 31. The award-winning Broadway hit, which is adapted from the cult-hit film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” is written by funnyman Eric Idle, who also starred in the original film. Inked to play the role of King Arthur is John O’ Hurley, who probably is best-known for his role as J. Peterman in the epic “Seinfeld” television series. More recently, O’ Hurley had a stint on “Dancing With the Stars” and is the host of the new “Family Feud.” Spamalot will be the second Broadway-awarded show to land at Wynn Las Vegas, although it is expected to have a better result than the hilarious puppet show “Avenue Q,” which unfortunately never seemed to find an audience in Sin City. Spamalot has won three Tony Awards, including one for “Best Musical,” as well as a Grammy for “Best Original Cast Recording.” According to the Wynn Las Vegas Web site, Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail. However, more tempting are the “chorus lines of dancing divas, killer rabbits, and the only legless knight appearing on The Strip.” Take that, Trekkie Monster!

Latin Night – Part 1
Every Tuesday night, Isla Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar inside TI transforms into a Latin Late Night, Noche de la Diosa (Night of the Goddess). Amigo Production’s DJ Lian and DJ Gil Barba spin the latest in rock, pop en espanol, reggateon and more. The room features a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, a spacious dance floor, VIP tables and a lounge. Guests can choose traditional bottle service or relax in the lounge with full table service. “This is a high-energy night that features two of the best Las Vegas Latin DJs,” says Steve Baach, beverage manager, who helped create the event. “We want to create and atmosphere that no other club can provide with a niche in Latin market. We feel we have created an event that will continue to grow. Join the ritual!” The night is sponsored by Corralejo Tequila, Super Estrella, queonda.com, Amigo Productions and The Eye on Vegas. This Tuesday, Jan. 16, Isla and The Eye on Vegas will be giving one lucky reader and five friends a VIP table along with complimentary bottles of Correlejo Tequila AND Ketel One Vodka to the 16th person who responds (HERE). To receive free admission, tell them the Eye sent you! 

Latin Night – Part II
Risqué Nightclub at Paris Las Vegas is a super chic place with a sensual and intimate atmosphere where locals, as well as visitors, dance all night, or just kick back and relax. The VIP area has small balconies that overlook the strip, while the other part of the club is a dark and sexy lounge area. The overall design, sex appeal and ambiance of the club are reason enough to check it out, but if you need more reasons, Risqué Nightclub offers La Revolución, the Strip’s newest Latin-focused nightclub promotion. Every Friday night, resident DJ Dave Guzman and Los Angeles’ own DJ Eduardo spin the hottest in Latin hits in a promotion backed by the Latin media machine of Super Estrella 92.7, which will host a live two-hour broadcast. Local ladies receive free cocktails from Cazadores Tequila from 10 p.m.-11 p.m., and all in attendance can win prizes from Towbin Dodge, Cazadores Tequila, Super Estrella, Que Onda.com and, of course, the Eye on Vegas en Espanol. Low Rollers
An article that was picked up nationally from the Los Angeles Times found mixed results about budget lodging in Las Vegas, a term that is quickly becoming as obsolete as the 99-cent buffet. A team of reporters headed to Sin City with a goal of finding lodging under $200 per night. Although it was over a weekend in November, the staffers couldn’t find a hotel room on The Strip for under the two-bill marker, but they did settle into the so-called “luxurious boutique hotel” The Artisan with less-than-stellar results. “Rooms overlooking the oh-so-close freeway where it meets busy West Sahara Avenue are so noisy, even the drone of the air conditioner doesn’t help. Neighborhood is gritty. Bathroom was poorly lighted and water flow inadequate. Hotel is a mile from the Strip, and not a pedestrian-friendly mile.” The reporters did have more success elsewhere; their best choices for budget lodging in Las Vegas were downtown’s Binion’s Horseshoe, the near-Strip Hooter’s Hotel & Casino and the South Point Hotel Casino.

Lunch with Kalt
Chef Stephen Kalt’s excellent Wynn Las Vegas eatery Corsa Cucina is introducing a phenomenal new lunch concept and, quite frankly, we’re wondering why it took so long. Okay, fine, we already know that Las Vegas lunch business traditionally has been too brisk to replicate New York City’s city-wide promotion, which offers specially priced menus at many of the city’s top eateries that cost the same price as the year on the calendar (i.e., 2007 = 3 courses for $20.07). Until further notice, from 11:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. every Wednesday through Sunday, Corsa is offering special three-course lunches for only $20.07. The best part about it: Kalt’s menu offers dozens of options throughout the various courses, ensuring even the pickiest eater will be able to create his dream lunch. From calamari to caprese to chicken Milanese, we promise you that Kalt’s cuisine will impress. Corsa Cucina is located in Wynn Las Vegas adjacent to the Poker Room and across from the Wynn Las Vegas box office.

The Body Art Ball
It’s getting closer … The Body Art Ball is taking place on Sunday, Jan. 28, at Rain Nightclub. Sponsored by Tuaca Liquore Italiano, it might just be one of the most unusual and creative promotional events to come through Las Vegas. The Tuaca Body Art Ball is a private, invitation-only event created for bartenders and servers who have helped make Las Vegas one of Tuaca’s hottest and most important markets. The event itself consists of 15 visual artists and 15 performers teamed up to, quite literally, bring art to life. Each team creates a concept that is painted on the performer and blended with music and synchronized lights to create an all-sensory performance that will win one team the coveted Body Art Ball award for “Best Overall Art and Presentation.” This year’s event will feature an opportunity to interact with the models and artists, as well as a Red Bull Energy Drink after-party which will follow the Body Art Ball at Moon nightclub. Even though this event is invitation-only, you know we have some passes set aside for our loyal readers, so be sure to check out next week’s Eye! 

Brett’s Vegas Views by Jackie Brett

Television star Mario Lopez from “Dancing With The Stars” and “Nip/Tuck” has been tapped to host the 2007 “Miss America Pageant” airing live from The Planet Hollywood (Aladdin) Resort on Monday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m.

Tickets to BODIES… The Exhibition are $26 for adults, $24 for seniors, $18 for children 12 and under, and $23 for Tropicana Hotel guests. The Exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the last admission at 10 p.m.
http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/brett/index.htm

Episode #38 of The Living In Las Vegas Podcast is now available.