Everything Las Vegas # 638
September 2nd, 2007
Great Vegas Comebacks From Vegas Pop Blog
We as a society love to watch entertainers and athletes rise to the top of their profession. When they get there, however, we love nothing more than seeing them fall from grace. We seem to do that so we can cheer them on as they make a comeback. Once they are on top, it becomes the norm, and the norm is boring. Yes, what we love, maybe even more than watching their rise and fall, is to see someone do it all over again.
Thanks to its ever-changing tastes and international appeal, Las Vegas is the perfect city for an entertainer to make a comeback. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that many of them, from Sinatra to Elvis, have used Vegas to catapult back into our hearts and minds. And while not everyone succeeds in a Vegas comeback, we still cheer them on, while we wait patiently for other long-lost favorites to try again.
This entire article can be read here:
http://www.vegaspopular.com/2007/08/16/great-vegas-comebacks/
Pop Cheerleader Toni Basil to Choreograph Bette Show.
"Oh Caesars you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, Oh Caesars. Oh Caesars"
Bette Midler has selected Toni Basil, singer of the early 80's pop nugget "Mickey" to choreograph her new show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace opening on February 20, 2008.
http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=1685
Strip Walking: August 2007 By Hunter.
Welcome to a new semi-regular feature, 'Strip Walk'. These photo
updates from the Las Vegas Strip (and other parts of the Valley) have
previously been presented by our man in the field, mike_ch. This
features updates from Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, City Center, The
Mirage, Paris, Mandalay Bay, Luxor and more… Check in for exclusive
news and photos of the most interesting Las Vegas construction projects.
http://www.ratevegas.com/blog/2007/08/strip_walk_augu.html
Penn & Teller challenges crowds to think!
By:Alan Katz/Las Vegas Magazine
Of the many fascinating magic tricks that Penn & Teller perform, the neatest is how they can repeatedly say things that the mainstream considers heretical and yet remain the most popular magic team in the United States.
For example, rather than pay lip service to religion like performers are supposed to do, Penn goes on the radio to explain how disbelieving in God has made him more thoughtful and decent. Nor do they pander to facile patriotism. One of the mainstays of their act is to wrap an American flag with a copy of the Bill of Rights and set the flag on fire while somehow the document stays untouched. Even though the flag appears at the end fully restored, the point is not lost on the audience. It’s this kind of thing that distinguishes them.
Both Penn, the 6-foot-6-inch talkative guy, and Teller, the diminutive silent fellow, are Libertarians and free-speech advocates. They’re also devout skeptics. On Bullsh*t!, their television show on Showtime, their shtick is to present a popularly held belief—such as “true love is everlasting,” or “passive smoke is harmful”—and debunk it. The show also exposes con artists, psychics, frauds, cheats and purveyors of illogic, which lots of people love until one of their heroes or dearly held values comes under attack.
It’s this uncompromising honesty of Penn & Teller and their insistence on challenging the audience that endears them to their fans.
Let’s also not forget that they’re funny. Yes, many of their tricks can be edgy—like firing bullets into each other’s mouths. But who doesn’t thrill to the sight of a little make-believe mayhem and attempted murder? True to their iconoclastic selves, after performing an illusion, they often show the audience how it’s done.
When they’re not onstage at the Rio, Penn works with a group that investigates claims of the paranormal. He also produced and both men appeared in the film The Aristocrats, which, in terms of language, is one of the dirtiest movies of all time. The team has written several books. In short, they’re two of the brightest, most interesting people in show business.
Penn & Teller
Where: Rio,
When: 9 p.m. Sat.-Thurs. (dark Aug. 23)
Cost: $85.80
Info: (702) 492-3960 or
1-(866) 80-SHOWS
http://www.lasvegasmagazine.com
Carrot and Shtick Approach
By: Paul Szydelko/Las Vegas Magazine
Perfectly paced for those with short attention spans (those on vacations, for example) and a finger on the pulse of pop culture (those who occasionally pick up a newspaper or watch a news broadcast back home), a performance by Carrot Top is as hilarious as it is memorable.
He makes it impossible to be bored during the sustained frenzy of laughs. Some assembly is required of his many props. No assembly is required for the audience.
If you don’t get a joke within two seconds, no worries. He’s moved on. Five seconds and you’re in his rear-view mirror.
Don’t expect elegantly phrased social commentary, rich anecdotes of a troubled life, coy observations about difficult relationships, pun-filled monologues or improv with wacky sidekicks.
No—just fun with props, gadgets, lasers, lights, video and music clips and an aroused dog’s propensity to hump anything.
You get the feeling this Florida native will do anything for a joke, including poking fun at the shape of the state that seems to dangle in the Atlantic.
He’s like a mad scientist you can picture going into his basement and incessantly creating new potions—except in his case, they’re props. Some of the inventions are elaborate, others are strikingly simple.
A golf club with a bent shaft for those taking Viagra.
A baseball bat with a built-in hand on the bottom to adjust the player’s cup
A baby carrier device to sneak popcorn and a drink into a movie theater.
He wonders how leaving a seat reclined or a food tray down can cause turbulence on an airplane. And speaking of turbulence, flatulence and other bodily functions get lots of play.
Clearly they’re not jokes to go home and tell your mother or children. But if you’re not easily offended, no jokes are so tasteless they will make you twist in your seat with discomfort.
Unless you’re a celebrity. A jail may need horizontal bars in addition to vertical bars to retain the frail Nicole Richie, he notes. And country singers who rely on food lists (“Cornbread and Chicken”) for lyrics also take a few hits.
With those props Carrot Top, whose real name is Scott Thompson, has constructed a unique presence and unrivaled energy in Curls Gone Wild. Among his influences are Robin Williams, Steve Martin, George Carlin and Jonathan Winters.
“All the world is a prop,” he has said. Sure he’s not Shakespeare, but while you’re trying to sort through one sentence of the Bard, he’s made three jokes and is setting up the fourth.
As U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” blares in the rock ’n’ roll finale, he searches his many trunks for the next prop, the next joke, the next laugh. If you’re looking for laughs, Carrot Top takes the cake.
Where: Luxor
When: 8 p.m. Sun.-Mon. & Wed.-Fri.; 7 & 9 p.m. Sat. (dark through Aug. 23)
Cost: $54.95
Info: (702) 492-3960 or
1-(866) 80-SHOWS
http://www.lasvegasmagazine.com
Luck Be a (Golden) Lady
By:Jack Houston/Las Vegas Magazine
Presiding over the oldest themed nightclub in Las Vegas is a woman with golden skin, an elaborate crown and, recently, a breast augmentation. Sure, this description could cover half the bachelorettes cavorting through a hotel on a Friday night. But the woman in question is actually Cleopatra, queen of the Nile and matriarch of Cleopatra’s Barge Nightclub at Caesars Palace.
People come from all over to rub the bare-chested Cleopatra for good luck, as they do to other landmarks around the hotel, including Caesars’ finger and big toe, Michelangelo’s David and boxer Joe Louis’ glove. But years of fondling had taken their toll and Cleo was forced to go under the knife.
Back now and bigger than ever, the statue’s cups aren’t the only ones that are full. Come nighttime, the libations flow, the place is packed and guests take to the Barge on a floating dance floor to party like it’s 40 B.C. The rotating schedule of live music makes every voyage an unpredictably fun journey, as the light from the disco ball reflects off the Barge’s sail and the bodies on the dance floor get the ship rocking ever so slightly.
When it comes to nocturnal carousing, few clubs rock as much.
Cleopatra's Barge Nightclub
Where: Caesars Palace
When: Open daily
Info: (702) 731-7110
http://www.lasvegasmagazine.com/
Tropicana Pauses Pursuit of Makeover
By Rick Garman/Vegas4Visitors.com
If you’ve been reading the headlines lately you have probably been seeing some kind of scary stories about the looming credit crisis in the American financial markets. Wall Street has been swinging up and down faster than an amusement park ride and cable news channels are filled with dire predictions about how this is only the beginning of a problem that could extend into previously untouched segments – like hotel construction. In part due to that financial volatility and in part due to spiraling credit costs, the owners of The Tropicana have announced that they are pushing the pause button on their ambitious plans to make over the 50 year old hotel.
Construction was supposed to begin this fall on a $2.5 billion transformation of the “Tiffany of The Strip” from a weathered 1,800 room afterthought to a 10,000 room, multi-tower complex that would have eventually replaced almost all of the existing hotel. Now that construction will be delayed until at least 2008 according to press reports.
Whether the credit crunch will affect other planned mega-resorts on The Strip is yet to be seen but with will over $26 billion tied up in financing for various projects pretty much anything could happen at this point.
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/
Nightclub News & Notes By Rick Garman
www.vegas4visitors.com
Three new clubs are opening and one favorite is closing – all part of the ever changing Las Vegas nightlife scene.
The one closing is Tangerine, the burlesque show meets nightclub concept at Treasure Island overlooking the Sirens Cove at the front of the hotel. The place has only been open for three years but the folks at the TI think it’s time for a change already and plan to build something bigger and better and with a new name. Tangerine closes Labor Day weekend with a party hosted by rocker Dave Navarro and the new club will open before the end of the year.
Meanwhile the big new LAX club at Luxor is still on track to open Labor Day weekend and still on track to have Britney Spears as the celebrity hostess despite her much publicized, um, erratic behavior lately. The new nightclub is based on an LA club of the same name and will feature a giant dance floor, state of the art lighting and sound systems, and lots of celebrity appearances including one from investor Christina Aguilera on September 8. For more information on the club visit www.laxthenightclub.com.
Also opening the same weekend is Blush, the new ultra-lounge at Wynn Las Vegas. It replaces the former ultra-lounge Lure but with an all new design, a dance floor, an open-air patio and bar, a VIP room, and more. It’ll open every day at 5pm as a lounge and transform into a full fledged nightclub on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights starting at 10pm.
Finally, country music fans can stop crying in their beers over the closure of Gilley’s now that Stoney’s Rockin’ Country has opened its doors. The 20,000-square foot club is located a few miles south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Boulevard (near the South Point Hotel and Casino) and features a 2,500 square foot hardwood dance floor, three mini-bowling lanes, pool tables, and of course a mechanical bull complete with bleacher seating so lots of people can get a good view of you making an idiot out of yourself. The bar features live entertainment and country-western DJs, bull-riding contests, and line dancing classes plus lots and lots of drink specials. It’s open daily 5pm to 5am and you can get more info at www.stoneysrockincountry.com.
Show Review: Toni Braxton By Rick Garman
When singer Toni Braxton opened at the Flamingo awhile back the critics were not exactly kind. A raft of extremely negative reviews filled the papers and the buzz on The Strip was that the show wouldn’t last long. But Braxton was not willing to go down without a fight, and now she has won over audiences and critics alike with a lively, sexy, funny show that just got extended into 2008.
In case you don’t know who Braxton is, that’s okay – you’re forgiven. Her biggest success was with a string of R&B and dance hits a decade ago and while songs like “Breathe Again,” “Another Sad Love Song,” “Unbreak My Heart,” and “You Mean the World To Me” were all over pop radio and in nightclubs it still comes as a surprise to some people that she earned six Grammy awards and is one of the top selling female artists of all time.
I was a nightclub DJ during her peak so I was familiar with a lot of her music but like so many others, I was unsure what she could offer a Las Vegas audience. A lot as it turns out.
She still has a great voice – husky and smoky, although occasionally there isn’t quite enough enunciation, which even she admits. She looks fantastic and is a hell of an entertainer even if you don’t know her music all that well, but that’s not the real winning aspect of her show.
Instead it is her performance attitude, seizing the mantle of Vegas sex kitten from An-Margret and reinventing it for the new millennium. Don’t worry, there’s nothing even R-rated in this show – instead it is Toni as vamp, vixen, and naughty girl who likes to croon from laps of handsome male audience members, after politely asking permission from accompanying females of course. On the night I was there she even got the mayor of a major southern city up on stage for a little hip shaking and the whole thing was delightful.
The fact that the same southern Mayor was recently the subject of headlines regarding illicit video tapes is probably not relevant right now. But an interesting story for another time, perhaps.
I never saw the early incarnation of Braxton’s show so I have nothing to compare it to but from all accounts it has improved tremendously from the early days as she has settled into the gig, gotten more chatty with audiences, and honed her vampy playfulness to a fine art. It’s certainly not perfect – one can tell that Braxton has a tendency during certain moments to take herself a little more Diva seriously than she probably should. But the melodramatic styling of a few overwrought numbers is far outweighed by the silly fun of when she pulls audience members up on the stage to do some booty shaking.
Overall, a solid night of entertainment.
Now, about that Mayor….
Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+
Toni Braxton
Flamingo Las Vegas
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
800-222-5361
website
Price:
$69-109
Showtimes:
Tues-Sat 7:30pm
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm
Don't cry for Carlini
By Jerry Fink/Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Elvis tribute artist Trent Carlini, who portrays Elvis Presley in "The Musical History of the King" at the Sahara, fell just short of his second crown last week.
He placed second in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2007 competition in Memphis, Tenn., during Elvis Week. The annual celebration commemorates the singer's death on Aug. 16, 1977.
Don't feel sorry for Carlini. He's still basking in the glow of winning ABC's "The Next Best Thing," a show that featured tribute artists competing against each other.
Third place last week in Memphis went to another Las Vegas resident, Donny Edwards.
The winner was Shawn Klush, of Pittston, Pa. Klush has performed in a number of Elvis tribute shows, including filling in on occasion with the "Legends in Concert" production in Las Vegas.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2007/aug/23/566675017.html
Old Dudes Who Still Rock
By Tony Jenkins/Las Vegas Pop Blog
Vegas turned 100 a couple of years ago, but Vegas today is nothing like Vegas from 1907. Heck, when you stand under the glorious pink neon of the Flamingo and stare out across at Caesar's Palace, you'll see that Vegas from the '60s was much different than the Vegas of today. The irony is that many of the performers who top the marquees in today's Vegas, and also topped them in the '50s, '60 and '70s, haven't changed.
Vegas mainstays such as Tom Jones and Wayne Newton may have sold millions of records and played to millions of people throughout the world, but they refuse to rest on their laurels. Despite being well over 60-years-old — an age when many people may think it's time to kick back and relax — they have continued performing as much as they did in their heyday. It seems to be their way of telling us, "Hey, I can still get down and throw down, and I'm not about to retire!"
But Tom and Wayne aren't the only old dudes who are still rockin'. Check out these tireless and timeless performers over the age of 60.
More "oldies" here:
http://www.vegaspopular.com/2007/08/02/vegas-shows-headliners-old-dudes-who-still-rock/
How to Be Cheap in Vegas Without Being Dirty
By Fletch/ Las Vegas Pop Blog
We spend a lot of time at Vegas Pop dispensing ideas on how to spend the mythical millions of dollars you probably don't have. It makes sense, Vegas is a fantasy land where dropping $40,000 a night for the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Fantasy Tower or buying a $700K Koenigsegg at Caesars Palace are not big deals, for those who can afford it. For the rest of us, it's like assembling a Christmas wish list.
Today, we're going in a radically different direction. Today my friends, we're looking at the best places to find a deal in Vegas including where to eat, where to drink and where to have a good time.
If you didn't just win the World Series of Poker main event, then this story is not for you. For everyone else, here are ideas for Vegas on the cheap:
Where to Eat.
Going back to caveman days, shrimp cocktail has been the currency for casinos to lure would-be patrons into their gambling halls. The main problem with the shellfish promotional plan is that Vegas is in the desert. Even if you sucked at the geography bee, you know there's no indigenous shrimp. This is not a general indictment on the Vegas shrimp game, but I've had some iffy shrimp cocktail experiences where the price of the tub o' shrimp had a direct correlation to my gastrointestinal well-being.
I prefer the prime rib deals where a slab of quality red meat will usually run you under $10. One of the finest slabs in town is at Binion's Coffee Shop downtown. You get that old-school Vegas vibe and plenty of meat. If you're South Strip, then the Coronado Cafe at South Point is the best value hands down. They have an eternal $9.95 special which includes the beef, French fries and a salad. The salad is a nice touch that makes you feel healthy.
If your party plans keep you out very late (or very early), graveyard specials provide ridiculous deals. After a night/morning at ghostbar or VooDoo Lounge, stop off at the Gold Coast between midnight and 6AM for $1.95 ham, eggs, hash browns and toast. If you're leaving Seamless around the same time, you can stop off at The Orleans for the $3.95 steak, eggs, hash browns and toast special. Check out Anthony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor site for more graveyard deals.
Where to Drink
In an era where even some Off-Strip bars are charging $14 for a martini, the "Super Big Gulp" law of economics applies if you're looking for a drinking deal in Vegas. That law dictates that you look for the biggest container of alcohol you can find and buy it. Go ahead and skip the "half yards" and go for the full yard of cocktails or the alternate ginormous football-shaped jug. You'll spend around $25 bucks for a yard of adult Kool-Aid, but when compared to the $14 martini, the value is clear. Plus, after the strawberry daiquiri is long gone, these marvels of plastics engineering make classy additions to your kitchenware.
If you like your thrift with a little adventure, then definitely try one of the City's Best dive bars. or a smaller casino. The big resort casinos are in the luxury business which doesn't translate well into a dive bar concept so you have to go forth and explore to find a good deal.
In the dive bar genre, Champagnes Cafe is pure swank. In the smaller casino category, Casino Royale has dollar beers, but you have to take everything that comes with dollar beers like rowdier crowds. On one of my last cheap-beer expeditions, I encountered a man who was apparently unclear on proper intestinal gas expulsion etiquette and let's just say I only had about 25 cents of that dollar beer.
If you're looking for deals, flip on local TV when you get to your room and some of the smaller casinos run ads on their drink specials or you can also check out sites like cheapovegas.com.
Where to Have a Good Time
I'll get a lot of "Fletch is stupid" mail for this, but one of the best places to people watch is aboard the Las Vegas Monorail. It's relatively cheap (in some cases free) and you get an interesting look at the city and its visitors. By "city," I mean the Strip and by "visitors," I mean reality show-worthy individuals with no shame. My favorite is the mullet guy with the optional fanny pack that thinks "rock the train" is just as funny "rock the bus" was back on high school field trips.
Take the full tour Monorail tour and hop on at MGM Grand and wear a big pair of Jackie Onassis dark sunglasses for maximum voyeur capability.
For something more traditional, try one of the free shows. There's the good ol' pirate-themed Sirens of TI (above) which uses sex appeal to add to the value proposition of the free show. If you had the cast of 'Golden Girls' swashbuckling, the pedestrian crowds clogging the Strip sidewalk in front of Treasure Island would probably be thinner, but maybe not.
The free Parade in the Sky show at Rio has lost some of its luster over the last couple of years, but as a bonus while you're there, find one of the roving Chippendale's dancers for a hunky photo op. Your girlfriends at work (and maybe even your boyfriend) will be like, so jealous.
You can also find deals, coupons even, for shows where the show is not free, but with a buy-one-get-one free scheme, you can save money. I found this coupon for 'Bite' on the Las Vegas Leisure Guide so if a gothy, sexy vampire show is your thing, you're all set. Even Cirque du Soleil's 'Zumanity' is running ironically-priced ticket specials.
If you have found any really good Vegas deals you'd like to share, leave them on the comment board below. I'm off to smoke a cigar back in the glamorous life.
http://www.vegaspopular.com/2007/07/18/how-to-be-cheap-in-vegas-without-being-dirty/
Show Review: Toni Braxton By Rick Garman
When singer Toni Braxton opened at the Flamingo awhile back the critics were not exactly kind. A raft of extremely negative reviews filled the papers and the buzz on The Strip was that the show wouldn’t last long. But Braxton was not willing to go down without a fight, and now she has won over audiences and critics alike with a lively, sexy, funny show that just got extended into 2008.
In case you don’t know who Braxton is, that’s okay – you’re forgiven. Her biggest success was with a string of R&B and dance hits a decade ago and while songs like “Breathe Again,” “Another Sad Love Song,” “Unbreak My Heart,” and “You Mean the World To Me” were all over pop radio and in nightclubs it still comes as a surprise to some people that she earned six Grammy awards and is one of the top selling female artists of all time.
I was a nightclub DJ during her peak so I was familiar with a lot of her music but like so many others, I was unsure what she could offer a Las Vegas audience. A lot as it turns out.
She still has a great voice – husky and smoky, although occasionally there isn’t quite enough enunciation, which even she admits. She looks fantastic and is a hell of an entertainer even if you don’t know her music all that well, but that’s not the real winning aspect of her show.
Instead it is her performance attitude, seizing the mantle of Vegas sex kitten from An-Margret and reinventing it for the new millennium. Don’t worry, there’s nothing even R-rated in this show – instead it is Toni as vamp, vixen, and naughty girl who likes to croon from laps of handsome male audience members, after politely asking permission from accompanying females of course. On the night I was there she even got the mayor of a major southern city up on stage for a little hip shaking and the whole thing was delightful.
The fact that the same southern Mayor was recently the subject of headlines regarding illicit video tapes is probably not relevant right now. But an interesting story for another time, perhaps.
I never saw the early incarnation of Braxton’s show so I have nothing to compare it to but from all accounts it has improved tremendously from the early days as she has settled into the gig, gotten more chatty with audiences, and honed her vampy playfulness to a fine art. It’s certainly not perfect – one can tell that Braxton has a tendency during certain moments to take herself a little more Diva seriously than she probably should. But the melodramatic styling of a few overwrought numbers is far outweighed by the silly fun of when she pulls audience members up on the stage to do some booty shaking.
Overall, a solid night of entertainment.
Now, about that Mayor….
Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+
Toni Braxton
Flamingo Las Vegas
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
800-222-5361
website
Price:
$69-109
Showtimes:
Tues-Sat 7:30pm
The Mirage : The VegasTripping Review 2007
Las Vegas changed forever after Steve Wynn opened The Mirage in November 1989. Gone were the days of the $2.99 steaks and cheapo floor shows to be replaced by four star dining, blockbuster shows, family attractions and anything else that could generate profit. In the years that followed, themed family resorts with similar business models replaced the older resorts. As the skyline of Las Vegas added a number of new shapes, the quality of offerings increased and so did the price. Between the mid-1970's and the opening of Mirage in 1989 no new resorts were built on the Las Vegas Strip. Suddenly, much like today, construction cranes were everywhere.
Fast forward nearly 20 years and The Mirage is now one of the middle-tier resorts skimming along with periodic upgrades that hope to keep it from slipping into the ether or - best case scenario - to propel it back to its 1990's glory years. The Mirage still has retained its cache as a luxury resort, mostly due to its history and partly due to the continual upgrades to Mirage's public areas and entertainment offerings. In the last two years Mirage has completely redone most of its restaurants, upgraded it's entertainment (except Danny Gans) redesigned public areas and hammered out some of the dents and dings that two decades of use have made apparent. The last major upgrade of the rooms at the Mirage were completed in 2002. Do all of these upgrades carry enough weight to vault the Mirage back into the highest echelon of Las Vegas resorts? Probably not, but they certainly will keep the resort competitive for years to come.
More Here:
http://www.vegastripping.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=119&page=1
Please note there are seven pages in this report.
SHOW REVIEW: 'The Producers'
'Producers' Back on Track: With Danza instead of Hasselhoff, story unfolds as it was intended.
Posted on September 2nd, 2007 by MrVegas98
Filed under: Newsletter
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