Wayne Newton

[Treasurerat]

Does anyone really have the low down on Wayne Newton?

He leaves the Stardust (not by choice, I am sure), goes to the Hilton, then the Flamingo, and now rumors of taking over for Clint Holmes.

What is the true story?

I am counting on you Gregario.

[Steve]

Does anyone really have the low down on Wayne Newton?

He leaves the Stardust (not by choice, I am sure), goes to the Hilton, then the Flamingo, and now rumors of taking over for Clint Holmes.

What is the true story?

I am counting on you Gregario.


Even though I am not Greg, I believe I posted the answer to your question. It was in the latest edition of the newsletter:

BREAKING NEWS:

I have been mentioning that Harrah's will not be extending it's contract with Clint Holmes when it expires in early 2006 but nothing official has been said about it. I knew last week from a source at Harrah's and it has now been confirmed by a Las Vegas Gaming magazine that Wayne Newton will take over the Clint Holmes Theatre once Holmes' contact has expired.

That's the story and I'm sticking to it.

Steve

[GREGRIO]

...and I'm believin' it!
The thing I find odd... is with all of Newton's clout, he's having
so much of a problem finding a new home he can stick with...
He bounces here, moves there...it's aprox 11 months til Clint's contract
is up...what's Wayne do in the meantime? just keep floatin' around?

The complex world of a Las Vegas entertainer...contracs, money, the room,
what's available and for how long............sure glad I've got a good day job.
Harrah's has so much going on right now...they're scrambling for entertainmet
choices and who to put where (and they're so bad at it)
We'll know/When we know... what's goin' on. (and maybe before the entertainers too! LOL)

[Treasurerat]

Thanks Steve - I did read that.

What I basically would like to know is:

1 - Why was he "kicked" out of the Stardust? Was it a disagreement with management - was he not selling tickets - were his demands too high ? There has to be a reason. It's not as if the showroom was getting a permanent show in its place.

2 - Ditto for the Las Vegas Hilton.

3 - If Harrah's is so desperate to hire Wayne Newton to replace Clint Holmes, then, as Greg says - they are in real entertainment trouble.

Does anyone know how ticket sales were at the Las Vegas Hilton - what about the Flamingo?

There is something that just does not ring right with all of this.

As for myself, when I saw Wayne's show at the Stardust, it, in my opinion, was a disaster - any artist that spends 35 minutes kissing female patrons is a "has been", and not worthy of star calibre. Not to mention his voice - without his back up singers, he is nothing.

I apologize, but my "hollywood gossip hat"is getting the better of me.

[Steve]

"As for myself, when I saw Wayne's show at the Stardust, it, in my opinion, was a disaster - any artist that spends 35 minutes kissing female patrons is a "has been", and not worthy of star calibre. Not to mention his voice - without his back up singers, he is nothing."


I think you hit the nail on the head. It's no secret Wayne's voice is not what it used to be, in fact anyone who has seen the show recently has said his voice is completley gone.

I believe his contract at the Stardust just expired and wasn't renued and he never had a long term contract with the Las Vegas Hilton to begin with.

Steve

[iam4nd]

I do agree that Wayne newton's voice is gone---nowhere even close to what it was----But----We really did enjoy his show at the Stardust. The orchestra, backup singers, and other lead singers were all very good. He still did an excellent job playing several different instruments and interjecting humor to keep things moving. All the kissing is what a lot of the patrons have come to expect. We're glad we got the chance to see a Las Vegas icon while we could.

[Nevada]

i have seen a few shows at the flamingo the acts seem to be from the 60 to early 70 so they should let Wayne Newton do shows for them .he would fit right in:eek:

[tryon4]

All you have said is probably true. However he is still a showman. His show lasts 2 hours + and he gives you your monies worth. That can't be said for every show in Vegas. The Smothers Brothers show is good but they give you 80 minutes. How many 2 hour shows are left. He also is a bit of old vegas. Old Vegas seems to be slipping away in a wash of preppyism. :D

[Boston_Bill]

All you have said is probably true. However he is still a showman. His show lasts 2 hours + and he gives you your monies worth. That can't be said for every show in Vegas. The Smothers Brothers show is good but they give you 80 minutes. How many 2 hour shows are left. He also is a bit of old vegas. Old Vegas seems to be slipping away in a wash of preppyism. :D

I saw his show 4 years ago at the Stardust and loved it but that was for $50. Not sure I would spend 80+ now at the Flamingo.
Didnt I read something recently in the LVRJ that he was in financial trouble again?

[sonntex]

Harrahs is moving a lot of their entertainers around the country. Gladys Knight was recently at the Horseshoe in Bossier City and Wayne Newton will be there on December 17. The big name entertainers can draw big crowds in some of the smaller venues even if they are old hat or not that great any more.

As far as for Clint Holmes, I can't believe that Harrahs will let him go unless he is demanding too much money. He is quite a talent. (Rumor has it that he has his eye on Broadway.) Since his divorce he doesn't have ties to Vegas any more that would make him want to hang around all the time. So he is probably wanting to move on to something different and possibly better.

However, IMO Newton will not be an adequate replacement for Holmes. I think Harrahs ought to be looking at Gordie Brown. We've seen all three of these entertainers and Gordie is the best. We've seen Newton once and that was enough; Clint, twice and probably won't go back again for a long time; Gordie, once and we would go see him again at least once every year. As Gregrio has stated several times, Gordie is the only reason for going downtown. I overwhelming agree.

That's my view on the situation, but I'm a staid old nearly senior citizen. So take it for what it's worth.

[Boston_Bill]

Just saw Wayne on FoxNews and his voice sounded horrible.

[wildpitcher]

We went to see the Wayne Newton Chirstmas show on 12/21. It was the first time we'd seen Wayne. As such, we enjoyed it for what it was, a fun show by a Vegas Legend.

True, his voice is nowhere near what it was, but his back up singers and orchestra were great. Wayne did all the things he's famous for doing (riding in on a white horse, kissing all the ladies, etc) and provided a good show in the 105 minutes he had.

There was something for everyone - singing, ice skating, comedy, and penguins. I'd recommend the show for anyone (like us) who hasn't seen Wayne before.

Dave

[tryon4]

Although I am not on the bashing Wayne bandwagon. I do highly reccomend Gordie Brown to one and all. This guy is top notch and he is a unique talent. Some say impressionists are not top talent but what this guy does with material is superb. He weaves th characters into his stories and I am 110% sure that you'll leave wanting more, much more.

[wildpitcher]

We saw Gordie Brown on the same trip as seeing Wayne Newton. Gordie was Great! I "third" the recommendation!

[sonntex]

Gee, maybe we ought to get up a petition to Harrahs to sign Gordie. He just signed for GN again but I think it is only thru March. If Harrahs already has Wayne signed sealed and delivered for a replacement for Clint Holmes, maybe Gordie could replace the Scintas at the Rio.

[Tweeets]

Gee, maybe we ought to get up a petition to Harrahs to sign Gordie. He just signed for GN again but I think it is only thru March. If Harrahs already has Wayne signed sealed and delivered for a replacement for Clint Holmes, maybe Gordie could replace the Scintas at the Rio.


Has anyone heard where the Scintas are going?

[tryon4]

Are the Scintas leaving the Rio? We have seen this show twice and loved it both times. What is Harrahs doing? When we last saw them (Scintas) we ate dinner at the buffet, gambled there for 2-3 hours($1.00 & .25 slots) and saw the show. We enjoyed Clint Holmes too.
I hate seeing these thing happen and trust me we are not going to be spending $100.00+ for shows each vacation. Celine, and company aren't worth it for these New Englanders. I treated my wife to BM at the Hilton with stage seats and I gotta tell ya (I hope she never reads this cause if she does I'm a sleeepin on the couch) Gordie Brown at the GN is twice the show for a LOT LESS $$$$$.
Happy New Year 1 and all:)

[Steve]

Gee, maybe we ought to get up a petition to Harrahs to sign Gordie. He just signed for GN again but I think it is only thru March. If Harrahs already has Wayne signed sealed and delivered for a replacement for Clint Holmes, maybe Gordie could replace the Scintas at the Rio.


Here is the inside info about the Scintas that I have from a reliable source:

As it stands now, The Scintas are outdrawing Clint Holmes and their contract could be renegotiated. There has been no "official" announcement made yet by Harrah's. Clint is gone for sure. Mac King may get that showroom for his afternoon show which is a BIG draw.

Steve