Sooner Than Later: The VegasScene is hearing reports that Danny Gans’ move from The Mirage to Wynn Las Vegas is on the fast track. When the change was announced, Gans was departed The Mirage in November and opening at Wynn in February. Presuming the Spamalot Theatre retooling can be completed (with Steve Wynn at the helm, you know it will happen) in time, rumbles are he’ll be opening late December so he can be part of the unveiling celebration of Wynn’s Encore resort. Makes sense to me.
Criss Angel Show Delayed: As anticipated, Cirque du Soleil has announced that the debut of “Criss Angel -- Believe” will be delayed. Ticketed previews that were to begin on Sept. 1 now will begin Sept. 12. The private party to mark the “official” debut has been pushed from Sept. 12 to Oct. 9.
The move will affect 14 shows that already were on sale. Early birds, mostly from Angel’s fan club, will be given corresponding seats at other performances or get refunds if they can’t be in town on the new night. Anyone holding tickets should call 1-800-557-7428.
The show is a massive technical creative challenge plus insiders have said Angel’s ego has also influenced the delay. Fellow columnist Robin Leach first reported the delay and wrote:
“It is far more technically ambitious than what Cirque created for The Beatles ‘Love’ musical at The Mirage. That was the most difficult staging Cirque had ever attempted. Even beyond ‘KÀ!’” I was told. “’Believe’ is an even bigger challenge and remember Cirque has never produced a magic show before and working with just one headline star.
“So in a sense its new territory, but it’s just the tremendous scope of the undertaking. Everybody believes in ‘Believe’ and promises it will be truly a groundbreaking, never before seen, spectacular.
“They were seven weeks later than planned getting into the theater because of the engineering and re-design delays, and what they were doing in the rehearsal hall and dance studio became totally different once inside the theater. The creative folks simply needed the seven missed weeks back on the calendar to make sure all the mechanical worked properly and without hitches with what had been blocked and rehearsed.
“What they discovered was that with the seven missing weeks it was too risky and too difficult to stick to the original dates. Nothing is wrong. There’s nothing to be concerned about. Don’t read anything into this, other than just they ran late being able to get into the theater and start working properly on the actual staging. Nobody wants hitches, hold-ups. Everybody wants it to be perfect, and now it will be without the dangerous time crunch.
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Spears Talk Heats Up: Along with the sweltering summer heat, talk is heating up that Britney Spears is about to sign a record deal with Maloof Music -- owned by all members of the Maloof family and run by youngest brother, Phil.
Part of the deal, goes the hush-hush talk, will be an album recorded at the Palms Studio here followed eventually with an engagement at The Pearl at The Palms. The Pearl performances could total as many as 100 dates similar to what the divas are doing at Caesars Palace.
Spearheading Spears’ activities is her former longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, who reportedly has stated, “When she does get everything in place for her return to show business it will be the biggest comeback in the industry’s history. Britney will go right back to the very top all over again.”
"Dark Knight Screening": Late night screenings of “The Dark Knight,” the newest Batman saga, in IMAX and 35mm take place July 18 at 12:01 a.m. at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms. DC Comics artist Lee Bermejo will sign limited edition prints of “The Joker” at the theater on July 18 from 7-10 p.m.
Beremjo was commissioned to draw this special Brenden Theatres/Palms illustration. Prints will be available at no charge; however a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas Fine Art Program is appreciated.
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Summer Getaway For All: Red Rock Retreat, a two-day getaway for locals and tourists is back and will continue through Sept. 29 at Red Rock Resort.
Each retreat begins on Sunday evening and concludes with a late check-out on Tuesday. Red Rock Retreat offers a two-night stay for $149 and includes lots of entertainment including pool parties, bowling and more.
Upon check-in, guests will receive an itinerary of activities which include the following: Sunday night check-in mixer at Lucky Bar, Monday daytime pool party at the Cherry pool from noon to 9 p.m., Monday night bowling tournament in the posh VIP suite at Red Rock Lanes, late night Monday pool party at Cherry pool from midnight to 4 a.m. and Tuesday afternoon check-out.
All retreat activities are optional. Guests will also have access to amenities such as a spa, backyard pool area and restaurants. New events will be added on a regular basis to keep things fresh and fun. There will also be specials on cabanas and daybeds at the Cherry pool.
For more information or to book a Red Rock Retreat, contact Red Rock Resort at 797-7777 or visit www.stationcasinos.com.
Experience Ending Run: Captain’s Log. Star date Sept. 1, 2008. Star Trek: The Experience is shutting down following an 11-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton.
With the closure rumored for months, the inevitable finally happened last week when lease holder Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., notified its 160 workers the Hilton lease would not be renewed. No official reason for the decision, nor would anyone take responsibility for the decision, but one would assume money plays a role. Cedar Fair is reportedly shopping around the attraction to other local properties.
The annual Official Star Trek Convention is scheduled Aug. 6-10 at the Hilton and will go on as planned.
News And Notes: Larry Forgione, recognized as the “godfather of American cooking” will open An American Place early next year at Wynn Las Vegas taking the place of Tableau in the Tower Suites...Hypnotist Marc Savard, who recently won the 2008 Star Award at the Stage Hypnotists of the World conference, is back with a new show at the LA Comedy Club at Trader Vic’s. The show is family-friendly with performances Monday-Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32 and $42 and can be purchased at the Travelocity box office located in front of Trader Vic’s in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood or via the phone at 691-9927...Silverton Casino Lodge celebrates 11 years of serving Las Vegas with three days of free cake and champagne served on the casino floor from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. July 11 and noon-8 p.m. July 12 and 13…The Letterman return to the Suncoast July 18-20 followed by the Smothers Brothers July 25-27…Judy Tenuta, who was recently ordained a minister, brings her off-beat comedy routines to The Improve at Harrah’s July 22-26...
Terry Jenkins title at Boyd Gaming is corporate entertainment director and not entertainment booker as written in last week’s column…Veteran country singer David Allan Coe performs at The Club inside the Cannery Sept. 5 with tickets starting at $14.95 plus tax and fees...
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Chicago, one of the most successful American groups in rock n’ roll, returns to the Hollywood Theatre inside the MGM Grand Oct. 2-15. Show time is 8 p.m. nightly with no performance Oct. 5 and 12. Tickets are $75 and $100 inclusive…Wise guy comedian Vic DiBitetto opens at the Riviera Comedy Club July 21 for seven nights. Appearing with DiBitetto will be Paul Bond and Eleanor Kerrigan...Latino comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform two shows inside the Lance Burton Theatre at the Monte Carlo Sept. 12-13 with show time 9 p.m. Noe Gonzalez and Martin Moreno share the bill...Fake Four begins the Rampart’s Addison's Lounge August entertainment schedule Aug. 1-2 followed by Goodfellas Aug. 8-9, Early Clover Aug. 22-23 and M.O.C.C.A. Aug. 29-30...The Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck concert series featuring twilight jazz continues Thursday evenings (6-9 p.m.) at the Springs Preserve through August. Featured artists included the Raj Rathor Quartet, the Las Vegas Academy and Boy Katindig Trio…
The Smokin’ Hot Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction to benefit the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth takes place July 18 from 6-9 p.m. in The Palms Ghostbar. Entrance fee is $50 with Channel 3 anchor Kim Wagner and 93.1 FM the Party DJ Andy Gill hosting…The latest nightclub casualty on the Strip is the Empire Ballroom that catered to a more off-beat audience...
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The Mirage will reportedly fire up the flames of its volcano in early December with more nozzle jets spouting flames than the Bellagio water display…After a two year absence, Judy Alberti is back as Station Casinos vice president of entertainment replacing Joe Santiago...The Railhead at Boulder Station is serving up the hotel’s buffet instead of entertainment through November...Red Rock Resort has launched a poolside series called “Bottle Rock It,” which will run weekly through Sept. 27…A bone marrow registration drive is taking place July 8 for 10-year-old Leukemia patient Brandon Rayner being treated at Sunrise Children’s Hospital at the Clark County Armory, 6400 Randge Rd. The first 50 registrants are free, after that it is $25 per person. Matches will be determined with a quick, painless cotton swab test to the inside of the cheek...
The Shades of Sinatra -- Carmine Mandia, Larry Liso, Ryan Baker and Lisa Smith -- perform their salute to Ole’ Blue Eyes July 20 at 3 p.m. at the Starbright Theatre in Summerlin. Tickets are $17... Featuring the raising of a 50-foot American flag to the top of the building and entertainment by singer/songwriter Lee Greenwood, Westgate Resorts last week celebrated the topping-off of PH Towers by Westgate, the tallest timeshare building in history and first vacation ownership resort fully integrated with a major resort & casino complex, Planet Hollywood... Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has announced plans for nonstop flights between Casper, Wyoming and Las Vegas twice a week. Flights on a 150-seat jet will start Sept. 19 and will depart Casper/Natrona County International Airport on Monday and Friday mornings. Fares will start at $99 one-way with an introductory offer that could shave $20 off that price for flights purchased by July 26.
Fantasy Rock Camp: Businessmen to Hollywood celebrities harbor a secret dream to be a rock star. This summer, Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camp is going to make these dreams come true as the camp travels to cities (Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Aug. 23) across the country.
Celebrities who have signed up so far include Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men), Madeline Zima (Californication), Thom Barry (Cold Case), and Brandon Barash (General Hospital). They will join everyday men and women for the fantasy experience during which they will meet, jam, rehearse and perform live with rock star counselors including Gilby Clarke (Guns n’ Roses), Chris Slade (AC/DC), Kip Winger (Winger), Mark Slaughter (Slaughter) and more.
That same night, they will all hit the stage to perform as the opening act for Extreme, featuring all three of the band’s original members -- Nuno Bettencourt, Gary Cherone and Pat Badger and King’s X.
Some musical dreams will continue long past the camp as one of the bands assembled during the tour will win an all-expense paid trip to attend Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in London in November. London campers will record at Abbey Road Studios with counselors that include Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) and then perform on-stage at The Cavern Club in Liverpool.
For more information visit www.rockcamp.com or call 888-762-2263.
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What Do They Know: Three Las Vegas producers told him he had a lousy act; told him he wasn’t handsome enough for Vegas; told him people didn’t want a singing impressionist with dolls and told him that he’d never make it in Las Vegas.
Singing-ventriloquist-impressionist Terry Fator has sure proved them wrong with his $1 million win on NBC-TV’s America’s Got Talent and megabucks five-year deal to star in his own showroom at The Mirage.
The 42-year-old new superstar admitted that producers here in Vegas even told him to dump the dolls and stick to playing dinner background music with his Texas band.
“It was the lowest point of my life. I was never more miserable,” said Fator, who admitted he was living off his wife’s paycheck from a vet’s clinic because the band was sometimes splitting $750 a night seven ways! It was pretty grim in those days to make just $250 in a week, but it did get up to $20,000 a year on the country fair circuit, but as you remember there was one night when I only had one 12-year-old child in the audience.
“That was when I wanted to quit, give up and just end it. But Melinda, my wife wouldn’t let me. She told me that the hard work would eventually pay off and it did, thanks to her believing in me.”
He admits that if they hadn’t won America’s Got Talent they’d be broke as they’d maxed out their credit cards, borrowed money from friends and were both jobless. The irony is that the night he won the TV talent show was exactly nine months to the day he’d heard Danny Gans at The Mirage and promptly switched to having his dolls do the singing celebrity impressions!
Fator admits his life has completely changed overnight and although he’ll keep the Dallas home he bought his wife from the America’s Got Talent paycheck he’s now looking for a Vegas manse to call home.
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Commission Names Honorees: Las Vegas and Henderson residents are among the 26 individuals from the United States and Canada the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission has named recipients of the 2008 Carnegie Medal.
The medal is awarded to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Seven awardees lost their lives in the performance of their rescue acts. The new heroes bring to 48 the number of awards made to date in 2008 and to 9,199 the total number of awards since the Pittsburgh-based fund’s inception in 1904.
Travis Wayne Koehler (Las Vegas) died attempting to save Richard M. Luzier from suffocation in Las Vegas on Feb. 2, 2007 and David A. Snow also attempted to save him. Luzier, 48, was climbing from the below ground lift station of a sewer system after working on a pipe there. He fell to the bottom of the 10-foot-deep pit, where he lay unconscious in wastewater.
Koehler, 26, a coworker journeyman engineer, immediately entered the pit and descended to its floor. He lifted Luzier’s head out of the water before he too lost consciousness in the pit’s oxygen-deficient atmosphere, which contained toxic fumes.
Snow, 29, an engineer, entered the pit in a rescue attempt, but he also lost consciousness and collapsed. Responding rescue personnel removed the men from the pit. Snow survived but required extensive hospitalization for acute respiratory distress. Luzier and Koehler died at the scene.
Commission President Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their next of kin will also receive a grant of $6,000. Throughout the 104 years since the fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $30.6 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.
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Unique Ultra Lounge Coming: True Management Group’s Ultra Lounge at Dal Toro and Lamborghini Las Vegas is set to open mid-August inside Dal Toro Ristorante, the only true Italian restaurant in The Palazzo.
While the restaurant will feature a lengthy happy hour Thursdays through Saturdays from 6-10 p.m., both the restaurant and the adjoining Lamborghini showroom will convert to a private event every Saturday night in the two-level venue.
Aside from the main room with custom Italian furnishings, la bella gente also enjoy the Strip’s most beautiful patio, with meandering walkways, landscaping and 100 feet of marbled, mosaic Palladian Italian fountains, all in the company of the world’s most exquisite automobiles.
Join Wynn’s Team: Former Golden Nugget owners and mega-millionaires from their business deals involving Internet travel, Tim Poster and Tom Breitling, have joined Wynn Las Vegas as senior vice presidents of strategy and development.
“This is a very exciting time for our company as we prepare to expand both here in Las Vegas and in Asia,” noted Steve Wynn . “Until now, we’ve only been limited by our human capital and our limited capacity to design, develop and operate resorts that live up to our standards. With the addition of Tim and Tom to our leadership team we have both improved our opportunities for success with our existing ventures and enhanced our ability to pursue new ones.”
Burns & Allen Show Coming: “Say Goodnight Gracie” is the one-man hit Broadway play that invites you to spend a hilarious, heart-warming evening in the uplifting company of the world’s favorite and funniest centenarian, George Burns. Burns who spanned 100 years of American entertainment history is now miraculously alive and kicking in a stunning tour de force.
“Say Goodnight Gracie,” which is at the Suncoast July 11-13, is a tender, funny, life-affirming love story that recounts Burns’ life story in genial anecdotes from his childhood on the lower East Side of New York through the rigors of vaudeville tours and the fortuitous meeting with Gracie Allen, whose ditzy stage persona turned him into a straight man and made both of them stars, to his close friendship with Jack Benny, and his latter-day career as a movie actor (he played God three times) and pitchman that began at age 80.
The premise of “Say Goodnight Gracie” from the outset is very sentimental, from his posting in limbo between this world and the next, to aching to rejoin Gracie, the love of his life. Throughout the show he says again and again that Gracie was the talented one of the two, and that he was simply lucky enough to recognize that and hitch his star to hers.
Don McArt stars as George Burns. He began his long time acting career which eventually led to performing in either the Broadway or national companies of “PajamaTops,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Odd Couple” and “There’s a Girl in My Soup.”
Migrating to Hollywood, and soon under contract to Disney Studios, he did “The Absent Minded Professor” and “The Son of Flubber,” both with Fred MacMurray, followed by various other films, including, most recently, “Too Much” with Antonio Bandaras and Melanie Griffith.
Actress and comedian Didi Conn is the voice of Gracie Allen. Conn’s notable films include “You Light Up My Life,” “Grease” and “Grease 2.” She also provided the voice for Raggedy Ann in the 1977 animated feature, “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.”
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New Dining Option: Chef Laurent Tourondel has opened his BLT Burger at The Mirage. Tourondel was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s best new chefs in 1998 while cooking in Las Vegas at Palace Court restaurant. He has since created several successful restaurants around the country and was honored as Bon Appétit magazine’s 2007 restaurateur of the year.
BLT Burger offers a variety of burgers including beef, American Kobe, lamb and Atlantic salmon, each served on soft buns with tomato, red onion, iceberg lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. The beef patties are a combination of certified Black Angus sirloin, short rib, chuck and brisket.
Specialty burgers include the Tex-Mex, a 7-ounce beef burger with jalapeños, chili, avocado, salsa, jack cheese, onions and sour cream; Lamb Tandoori burger, a slightly spicy Colorado lamb burger topped with mint-cilantro yogurt sauce, cucumber, olives, red onion and tomato; and a signature meatball burger composed of ground veal, pork and ricotta and served with garlic pomodoro sauce. In true Las Vegas style, Tourondel offers the stripper, a 7-ounce beef burger served with lettuce, tomato, onion and bell pepper without the bun.
Though burgers take center stage, BLT Burger’s diverse menu offers a number of starters and salads in addition to more than eight types of fries and rings, including waffle-cut, sweet potato, jalapeño poppers and fried pickles.
Milkshakes tend toward the whimsical and are inspired by classic American desserts: the Twinkie boy blends vanilla ice cream, a Hostess Twinkie and caramel syrup; Give Me S’More combines chocolate ice cream with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers; and the Puddin’ Pop is a rich slush of chocolate ice cream, chocolate pudding and chocolate shavings.
For those who want to add extra punch to their shake, BLT Burger’s Spiked Milkshakes are the perfect adult treat in flavors such as The All Nighter (Kahlua, Baileys, espresso and coffee ice cream), The Highlander (Guinness Stout, Coole Swan Irish Crème and vanilla ice cream) and Malibu Barbie (Malibu Rum, pineapple juice, coconut milk and vanilla ice cream).
Designed by Rockwell Group, the 198-seat BLT Burger’s hip and casual setting reflects both the natural Nevada landscape and the glamour of Las Vegas with end-grain wood, walnut and yellow-glazed lava stone, accented with red glazed brick, golden furniture upholstery and dramatic lighting.
The entrance features a dimensional wood block ceiling that is illuminated from behind, changing in color and intensity to transition from day to night. The banquettes and booths in the restaurant's front section have views of the grill and are accented with polished, chrome pendant lights for intimacy. Throughout the space are table tops lacquered with large table numbers, simple schoolhouse-style wood chairs and patterned gobo lights that provide a club-like atmosphere for late-night dining. The 16-seat, yellow-glazed lava stone bar has barstools accented with stitching details.
The curved walls of the back section of the restaurant evoke an outdoor environment with a 16-foot, floor-to-ceiling sepia tone panoramic photo mural of the surrounding Sierra Nevada landscape. The circular open grill is surrounded by a polished, red-glazed brick wall and covered by a large metallic dome illuminated with colored lights.
BLT Burger is open daily from 11 a.m.-4 a.m.
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Supercross Championship: The world’s top AMA Supercross and AMA Supercross Lites riders will again compete in one class for an overall title when the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open, the world’s richest motorcycle race, rides into the MGM Grand Garden Arena Oct. 10-12.
Tickets for the professional championship priced at $100, $60 and $20 for adults and $100, $30 and $10 for children ages 3 to 12, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are available at any MGM Grand box office outlet.
For more information on the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open, including photo galleries, breaking news, fan contests, interactive fan elements, updated multimedia and video highlights from past U.S. Open events, visit www.ussx.com. The Web site also will carry a live Web cast of the pre-race press conference and both nights of racing.
Puck Serving Las Vegas Specials: Wolfgang Puck is serving up dining specials exclusively for Las Vegans this summer. Until the end of August, each of Puck’s six local restaurants will feature specially priced menu items for locals including a variety of chef’s tasting menus and cocktails.
“We wanted to create something this summer that would express our gratitude to local guests,” said Tom Kaplan, senior managing partner of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. “We feel the best way to say ‘thank you’ is to share our favorites through specialty items and menus. This extension of our on-going compliments of the chef program is our way of celebrating the tremendous support from our community.”
The program was launched to better serve the needs and time constraints of local patrons. The program offers guests priority reservations and preferred seating at its restaurants, plus a complimentary dessert per couple.
The specials locals will find this summer at each of the restaurants will include the following:
Spago at The Forum Shops at Caesars will offer a five-course, daily changing tasting menu for $65 per person inside the main dining room.
Also inside The Forum Shops at Caesars is Chinois. Here, locals will find a three-course tasting menu of Asian delights for $29 per person.
Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, offers a tasting menu for two at $45 per couple at the restaurant’s patio café overlooking St. Mark’s Square.
Wolfgang’s Italian restaurant, Trattoria del Lupo inside Mandalay Bay, offers guests a pre-fixe menu featuring authentic Italian dishes inspired by Rome and its neighboring Northern regions for $40 per person.
The Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, inside MGM Grand, has created a Farmer’s Market menu for $40 per person.
Wolfgang Puck’s contemporary steakhouse CUT, inside The Palazzo, will toast locals with a complimentary refreshing Bellini for each guest.
Send an email to Frank or call his office at 702-210-9721. We welcome your thoughts, comments or suggestions.
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