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Posted At : June 26, 2009 10:06 AM | Posted By : D McKee
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Entertainment,Current,Planet Hollywood
A few business-oriented observations about last night's kickoff of Peepshow Mark II.
• Dollar for dollar, Planet Hollywood is making a better investment with new leads Shoshana Bean and Holly Madison. And it's a lead-pipe cinch neither is pulling down anything close to the prohibitive $1 million/month commanded by Mel B. and Kelly Monaco.
• Mel B. has left the building -- but her costumes have not.
• If indeed the operative plan is to use Madison's notoriety to put fannies in the seats and Bean's voice to keep them there, it's not a bad line of thinking.
• I've come to doubt the theory that obstreperous behavior by Mr. Mel B. was behind the non-renewal of her contract. Casinos put up with far worse -- consider the infantile tantrums of Planet Ho favorite "Omar" Siddiqui -- from high rollers on a daily basis. No, I suspect that one of Robert Earl's minions breathed that tidbit into the ear of Norm(!) Clarke to lay the groundwork for a big salary dump. A replacement as talented as Ms. Bean doesn't fall into your lap on two weeks' notice.
The seating disposition for media night was indicative of the local pecking order: gossip-mongers (Clarke, Robin Leach) down front, tourist magazines (ourselves included) off to one side and newspaper people -- including the Las Vegas Sun's John Katsilometes and Pulitzer Prize-winning Alexandra Berzon -- further back still, but more centrally placed. At least, Clarke -- whose circulation greatly outnumbers Leach's -- got the better seat of the two.
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I was in Vegas last week and two things baffled me.
First, wouldn't it have been better for Peepshow to sign Carmen Electra rather than have her go to a limited Crazy Horse Paris gig? She seems like a poor fit for the tiny Crazy Ho showroom (aren't the Crazy Horse girls supposed to be "all natural"?), and as talentless eye candy goes, wouldn't she be a bigger draw than Holly Madison?
Next, I stayed at the Mirage and I was astounded at the princely reception that they have given Terry Fator. From the newly named Terry Fator Theater to my Terry Fator room key and my bottle of Terry Fator water I drank from across from the Terry Fator giftshop, it seems to be an insane investment in a guy who's basically a game show winner. The Mirage is crowing about his "100 million dollar contract", and it made me think, what would be the market for someone who is an established draw with a track record? What kind of precedent is that?
Thanks for your always enjoyable blog!
Carmen Electra is sort of a "jinx" around here. She has periodically been announced to headline this and that, but nothing has ever materialized except that Crazy Horse gig. That's the best guess I can offer. Also, I think her drawing power may be on the downhill slope.
A number of people don't dig Terry Fator, so I get where you're coming from. That said, he's a nationally recognized talent (unlike his predecessor, Danny Gans) and does a more difficult show. Perhaps the reason Chip Lightman was making noises about Gans cutting back to three shows a week at Encore in order to do a sitcom (with his health problems? I'm not sure I buy it) was that the writing was on the wall. Sooner or later, the Fator/Gans juxtaposition was going to redound in Fator's favor, IMO.
As for giving marquee space to an "America's Got Talent" sensation, it seems to be a trend. Queen Emily is toplining "Menopause The Musical" at Luxor. "Peepshow" initially tried to monetize the "Dancing with the Stars" audience, with Mel B. and Kelly Monaco (a runner-up and a winner). No "American Idol" winners or also-rans have been tried yet, but some clamor for Adam Lambert and, on the basis of her recent Palms show, Jennifer Hudson would be a real "draw." She was clearly pulling in a diverse -- and moneyed -- crowd that night.
American Idol contestants. I recall there was one male singer who was on an early season, as well as one female.