Seen last night by an S&G source, Pit One at Caesars Palace empty save for one or two baccarat players. It’s just a small indicator of a larger disconnect that I hope to address later.
PR flack Robin Leach has been transcribing more of the gospel according to Criss Angel, the latest being that Cirque du Soleil’s wunderkind “will juggle his schedule” of Believe dates to make room for filming the next season of Mindfreak. Do you think this might be a face-saving way to cut back on performances of a show that’s already having to be deeply and frequently discounted? Naaaaaaaaaaaaah!
And is MGM Mirage really content to let Lance Burton walk, as appears to be the case? With only a month remaining on Burton’s contract, no extension has been signed and MGM punted our query to Burton’s manager.
Two of the Strip’s major showrooms are currently vacant. Burton’s act is probably too downmarket for Wynn Resorts‘ tastes (or pretensions, if you prefer) but Alex Yemenidjian could steal a march on his former employer by bringing Burton back to the Tropicana. Lord knows, the place could use him and Dirk Arthur is working on a short-term contract now — a stopgap arrangement made when interim Trop management screwed up and came within days of having no shows at their property.
Value for the $$. Last week’s adventures included checking out Voices at the Las Vegas Hilton, which gives the LVH a long-needed shot in the arm. Stars Earl Turner and “the beautiful Lani Misalucha” (as she is always introduced) wisely minimized expectations prior to opening. For one thing, their energetic, caution-to-the-winds revue features far more interaction than they led people to expect. Who knew if these two very different singers would “jell” … but they do.
It’s a rouser and — at an $80 top — a considerably better value than Elvolution, starring Trent Carlini. Eighty bucks at Voices gets you two headliners and a six-piece band. A $92 top at Elvolution buys you an Elvis Presley impersonator … singing to backing tracks. That takes some nerve, I tell ya.
