Archive for April, 2010

With so much activity in Las Vegas last week, which included among other things the National Association of Broadcasters convention featuring an appearance by Oprah Winfrey, parties of one sort or another and spring breakers from one end of the Strip to the other; for yours truly the week was a triumph of my own. Jim Dougherty, my host for the NABA convention, is also the man behind my YouTube videos. He has been instrumental in compiling these videos and presenting them.

Palace Station was the scene where Tom Biscardi and John Stuart’s show Rock N Roll 2 Soul enjoyed Media Night hosted by Monti Rock. It was standing room only! The media was there in abundance and I was in my glory as the white knight, pearl master of Las Vegas. Without the help of Bobbi Katz (I love you, girl) and standout local reporter John Katsilometes, the evening would not have been as successful. My thanks to all who shared their time to make this such a special evening. Thanks also to Palace Station for making Media Night such a great event.

Rock N Roll 2 Soul features the Coasters, Jonathan Von Brana, and Mary Williams’ tribute to the Supremes, Shirelles and Vandellas. Again, this is a well-oiled show, a must-see, and offers something not easily found in Las Vegas at 7 p.m; a family show complete with music and light-hearted comedy.

My film crew from San Diego was in town and caught some of the action at Palace Station, which will be shown on YouTube and MySpace. Timing is everything and having the film crew here for media night was a great addition.

Tickets & Tours is the newest and one of the best options for purchasing entertainment in Las Vegas. They were formerly known as Travelocity on Location and have 18 locations including Las Vegas McCarran Airport. Tickets & Tours guests personally choose real seats selected from the venue’s seating map and take the tickets with them. This service makes T & T unique from the other ticket outlets. The Hilton has got a great linejup of entertainers coming this spring, the great Julio Iglesias, Petula Clark and Tim Conway, to name a few. This, in addtion to the ongoing shows such as Voices, The King, and Steve Dacri help make The Hilton a place to go.

David Alan Grier is coming to Mandalay Bay for a one-night-only performance. David is probably best known for his work on TV’s In Living Color. He has appeared in film and theater, receiving a Tony nomination for his work in Dreamgirls. He was also recognized as one of Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

Mary Wilson, one of the original Supremes, is making her debut appearance with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. She released her first solo album in 1977 and her autobiography in 1986. The book became one of the most successful rock ‘n’ roll autobiographys of all time. Mary then went on to stage appearances and recently went on tour starring in Duke Ellington’s Sophisicated Ladies. She has been a busy lady.

While fans say farewell to Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo, Zowie Bowie is still holding court and is doing quite well. In the meantime, rumors about the newest property for Lance continue to be just that – rumors.

American Idol, television’s phenomenon of the last decade, brought their top nine finalists to Las Vegas to see Viva Elvis at Aria. It also gave national TV coverage to the show at Aria. It’s hard to imagine, but these finalists weren’t even born when the King died in 1977, so they don’t have the connection to Elvis that others have. After their introduction to Elvis music, they headed back to L.A. to do their own renditions of Elvis songs for this week’s show. It was surprising to see last year’s runner up, Adam Lambert, mentoring this year’s finalists. I didn’t get it. But then again, I don’t get Adam Lambert – or his eyeliner. All the finalists have some level of talent, but my bet is on Crystal, the cutie little blonde with the sometimes gravelly voice.

Kitty Kelley, known for her unauthorized biographies, has done it again. This time Oprah is her target! Funny thing though, Kitty’s having a hard time getting appearances on TV talk shows to promote her book. Seems Oprah is just too powerful and no one wants to ruffle the queen’s feathers, especially since she’s getting ready to air her own network. That’s not show, that’s her own network! Supposedly this newest book has Oprah hooked up with John Tesh. Really?

United Way’s Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada is only a small part of the over-all celebration that will be taking place nationwide from April 18-24. Americans are known for their generosity and United Way has programs of help for both small and large efforts. Contact United Way direct or go online to www.VolunteerCenterSN.org.

Golf enthusiasts and curiosity seekers alike tuned in to catch Tiger Woods return at the Masters in Augusta Georgia. Apparently, there was keen interest because it was estimated that viewers increased by some 50 percent over previous years.

The More Buffet at Luxor is a favorite of mine. The More Buffet at Luxor is a favorite of mine. Manager Steve Katz continues to maintain outstanding dining standards. No one is ever disappointed and the service is top of the line. When it comes to buffet dining, the ambiance is just about the best in town and always has been. My sincere thanks to Steve and his staff for providing a wonderful evening for me and and my out-of-town friends. You can bet they will all remember The More Buffet at Luxor whenever they return to Vegas.

Larry King has just set a new record – at least a new record for himself. No, it’s not that he’s getting divorced for the eighth time. It’s that he was married for 13 years! He is accused for having an alleged affair with his sister-in-law. How does the 76-year-old talker do it?

Fortunately, the long, long, long-standing and somewhat tired Tropicana will soon start enjoying a $1 billion makeover. Of course, it will take some time to complete, but phase one should be finished by December 2011. A Tropicana upgrade will bring new life to the well-known destination and a welcome change for the Strip.

The planned end-result of the NEW Tropicana

Meanwhile, the Trop’s neighbor across the street, the MGM Grand, held the Academy of Country Music Awards last weekend. This awards show draws huge crowds of fans and stars. Carrie Underwood won Entertainer of The Year again and Brooks and Dunn, who are “retiring” as a duo, won for best duo to the year. Other winners include Brad Pasley, Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert. Country music is little by little becoming less traditional as it crosses over to a more polished pop-oriented theme.

Speaking of country music, LeAnn Rimes and her soon-to-be ex-husband are working out the details. If I knew she was worth $50 million…I would have married her! She was seen in Las Vegas making the rounds with her current beau, Eddie Cibrian.

One last shout out this week goes to Planet Hollywood, where I treated my friends to an evening of dinner, champagne, cake and one of the most entertaining shows Las Vegas has to offer, Tony & Tina’s Wedding. This fabulous production has a superb cast and dinner was divine. Thanks to the marketing staff for treating me and my guests to such a terrific night. It was first class!

The 2010 AFAN AIDS WALK takes place on April 25th at 9:30AM beginning at The World Market. AFAN, since 1984, has been working relentlessly to help improve the lives of those infected with HIV AIDS. For information as to how you can help, contact www.afanlv.org

As always, the Rev. Monti wishes you all a great week!

With so much brouhaha over Barry Manilow’s latest show at the Paris, I decided to make an incognito appearance and investigate. Oh, to be an investigative reporter as a career move, my darlings! I immediately became perplexed while remembering what my  mother once told me, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Barry and yours truly have a background of  sorts. I knew him in New York and our paths have crossed professionally from time to time. And it’s true, I’m not quite a fan. With that said, I went to this latest show with an optimistic approach, even though I must admit I wanted to see for myself if Barry was lip-synching or not. First  of all, I can report he was not lip-synching, it’s just reverb. As a performer, I’m guilty of using the same technology to enhance my own voice. My opinion is the Paris theater has a sound  problem. When Barry talks, there seems to be an echo. His show at the Hilton was a much better performance because the staging and the  sound system worked. A couple of suggestions would be to find a new sound tech and make the stage at the Paris more intimate. I’ve always believed in constructive criticism, so take it or leave it.  Either way, Barry has become a Las Vegas icon.

No doubt everyone was shocked and appalled, like yours truly, when Ricky Martin came out of the closet. As a gay man how could I have missed this one, although I did suspect. My line is…who cares?! With  the aid of a surrogate, Ricky became the proud father of twins a year ago and still manages to do a lot of charity work. He’s gay, so what?! He  has added his name to the growing line of celebs – Rosie, Ellen, Lance  Bass, Neil Patrick Harris and Sean Hayes, to name a few. It takes lots  of courage to do this, especially for public figures.  This type of  honesty should also rub off in the political arena.

Can it be true that Wayne Newton, who is going through all  these financial and logistical problems, is considering a new reality  show? Rumors continue that he’s going to court or not going to court. I  called Wayne’s handlers and was told he still has the Meet and Greet for  his fans at the Tropicana. For some odd reason, I think Wayne will be OK and end up on his feet. He is reported to have a new reality show in the  works for WE TV. The Wrap.com Web site describes it as another version  of The Girls Next Door.

Rest in Peace, dearest Gail (picture here with Conchita)

A friend of mine, Gail Posner, passed away last week in Miami  after a reported battle with cancer. Gail, a true beauty and a Miami socialite, was known for her charitable contributions and  flamboyant lifestyle. I first met Gail when she was engaged to my producer of  the Disco Tex era. Gail’s father, Miami Beach business executive Victor Posner, died in 2002, shortly after revising his will and  leaving a fortune estimated at over $200 million to a longtime girlfriend and business partner. It’s reported that Gail has left her remaining fortune to her precious dog Conchita the Chihuahua, her  servants and various other charities. May she rest in peace.

Last week also marked the passing of June Havoc, sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, at age 97.  June began her career in vaudeville, acted in  Hollywood films and eventually became an acclaimed Broadway director.  Johnny Maestro, former lead singer of the Crests and Brooklyn Bridge,  died in Florida of cancer at age 70. They will be missed.

Adam Steck gave a great birthday party last week with his casts from Thunder From Down Under, Human Nature, etc. all doing a special performance for Adam.

The Venetian is building quite a stellar lineup of entertainers for  a series of limited engagements in 2010.  As mentioned last week,  Joan Rivers will perform in April and July, and now Craig  Ferguson, comedian and host of  CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” will be performing in May and June.  Contact The Venetian for dates, etc.

Palace Station is presenting a new show, “Rock n’ Roll 2 Soul” Mondays-Saturdays at 7:00 pm *(flyer at left)* This highly entertaining show features The original Coasters, Jonathan Von Brana as Elvis, and Mary Williams Tribute to The Supremes, The Shirelles, and The Vandellas. Also at Palace Station is Grandma Lee from America’s Got Talent .Grandma is returning to Vegas and will appear at Bonkerz Comedy Club May 3-29. Her comedy is unique, and like Roseanne Barr, after being a housewife, a mother, and now a grandmother, she decided to try another avenue and created her own comedy routines that took this grandma to the top of television’s AGT.

The annual “Best of Las Vegas” was published last week. The Review Journal created a new format this year, but other than that there aren’t many changes and we see a lot of the same names, same restaurants, same events.  As a past recipient of an award for “Most Colorful Character”, I still look forward to the annual lowdown. It’s worth noting this year that Caesars Colosseum performers picked up five or six of the “Best” awards. “Best this”, “Best that”,  just the “Best”!

Of course, you can’t mention The Colosseum without thinking of Celine Dion who returns March 15, 2011. If you’re interested, Celine is offering special VIP packages in celebration of her March birthday. Show tickets range in price from $55 to $250, while the VIP packages cost  from $385 to $1,375. Future stars at The Colosseum  include Cher with multiple dates in April, May and June, and some weekend appearances  by Jerry Seinfeld and Chelsea Handler. Check with The Colosseum for dates and times.

The latest and newest of charity events is scheduled for April  17; the 5K Walk Benefit for Grant-a-Gift Autism Foundation. The event will take place at Town Square, which by the way is a great  shopping, entertainment and event center, and will start with  registration at 7:30 a.m. The 5K will take place at 9 a.m. with a family picnic furnished by Town Square restaurants at 11:30 and music for all.  Sounds like a true family affair for a great cause.

The wonderful Larry Edwards has done the Channel 13 weekly critique  of Dancing With the Stars on the morning news show. Let’s hope he keeps doing this because he has a fresh, new approach. He did the show as Tina  Turner – one of his fabulous alter-egos.

The Rosie O’Donnell television news is definite. She was on Oprah this week discussing her new relationship and her new love; talking about her many children and what she’ll bring to television. She will reportedly concentrate on one subject per show, and hopefully she will not become too confrontational.

Monti Rock III, yours truly, this week will be recording his new CD, produced here in Las Vegas by Platinum Rock and Louis Martinez.  I have to admit  that everything in connection with this new CD is being videotaped just in case there’s a reality show in my future.  A Spanish singer! A ranchero!

Good news! Cheap Trick will return to the Hilton on June 7 for an extended engagement. As most of you know, Cheap Trick is one of the best bands to come out of the ‘rock and roll’ era.

It’s time for Letterman and Kimmel to stop the Jay Leno “put-downs”.  It really is beneath them and not very funny.  There are enough things and people to poke fun at and not resort to this childish in-fighting.  Comedians, in general, will touch on any subject they want to, but the Letterman reference to Jay as “Big Jaw Leno” was uncalled  for.

Jesse James can add a new item to his resume: “The Most Hated Man In America.” Zeta Interactive claims his positive rating has fallen from 82 percent to 53 percent. This puts him in the range of  Tiger Woods or Kanye West.  He has now limited himself in terms of TV,  licensing arrangements and sponsors. Bottom line is that one should not treat a star like Sandra Bullock, or anyone else, in such a cruel  fashion that destroys the relationship and opens their private lives to  the gossip-hungry public.

The Rev. Monti wishes you a great  week!