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Sunday, February 15, 2015 NEWEST - PRIOR ISSUE - ARCHIVES

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‘DUCK COMMANDER MUSICAL’ GETS READY TO OPEN AT THE RIO!

Jackie Brett
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The “Duck Commander Musical,” based on the best-selling book “The Duck Commander Family” by Willie and Korie Robertson, will make its world premiere at the soon-to-be transformed Crown Theater inside the Rio on April 15. The show is produced by Tommy Mottola and the Dodgers, who are producers of Las Vegas' longest running Broadway show, “Jersey Boys,” currently at Paris.

The Robertsons - 'Duck Commander Family Musical'

The “Duck Commander Musical” transports the Louisiana bayou to the Las Vegas stage and brings America's most famous rednecks, the Robertsons, to life with their true-to-life, rags-to-riches story behind A&E's mega-hit “Duck Dynasty.” Audiences unfamiliar with the Robertsons will discover their surprising tale of faith, food and family.

The new show will feature a contemporary score that blends country, rock, gospel, and pop and a multimedia set delivering backwoods authenticity through cutting-edge technology. The production's score will include original songs inspired by the family such as “Faith Food and Family,” “Camouflage,” “Cooking for the Family,” and “Like the River Flows.”

Performances will be Sunday through Tuesday and Friday at 7 p.m., with two shows Thursday and Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets range from $49 to $125.

RIVIERA'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY MAY BE ITS LAST

The word is the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is buying the 2,100-room Riviera, which opened in April 1955 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and may close it possibly as early as May and implode it to make room for the agency's Las Vegas Global Business District expansion strategy. This move would definitely affect the two shows “The Rat Pack Is Back” and “MJ Live” that are supposed to open there soon in a remodeled showroom.

RICKY MARTIN'S ‘ONE WORLD TOUR’ WILL STOP AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD

Grammy® Award-winner and music superstar, Ricky Martin, has announced the North American dates for his One World Tour in support of his brand new album released this week, “A Quien Quiera Escuchar.” This is Martin's 10th studio album and the lead single, “Adios,” has already amassed more than 14 million views on Vevo since its release in October. His 20-date Live Nation tour will take him to cities throughout the United States and Canada and start Sept. 15 in Las Vegas at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood. Tickets go on sale Feb. 20.

Ricky Martin

PETER FRAMPTON AND CHEAP TRICK WILL APPEAR AT HARD ROCK

Grammy Award winner Peter Frampton is back on the road, this time co-headlining with American rock legends Cheap Trick, and making a stop at The Joint inside Hard Rock on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. Cheap Trick and Frampton played one show together last year and had so much fun they decided to do a whole tour together. Tickets start at $49.50.

Frampton, who at age 16 was the lead singer and guitarist for the British band Herd, is one of the most celebrated artists and guitarists in rock history. At age 18, he co-founded one of the original super groups, Humble Pie. His fifth solo album, “Frampton Comes Alive!,” is one of the top-selling live records of all time and his latest work, “Hummingbird in a Box,” was inspired by the Cincinnati Ballet.

Cheap Trick formed in 1974 is one of the most influential classic rock groups of the past 50 years. They've done more than 5,000 performances over four decades and sold 20 million records worldwide.

MATILDA AND PATRICK MURRAY STAR IN ‘JA-MAKIN'-ME-LAUGH’ AT THE D

“Ja-Makin'-Me-Laugh” starring Matilda and Patrick Murray at the D Hotel is a hidden gem. Murray starts the show as a skilled stand-up comedian and then brings out lifelike Jamaican comedy diva... Matilda. She totally takes over with Murray almost in the background. Their material is really funny and refreshing. Plus this afternoon show is affordable.

Matilda and Patrick

Murray turned self-taught ventriloquist at 23 years old after he made a living unloading freight trains. His newfound talents landed him in top nightclubs where he honed his craft and sense of humor. He toured the world and found his greatest success came after introducing Matilda into his act. This character was developed at the encouragement of West Indian friends who thought that Murray's talent for the West Indian accent and sense of humor warranted a character highlighting the islands. Together they make a great comedy team.

WESTGATE PREPARES TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ELVIS ATTRACTION

The Westgate and Elvis Presley's Graceland are holding a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 26, which will mark the 46th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's contract signing at the property when it was the International Hotel, to reveal details of a new permanent property attraction and live entertainment presentations that will celebrate the life and legacy of Elvis Presley. Throughout his epic seven-year stint at the property, Presley performed 837 consecutive sold-out shows with more people seeing him there than anywhere else in the world.

JOHN LEGEND AND ONEREPUBLIC PERFORM AT BROOKLYN BOWL

As part of iHeartMedia's first Ultimate Valentine's Escape at Paris Las Vegas presented by “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” John Legend and OneRepublic will perform an exclusive concert at Brooklyn Bowl at The LINQ on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The weekend event will be hosted by iHeartMedia's on-air personalities Delilah and Valentine.

Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” will hit theaters on Feb. 20 and stars Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Adam Scott.

HOP NUTS BREWING OPENS NEWEST CRAFT BREWERY DOWNTOWN

The City of Las Vegas opened its newest craft brewery, Hop Nuts Brewing, downtown at the Las Vegas Arts District. It is an industrial-designed brew house featuring handcrafted brews located at 1120 S. Main St., #150. Founded in 2013 by Kevin Holder, the brewery opened its doors Jan. 1, 2015. Hop Nuts' bar features 12 beer taps with homemade staple brews and rotating seasonal and guest brews. The brewery opens daily at 2 p.m. with tours available upon request and live music hosted every Friday at 9 p.m.

Hop Nuts Brewery

BARDOT BRASSERIE UNVEILS WEEKEND BRUNCH AT ARIA

Chef Michael Mina's new French restaurant BARDOT Brasserie on the second floor at ARIA has started a délicieux brunch experience every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Guests can indulge in decadent dishes such as Lobster Croissant Benedict, Brioche French Toast with vanilla mascarpone, and Hunter's Waffle with Duck Confit while enjoying rosé wine and avant-garde brunch cocktails.

There is also a nightly happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. at the bar and in the lounge.

ENTRIES FOR MISS MINT 400 BEING ACCEPTED NOW

The 2015 Polaris RZR Mint 400 presented by General Tire has launched the return of the coveted Miss Mint 400 competition that will culminate with the selection of a winner on March 12 on Fremont Street at 6 p.m. Former Miss Mint winners include “Wheel of Fortune's” Vanna White and “Wonder Woman” Lynda Carter. Eight finalists will receive a four-night stay at the Golden Nugget as well as cash and prizes. The 2015 Miss Mint 400 will be awarded the crown, $5,000, a professional photo shoot valued at $10,000, and be a featured guest at multiple Mint 400 promotional events throughout the year. To enter, upload three photos and create a public profile on the Mint 400 website - themint400.com.

CASINO' ANNIVERSARY MOB TOUR OFFERED WITH FRANK CULLOTTA

Now you can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie “Casino” by taking a five-hour exclusive night tour offered once a month with Las Vegas mobster Frank Cullotta. The tour includes a private guided tour of the Mob Museum with FBI special agent Dennis Arnoldy and Mob historian Robert George Allen, bus tour with Cullotta, stops at places such as the Casino house, car bomb site, Bertha's robbery site, etc. where the movie was shot and occurrences actually happened, and a pizza party with Cullotta and crew at the end. Frank Cullotta's Casino Anniversary Tour dates for 2015 will be monthly on the following Wednesdays: Feb. 25; March18, April 22; May 12; June 10; July 15; Aug. 13; Sept. 9; Oct. 21; and Nov. 11. For tickets and information, call 702-677-9015.

Robert george allen and Frank Culotta

FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE RATES VEGAS PROPERTIES AND RESTAURANTS

Many Las Vegas resorts and restaurants have again made the coveted annual list of Forbes Travel Guide's Star Ratings. At the top are the Five-Star rated properties: Aria Sky Suites; Encore Tower Suites; Mandarin Oriental; Skylofts at MGM Grand; and Wynn Tower Suites. The three Five-Star rated restaurants are: Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand; Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace; and Twist by Pierre Gagnaire at Mandarin Oriental.

MGM Grand Skylofts

The Four-Star rated hotels are: Aria, Bellagio, Encore at Wynn, Four Seasons, M Resort, The Cosmopolitan, The Laurel Collection by Caesars Palace, The Palazzo, The Signature at MGM Grand, The Venetian, Vdara and Wynn. The restaurants in this category are plentiful: Andrea's, AquaKnox, Aureole, barMASA, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Botero, CUT, Delmonico Steakhouse, Julian Serrano, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Le Cirque, Michael Mina, Mizumi, Picasso, Sage, Sinatra, SW Steakhouse, The Country Club, and Wing Lei.

Joel robuchon at MGM Grand

Many of Las Vegas' spas also made the Five and Four-Star ratings lists.


TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

RHUMBAR AT THE MIRAGE UNVEILS FRESH NEW LOOK

RHUMBAR at The Mirage has renovated its outdoor patio and revamped the indoor lounge space with an array of new design features including a new green and teal palette. Outside there's oversized furniture with lush cushions, new state-of-the-art heaters, misters and four patio covers. Inside the 2,600-square-foot lounge flaunts a modern design with bold splashes of color against a white background and new interior bench seating.

Rhumbar New Patio 2015

‘CELEBRATION OF LIFE’ SCULPTURE COLLECTION ON DISPLAY

Downtown Summerlin® and The Howard Hughes Corporation® are supporting the Las Vegas chapter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by displaying its “Celebration of Life” sculpture collection through April 2015. The exhibit features a collection of 10 three-dimensional five-foot sculptures created by Summerlin-based artist Dorit Schwartz and each are painted by professional local artists. The “Celebration of Life” sculptures were unveiled this past March at The Smith Center and can be purchased; contact Erica Thompson at 800-660-7334.

Beti Kristof - Celebration of Life 2014

TIPS AND CLIPS

Off The Strip at The LINQ recently celebrated its grand opening with nearly 300 guests experiencing the restaurant's menu as well as getting a preview of the second floor Chophouse, which will officially debut this spring. The 11,000-square-foot restaurant is open 23 hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Ferraro's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar will hold a five-course wine dinner to benefit the UNLV Foundation on Friday, Feb. 27, which will celebrate the restaurant's 30 years in Las Vegas. Cost is $250, call 702-364-5300. Ferraro's is Las Vegas' longest running, family-owned and operated restaurant offering authentic Italian cuisine in a fine-dining atmosphere.

BARDOT Brasserie at ARIA with mixologist Craig Schoettler and A. Hardy U.S.A. are offering a pairing dinner Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. to signify the launch of Thoroughbred, a Hardy limited-edition cognac blend made exclusively for ARIA. Tickets are $200, all-inclusive.

Dunkin' Donuts will open a new restaurant at 5959 West Sahara Avenue on the corner of Sahara and Jones and celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday, Feb. 16. The new restaurant offering a complete menu with sandwiches will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Today, there are 18 Dunkin' Donuts locations in Southern Nevada.

Mercadito at Red Rock is offering new daily menu items, an expanded lunch menu, updated hours and daily promotions. Mercadito now opens at 11 a.m. daily and begins dinner service at 3 p.m. Military members receive 15 percent off every Monday. Industry day with 50 percent off the entire bill is every Tuesday. Ladies Night is every Thursday with Chicas Night Out from 6-9 p.m. Ladies-only tables receive half-priced bottles of wine and traditional margaritas, free chips and salsa, $7.50 small plates and the opportunity to win luxury prizes at the end of the evening.

Aliante located minutes from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will celebrate NASCAR Weekend with food and drink specials Friday through Sunday, March 6-8. There will be bottled beer products for $2 each and the ETA Lounge located at the center of the casino floor will also offer $4 well drinks and $3 domestic beer during happy hour from 3-7 p.m. and again at a special reverse happy hour from 10 p.m. to closing.

ETA Lounge at Aliante

Pantry at The Mirage will offer pancake enthusiasts exclusive Golden Jackpot Pancakes. Priced at $27.77 and topped with glittering 23-karat gold flakes, this lavish dish will be available on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each month, beginning Tuesday, Feb. 17 through Friday, March 27.

Mirage Pantry - Golden Jackpot Pancakes

Folks with a Nevada ID will have free access to the iconic Stratosphere Tower Feb. 22-28. The free pass to visit the Indoor and Outdoor Observation decks on Levels 108-109 is available at the Stratosphere Ticket Center on the casino level near Roxy's Diner.

The Downtown Grand will have one MY POINTS winner at a March 28 drawing at 8 p.m. winning a 2015 Audi A5 or $20,000 cash.

RICHARD CHEESE & LOUNGE AGAINST THE MACHINE ADDS SECOND SHOW

Due to overwhelming demand, America's loudest lounge singer Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine has added a second Las Vegas performance at Club Madrid inside Sunset Station. Cheese will now perform Saturday, March 21 at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $25-$45. Since 2000, Cheese has released 14 albums and “Atlas Lounged” is scheduled for release in May 2015.

HASH HOUSE A GO GO CELEBRATES NATIONAL PANCAKE WEEK

Hash House A Go Go is celebrating National Pancake Week Feb. 16-20 with $1 of every pancake sold during the week being donated to Hope for Prisoners (www.hopeforprisoners.org). National Pancake Week also marks the one-year anniversary of the Hash House A Go Go's location inside the Rio. All four valley locations will be offering their flapjacks during breakfast, brunch and lunch and the fifth location in Henderson opens Monday, Feb. 23.

Hash House A Go Go anniversary pancake

ANDRE'S AT MONTE CARLO HOSTS ITS FIRST CAST WINE DINNER

Cast Wines' co-founders John and Jacklyn Miller will be hosting a special, one-night-only seven-course dinner at Andre's Restaurant & Lounge at Monte Carlo on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Cast Wines' Grey Palm Estate vineyard in bucolic Dry Creek Valley grows and produces handmade wines in limited quantities using old-world techniques. Cost is $130.

SLS WILL OPEN FOXTAIL® POOL CLUB

Foxtail® Pool Club at SLS will open March 13 and hold an official grand opening weekend April 24-26. Foxtail® Pool Club will acts as the resort's pool Monday Thursday, and alternately as a dayclub Friday-Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. The opening weekend celebration will be highlighted by some of the biggest names in EDM: Rebecca & Fiona-Friday, April 24; Steve Angello-Saturday, April 25; and Erick Morillo-Sunday, April 26. Some other future EDM heavyweights include R3hab, 3LAU, Gareth Emery, Stafford Brothers and more.

RÍ RÁ HOSTS MUSIC JAM FUNDRAISER FOR BARTENDER IN NEED

Rí Rá Las Vegas inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place will host a fundraiser for beloved bartender Paul “Junior” Walsh on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 3 p.m. until late. Junior recently amassed close to $100,000 in medical bills following a car crash last December due to cardiac arrest while driving. The 12-hour music event will be led by The Black Donnellys, a folk band consisting of Guinness World Record holders Dave Browne and Dave Rooney, and will feature performances by local artists.

HISTORIC FIFTH STREET SCHOOL HOSTS UPCOMING CONCERTS

The Historic Fifth Street School downtown at 401 S. Fourth Street is offering two concerts this spring plus the return of the annual DjangoVegas! concert June 20. Tickets for each show are at $10 in advance and $15 on event day.

The season begins with John McEuen and John Carter Cash with their “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “A Tribute to The Carter Family” concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. McEuen with Cash, son of Johnny Cash and June Carter, will share stories and memories and feature the songs of the artists of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 release, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.”

Mamo

Mamo brings a celebration of Hawaiian music and heritage to the venue at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21. Mamo is the name of the duo of award-winning Hawaiian musicians, vocalist Nathan Aweau and guitarist Jeff Peterson, with ukulele and traditional Hawaiian percussion. Their repertoire spans as far back as the Hawaiian monarchy to cutting edge contemporary Hawaiian music.

Django Vegas

DjangoVegas! at 6 p.m. is an annual celebration of the music of Django Reinhardt and other gypsy jazz music, past and present. This year's concert will feature the New Hot Club of America, the International String Trio with special guests Olli Soikkeli and Leah Zeger, and Las Vegas' very own gypsy jazz group, The Hot Club of Las Vegas.

THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER HOSTS ONE-NIGHT POP-UP EXHIBIT

The Contemporary Arts Center will host its first pop-up exhibition of 2015 entitled “Roll” at the BLVDs House at 509 South 7th Street on Friday, Feb. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. Refreshments will be served, including cakes by Abigail Goldman.

Contemporary Arts Center 'Roll' Popup Exhibition

The special one-night event will be curated by local arts writer and community supporter, Kristen Peterson. Artwork on display will pay homage to roller skating and the iconic roller rink and feature numerous local artists, including Shannon Eakins, Justin Favela, Bekah Just, Alisha Kerlin, Jen Kleven, Jerry Misko, Krystal Ramirez, Lance Smith, Mikayla Whitmore, Thomas Willis, and Todd VonBastiaans.

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