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Sunday, July 21, 2002 PRIOR ISSUE   -   ARCHIVES
"The Boss" Returns, Tower of Power(s) Up, La Femme Turns 1, Wet 'n Wild Sold, XXXtreme Comedy Rolls In Laughs, Blues Brothers Add Soul To "Legends", Fab Four Fabulous, "Baywatch"-Themed Luau Postponed, Venetian Goes French, African Primates Play Museum, Streetwise Has "Righteous" Daughter, Huntridge Takes Another Turn, More...

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Jackie Brett
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The Boss, Bruce Springsteen will perform a concert on Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Thomas and Mack's 18,000-seat arena.

This news is too cool! "Robin Williams Live" is coming back to the MGM Grand Garden Arena by popular demand on Saturday, Aug. 31. Tickets are $50, $100 and $200, call Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000.

Opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti will sing at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Oct. 26. Tickets are $50, $100, $200 and $300, call 702-632-7580.

Melissa Etheridge will rock the Hard Rock Hotel on Aug. 25. Tickets are $63, $75, $88 and $103.

"La Femme" at the MGM Grand is celebrating its first year anniversary. Even though it is a sexy strip show, it's very different in a number of ways.

The provocative show is actually a duplication of the famous Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris that was founded by Alain Bernardin in 1951. From the beginning the show celebrated L'Art Du Nu- the art of the nude with special strobe-like lighting effects.

The beautiful dancers in "La Femme" are amazingly identical in physical size and build. They all fit in the tight proscenium box-like stage and each routine rather solo or as a group is its own vignette. Two very quick specialty acts are structured into the show and keep the pace going.

From the moment you walk into the La Femme Theatre, red is the color throughout the three tiered room. To best experience the show, it helps to be in the bottom box area where the small stage seems bigger than life. The further back you sit, the more your view seems like a big "peep show." Tickets for "La Femme" are $59 and guests must be 21 or older, call 702-891-7777.

Harrah's has plans to bring rock, disco and comedy to the Carnaval Court Bar & Grill in August and September. Morris Day & The Times will lead the way and highlight rock music at 8 p.m. on Aug. 3. The group is known for their classic "Jungle Love" and for their appearance in the 1980s movie "Purple Rain."

On Sept. 7, comedians JJ "Dy-no-mite" Walker and Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs will be joined by dance-club queen Thalami Houston known for the song "Don't Leave Me This Way," Rose Royce of "Car Wash" fame and Evelyn "Champagne" King, singer of the disco hit "Shame." Tickets for both concerts at the Carnaval Court are $15 plus tax, call 1-800-392-9002.

The Fab Four will return to The NightClub at the Las Vegas Hilton with their Beatles' tribute show, July 22-28, while mainstay Sheena Easton takes a week's vacation. Tickets are $27 plus tax and fee, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

The Fab Four have more than 200 Beatles' songs in their repertoire. They recreate, with precision, every detail and nuance of The Beatles' spirit and style. The talented four men have taken their love and dedication of The Beatles worldwide with tours through Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Mexico and Brazil. The band has also appeared on every major U.S. television network and at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl.

The "Baywatch"-themed Hawaiian luau show that was suppose to open at the Flamingo over the Fourth of July weekend has been postponed. The new target date for the dinner show in the hotel's tropical pool area is Aug. 1.

It's rumored that French Canadian singing impressionist Andre-Philippe Gagnon who headlined at the Showroom at the Venetian over a year ago is talking with Paris Las Vegas to headline four week nights a week in the fall.

Another show being forecast is "Sourire," a traditional French revue with a modern spin that is suppose to open at the Venetian on Sept. 29.

The Savanna Steakhouse at the Tropicana has a new look and a new menu. The entryway features finished travertine tile and new carpeting. All the chairs and booths have been reupholstered and new linens complement the china.

One of the new menu items is the Seafood Spectacular appetizer, which includes a tray of oyster, shrimp, crab and several other seafood delicacies. The restaurant located on the Mezzanine Level is open nightly from 5 to 11 p.m. For reservations, call 702-739-2222.

Street Wise is a five-member doo wap singing group featuring 15-year old McKenna Medley, the daughter of Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers. McKenna's debut performance was with her father at the Nugget Hotel in Reno in 1994.

Having performed together for less than a year now, Street Wise has already had exciting experiences. They recently performed with the Righteous Brothers and have opened for such acts as The Smothers Brothers and Frankie Avalon. They have also been the warm up act for the CBS television show "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Tickets to see Street Wise perform at the off-Strip Suncoast property on Aug. 3 and 4, are $19.95, $24.95 and $29.95 plus tax, call 702-636-7075.

"Splash" at the Riviera has introduced a new VIP/Gold Section with plush, theater-style seats in the front and center portion of the theater. The long running production show features an ice-skating adagio team, high-energy dance routines, laser effects and daredevil motorcycle stunts by the Guinness World Record holders Bela Tabak's Riders of the Thunderdome, with four motorcyclists racing around at breakneck speeds within a 14-foot sphere of metal mesh.

Tickets for the new VIP/Gold Section are 65.18 per person plus taxes and fees, call 702-794-9433.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

The MGM Mirage plans to launch one of the nation's first-ever private casinos at the MGM Grand. It will consist of three rooms separated by frosted glass doors and will be accessible from a passageway leading from the MGM Grand Mansion casino, a high-limit area. The minimum wagers will be $500 and wealthy gamblers will need cash or credit lines of at least $500,000. The surveillance system will be elaborate. Caesars Palace is also applying to have a private casino.

The funky sound of Tower of Power will headline The Orleans Showroom Aug. 2-4. Tickets are $34.95, $44.95 and $54.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

For more than a quarter of a century, Tower of Power has been melding jazz, funk, rock and soul. The bandleader Emilio Castillo started a group as a teenager called the Motowns. When baritone saxophonist Stephen "The funky Doctor" saw the group at a county fair in 1968, he introduced himself to Castillo. The two became fast friends and penned their first song and the band's signature classic "You're Still a Young Man." In 1968, the Motown's became Tower of Power. The new album for this 10-piece outfit is "Souled Out."

The Wet 'n Wild water theme park on the Strip has a new owner, its fifth since 1998. Palace Entertainment owns 20 theme parks nationwide. Nothing will change at the park this summer.

KXTE's XXXtreme Comedy Showcase at the Riviera will headline Brett Gilbert and Carla Rea on July 26 and 27. Gilbert was discovered in Mitzi Shore's Comedy Store. Among his many credits are recurring roles as "Deputy Dave" on "General Hospital" and Comedy Central's "Primetime Glick," starring Marty Short. He can soon be seen on VH1 playing drummer Johnny Barbeta in the story about the 1960s rock group "The Turtles," titled "My Dinner With Jimi."

Opening the 11:45 p.m. shows for Gilbert will be local sass lass Carla Rea who has appeared in all the top comedy clubs. She recently completed a two-year stint as co-DJ with Mike O'Brien on KXPT Radio - The Point. Tickets are $14 plus tax and fee, calls 702-794-9433.

The "Legends in Concert" show at the Imperial Palace always manages to stage current with an every-changing cast of impersonators. The Blues Brothers played by Dan Meisner and Joe Messina always manage to liven up the program with "Soul Man" and "Land of a Thousand Dances" routines.

Meisner playing John Belushi's Jake Blues character began performing at age 14. He's trained in guitar, sax, bass, harmonica and clarinet. Messina also began performing at 14. He's a drummer who studied film production, comedy writing and improvisation in college. Naturally he plays Dan Ackroyd's Elwood character.

"Legends in Concert" is currently highlighting Tina Turner, all-American rocker Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Motown stars The Temptations, and the "King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley. A live on-stage orchestra, and back-up singers and dancers back all the performers. Shows are at 7:30 and 10:30 nightly except Sundays. Tickets are $34.50 with tax, tip and two drinks included, call 1-888-777-7664 or 702-794-3261.

The Hard Rock Hotel will soon be opening a new restaurant called Simon. The executive chef if Kerry Simon.

DragonRidge Country Club at MacDonald Highlands in Henderson will host the Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge Golf Tournament in November. It will feature the top players from each PGA Tour competing head-to-head in three-member teams for an $800,000 purse. The nationally televised event that began in 1992 will air in December.

Andre Rochat, chef-owner of Andre's French Restaurant downtown, which is closed for the month of July, Andre's at the Monte Carlo and Alize at the Palms will be cooking today at the James Beard Foundation House in New York. This is a great honor for any chef.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum at 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North near downtown has a new exhibit called "Out of Africa." Located in the downstairs area of the museum, the display features re-creations of three African primates. The exhibit also showcases an interactive display of castings of skulls from fossil hominids and present day primates. Each skull is on display inside a light box.

Admission to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is $6 for adults, $5 for students, seniors and military and $3 for children 4-11.

The new owner of the historic Huntridge Theater plans to resurrect the landmark as an event center for comedy shows, plays, private parties and company banquets. The Huntridge has been located at the corner of Charleston Blvd. and Maryland Parkway since 1944. In its heyday, it served as a double-feature matinee house. Most recently, horror films and alternative rock played there.

Local Coast Resorts Inc, which owns and operates The Orleans, Gold Coast, Barbary Coast and Suncoast properties, has changed its name to Coast Casinos Inc. The name change is part of a settlement with Coast Hotels Ltd., a Canadian hotel chain that uses the Coast trademark... Coast Hotels and Coasts Hotels & Resorts. They are looking to expand their services into the United States.

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