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Hot Happenings
The Katz Meow
By Bobbie Katz
There's a "Storm" watch going on nightly at Mandalay Bay and the eye of this deluge, accompanied by a sizzling 360 degrees of heat, rhythm and passion, is focusing on proving that the sky is the limit - at least where Las Vegas entertainment is concerned.
The show is produced by Mandalay Bay and Angelo Medina Enterprises, which currently manages Ricky Martin. Leading the "Storm" team is Jamie King, who currently serves as artistic director for Martin.
Both Martin and Gloria Estefan came to the premiere of "Storm." Martin said he was there because his manager produced the show. He also commented, "The audiences in Vegas ask a lot of the entertainers because they are used to so many spectacles. So if you're going to come to Vegas, you'd better do it right."
Estefan told me, "I wanted to see what they did with "Conga" - I know they're doing it in the show as well as two original songs by George Noriega, who is a writer/producer of ours and is on the road with me and my band. I'm thrilled to be here to support him and also to have a great time in Vegas."
Strings Attached
"EFX" at the MGM Grand, now starring rock star Rick Springfield, is a totally different show than it was before. There are changes in the theme and storyline to fit Springfield's persona as well as new songs and some new lyrics to already existing ones. Springfield penned two new tunes, one with the show's musical director, Bill Wray, and another Springfield self-composed hit, "Human Touch," is also in the show. And, yes, he has brought along one of his guitars (or possibly a cache of them, since he's known to go through several in his live concerts, in the heat of excitement)..
This and That
In February, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Bill Murray hit town for six weeks or so for the filming of the remake of "Oceans 11." Most of the cast stayed in the VIP in the ultra-swank Bellagio Villas and are reportedly good friends, the majority of the actors having worked together before. Bellagio insiders reported that the Villas resembled something akin to a college dorm with everybody dropping by to visit everybody else until the wee hours of the morning.
The hilarious Rita Rudner has opened in 425-seat Cabaret Theater at New York-New York for a long-term run. The room was actually built for Rudner, who even has her dog, Bonkers, in her act. Rudner says that she named Bonkers in honor of her grandfather, who was a little bonkers himself.
The multi-talented Scintas opened in the Rio's Copacabana Room with Tony Curtis, Robin Leach, Marty Allen, Steve Rossi, Penn from Penn and Teller, Buddy Greco and others in attendance. Clint Holmes showed up for the VIP Private Party after his show. Sheena Easton will be opening in The Nightclub at the Las Vegas Hilton for a summer run on June 5th. That's where the Scintas used to be.
Celine Dion is said to be getting close to signing a deal to headline a production show in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace is rumored to be building a 4,000-seat venue in which Dion will star in a mega-revue beginning sometime in 2003. Dion and her husband, Rene Angelil, also manage impressionist Andre-Philippe Gagnon, who appears nightly in the C2K showroom at the Venetian. It has also been reported that when Andre takes a lengthy vacation from his gig this summer, singer Robert Goulet will four-wall the room. Robert and his wife, Vera, tell me that they are trying to decide between that and a recent terrific offer that Goulet has received to go back on Broadway.
Reno Revelations
Irrepressible funny lady Pudgy is the new star in Breck Wall and Patrick Maes' production of "Jubilation" at the Flamingo Hilton Reno. The quick-witted Pudgy, who has been called a combination of Totie Fields and Don Rickles, works a room like no one in the business, incorporating the audience into her hilarious act. She's a "don't miss" act. Wall reports that she is doing terrifically in the show.
Atlantic City Ascensions
The talented entertainer who bears the distinction of being America's first-ever singing impressionist (dubbed so by Merv Griffin on his show in 1974), Bob Anderson, is starring in Jeff Kutash's new show, "The Main Event," at the Sands through June 7th. The show takes its name from the Sinatra album of the same name and, with the backdrop being a boxing ring, will detail 10 rounds of 'Ol' Blue Eyes' life in music. Besides being the narrator of the show, Anderson will re-create all of the people around Sinatra, including Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby.
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