Las Vegas Weekly

February 13, 2009 · 1:13 PM

Strip Scribbles: The Lion King premiere is pushed back by construction delays

By Robin Leach

Kissy Simmons (Nala), Tshidi Manye (Rafiki) and Dashaun Young (Simba) in Disney's The Lion King.

Photo: Joan Marcus

Rehearsals will still start as planned March 9 for the cast of Disney’s The Lion King, but preview performances and the gala opening night are being pushed back because of construction delays in transforming the former Mamma Mia! theater. It’s only a two-week delay, but you have to make note of the new dates for the highly anticipated debut. Tickets will still go on sale as planned March 14, but instead of the April 22 start of previews, those will now begin May 5, and the May 2 premiere is now set for May 15.

Photo: Harrah's

Sir Elton John.

*Legendary music man Sir Elton John threw a surprise birthday party for his drummer Nigel Olsson at Rao’s in Caesars Palace, where his Red Piano show is winding down in The Colosseum after a successful three-year run. Sir Elton ordered up the signature meatballs, penne ala vodka and Dom Perignon champagne to go with a special birthday cake in the shape of Nigel’s bass drum!

Photo: Courtesy

Gerry McCambridge.

*Congratulations to The Mentalist Gerry McCambridge for racking up his 700th performance since arriving in town a little more than three years ago. Gerry stars nightly at the Hooters casino with his unique mind-blowing act.

*I know it’s difficult to believe, but I’ve already received my first invitation to a 2009 New Year’s Eve party on the Strip! Yes, it may be 10 months away, but next weekend tickets go on sale at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay for the Dec. 31 midnight show by country rocker Gary Allan. I don’t know what I’m doing next week let alone 10 months from now, but obviously Gary’s one hot sell!

*Congratulations to Mandalay Bay President Bill Hornbuckle, a 28-year veteran of the gaming industry who is being honored as Hotelier of the Year at the Hotel World Expo during International Hospitality Week starting March 1 here in Vegas.

*I just love the way rock group names are getting more way out there than ever before. The latest to bring a smirk to my face is Eagles of Death Metal, which nearly incorporates three rock names into one. Jesse “The Devil” Hughes brought his group to Carey Hart’s Wasted Space at the Hard Rock, and our contributing photographer Scott Harrison was front and center for these shots.

Star surveillance

NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving enjoyed dinner at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone inside Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile while watching the entire Duke vs. North Carolina game on a 36-foot-tall plasma TV screen wall. … NBA players Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets and Richard Jefferson and Damon Jones of the Milwaukee Bucks joined former NFL player Jamie Sharper and former Olympic sprinter Maurice Green in shots of Patron tequila near the LAX dance floor in the Luxor, while up on the main stage in a VIP booth was Cleveland Browns linebacker Willie McGinest. Members of the Harlem Globetrotters took over a VIP loft there for a bird’s-eye view of the action below. … Maurice also was at the Cathouse in the Luxor for dinner beforehand.

Now it’s time for us to tackle a less-than-10-second 100-meter dash for our own weekly gold medal winners in what we refer to affectionately around here as the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN:

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Marie Osmond and her dolls.

Friday, Feb. 13

*Marie Osmond, Flamingo headliner and owner of America’s most successful line of collectible dolls, will sign her Bridal, Valentine and Sweet Tots collection this afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Flamingo’s promenade gift shop.

*Singer-actor Chris Isaak, the all-American rock musician and TV star, starts a three-night run at The Orleans.

*You no longer have to hold your breath, but please don’t inhale. The Doobie Brothers fire up for their two nights at the Las Vegas Hilton.

*Country queen Crystal Gayle sings her sweet southern sounds for three nights at the South Point.

*Late-night comedy king Jay Leno, who come September moves into a 10 p.m. prime-time slot on NBC, turns today’s headlines into his unique comedy fodder at The Mirage for two nights.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan.

*Tool and Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan ensures that Puscifer starts its “quirky variety show” life with a three-day fling at the Palms. Each playground night will be different, with unexpected guest stars and attractions as the rocker mixes music, mayhem, madness, merchandizing and comedy.

*Sonny Turner from the Platters has a three-night gig at the Suncoast, while Kansas comes in from the Midwest to work out at Boulder Station and Bob Anderson brings his comedy and impressions to the Cannery for two nights.

* We don’t forget the kids this weekend of love because they have their very own party with Thomas the Tank Engine when he steams into town with his circus in tow at the Thomas & Mack Arena’s Cox Pavilion.

Saturday, Feb. 14

*Tickets go on sale today for Robin Williams’ Memorial Day weekend stand-up at MGM’s Grand Garden Arena on May 24 and also for legendary Paul McCartney’s appearance grand opening weekend at the new Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on April 19.

*He’s a consummate showman with vocal skills and piano-playing magic. Billy Joel could be the ultimate Valentine date this weekend when he performs at the MGM.

*We go all the way back to 1959 with Chubby Checker at the Silverton. He’s still releasing new dance music after 40 years of live touring shows! The Temptations Review with Dennis Edwards rekindles yesteryear’s hit memories at the Eastside Cannery, and it’s a “Love Affair” of sweet soul sounds at The Orleans Arena led by Rose Royce, Tierra, Zapp and Sunny & the Sunliners.

*For rock revelry, check out Steelheart at Santa Fe Station, while Cradle of Filth rises like ghouls from the graveyard with Septic Flesh as its opening act at the House of Blues and is followed by a midnight acoustic performance there by reggae royal Stephen Marley.

*Having last-minute panic attacks over what sexy stuff to buy your loved one? Playboy’s Miss May 2006 Alison Waite can help out this afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Playboy Store at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops. She’ll point Cupid’s arrow in the right direction to play your very own personal sweetheart shopper and guide you to the best intimate items for your life partner. Ask her about lingerie to spice up your sex life, or she can dab some Playboy fragrance behind your ears to send the temperatures soaring!

*Today is a day of cuddling, smooching, tenderness and caring -- but not for the mixed martial arts fighters when their “Worlds Collide” in a battle of brawn inside the ring at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. Eight professional boxers and eight professional MMA fighters -- many of them Vegas residents -- fight in a winner-takes-all tournament dubbed “No Fame, No Fortune, No Fear -- All Fight!” Subsequent battles take place April and June through to the semifinals in August and October before the ultimate championship finals Dec. 5.

Photo: Ray Kasprowicz Photography/www.ultravista.com

Fighter Latasha Marzolla at Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championships: The Future Stars of MMA Return.

Sunday, Feb. 15

*Meet the future stars of MMA in a Tuff-N-Uff spectacular at The Orleans. Randy Couture’s son Ryan headlines the event against Art Martinez as he steps into the ring for the first time. There’s even some highlight women’s fighting action with Sarah Weeks, Tamra Riley, Stephanie Webber, Christy Tada, Meegan Thomas and Playboy model beauty Latasha Marzolla, who promises “there’s never a boring fight when chicks are going at it.” There’s 12 other all-action, high-speed, punch-your-lights-out ring drama. It was so exciting the first time I went that I’m returning to the ringside to get as close as I dare to the excitement of their path to stardom and hoped-for dreams in the UFC.

*America’s Got Talent operatic tenor competitor Donald Braswell plays the Las Vegas Hilton in a remarkable concert. While touring in London in 1995 with the Welsh National Opera, Donald was badly injured in a car crash that wrecked his throat tissues. Doctors told him he would never again sing or speak normally. He was devastated and stayed indoors for one year! Then he decided he’d fight his way back -- and now the Texas-born prodigy can sing in Italian, Spanish and Russian, and his arias will amaze fans.

*Six men pick up Styx at the House of Blues. The band began its life back in 1961 thanks to twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo, who still make occasional guests appearances with the group. Despite breakups and reunions, the group is still together. They continue to celebrate “The Best of Times” and have the record for being the first band to have four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum!

*Versatile pianist Wes Winters, who wrote and performed the Musical Tribute to Liberace, is hailed as a remarkable performer with dynamic energy who outshines his sparkling sequined hero. Starting today, he will perform Sundays at the Envy Steakhouse’s three-hour brunch.

*It’s a 13-year reunion party for the original Vegas nightclub Utopia at the Palms as Moon and The Playboy Club plant the seed to kick off the new Goodlife music series Sundays.

Photo: Palms

Alize at the Palms.

*Some final thoughts on Valentine’s Day and the city we’ve come to know as Marriage Central: Hard to believe that our Vegas chapels last year had about 120,000 marriage ceremonies, and the largest number of those ultimate gambles all took place on one day: Valentine’s Day. Happy Heart Day, everybody! If you’re dressed up in racy red to set hearts a-hopping this Feb. 14, everybody at Vegas DeLuxe hopes it’s an extremely exciting, exotic and exclusive day, so may the love be with you!

Licenses are issued around the clock starting at midnight tonight and run through 11:59 p.m. tomorrow. Hundreds of happy couples will tie the knot in one of our dozens of wedding chapels. So many famous folks have been married here, it’s difficult to keep a list, but among Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley and Joan Collins and Peter Holm, I think Paul Newman, before his sad death, and Joanne Woodward, who married here in 1958, were the longest-married Hollywood couple. Certainly Britney Spears and high school sweetheart Jason Alexander hold the shortest marriage and annulment on record -- all in a 55-hour span!

The wedding chapels and the Terrace of Dreams in the Bellagio might just be the best atmosphere of timeless European romance. On the terrace, with its ornate Italian balcony overlooking the 8-acre Mediterranean blue lake, you can have the fountains timed to soar skyward at the exact moment of the first kiss! My other top romance recommendation is to ride the gondolas along the Grand Canal in The Venetian where both a minister (or judge) and the gondolier will be witnesses to “I Do.”

In our city of the unexpected, there’s even an only-in-Vegas twist: the Web site www.vegasweddingodds.com is for couples to see the odds and bet on how successful their marriage will be -- even before they take out the license! Even at the Marriage Bureau just feet from taking the final plunge, a kiosk with its 50-year historical database also lets romantics wile away the time while waiting in line for the $55 cash-only license! Nevada has the highest marriage rate per capita of any state in the United States: A couple gets married here every 3 minutes, making it a 1 in 17 chance of getting married in Nevada!

Photo: Kirvin Doak Communications

Terry Fator.

Monday’s tease

We’ll have the full photo round up of the stars at play from the weekend of love, plus a report from Terry Fator’s 20-year dream-come-true opening night at The Mirage (click HERE for our exclusive interview with the America’s Got Talent winner turned $100 million man from Wednesday). … It’s a week of high fashion as the models and manufacturers for MAGIC sashay down the runway into town. … We’re set for an exclusive interview with Toby Keith next week, and we’ve got our feature all set to celebrate the 2,000th performance of Cirque du Soleil’s extraordinary spectacle Ka.

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