Las Vegas Weekly

January 30, 2009 · 11:23 AM

Strip Scribbles: The Strip’s Divine Miss Moneymaker

By Robin Leach

Bette Midler, shown with her Nevada Ballet Theatre Woman of the Year Award on Jan. 17.

Photo: Audrey Dempsey

With record sales plunging to all-time lows and concert promoters canceling shows even after slashing ticket prices, one veteran is still going strong in the face of these tough economic times. New figures released for Bette Midler’s The Showgirl Must Go On at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace are remarkably strong as the top revenue-generating show on the Strip. Bette sold a solid total of 13,837 seats the week of Jan. 13, with prices ranging from $95 to $250 that brought in $1,596,622. The following week, she did even better! Bette sold 14,748 tickets for a gross of $1,756,622, with two of the four shows being total sellouts!

I’m told that these are phenomenal numbers in light of the general malaise for live music shows. Bette now lets the wind flow beneath her wings for a brief hiatus. And before Cher resumes her run, Sir Elton John is back with his Red Piano starting Tuesday!

Photo: The Venetian

*Congratulations to The Venetian and the Palazzo for pulling off a pack of prestigious Mobil Four-Star Awards. For the fourth consecutive year, The Venetian topped the list as the largest property on the highly regarded rundown of 137 hotels named in North America. It’s the first year the Palazzo has been rated. Mobil has 750 criteria that must be met for eligibility by its undercover evaluators. “We are honored to have both our resorts awarded the distinguished Four-Star Mobil ratings,” said Rob Goldstein, president of The Venetian and the Palazzo. Additionally, other Mobil Travel Guide star winners at the properties include: Canyon Ranch Spa Club, the Aqua Knox, Mario Batali’s B&B Ristorante, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, David Burke, Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse, Pinot Brasserie, Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, Tao, Pierro Selveggio’s Valentino, Mario’s Carnevino, Wolfgang’s CUT, Lavo, Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant Charlie, Emeril’s Table 10 and Woo.

Photo: The Light Group

Edwin McCain at Jet.

Photo: The Light Group

Gary Vaughn.

Photo: Wicked Creative

Too Short at Cathouse.

Star surveillance

Platinum-selling folk rocker Edwin McCain didn’t rush out of town after his House of Blues concert at Mandalay Bay. He chilled at Jet in The Mirage. … Actor Shane West enjoyed a Guys Night Out at the Bank in the Bellagio and, alongside in the VIP section, there was Gary Vaughn, who was recently evicted from Brody Jenner’s household on MTV’s Bromance. … Rapper Too Short, real name Todd Shaw, partied with his entourage and a group of admirers at Kerry Simon’s Cathouse in the Luxor for the late-night Vanity party.

*He’s known as a singer, songwriter, producer, actor, label proprietor, restaurateur, entertainer, celebrity spokesman and in the future also will be known as a fashion guru! Toby Keith has a style all his own, and it’s the inspiration for his new clothing line, TK Steelman. Toby will launch it Feb. 18 at his I Love This Bar & Grill in Harrah’s to coincide with the world’s largest annual fashion convention MAGIC Marketplace. The line’s target group is males ages 25 to 54, and the moderately priced clothing has been personally approved by Toby. The line includes long-sleeve shirts, T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, jeans, cowboy hats, baseball caps, bandanas, belts and leather wrist straps. Forbes’ top earning male artist last year at $48 million, Toby has sold 25 million albums in this decade alone and still rips the sleeves off his shirts -- and that sleeveless look will be the feature of several designs.

Photo: Cathouse

Tito Ortiz at Cathouse.

*Another star going into the clothing business is mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz. Tito will be signing autographs at Hooters casino tomorrow afternoon. Several other MMA fighters have promised to stop by and show support for his new line of Punishment Athletics with its motto “Shop or Die.” Tito’s store actually has its grand opening today. No word if girlfriend Jenna James will be by his side because she’s due to give birth to their twins any moment now!

*When discussion centers around the greatest living blues guitar players, John Lee Hooker and John Mayall always get put in the mix. But there’s another star who sometimes is overlooked, and when Walter Trout played the Railhead at Boulder Station in the Boulder Blues Concert Series, our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was there also as a fan to capture these close-up photos of the skilful playing of his catalog of classics and blues standards. Walter’s career began in the late 1960s ,and he’s still going strong in Europe, Asia and Australia.

*All next week, Scottish comedian and TV host Craig Ferguson will feature his second annual week of magic on his Late Late Show. First up is our Monte Carlo headliner Lance Burton.

Now it’s time for us to say “abracadabra” and wave the magic wand to conjure up the listing of all the other attractions in Las Vegas this Super Bowl weekend. As you know around here, we refer affectionately to that as the ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN:

Photo: TBS

Jerry Seinfeld.

Friday, Jan. 30

*The polished art of understated comedy rears its fabulousness when Jerry Seinfield takes to the stage at The Colosseum for two nights of wry and amusing observations about life’s strange silliness. Don’t be surprised if best pal George Wallace finds time to slip across the Strip from his Flamingo theater to catch him before his own curtain goes up after Donny & Marie!

Photo: Coast Casinos

The Smothers Brothers return to The Orleans.

*Who did Mom like best? Clue: It wasn’t Tom! Since there’s no Harry in this act, it has to be Dick! Yes, the Smothers Brothers Tom and Dick are still going strong after more than 40 years of singing uncensored folk songs and playing acoustic guitar and string bass -- and they’re at The Orleans for three nights through Sunday. In October, the story of their life will be released by Touchstone Press in Dangerously Funny, an uncensored history of their controversial TV Comedy Hour written by respected TV critic David Bianculli about how their own revolution on TV changed some of the 1960s censorship rules.

*It’s always nice when our locals get to shine as weekend headliners, and Bill Fayne’s Las Vegas Tenors thrill every time they perform those pop classical hits. Pavarotti may have had the recognition, but Bill has the reputation for vocal excellence.

*There’s a musical three-pack on hand at the Hard Rock Hotel when NOFX headline with special guests Smoke & Fire and Hold Onto Sound in The Joint as the penultimate show before next weekend’s Motley Crue closing.

*Don’t be upset by tonight’s headliners at The Pearl in the Palms. Sevendust and Skindred open the show, and if that’s not enough for your rock intake, Disturbed will then cure you of all ails.

*There’s “No Rush” to “Take the Long Black Train,” but hurry to see Josh Turner at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay so that “Everything Is Fine.” The country music star who aims to be “Your Man” will set off a “Firecracker” with his one-nighter.

*There will be plenty of fighters on hand for the Combat Lifestyle pre-fight UFC bash at Prive, where Napkin Nights queen Tracy Lee will be celebrating her birthday, too.

*Two nights of zingers are in store with comedian John Caparulo at the South Point.

Photo: The Light Group

Frenchie from VH1's Rock of Love.

Saturday, Jan. 31

*Former Poison frontman Bret Michaels will park his top-rated VH1 reality show Rock of Love bus behind the Palms this weekend, and there’s still some tattooed rebel chicks on board. They’ll cool their outrageous mobile antics long enough for Bret’s set at The Pearl in the Palms, but don’t be surprised if you see starlets from past seasons reunite for hijinx.

*“Once Bitten Twice Shy” is an appropriate hit for Great White, who have taken a bite out of rock since 1984. They reunited in January 2007 for their 25th anniversary, and original members Jack Russell on vocals, Mark Lendall on lead guitar, Audie Desbrow on drums, Sean McNabb on bass and Michael Landie on guitar and keyboards all team up at the Sunset Station’s Club Madrid for a one-nighter of rock.

*The salmon isn’t off, but Badfish plays a tribute to Sublime with Scotty Don’t and Sound System in a triple-header at the House of Blues.

*MMA fighter Thiago Silva hosts a Tapout clothing-sponsored after-fight party at Prive, with a special guest appearance by Punkass.

Sunday, Feb. 1

*The hottest ticket in town this afternoon is the Playboy Club’s festivities atop the Palms. In fact, all the nightclubs and ultra lounges of the Palms are party central with the Bunnies and the Baker babes! It kicks off at 3:28 p.m. our time … If you can’t get in there, the eXotic and eXciting X Girls from the Flamingo will perform halftime burlesque dances in The Joint and Carey Hart’s Wasted Space at the Hard Rock.

Photo: N9NE Group

Holly Madison, Criss Angel and the requisite bunny, at the Playboy Club.

Monday’s tease

We’ll have the full photo wrap-up reports from the Super Bowl parties and the showdown festivities held for B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre and UFC President Dana White. Later in the week, as entertainer extraordinaire Danny Gans premieres his new production at Steve Wynn’s the Encore, we’ll have our exclusive interview with the man of many voices.

— From Vegas Deluxe

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