Las Vegas Weekly

October 7, 2009 · 7:02 AM

Jerry Springer and Chazz Palminteri open on the Strip today

By Robin Leach

Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale.

Photo: Joan Marcus

Two new Strip shows open tonight within three blocks of each other, and they couldn’t be more different if you tried! The 10-week run of America’s Got Talent Live! with ringmaster Jerry Springer in charge of the music and mayhem kicks off, and simultaneously Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri celebrates the opening of his one-man play A Bronx Tale.

Chazz plays all 18 roles in the powerful story, which was a movie he starred in with Robert De Niro, who directed it. Click HERE for our interview with the star and secrets of his new Venetian show. We’ll join Chazz and actress Marilu Henner, who has promised to attend his opening night, at the red carpet after-party next door at Lavo in the Palazzo.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

America's Got Talent judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff.

The top two singers on this season’s America’s Got Talent will both perform in the live show starting tonight at Planet Hollywood. Although $1 million winner country singer Kevin Skinner is the headline attraction, there’s just as much fan worship for runner-up opera singer Barbara Padilla. How about that for two opposite ends of the music spectrum?

More than 18 million viewers tuned in for the final half-hour of Season 4 of the NBC show that has already produced one hit Strip sensation in the form of Terry Fator! NBC has said the finale was the highest-rated show of the summer.

Some of the fan favorite acts from this past season and previous years will be onstage at Planet Hollywood, with Jerry hosting. I’m due to talk with the TV talk show titan today, and we’ll have that chat for you tomorrow in advance of the media opening. Jerry has hosted past seasons of the show -- now with emcee Nick Cannon -- and he was here for the one-off, one-night AGT live show last year. Jerry says his other acts this time around include comedienne Grandma Lee, breakdancer Hario Torres, drumming band Recycled Percussion, basketball entertainers Acrodunk, trio The Texas Tenors and musicians Nuttin’ But Stringz.

AGT is nightly at 7 in the 1,300-seat Chi Theater that’s also the home of Peepshow at 9 p.m. An additional AGT performance is set for Saturdays at 4 p.m. Ticket sales have been fast and much better than anticipated.

One of the nice contributions Jerry and his AGT stars are making to Las Vegas will take place next Wednesday when the entire proceeds of tickets sales will be donated to our Keep Memory Alive charity for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. There will be a private cocktail reception and a meet and greet with the stars after the performance. Call (702) 263-9797 for Keep Memory Alive ticket information.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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