Las Vegas Weekly

April 27, 2010 · 5:46 PM

Strip Scribbles: Two producers battle over title of their shows

By Robin Leach

Tony Orlando with Las Vegas Rocks Cafe founder Tony Sacca.

Photo: Jackie Brett

Veteran performer and producer Tony Sacca learned that fellow producer and entrepreneur David Saxe has plans to open a Las Vegas history show and call it Vegas! The Show. He promptly phoned his then-friendly rival to ensure that David was aware that Tony owned that name. Tony says he first produced Vegas The Show at MGM Grand Garden Arena for a corporate audience of 5,000 and taped the event. I know that for a fact because I was a guest at the performance.

After that, Tony produced other stage performances of the history-themed production at the Plaza Hotel and Starbright Theater. Reviews in our sister Las Vegas Sun and on numerous Web sites documented his efforts since 2005, and he’d begun preparing to open Vegas The Show in the Embassy Theater at his new Las Vegas Rocks Cafe downtown.

After two phone calls about the rights to the title, the rivals met to discuss the matter. Tony presented his facts and revealed his ownership of the trade name and the certificate of registration from the Secretary of State of Nevada with its first use in commerce since Feb. 20, 2005. Now it’s up to the lawyers because David said he’s going ahead with the opening of his Vegas! The Show at the former Steve Wyrick Theater in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile.

Senior Editor John Katsilometes wrote about David launching the show and then the feud between the two producers last week in The Kats Report on LasVegasSun.com.

*Sad commentary about the British magazine Restaurant and the San Pellegrino-sponsored World’s Best Restaurants list announced in London yesterday. Not one Las Vegas restaurant was named in the Top 50 or the Top 100 -- what do they know?! -- although I will be fair and say chefs Daniel Boulud of the Wynn and Thomas Keller of The Venetian were named for their restaurants in New York and Napa Valley, with Grant Achatz’s Alinea in Chicago the only other U.S. restaurant in the Top 10.

Daniel was named the fastest-climbing chef on the list. Restaurant says it had 800 critics, journalists and food experts vote on the rankings, but I can’t find anybody here who participated! Chefs and restaurants in Denmark, Germany, Spain and Austria waltzed off with the top honors, yet we have more five-star finds on the three miles of the Strip alone.

*The gorgeous girls of X Burlesque at the Flamingo are expanding with X shows at Harrah’s in Reno on May 6 and Harrah’s in Atlantic City on May 21. The Men of X also will expand from Las Vegas with an East Coast version at the Harrah’s-owned Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. There are two other scoops connected to this that I’m sworn to secrecy until contracts are signed, but Vegas DeLuxe readers will be the first to know.

*Former Peepshow star Shoshana Bean returns to Las Vegas from Broadway to perform in the Las Vegas Gay Pride Festival on Saturday. Best known for her roles in the Broadway smash hits Wicked and Hairspray, Shoshana just released an album that debuted at No. 5 on iTunes.

*How many Spermatos fit on a mechanical bull? A troop of Spermatos from Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere at Treasure Island will welcome Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall and Bar-B-Que with their zany antics tomorrow evening. The Spermato leader, adorned with a cowboy hat and Mystere belt buckle, will lead his group to see everything Gilley’s has to offer at T.I.

*For the fifth consecutive year since the World Series of Poker Circuit began in 2005, Caesars Palace is hosting the world’s most prestigious poker tournament series -- one of the largest attractions of the 2009-2010 poker season. With its 18 gold ring events, it runs through Friday, and today the $5,150 buy-in Main Event championship gets underway for the next four days. The winner takes home first-place prize money, a $10,000 seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event at The Rio and the diamond-encrusted WSOP Circuit Championship gold ring. Previous WSOP Circuit champions are Justin Bonomo (2009), $227,692; Allen Cunningham (2008), $499,069; Cory Carroll (2007), $505,176; and John Spadavecchia (2006), $648,320.

*Monte Carlo’s master magician Lance Burton will perform his vanishing birdcage trick on Craig Ferguson’s The Late Late Show on Thursday night (technically, early Friday morning). Lance isn’t sure whether it marks the 10th, 11th or 12th time he’s appeared on the show, first with Craig Kilborn and now Craig Ferguson.

*I must clear up an error I made with the name of Clint Holmes’ play. It’s My Own Song, not Comfortable Shoes, as I wrote. Shoes was a few years ago when he performed it as a tryout in Chicago. Clint ended his North Carolina run over the weekend and is home here for a few days before flying to South Africa headlining on a world cruise. He returns to reprise his show Vocal Soup June 11-12 with Martin Nivera, Dominick Allan and Susan Anton at The Orleans. Clint’s conductor Bill Fayne, who doesn’t want to travel anymore as a result of his recent illness, will perform an open-mic show at Suncoast in September.

GOODWILL GESTURES

When you see Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian, so will our troops. Phantom will honor our military heroes by donating one ticket to the men and women of Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases for every full-priced ticket purchased by the public in May. The Phantom military ticket match is available for full-priced tickets for performances May 1 to Sept. 5. The code VALOR must be entered at time of purchase to count toward a ticket donation for the troops. … Todd English P.U.B. at Crystals in MGM’s CityCenter made a $7,500 donation to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and Keep Memory Alive as a result of the grand opening celebration when pints of beer in commemorative pilsner glasses were sold and 100 percent earmarked for the charity. Kelley Jones, managing partner of Todd English P.U.B., chef Todd English and Keep Memory Alive founder Larry Ruvo posed with the commemorative glasses during the grand opening celebration.

*Las Vegas crooner Brian Evans and singer Dave Matthews hung out at Sensei’s in Kihei, Hawaii, after an evening of karaoke. Brian stages the Maui Theater’s Celebrity Series each month and opens for David Spade this Friday. Dave has promised to join him onstage for a duet of “Fly Me to the Moon” during Brian’s opening set.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

Racecar driver Marco Andretti was at High Society Dayclub at Nove Italiano in the Palms, while upstairs in The Playboy Club, beautiful Nicole Larsen was named Miss Playboy Club May 2010. She’ll be the face of The Playboy Club in the June ad campaigns and also will be featured in The Playboy Club calendar and has an opportunity to be included in Playboy. … Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil and his striking wife Lia, along with Marley Taylor of Zowie Bowie and her Viva Elvis boyfriend, were at Iron Chef Kerry Simon’s restaurant in Palms Place. Vince told me his album Tattoos & Tequila will be released June 22 and will include his version of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back” and Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.” Vince said he’ll celebrate the anniversary of his Ink Tattoo at O’Sheas with a simultaneous album launch party. Also at Simon’s brunch were Lance Burton and longtime gal pal Gabriella Versace and comic Andrew Dice Clay and his new wife at a nearby table. Vince also turned up later in Lavo at the Palazzo after midnight for champagne and mingled with fans.

*Celebrity couple rapper Ice T and Coco took over hosting duties at Venus Pool Club in Caesars Palace for the afternoon and LAX in the Luxor for the night. Ice T took the stage at LAX to perform four of his hit songs, including “Colors,” and partied with 25 friends after the show.

*Expect to see many of the cast of Entourage this week when Palms owner George Maloof welcomes them here for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-“Sugar” Shane Mosley fight.

TONIGHT’S TIPS

The first preliminary round in the Miss T&T Hot Tamale beauty contest gets underway at Tacos & Tequila in the Luxor. The second round is tomorrow night, and then CHiPs star Erik Estrada will join Fantasy headliner Angelica Bridges for next week’s final. First prize is $5,000 and a one-year contract as spokesmodel for the restaurant and sponsor Hennessy Black. … Comedians Charles Fleischer and Ron Morey start a six-night run at Harrah’s Improv. … It’s an adults-only pajama party at Blush in the Wynn.

TOMORROW’S TEASES

Veteran movie actor and stage star Chazz Palminteri returns to The Venetian for his stunning one-man show A Bronx Tale, and he tells Vegas DeLuxe that he’d like to work here for three months of the year. … Plus, an amazing dinner with Top Chef Masters challenge winner Rick Moonen, who is on his free week from the hit Bravo series as he and fellow Mandalay Bay chef Susan Feniger await tomorrow’s outcome for the final match-up of the masters.

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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