Las Vegas Weekly

July 21, 2009 · 12:34 PM

They’re on a float, motherf$*&er!

By April Corbin

"Never thought he'd be on a float." Never thought we'd have such a profound respect for the Rio's Show in the Sky.

The Rio just got a whole lot cooler.

No, the just off-Strip casino hasn't revamped the menu at Carnival World Buffet. It seems the cast and crew of Show in the Sky have created "I'm on a Float," a Vegas-centric spoof of Saturday Night Live's "I'm on a Boat" by The Lonely Island.

In "Boat," comedian Andy Samberg wins a free boat ride for three and invites a fellow Lonely Islander and rapper T-Pain along for the trip. What follows are three hilarious minutes of curse-ridden raps about nautical-themed Afghans, doing flips on dolphins and getting intimate with mermaids.

In "Float," the pull of a one-armed slot bandit results in a free float ride for local performer Ted Zervoulakos. Hilarity ensues.

Complete with Vegas references, a bevvy of gorgeous dancers and some behind-the-scenes peeks at the Rio's long-running production (There's even a shower scene!), the video makes us laugh, and that's enough for us to reconsider what we thought we knew about the oft-forgotten Show in the Sky.

Zervoulakos, the mastermind behind the lyrics, says creating "Float" was a bonding experience for everyone at the show. "I wanted to really make it a personal," he says. "We spend such a limited time [at work.] I wanted to make something everyone could take home and show off."

Of course, he and the video's director, Jason DeHanley, also recognize the video's publicity potential. Zervoulakos joked, "Why don't the PR guys just hire us? [The video] is free PR for the show."

Zervoulakos doesn't have any future Rio-related spoofs in the works (though there is talk about a song about transvestites, perhaps centering around a casino nicknamed Tranny Island). However, "Float" fans need not worry. Zervoulakos and company are working on an edited version of "I'm on a Float," which performers could incorporate into Show in the Sky.

"We need a cleaned up version," Zervoulakos says, "but it's hard to come up with words to replace motherf$*&er and bitch."

Share This