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John Katsilometes

Editor at Large

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Blog Post Archive

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Brad Paisley's use of Brad Garrett's club a shock to ... Brad Garrett, and more from ACM Awards weekend
Monday, April 8, 2013
Brad Paisley set up his equipment and instruments to perform a showcase in Brad Garrett's Comedy Club on Friday. That was fine with Garrett, who learned of it two days later.

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Peter ‘Reveen the Impossiblist,’ manager of Lance Burton, dies at 77
Monday, April 8, 2013
Peter Reveen helped deliver Lance Burton to the then-opening Monte Carlo in 1995. Burton performed at the resort until 2010.

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Co-hosts Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan talk each other's pants, and Bryan pockets Entertainer of the Year at ACM Awards
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Colin Kaepernick was a highlight of the red carpet walk outside MGM Grand before the show, as the 49ers quarterback chatted about predecessor Alex Smith.

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‘Nashville Unplugged’ is an acoustic pick for quick-thinkin’ songwriters
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The four men sit on stools and face the audience, looking like an acoustic-packin' firing squad. It takes a capable and confident artist to take a spur-of-the-moment idea and make it something special -- or at least something that can be performed on a Las Vegas stage. The country musicians of "Nashville Unplugged" at Red Rock Resort are up to the challenge.

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Count’s Kustoms takes a little spin with Brian Thomas on his three-wheeled ‘trike’
Friday, April 5, 2013
Brian Thomas has been featured as a leprechaun, as a member of Little Crue and as the "mini-ster" at KISS By Monster Mini Golf. Now he's a TV star.

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Sometimes a presidential playground, Shadow Creek is used to seeing stars
Friday, April 5, 2013
Two years ago, Mark Brenneman sat with a visiting dignitary at a table in the clubhouse of Shadow Creek Golf Course. The two chatted casually, peering out a giant window at the course’s lush 18th green.

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A cool VegasVille moment at Royal House: 'Jersey Boys' join 95-year-old Vegas icon Joe Vento
Friday, April 5, 2013
On the event of Deven May's birthday, his fellow castmates from "Jersey Boys" met up with a 95-year-old pianist steeped in Vegas history.

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Triple shot: Stones-Killers 'bottle service' recalled; ACMAs to return after Dallas dalliance; Hard Rock's Paul Davis lauds Def Leppard
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The Rolling Stones last performed at MGM Grand Garden Arena in November 2005, the same month as Paul McCartney and U2.

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Philip Fortenberry’s hands (and body) are key to piano scenes in HBO's ‘Candelabra’
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Philip Fortenberry arrived in Las Vegas nearly a decade ago and spent years paying tribute to Liberace at The Liberace Museum.

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BBR, a hair-raising vocal group, takes off at Boulevard Theater
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
BBR was an idea Anne Martinez has had for years, and she has found the right hair colors -- and voices -- to fill the bill.

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'Jersey Boy' Jeff Leibow takes NF fight to Washington -- and asks for support
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Jeff Leibow has been tireless in his efforts to raise money and awareness to fight Neurofibromatosis, a disorder from which his daughter, Emma, suffers.

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A cool front is moving into the Joint, and it is Def Leppard
Monday, April 1, 2013
Def Leppard talks of being cool -- and more than 30 years after its inception remains just that.

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‘Absinthe’ goes zombie, but this show is very much alive
Friday, March 29, 2013
The 1,000th performance of "Absinthe" at Caesars Palace was punctuated by a zombie-like finale.

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iHeartRadio Music Festival, a two-night crush of superstars, is returning to MGM Grand
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The iHeartRadio Music Festival is one of the great showcases in Las Vegas and returns to MGM Grand Garden Arena in September.

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A tribal lesson in quick showers, mixing cultures and 'Kenya Rogers'
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Members of the staff of the Porini Mara Camp in Ol Kinyei Conservancy in southeast Kenya sang and danced with Frankie Moreno on a new song, "Lions Den."

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Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond leads The Vegas Dozen’s Class of 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
One of the most distinguished lists in Las Vegas, The Vegas Dozen, has been finalized. As usual, those on the lineup sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue are influential, powerful and representative of all facets of the city.

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Kenyan schoolchildren give a harmonious welcome to visitors from Las Vegas
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The students at Oloibormurt Primary School were happy to welcome a Las Vegas headliner, though to them the music played was unfamiliar.

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In the Kenyan wilderness, the leader of this pride is one tough mother
Saturday, March 23, 2013
A lengthy, and bumpy, quest to find the lions of the Maasai Mara ended with a few face-to-face encounters in a pride of 10.

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An arrival in Nairobi, and how a lion taking down a zebra weighs into a safari experience
Monday, March 18, 2013
This writing adventure starts in Nairobi. It'll wind up in Paris, but for now: Nairobi, and an upcoming safari.

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Bill Maher isn’t hip to turning conservative, but he’s up for a ‘funny-off’
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Bill Maher has performed at a few Las Vegas venues over the years and concedes to his "promiscuity."

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Why a music production starring CeeLo Green lacks musicians and any human playing a piano
Friday, March 15, 2013
CeeLo Green's show is disappointing if the idea was to maximize what the famous showman and musician can bring to the stage.

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Let the bingo games begin at Green Valley Ranch’s shuttered Ovation
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Green Valley Ranch announced today that it is planning to open a bingo center in the space formerly occupied by one of the city’s great live entertainment venues.

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'KWTD': 'Book of Mormon' is 'the next chapter' for Smith Center entering Year 2
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Myron Martin once toured the world to glean ideas for what would become The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

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Laugh Factory’s Jamie Masada knows when to give, laugh ... and send a monkey into space
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Jamie Masada is in town to help raise money for the family of Michael Boldon, killed in the Feb. 21 shooting and collision on the Strip.

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Clint Holmes to capture Cab Jazz live on CD; a Scinta plans a comeback; Luciano Pellegrini preps for Valentino closing
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
In March, Clint Holmes performed a knockout show at Cabaret Jazz and won a Bistro Award.

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Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock pairing enlivens star-laden 'Power of Love' event
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Quincy Jones and Sir Michael Caine are celebrating their 80th birthdays in Las Vegas, so there's gonna be a party.

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'American Idol' finds the sign, and Wayne Newton, as microphone tour hits Las Vegas
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
"American Idol" taped at Love Theater at Mirage this month, and its microphone tour is winding through town as the show promotes its Top 10 broadcasts Wednesday and Thursday.

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Holly's 'Rainbow' wins out over a list of colorful suggestions
Monday, March 11, 2013
Before deciding on Rainbow, Holly Madison was sent a wide array of possible baby girl names, which were silly, inspired and even bubbly.

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A fast-spinning combination opens 'Rock Vault' at LVH
Saturday, March 9, 2013
"Raiding the Rock Vault," a loosely scripted rock production show, opens tonight at LVH Theater.

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Massive plans for Krave: June 15 opening, Caesars partnership, Tony Hsieh investment ... and 'Boy Hunter'
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Krave Massive was originally targeted for a December 2012 opening, but is now set to open in time for summer at Neonopolis.

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Richard Petty Experience a crash course in thrill racing
Thursday, March 7, 2013
I have what can be best described as an Issue With the Wall. It’s the lengthy barrier along the backstretch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Appropriately, it is painted in thick black letters reading, “Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”

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'KWTD': Human Nature expounds on its classic sound, new showroom ... and gondolas
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Human Nature arrived in La Vegas in 2009 and has revamped its production at The Venetian's Sands Showroom.

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Glitter, concealer and a wig: Making up a look for a new Cirque show
Monday, March 4, 2013
Roger Stricker, the makeup, hair and wig supervisor for "Zumanity" at New York-New York, finds new ways to decorate the cast of "One Night for One Drop."

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Shorn enough: St. Baldrick’s experience is a bald move
Monday, March 4, 2013
Giving of your time and hair for St. Baldrick's is a noble, and terrifying, experience.

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LEE is the new Liberace Museum name; Frankie Moreno, Lacey Schwimmer absent from 'Pin Up' opener; Travis Cloer gives voice to vocal recovery
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Liberace Museum collection will be renamed Liberace Entertainment Experience — LEE — at Neonopolis.

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From over the hills and far away, Brody Dolyniuk is back with a flourish with Led Zeppelin USA
Friday, March 1, 2013
Brody Dolyniuk, founder of the long-running Vegas rock tribute band Yellow Brick Road, performs with ZUSA tonight at Boulder Station.

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'Pin Up' can learn a lot from 'Vegas! The Show'
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013
2011 Playboy Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair is the host and star of "Pin Up" at Stratosphere, which opens for previews Saturday night.

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CeeLo Green and his Liberace-laced production are ready to orbit Planet Hollywood
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013
CeeLo Green is the co-founder of Gnarls Barkley and famous for his run on "The Voice," but he prefers live performance.

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Smokey Robinson-Human Nature partnership remains harmonious
Monday, Feb. 25, 2013
Aussie foursome Human Nature has earned the endorsement of Smokey Robinson, and the five men have all become close over the past five years.

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'One Night for One Drop': Team at 'Ka' helps provide proper props
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013
Prop pieces for Cirque du Soleil's "One Night for One Drop" charity show start with a concept of a design. Then the building starts.

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Red Rock Amphitheater closes, Louie Anderson leaving Palace Station in Station Casinos shuffle
Friday, Feb. 22, 2013
Popular comic Louie Anderson is training for "Splash" on ABC as his tenure at Palace Station comes to a close.

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Joe Magliarditi: 'We've transformed the Palms'
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013
Joe Magliarditi was appointed to run the Palms in June 2011, and the hotel is showing incremental changes.

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‘[title of show]’ is a lesson in perseverance, something Kristen Hertzenberg understands
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013
Among the terms Kristen Hertzenberg would care to hear in reference to her health, “vocal chord paralysis” would be near the bottom of the list.

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Keeping Frank Sinatra's legacy alive is Rick's craft
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013
Rick Michel is one of the top vocal impressionists in the country and brings "Sinatra Forever" to The M Resort on Saturday night.

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Sammy Shore: Jerry Buss embraced 'Showtime' and acts of kindness
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013
Sammy Shore knew Jerry Buss from Shore's days as a standup in Southern California and said the Lakers owner was a kindhearted man.

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Wranglers' 'Midnight Circus' is where slapshots meet slapstick
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013
The Las Vegas Wranglers' annual midnight promotion was a circus of rock, aerial artistry, comedy and a brilliantly conceived "puck drop."

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Chicago kicks some serious brass in Tropicana Theater's blowout weekend
Monday, Feb. 18, 2013
One of the great American bands, Chicago, ushered in the Tropicana Theater over the weekend, and the new venue is a major player on the Strip.

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Creative licenses being issued in 'Million Dollar Quartet' at Harrah's
Monday, Feb. 18, 2013
The Jerry Lee Lewis character in "Million Dollar Quartet" is somewhat goofy -- something the real Jerry Lee Lewis was not.

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A return to Tim & Faith reminds of a question never asked
Monday, Feb. 18, 2013
Tim McGraw has, twice now, mentioned Rush from the stage. That makes us want to rush the stage.

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Eight reasons — topped by Paul Shortino — to make it to the Wranglers' Midnight Circus
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013
Paul Shortino is going to belt out "Love Hurts" as Erica Vanlee performs a silk act. What's not to love?

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