Luxe Life Blog
Strip Scribbles: Is Keith Barry set to return to Planet Hollywood?
Planet Hollywood magician Keith Barry.
Photo: Tao
It looks as if Irish-born hypno-magician Keith Barry did well enough in his near monthlong tryout at Planet Hollywood to warrant a regular run. I’m hearing rumors that negotiations are underway to give him a permanent slot at the resort casino’s mezzanine theater -- after it’s been reconfigured and redesigned to accommodate the incoming burlesque Peep Show with Melanie Brown, aka Scary Spice, and General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco. That show opens there at the end of March after Stomp Out Loud vacates the showroom right after Jan. 1. While at Planet Hollywood, Keith filmed a Discovery Channel HD special, which will be followed up with a reality series to be shot in Las Vegas upon his return. The plan would call for Keith to hold down the 10 p.m. slot following the 8 p.m. Peep Show.
Bette Midler.
*There’s a special treat in store tonight for Bette Midler fans. For one night only at 9 p.m., right after her The Showgirl Must Go On curtain call at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, The Divine Miss M will meet fans and autograph copies of her new book The Saga of Baby Divine. Be sure to buy your copy in advance at the Bette boutique at Caesars. It’s a fairytale story of an inquisitive baby who sets out into the world to discover many of life’s truths. With Bette’s signature, it makes a great and prized holiday gift!
*In the meantime, her Caesars Palace co-headliner Cher is going to release a new album of old classics brought up to date! Cher says the tracks will feature songs from the 1960s that she’s never covered before, drawing on the magical time of The Beatles, The Kinks, The Hollies, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding. Cher just wants to pay tribute to an era when she only had an AM radio in her first car -- a Ford Mustang!
*Over at the Luxor, magician Lance Burton is repeating his locals-only special $35 ticket price offer as he has in past years. The offer runs until Dec. 13 and is a $40 savings per ticket. Some 4,000 locals took advantage of the price reduction in previous years. It’s the only two weeks of the year that Lance cuts the price! Right after the holidays, the incredible illusionist is set to appear on the controversial TV game show The Moment of Truth and in March on the Starz original program Head Case, joining a list of previous guests that includes Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Lloyd.
Zak Bagans (center) is one of the filmmakers behind the paranormal documentary Ghost Adventures. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
*Congratulations to Las Vegas filmmaker Zak Bagans, who has scared TV viewers this past season with his eight episodes of Ghost Adventures for the Travel Channel. Regular readers of this column know that hometown Zak filmed many of the segments throughout Nevada. He proudly sent me an email to say that the cable network has extended the scary show for a second season -- and this time there will be 18 new episodes! You can check out the last episode of Season 1 this Friday, and Zak says the scene with snakes is more frightening than anything Indiana Jones could conjure up on screen! Zak serves as both the host and executive producer of the series.
*Philadelphia Phillies World Series champion pitcher Andrew Carpenter attended the Blue Man Group show at The Venetian with his wife. At 23, Andrew is a premiere young arm in Philadelphia, and he set a record 17 wins while playing with Philadelphia’s rookie league team in Clearwater, Fla. He was called up for the big time during Philadelphia’s run to the playoffs this past 2008 season.
Siegfried & Roy at last year's 5K event.
*Our merry mayor of mirth, Oscar Goodman, joins Siegfried & Roy, singing duo Zowie Bowie and yours truly at 8 a.m. this coming Saturday at the Fremont Street Experience for our 4th annual Great Santa Run. There’s still time to register at www.LasVegasSantaRun.org, and it’s all to benefit our beloved Opportunity Village. We need more than 8,000 Santas to beat our turnout last year, and this year we’re competing against Liverpool, England, and towns in Ireland and Tasmania. We’ll have a report on Friday of Roy’s incredible will and determination to walk the entire course unaided! Come on out to cheer him on with your support!
Tonight’s tip
Two mighty warriors have a showdown tonight in the World Extreme Cagefighting battle at the Hard Rock Hotel. The explosive contest pits unbeaten contender Manny Tapia, who has been waiting for six months to crush his greatest rival, bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, one of this year’s great success stories. One of these two punch princes will wind up as the fighter of the year. … Over at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay, there’s another KO from Five Finger Death Punch, who have In This Moment as the opening act! … The girl-kissing-girl rage sweeping our nightclubs continues at Rok Vegas in New York-New York with a $10,000 prize package in the Merry Kissmas contest.
Tomorrow’s tease
We continue our daily rundown of the star performers and riders at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Thomas & Mack, and a knock-your-socks-off, Vegas-only, glorified mega-McDonald’s is about to open right on the Strip! As you’d expect, we’ve got the first photos! This ain’t your mother’s Happy Meal! It’s one over-the-top wonder, and it could only be in Las Vegas!
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