Fertitta Brings Rich Little Back to Golden Nugget
Tilman
Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of Landry’s Restaurants and owner of the Golden
Nugget Hotel and Casino, is the man responsible for the $100 million renovation
of the historic hotel. Fertitta, having full knowledge that this was the first
major multimillion dollar reinvestment in the downtown resorts corridor since
1984, said this will create new energy and attractions for the area.
In
2006, Fertitta had dinner with entertainer Rich Little to discuss bringing him
back to the Golden Nugget Showroom. It has been a great move, according to
Fertitta, and he said Little’s engagement continues through April 8, 2008.
Little,
known as the Dean of Impersonators, has an all-new show where he performs his
trademark impressions of singing stars Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Willie
Nelson, Neil Diamond and many others, and mimics well-known celebrities, such as
Jack Nicholson, Andy Rooney, Johnny Carson, and others, but with some new
twists.
As
always, Little does a superb job presenting various U.S. presidents. He has
outdone himself, however, with his “Celebrity Quiz” part of the show where he
asks questions of named celebrities using his own voice. He then impersonates
each celebrity’s mock answers in character voice.
This
show is recommended for all who would appreciate a good laugh. For information,
call 1-866-946-5336.
Below is
a video of an interview I had with Rich and
Marie Little along with Tilman Fertitta.
Lance
Burton Talks Autism
Lance
Burton, world-class magician who performs at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino on
the Las Vegas Strip, feels that kids with autism can be helped through magic.
“There
was a lady who was crying at the end of my show. This was a couple of years ago…
The
parents of the autistic boy and the boy’s teacher came to see my show. The boy
had
never spoken in his life. At the end of the show, he spoke for the first
time, and the first thing he said was, ‘Magic.’”
According to Burton, the teacher who specializes in instructing autistic
children said that slight-of-hand magic somehow helps autistic children.
Autism
is a complex neurobiological disorder characterized by
impaired communication and restricted social interaction, and it affects
one out of 150 children worldwide according to government statistics.
Below is
a video of my interview
with Lance Burton.
Burton
plans to continue working with children’s charities, including those focused on
autism, such as the Las Vegas-based Benzer Autism Foundation.
Burton
said his childhood dream was to be a professional magician and explained how one
makes dreams come to fruition.
“A wise
man, Elwood Hoffman, told me many years ago: ‘Whatever your dream is in life,
when you get ready to sleep at night, picture your dream before you go to
sleep.’”
Lance
said, “Once you start doing that, it plants that seed in your mind. Then you
start spending your days thinking what to do and what to accomplish to reach any
goal. ‘What do I need to make this dream come true?’ It sort of lets you follow
your dream.”
An
interesting point is that Hoffman’s grandson, Matt King, performs a comedy and
magic show at Harrah’s.
Rock
Musical Festival Should Include Eighth Street
National and
local bands took center stage at promoter Frederick Apcar’s “Rock the Block
Music Festival” in downtown Las Vegas’ new Fremont East Entertainment District.
There
was only one stage for the festival, so organizers closed the event off at
Seventh Street. The problem, though, is that the district ends at Eighth Street.
Businesses, including Take 1 Nightclub and Restaurant, the Super 8 Motel and
other businesses that have spent over $1 million to renovate their properties
suffered financial setbacks.
“This is
not fair for the business owners to be excluded from the festival,” stated Take
1 owner Ben Ardito, who was shut out of another recent event by the barriers
that cut the area short, right before his business block.
The
question now is whether the city will include all their businesses between
Seventh and Eighth streets in future events.
Fred
“The Hammer” Williamson at American Film Mart
NFL
star, movie actor-producer Fred Williamson is looking for new investors, so he
attended the American Film Mart in Santa Monica, Calif., recently.
Williamson, known for his acting roles in the vintage “Shaft” and “Hell Up in
Harlem” and scores of other action movies, has been directing and producing
movies since then. One of his major investors was the video rental chain
Blockbuster. According to Williamson, Blockbuster is bankrupt, which leaves him
without a key investor and outlet for his productions.
Williamson said the American Film Mart is an excellent place to network with
production companies, producers and directors.
In the
meantime, he says he lives in Palm Springs and enjoys playing golf.
BBQ
Chicken in Vegas
There’s
a new Korean food franchise that has arrived in Las Vegas. It’s called BBQ
Chicken, located at the Asian Pacific Plaza at 5115 Spring Mountain Road, west
of Chinatown, inside the Bazic Fusion Restaurant.
BBQ
Chicken serves fried chicken made with extra virgin olive oil from Spain. That
ingredient is noted as one of the top five healthiest foods in the world. BBQ
Chicken’s lunch menu starts at $5.99. They have promotional business card that
patrons get stamped to get the tenth lunch free. For more information, call
642-8888.
