June
is here! School is out, and everyone wants a vacation…whether or not they can
afford a vacation is another question, but nonetheless, we all want to get
away. Vegas (of course) is eager for everyone to come and get away here. We
want and need your tourist dollars. Oddly enough, while Vegas sends out
advertisements for people to visit our city, local ads encourage people to take
a “Stay-cation” and remain in Vegas to enjoy all that the city has to offer.
The entire city has deals everywhere and all of the hotels and attractions are
cheaper now than they have been in years. 
Normally
temperatures never reach 100 degrees until the month of June…and with one
exception, it will happen again this year…and yes, it is true, it is a dry heat;
and yes, that does make it more tolerable. This is good and bad—it is as if
you’re standing in a convection oven, rather than a sauna. Without lotion, the
dry air will suck out any moisture that you may have in your body, and you will
burn faster here than a day at the beach. Summer in Vegas is hot…pools and
parties are the main tour de force for the season, and the entertainment usually
brings a lot of wonderful surprises throughout the few months ahead. Schools
are out all over the country. College-aged people will come to Vegas and try to
emulate the commercials and the mystique of this town—usually without the
success and panache for which they would hope. Sometimes these folks think that
normal rules of society don’t apply to this town…trust me though; drunk and
disorderly and drunk driving will still get you thrown in jail. Families will
come in, have a good time, but feel that there is less and less that the entire
family can do on the Strip. (Actually, there are a lot of things that the family
can do, but most tourists don’t venture away from the casinos to find them.) 
The
Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend will be at the Orleans Hotel from June 5th
to 7th. It is a showcase for over 100 of the world’s top burlesque
acts from international entertainers. The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend
attracts outstanding artists, both exotic and mainstream. The weekend will
also include a Striptease Reunion, now in its 52nd year, at which
newer performers can learn tricks of the trade from surviving superstars of the
1940s, '50s and '60s. 
CineVegas
will be holding its annual film festival at the Palms again this year from the
10th to the 15th. This even has grown every year, (now in
its 11th year,) and draws some of the top names in the entertainment
industry to Vegas. It has become one of the major “Hollywood” events here in
Las Vegas. Opening night will feature the film "Saint John of Las Vegas" and
eight "Jackpot Premieres". Closing night will include Bobcat Goldthwait's film
"World's Greatest Dad," starring Robin Williams. Festival fans can watch the
trailers for many of this year's films online at
After
approximately six weeks, Trent Carlini has closed the doors on his production,
“Evolution,” at the Steve Wyrick Theatre. It is a shame…I saw the show, but
never got around to reviewing it. I thought it was going to be around a bit
longer and didn’t recognize the urgency. A foolish move on my part…I should
have seen the writing on the wall immediately. All in all, it was a karaoke
version of the King. Carlini has a good look, but certainly not the charisma to
carry a show. He was great when he did merely a segment in “Legends in
Concert,” but since then he has been pushing the one-man show format. He did
the “Dream King” at the Sahara for several months last year and has attracted
national exposure on the reality show, “The Next Best Thing,” but it hasn’t been
enough to get him to deliver inspiring performances. Most of his time was spent
changing costumes, when he should have been spending time making a connection
with the audience. His other undoing was probably his ticket prices…the average
ticket price was around $100. Are you kidding? That’s more expensive than some
of
the Cirque shows in town with none of the production value. At best, it was a
$35 show… At that price he might have been able to generate some business. It
is rumored that he is just suspending the show while he competes on “America’s
Got Talent”…I’m not sure I’m buying that line, but okay, we’ll see… 
Award-winning
comedian Kathy Griffin will perform her witty comedy routine inside the Mandalay
Bay Theater Friday, July 3. Griffin has been making audiences laugh for years
discussing Hollywood gossip and celebrity blunders. A multi-faceted performer
with a rapid-fire wit, Griffin has hosted the Bravo A-List Awards for the past
two years and won the Vanguard Award at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards. In June
2008, Griffin released her first comedy album “For Your Consideration,”
featuring tracks such as “Straight Guys Wake Up!” and “Hi Barbara Walters.” The
album was nominated for a Grammy® for “Best Comedy Album.” Currently, Griffin
is lending her voice to the animated adventure film “Around the World in 50
Years in 3D.” 
Earl
Turner and Lani Misalucha are now getting into their groove at the Shimmer
Cabaret inside the Hilton. These are two talented performers that were somewhat
thrust together to put a
show together. After some minor bumps getting started, the pair has settled in
nicely. The new show, “Voices” is a great break from some of the over-produced
productions in town and a chance to see some really great talent.
For dates and times, be sure
to log onto the Las Vegas Online
Entertainment Guide @ lvol.com.
Igoshows.com is, of course, the place to read the reviews of all of the shows that are in town so that you can be better informed as to what you should expect from a certain production. The reviews are updated as needed to give you the knowledge you need to spend your entertainment dollars better.
And for a video version of the entertainment news and the weekly show guide, go to Las Vegas Internet Television.
You can contact Chuck through his Feedback Form at www.igoshows.com/feedback.html.
The above article is the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of Vegas Community Online, its editors/publishers, and/or other Vegas Community Online columnists. VCO respects the right of each author to express their opinion. If you have an opposing viewpoint or would like to send feedback on any article, please send email to feedback@vegascommunityonline.com; state the title of the article and your comments. VCO reserves the right to add any submissions to its feedback page.
Igoshows.com is, of course, the place to read the reviews of all of the shows that are in town so that you can be better informed as to what you should expect from a certain production. The reviews are updated as needed to give you the knowledge you need to spend your entertainment dollars better.
And for a video version of the entertainment news and the weekly show guide, go to Las Vegas Internet Television.
You can contact Chuck through his Feedback Form at www.igoshows.com/feedback.html.
The above article is the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of Vegas Community Online, its editors/publishers, and/or other Vegas Community Online columnists. VCO respects the right of each author to express their opinion. If you have an opposing viewpoint or would like to send feedback on any article, please send email to feedback@vegascommunityonline.com; state the title of the article and your comments. VCO reserves the right to add any submissions to its feedback page.
