‘VIVA ELVIS’ HAS OPENED AT ARIA
Cirque du Soleil, in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, has unveiled its latest resident show “Viva ELVIS™,” in the custom-built Elvis Theater at ARIA Resort & Casino™ at CityCenter. Tickets range from $99 to $175 and there is a 25 percent discount for the preview shows, call 877-253-5847. Following the preview period and beginning Feb. 21, “Viva ELVIS” will be performed Friday through Tuesday at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
LISA LAMPANELLI WILL PERFORM AT THE PEARL AT THE PALMS
Comedy’s loveable “Queen of Mean” and Grammy-nominated comedienne Lisa Lampanelli is set to perform at The Pearl Concert Theater on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. She is a cross between Don Rickles, Archie Bunker and a vial of estrogen. Tickets are $49.75, call 800-745-3000.
This equal opportunity offender is a regular on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and Howard Stern’s Sirius satellite radio shows. She recently added her first one-hour HBO comedy special, “Long Live the Queen,” to her résumé, with a CD and DVD of the show to follow. Other one-hour specials on different networks included “Take It Like A Man” in 2005, and “Dirty Girl” in 2007, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Comedy Album of the Year.”
Lampanelli was acknowledged by fellow comedians when she was the only female comedienne invited to skewer Chevy Chase on the New York Friars Club Roast on Comedy Central. A year later, she rocked Comedy Central again in her back-to-back appearances on “Premium Blend” and “Roast of Jeff Foxworthy.”
Lampanelli appeared in “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” and had a featured role in “Delta Farce,” opposite Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and D.J. Quall. She also starred in the feature film, “The Aristocrats” and most recently played a more maternal version of herself in the Owen Wilson vehicle “Drillbit Taylor.” She is currently developing a pilot for a weekly series on HBO with executive producers Jim Carrey and Kario Salem.
In addition, her first book, “Chocolate, Please: My Adventures in Food, Fat and Freaks,” hit bookstores last September.
LAS VEGAS ROCKS CAFÉ STARTS SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH
The new Las Vegas Rocks Café downtown at Neonopolis started ongoing Sunday Champagne Jazz Brunches on Dec. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marquee Room with Grammy Award winner Gary Anderson and friends providing the music. Cost for meal and entertainment is $19.95 plus tax, call 702-227-5872 (LVRC). In addition, there is a New Year’s Day Champagne Jazz Brunch.
FIRST LAS VEGAS CANNABIS CONVENTION TO TAKE PLACE IN MARCH
March Madness will take on a whole new meaning with the first Cannapalooza event, debuting March 19–21, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Cannapalooza, the international marketplace for all things cannabis, will showcase the latest products and technologies that have made cannabis one of the fastest growing industries in the world. This event will be open to the public.
Cannapalooza will also feature an educational symposium with expert speakers and celebrity guests addressing legalization, decriminalization and medicinal benefits, while debunking marijuana myths and sharing simple home garden techniques, green agricultural technologies and more.
Currently 13 states, including Nevada, allow for the medical usage of marijuana and another 15 are weighing legislation or ballot initiatives that would legalize medical marijuana in 2010.
NOVE ITALIANO AT THE PALMS PLANS COOKING CLASS
Executive Chef Geno Bernardo will lead an intimate cooking class featuring helpful tips and fine Italian cuisine at Nove Italiano located atop the Palms Fantasy Tower at noon on Saturday, Jan. 23. Chef Geno will guide guests through a five-course meal. The cost is $75 per person, call 702-942-6856.
MADAME WILL APPEAR AT THE SUNCOAST
Infamous diva Madame, along with her newest co-star Rick Skye, will bring the hilarious wit that made her a comic legend to the Suncoast Showroom, Jan. 16 and 17 in “It’s Madame with an E,” which is a romp through the life of the legendary lady. Tickets start from $14.95 plus tax, call 702-636-7075. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday. This show contains adult language and humor.
The show combines the double-entendre comedy material of the beloved character, originally created by Wayland Flowers, with current event commentary and gossip chatter about Hollywood celebrities past and present. With the help of Rick Skye, Madame tells her life story through comedy bits, original and classic songs, and photography and video of some of her past performances.
Madame made her first television appearance on “The Andy Williams Show,” followed by “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In,” “Solid Gold” and “Hollywood Squares.” She also starred in her own nationally syndicated series in 1982 titled “Madame’s Place.”
HOOTERS COMEDIAN TODD PAUL ADDS FRIDAY NIGHTS TO HIS GIG
Starting Jan. 1, comedian Todd Paul, who has been dubbed the “Master of Mayhem,” is performing in the Night Owl Showroom at Hooters on Friday nights, making his show days Wednesday through Monday. In honor of his foray into Fridays, Hooters in January is offering a show special…$8.95 with one drink included. Paul opened at Hooters last July.
Paul began his entertainment career at the age 13 performing on the streets of San Francisco. The comedian is a veteran of comedy clubs throughout the United States and Canada.
QUICK CLIPS
Comedian Robert Schimmel will appear at the Riviera Jan. 13–17 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.99 to $54.99. Andrew Dice Clay will also be appearing at the Riviera Jan. 6–10 and 18-31. Tickets are from $49.99 to $99.99, call 702-794-9433.
The Sahara has closed two of its three hotel towers for the winter season due to lack of demand.
David Morris, who has been a mainstay at the lounge piano at Piero’s Italian Cuisine, has passed away.
GRANDMA LEE SET TO PERFORM AT BONKERZ COMEDY CLUB
For the first time since her “America’s Got Talent” debut, fans will have the opportunity to catch 75-year-old finalist Grandma Lee at the Bonkerz Comedy Club at Palace Station Jan. 7–9. Audience members also have the chance to be a part of Lee’s new DVD, “Grandma Lee Unleashed,” which will be filming during all five of her shows.
Lee just finished appearing in “America’s Got Talent Live” hosted by Jerry Springer at Planet Hollywood. The sassy senior won the 2003 Las Vegas Comedy Festival at the MGM Grand and was chosen as a finalist for the 2004 season of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” In fact, she is so popular with TV audiences that “Last Comic Standing” had her on as a special guest during three different seasons and chose her as a Top 10 Favorite Comic on the show.
The Oklahoma native was inspired to take up comedy after the death, in 1995, of her husband of 37 years and a series of odd jobs such as news reporter and directory assistance operator.
MIRACLE MILE SHOPS’ STRIP LED SCREENS LAUNCH ORIGINAL CONTENT
Some of the city’s most recognizable residents, headliners and show cast members wished a happy holiday season in a series of 20 special video messages on the Miracle Mile Shops’ Strip-side LED video screens every half-hour from 10 a.m. to midnight through Dec. 31. These greetings marked the launch of original content on the Miracle Mile Shops’ LED video screens. With more than 13,000-square-feet of sign space, the LED screens boast more than two-million pixels, each capable of 16-million colors, and can be remotely controlled from anywhere on the planet. Future video segments will feature content on timely Las Vegas events and holidays.
MESHUGGINAH KLEZMORIM LAUNCHES WORLD VIBRATION SERIES
The World Vibration Concert Series launches in 2010 with the klezmer music of Meshugginah Klezmorim in concert at 2 p.m. on Jan. 24 at the Winchester Cultural Center Theater, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. Meshugginah Klezmorim means “crazy musicians” in Yiddish, which is a direct reflection of the personalities of the professional musicians that make up the group that began in 1991. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children ages 12 and younger; call 702-455-7340 or visit the Clark County Parks & Recreation Web site.
