A beautiful young lady, who I have had the pleasure of knowing for more than 33 years, who can make you laugh, cry, sit in awe, or bring happiness to you all within a 90 minute show, will be performing this Friday, at Ron DeCar’s Event Center, 1201 Las Vegas Blvd. South, with show time set for 8:00 p.m. Kelly Clinton-Holmes calls her show, “Uh Oh, My Half Italian Roots Are Showing.”
It features musical director Michael Clark (Hitzville) on Keys, Steve Johnson on Sax, flute and clarinet, Tony Drake (Ray Charles band for 8 years) on guitar, and Gabriel Falcon on drums. But the star is without question my friend. Kelly is not only a beautiful singer, but her comedy is really out there folks. It’s crazy when she does some of her famous skits, such as the one she does of her trumpet playing, “mentor and inspiration,” the late famous, Jo Jo “Spaghetti” Moretti. There is no trumpet player alive today who has not benefited from his tutoring. He was the best, and Kelly nails him during her impression.
Clinton-Holmes’ special guest this particular evening will be a very funny dude, Dennis Blair. Blair is one of the most talented and versatile comedians in show business today. His act combines music, standup and topical observation, and he feels the audience out and puts it right out there. As a result, he is equally at home in comedy clubs, corporate venues, cruise ships and concert halls. He has performed on The Tonight Show and HBO, has co-hosted the Stephanie Miller Radio Show with Elayne Boosler, and has entertained everywhere from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. He appears regularly in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, Reno and Laughlin with such major celebrities as Gloria Estefan, Tom Jones and the late George Carlin (with whom he toured for over eighteen years in the U.S. and Canada).
Another special guest will be the young (yep gang she’s only 15) Jessica Vanek, who attends the Las Vegas Academy for the Performing Arts. This youngster, who has amazed audiences everywhere, will be performing for the first time with Kelly.
The show promises to be lots of fun, with even a few surprises, and you can also expect some very special people to possibly drop by, and who knows what will happen then? Not even Clinton-Holmes knows what will happen. And, that is what makes her show so darn special. Broadway World said, “She takes her audience back & forth, up & down, through her journey and through it all, you keep seeing the genius of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett with purely Kelly Clinton charm. Tickets are $15.00 and $25.00 for VIP seating. You can also have a wonderful dinner if you care to arrive early as the doors open at 7:00 p.m.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:
The World Famous Laugh Factory at the New Tropicana Resort on the Las Vegas Strip will surely be filled to capacity the week of April 9-12, because of the presence of comedy star, Dom Irrera, who will be headlining during the Third Anniversary week of the Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. Featured with Irrera, who will be performing on Thursday, April 9-13 as a special guest, will be, Eleanor J. Kerrigan. Frazer Smith will have the tough job of introducing these two amazing Philly comics.
The Las Vegas Laugh Factory opened its doors at the All New Tropicana hotel on April 9, 2012. The acts that opened the club that week were co-headliners, comic/juggler Ron Pearson from “The Tonight Show,” and Ahmed Ahmed of “Sullivan & Sons.” Since the Laugh Factory opened its doors in 2012, it has quickly become one of the hottest comedy clubs on the Vegas strip.
The special 7:00 p.m. headliner slot has starred comedy superstar Roseanne Barr, for a successful four month residency, followed by comedy legend Gallagher, for a six month run minus the “melon smashing.” The Laugh Factory is about to announce their new headliner comedy star who will take over the 7:00 p.m. residency in the coming weeks.
Since the Laugh Factory has been open, it has had some pretty famous names to grace their stage as booked acts, as well as some surprise guest comics popping up on its stage: Some of those famous faces are, George Wallace, Louie Anderson, Paul Rodriguez, Ron White, Frank Caliendo, Hannibal Buress, Russell Peters & Rob Schneider to name a few. The Laugh Factory is excited about going into their fourth year at the Tropicana, which is a great destination for entertainment, not only for comedy, but now in the main showroom, with two hot new productions, “Raiding the Rock Vault” and “The New Illusions”, starring master magician Jan Rouven.
The Laugh Factory is located on the mezzanine level of the New Tropicana. Show times are 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. nightly, with tickets priced at $34.95 and $44.95. For further information call 702-739-2411.
Derek Stevens, co-owner and CEO of the D Las Vegas Casino Hotel and Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, has wagered big to see his home state school, Michigan State, pull off an underdog victory in the 2015 NCAA college basketball tournament – to the tune of $1 million. On December 5, 2014, Stevens placed a $20,000 wager on the Spartans at 50-1 odds at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. After the Spartans’ Sunday win against the Louisville Cardinals, Stevens is now only two games away from a $1 million payout.
“I approached several casinos that weren’t willing to take on a bet of this magnitude but in the spirit of friendly downtown competition, I went to the Golden Nugget’s owner and my personal friend Tilman Fertitta, who had the guts to take my wager,” said Stevens, a Michigan native. “Saturday’s game will be a great matchup as Michigan State and Coach Tom Izzo have truly impressed the country. I realize I’m still an underdog but so far, it’s been a good position to be in.”
If Michigan State takes home the national championship and Stevens in turn claims his $1 million winnings, the local Las Vegas entrepreneur plans to give back to his employees and his community. Every person employed at the D or Golden Gate when the bet was placed will receive a bonus. A portion of the winnings will also be donated to the Tarkanian Basketball Academy while the rest will be invested in the continued re-development of Downtown Las Vegas. Tony Miller, Golden Nugget’s Race & Sports Book Director said, “Michigan State has always been viewed as a dark horse for the tournament, so Derek’s wager is definitely a courageous one. This bet will elevate the excitement and anticipation in Downtown Las Vegas this weekend.”
Michigan State fans from across the country are invited to wear their green and white and root for the Spartans at the D Las Vegas’ upcoming “Michigan State for $1 Million” party during the school’s Final Four match against Duke University on Saturday, April 4 at 6:09 p.m. ET. The game will be played on all TVs and will be broadcasted on full audio throughout the casino. Stevens also invited UNLV Runnin’ Rebels to join the festivities and root against the Blue Devils.
Returning for his 56th consecutive year as a Las Vegas headliner, internationally renowned comedian, actor and entertainer Don Rickles will perform at The Orleans Showroom April 25–26. Frequently known by the nicknames “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr. Warmth,” Rickles’ style of comedy is never mean-spirited and all part of his act. It has been said that being “zinged” by Rickles is like “wearing a badge of honor.” Rickles took his first step toward national fame in 1957, when he spotted Frank Sinatra in the audience at a nightclub in Miami Beach. The still-unknown Rickles eyed Sinatra and said, “I just saw your movie, ‘The Pride and the Passion,’ and I want to tell you, the cannon was great. Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody.” Sinatra, whose pet name for Rickles was “bullet-head,” enjoyed Rickles so much that he returned to see him when he was performing in Los Angeles, and encouraged other celebrities to see his act. Rickles soon became the “in” comic among Hollywood stars, who flocked to see him to become a target of his insults. Sinatra’s continuing support helped Rickles become a popular performer in Las Vegas, where he first started in 1959, and has been a headliner ever since.
Shortly after being discovered by Sinatra, Rickles made his acting debut in 1958’s “Run Silent Run Deep.” The movie was a hit, launching Rickles towards a celebrated career as a movie, television and stage actor. His still-growing television and film resume includes roles in “Casino,” “Kelly’s Heroes,” “The Rat Race,” all three “Toy Story” films, HBO’s “Tales From the Crypt,” and Bravo’s “My Life on the D-List” with Kathy Griffin. In 2011, he made a surprise appearance in a “cliff-hanger” episode as the “thought-to-be-dead” husband of Betty White’s character on the TV Land comedy “Hot in Cleveland,” with a follow-up appearance later in the season. In 2000, Rickles received one of the highest honors in the entertainment business when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Rickles has received two Primetime Emmy® Awards, including Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical for the 2008 HBO special “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.” In 2009, TV Land honored Rickles with the “Legend Award.” Rickles’ best-selling memoir “Rickles’ Book” was released in 2007, followed by the 2008 title, “Rickles’ Letters.” In spring 2012, Rickles joined David Letterman as one of the only two performers to receive the prestigious “Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence” at The Comedy Awards, aired on Comedy Central. The award was presented to Rickles by Jon Stewart and Robert DeNiro. In June 2013, Rickles was honored with the Friars Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy at a star-studded awards gala at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.
The honors continued when a star-studded cast honored Rickles on SPIKE TV’s “One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles” in May 2014. The two-hour special was taped in New York City, Rickles’ hometown, and includes stand-up performances, short films, pre-taped tributes and personal stories as told by Rickles’ closest friends, his co-stars and other comedians he has influenced.
In addition to recurring dates in Las Vegas at The Orleans, Rickles continues to be a popular performer in venues throughout the country. Showtime each evening is 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $79.95, plus tax and convenience fees, and can be purchased at any Boyd Gaming Box Office, by calling 702.284.7777, or visiting www.orleanscasino.com.
Well, gang, that’s about it for this week.