Barry Manilow Back in Las Vegas with “The Hits Come Home” At the Westgate

GRAMMY®, TONY®, and EMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and musician, Barry Manilow has finally inked his name to a contract, and an announced that he will be returning to Las Vegas with a brand-new stage production where he will perform his extensive catalog of hits, as the exclusive headliner at the Westgate International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

 

Barry Manilow

The legendary entertainer will return to where he previously made his spectacular residency debut on February 24, 2005. The 85-minute show will celebrate his well-loved greatest hits. Having sold more than 85 million albums worldwide, Barry Manilow is one of the world’s all-time bestselling recording artists. The GRAMMY®, TONY®, and EMMY® Award-winning musician has had an astonishing 50 Top 40 singles including 12 #1s and 27 Top 10 hits. He is ranked as the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time, according to Billboard and R&R magazines.

“I have nothing but great memories of my seven years performing in Las Vegas,” said Manilow. “I’m very excited to be returning. Get ready, Las Vegas! Here I come!”

 

“Barry Manilow is an icon and one of the world’s greatest performers,” said David Siegel, Founder & CEO of Westgate Resorts. “We are thrilled to be welcoming him back to our historic stage so that he can once again make it home. Our guests will be delighted by his repertoire of more than 50 Top-40 hits.”

 

Tickets will range in price from $19.75 to $329.75 plus tax and applicable fees and will go on sale Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 8 a.m. PT. Show dates going on sale will be May 24-26, June 14-16, June 21-23, July 19-21, July 26-28, September 27-29, and Oct. 4-6.

For more show and ticket information, please visit www.BarryManilow.com or www.WestgateLasVegas.com.

 

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:

The “blue Carpet” is out at the Laugh Factory this week, inside the Tropicana Las Vegas, as comedienne Sue Costello is holding forth through Sunday May 6th, along with Gerry Bednob and host Sam Kursman.

 

Sue Costello at the Laugh Factory

At five feet three inches, Costello may look harmless, but once she opens her mouth, it is obvious that this blonde is serious – funny business. Sue can bring a room full of patrons to tears with her comedic disposition and vivacious wit. That mixed with her vulnerability and honesty has made her one of the few women in the business who can do what she does.

From her thick Boston accent to her street-smart demeanor to her ability to make you feel like you want to take care of her, and be her best friend, Sue has the “it” factor. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts, Sue began her career as a stand-up comedian in Boston, later re-locating to the bustling city of Manhattan.

Since that time, she has appeared on several television shows such as “NYPD Blue” (this writer personal favorite) and “Tough Crowd” with Colin Quinn and Comedy Central. After starring in two T.V. pilots for CBS, Sue earned her very own self-titled television series, “Costello“. Sue was also a producer and the co-creator of the show. Though “Costello” lived a short life on air, Sue received various accolades for her energetic wit. Sue was a guest host on NBC’s “Later“. She has also performed on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend“. In addition to television appearances, Sue has also honed her performing skills on the stage and the big screen. Sue was cast in such films as “Southie” directed by John Shea, and “Once in the Life“, with Laurence Fishburne.

Sue’s already extensive resume continues to grow, she performed with Rosie Perez, Alan Cumming and Olympia Dukakis at the Nantucket Film Festival’s Story telling event. She co-starred in Jim Breuer’s pilot for Comedy Central. Her stand up reached a new level this year when she made to the finals of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Sue has also been a regular guest host on “Breuer Unleashed” on Sirius radio.

Showtimes at the Laugh Factory are 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. nightly. For reservations call 702-739-2411.

 

Over the years I’ve met a lot of men and ladies involved in various forms of sports. I did an interview back in the ‘60s on the lawn at the old Tropicana Hotel with tennis great Billy Jean King.  I flew to San Francisco and sat on cement steps outside a military barracks to interview Joe Frazier, who had just been named as the replacement for Buster Mathis for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Frazier went on to win the Gold medal in the heavyweight boxing division. So, I have had a long standing with great people in various situation, and the following is a brief story about a young man I met back in the mid-nineties right here in Las Vegas, as I stood on the side of a road, now known as the Desert inn Arterial, waiting for him to shoot down the new road. He is back in town now with his Jet Limo dragster.

 

Jim “Jet” Neilson

Growing up in Hawaii and having only one dream to one day own a charter commercial fishing boat, to becoming known as the “Fastest Man on Rubber Tires,” and owner of the Urban Land Speed Record, and who is currently preparing his new $500,000 Jet Limo dragster to break his own record speed of 391.045 mph, set on opening day of a new Las Vegas, Nevada freeway in 1998. This is the Jim Neilson story!

And, if it hadn’t been for his fishing boat, an un-lucky Marlin, and a famous drag racing champion, Neilson would still be taking people on his boat to catch those big fish.

 

Raymond Beadle, who in 1979 was celebrating his first NHRA championship, was on vacation in Hawaii and had chartered Neilson’s boat. Jim had promised Ray that he would get him a Marlin. Beadle would go on to became famous as the owner/driver of the “Blue Max” Funny Car, which won three consecutive NHRA Funny Car championships from 1979 to 1981 and three IHRA Funny Car championships, 1975–76 and 1981.

“Beadle got his Marlin,” Jim tells the story. “He told me if I ever get to the mainland I should give him a call. So, I called him, told him I wanted to get into drag racing, sold my boat, and moved to California, and began racing a Corvette Funny Car in the 1983 NHRA season, where I remained for five years.”

Neilson invested $100,000 in building his first jet powered dragster in 1989 and began a career of exhibitions and racing the Jet Mercedes Limo dragster at special events, drag races and wherever people would gather to watch him speed down a road leaving behind a huge cloud of smoke.

 

The Jet and Jim

In 1996 Neilson approached the Nevada Department of Transportation (DOT) to be allowed to take his Jet Limo dragster to the opening of the new Desert Inn Arterial in Las Vegas, where he could possibly set a new world record of speed on pavement with rubber tires. Approval was given and on the morning of the opening, in front of a mass of dignitaries, Jim Neilson sped down the Arterial reaching a speed of 266.008 mph.

When a section of the 215 Beltway, facing east towards Windmill Ave., was ready to be opened in 1998, Jim brought the Jet Limo, with its new Westinghouse J-34 jet engine, to a speed of 380.081 mph, establishing a new record on rubber tires.  Following that record Neilson returned with the same Jet Limo, facing west this time, towards Decatur from under the I-15 freeway. With a cloud of white smoke and the roar of 18,000 Horses, Jim Neilson powered the Jet Limo to a pavement record breaking speed of 391.045 mph., which stands today.

The rest of the Jim Neilson story is being written in the history books of racing, as a pioneer of jet car racing.  More news hopefully coming down the line.

 

The Commodores

Tickets are on sale now for The Commodores in concert on Saturday, May 26 at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. Guests will enjoy R&B hits from the Grammy-award winning funk group including “Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Just to Be Close to You,” and “Nightshift,” along with disco sounds from the 70s from the Ohio Players. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

Founded in Alabama by Tuskegee University students, The Commodores were discovered by Berry Gordy in 1968 and went on to become one of Motown’s most successful acts in the 70s and 80s, selling more than 60 million records worldwide. The group topped the charts with funky dance ballads such as “Brick House,” “Lady (You Bring Me Up),” and “Too Hot to Trot.” Today, the group consists of three members including Walter “Clyde” Orange, James “J.D.” Dean Nicholas, and original member William “WAK” King. The group legacy of The Commodores continues with the release of multiple volumes of their greatest hits and live album recordings on their label, Commodores Records. The trio continues to perform along with their five-piece band, known as the “Mean Machine,” at festivals and arenas across the globe.

 

“We are thrilled to have the legendary Commodores perform on the Star of the Desert Arena stage again,” said Stuart Richey, vice president and general manager of Primm Valley Casino Resorts. “It is the perfect time for a weekend getaway to Primm, to enjoy great music and all of the amenities our resort has to offer.”

For tickets, visit  primmvalleyresorts.com or call the Star of the Desert Arena Box Office at 702.386.7867.

 

Well, gang, those Barry Manilow tickets are sure to go fast. Better get in line.

I’m outa here!

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