“BRETT’S VEGAS VIEW”
DATE: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016
BY: Jackie Brett
VEGAS COLUMN
LAS VEGAS STRIP’S FIRST PARK AND BEERHAUS WILL OPEN APRIL 4
MGM Resorts International will debut a new park, dining and entertainment district on the Strip April 4. The Park with an eclectic blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment tucked into rich desert landscaping will become a central gathering place connecting New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts as well as the new T-Mobile Arena.
On the same day, Beerhaus, a remix of the American beer hall, will open serving craft brews and artisanal eats that are hormone-free and regionally sourced. There will be bar games such as Connect Four stationed at every table along with beer hall classics such as foosball, shuffle board and ping pong as well as corn hole on the outdoor patio
Other confirmed dining partners include: Shake Shack; California Pizza Kitchen; Sake Rok; and Bruxie, the fast-casual, gourmet waffle restaurant born out of Orange County.
DONNY & MARIE BECOME MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX FIGURES
Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond’s wax figures are Madame Tussauds’ first new figures for 2016. The unveiling is happening this week on stage inside The Donny & Marie Showroom at the Flamingo before the statues are moved to Madame Tussauds at The Venetian. Donny & Marie’s likenesses have been dressed in costumes from their show. Marie donated her deep aqua sequined knee-length dress, along with earrings and black and blue platform shoes. Donny gave his sculpture his black suit and shoes. Both of their wedding bands and rings are also replicated.
KISS BY MONSTER MINI GOLF IS MOVING TO THE RIO
KISS® By Monster Mini Golf®, the rock ‘n’ roll themed amusement attraction based around the world-renowned band KISS®, closed this past weekend at its original location on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road where it opened in March 2012. The attraction will reopen this spring in an expanded space in the Masquerade Village at the Rio.
The new KISS By Monster Mini Golf location will be 13,000 square feet with an indoor glow-in-the-dark 18-hole miniature golf course filled with video, animatronics, and KISS props. The environment will be filled with arcade games, a special event room, a colossal sized KISS and rock ‘n’ roll gift shop, a themed wedding chapel and a live DJ. A highlight will be the display of museum-quality memorabilia.
ZOWIE BOWIE CHOOSES TO DROP HIS SHOWS AT STATION CASINOS
Chris Phillips, founder of Zowie Bowie, parted ways with Station Casinos a few months short of his 10th anniversary at Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort. He also stopped working in Sunset Station’s Club Madrid, where he performed Saturday nights since last fall. Phillips who is turning 50 this year and wants to go in a different direction.
DRYBAR WILL OPEN FLAGSHIP SHOP THIS SUMMER IN LAS VEGAS
Drybar, the phenomenon founded by longtime stylist Alli Webb, will open in Las Vegas in July 2016 inside the north entrance of the Miracle Mile Shops on the Strip. Drybar’s simple concept… “No cuts. No color. Just blowouts” has captivated a legion of loyal clients nationwide including major celebrities. The brand is on track to have more than 75 locations by the end of 2016.
The Las Vegas flagship 2,797-square-foot shop will be the brand’s largest footprint. It will have 20 styling chairs and feature all of Drybar’s signature elements including custom Italian chairs, tufted fabric walls, marble bars with built-in phone docking stations, and flat screens featuring chick flicks. However, exclusive for Las Vegas, there will be a built in DJ booth, a full bar and photo booth, and an event manager to host and plan parties for all occasions. Drybar will open daily at 8 a.m.
Drybar provides professional blowouts at a flat price, regardless of hair length or thickness with the wash included. The list of styles reads like a cocktail menu: the Cosmo; Straight Up; the Southern Comfort; Mai Tai; Manhattan; Dirty Martini; and Shirley Temple for the little ladies.
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS WILL BEGIN A RUN AT HARRAH’S
The Righteous Brothers now featuring Bill Medley with Bucky Heard will bring the original legendary duo’s sound to Harrah’s Showroom beginning Wednesday, March 23. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts for decades with Grammy hits such as You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “Unchained Melody.”
Medley and Heard will perform Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39–$125.
TWISTED VEGAS ARRIVED IN STYLE AT WESTGATE
Making an entrance is becoming a “must do” in Las Vegas. “Twisted Vegas,” the new anchor show at Westgate, didn’t disappoint. The show that will feature the United States’ debut of one of France’s most famous faces -- multi-talented funny man Alex Goude and cast arrived at the resort’s porte cochère in a U-Haul driven by Twisted’s version of Celine Dion. A miniature Elvis popped out of the passenger side door and madness ensued.
“Twisted Vegas” with a 7 p.m. show nightly except Monday opens to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
JEFF CIVILLICO WILL START TAPING AND HOSTING A LIVE TV SHOW
Jeff Civillico, who stars in his own family-friendly comedy show at the Flamingo, will begin hosting a weekly entertainment / news TV show called “Las Vegas Good News” that will tape in front of a live audience at The LINQ Promenade fountain stage every Thursday night from 5-8 p.m. beginning Feb. 18
Two features make the show an innovative project, the set and the format. The set will be a repurposed a 25-foot shipping container hosting a portable two-story studio that will be craned into location each week to sit at The LINQ Promenade fountains. The format will feature three “anchor” segments each week: High Roller PODcast with a celebrity; The News with headlines; and 60-Second Wedding with Civillico officiating a wedding. The weekly event with live bands, entertainers and interactive contests for audience members will be filmed, chopped down, and spliced together with remote segments.
Initially the show will air weekends on Channel 13, the Las Vegas ABC affiliate, and in-room throughout Caesars Entertainment properties (22,000+ rooms) and other Strip hotels.
HEART WILL RETURN TO HOUSE OF BLUES AT MANDALAY BAY
Heart, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, will headline June 2-4 and Oct. 6-8 in House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Tickets start at $55 and $69.50 for reserved seating.
Nearly 35 years after their first big hit, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were back in the Billboard Top 10 in 2010 with “Red Velvet Car” and a Top 5 DVD “Night at Sky Church.” In 2012, they released their first memoire “Kicking & Dreaming: A story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll” and were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To help celebrate their 40th anniversary of “Dreamboat Annie” this year, the duo is recording a new album with the working title “Iconograph.”
‘OLD SCHOOL LOVE AFFAIR CONCERT’ PLANNED AT ORLEANS ARENA
Celebrated disco, rhythm and blues and soul and funk entertainers from the 1970s and 1980s will perform their greatest hits at the 105.7 “Old School Love Affair Concert” on Feb. 13 at the Orleans Arena. Tickets are available from $30.
This year’s lineup includes: Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Jody Watley; The Jets; sisters Wanda, Sheila and Jeanette Hutchinson better known as The Emotions; Heatwave; GQ; siblings Debra and Ronnie Laws; American Latin-influenced rock ‘n’ roll group Malo; electro-funk ‘80s band Midnight Star; and R&B singer Evelyn “Champagne” King.
COUNTRY SINGER CRAIG MORGAN WILL HEADLINE RACEJAM CONCERT
Craig Morgan will headline NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas with the free 13th Annual RaceJam concert at Fremont Street Experience on Saturday, March 5 at 9 p.m. on the 3rd Street Stage. Morgan has made a name for himself as a country music icon, TV host, celebrated outdoorsman and patriotic Army veteran. His concert is part of the four-day event celebr with free nightly entertainment plus NASCAR merchandise booths Thursday-Sunday, March 3–6.
The annual downtown Las Vegas street festival and concert is held in conjunction with NASCAR Weekend, which features the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, March 6 and the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 5, both at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
LEONA LEWIS JOINS CAST OF ‘ONE NIGHT FOR ONE DROP’
GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Leona Lewis will make her honorary debut in the fourth edition of “One Night for ONE DROP” imagined by Cirque du Soleil® and presented by MGM Resorts International on Friday, March 18 at The Smith Center.
Known for her many chart-topping hits including No. 1 song “Bleeding Love,” the platinum selling recording artist will share the stage with some of the world’s greatest acrobatic performers for the one-night-only fundraiser to raise funds and awareness for critical water issues worldwide. Show tickets start at $100.
BACK BAR USA HOSTS ‘FOR THE LOVE OF COCKTAILS’
For the third year, BACK BAR USA’s three-day cocktail affair, “For The Love Of Cocktails,” running Feb. 10-12 will encompass a variety of forums, bar crawls and lavish dinners.
The event will expand to the Downtown Las Vegas neighborhood with its first bar crawl and food truck competition beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11. Each participating bar will feature a unique branded cocktail experience complete with live music, specialty cocktails and other surprises. The “USBG Cocktail Truck Wars” sponsored by United States Bartenders’ Guild at 10 p.m. will be the last stop at the Gold Spike. Six top USBG mixologists will be paired with six Las Vegas chefs to create the competing food and drink pairings. Tickets are $50 with one cocktail included at each participating location.
The pinnacle event is the grand gala tasting with entertainment and more than 25 mixology stations on Friday, Feb. 12 at Alain Ducasse’s Skyfall Lounge on the 64th floor of Delano at 7:30 p.m. and earlier for VIP guests. Tickets are $150.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WILL HOST POLAR PLUNGE AT SUNSET STATION
Nonprofit Special Olympics Northern California and Nevada will hold its annual fundraising Polar Plunge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 5 at Sunset Station. Participants must raise a minimum of $125 and will dive into the resort’s outdoor pool. Costumes are encouraged and will be judged while pool cabanas will transform into booths for games and activities.
Following the plunge, participants may join the After-Splash Bash inside Club Madrid for a catered lunch, entertainment, cash bar, raffle, and awards ceremony.
THE LOUNGE AT THE PALMS OFFERS FREE SHOWS
The request driven Dueling Pianos show is a new act this winter appearing in The Lounge at the Palms from 9 p.m. to midnight on Feb. 19 and 20. Fan favorites returning with free live entertainment will be Sin City Sinners Feb. 11 and 25 at 10 p.m. and David Perrico & Pop Strings Orchestra Feb. 13 and 27 at 11p.m.
Other free shows at 10 p.m. will include: soul singer Barry Black on Feb. 14; five-piece rock band Gypsy Road on Feb. 18; Las Vegas based heavy metal band Cyanide on Feb. 26; and the rock and blues Stoney Curtis Band on March 4.
TROPICANA WILL INTRODUCE ALL-NEW POOL CLUB THIS YEAR
Penn National Gaming has named Howard Weiss vice president of daylife and nightlife operations for its two Las Vegas resorts: Tropicana Las Vegas and M Resort Spa Casino. For the daylife scene, Weiss will reintroduce M’s adult venue, DayDream Pool Club, and open a brand new 21+ pool club at a soon-to-be-named venue at the Tropicana.
VALENTINE’S DAY WEEKEND HOT TIPS
Grand Bazaar Shops™ on the Strip is inviting visitors to “Share the Love” with United States troops stationed overseas. From noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 12-14, the USO Las Vegas will have a “Share the Love” outpost at the Grand Allée shop for guests to share their words of gratitude and love by writing a note to service men and women and dropping them in an oversized letterbox. Guests who donate a minimum of $10 will receive a $10 shopping voucher to use at Grand Bazaar Shops.
The Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere is offering a specially-crafted four-course menu for two on Feb. 14 crafted by Executive Chef Rick Giffen for $195.
Lake Las Vegas on Feb. 14 is offering 90-minute La Contessa Yacht cruises at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Cost is $30 per person.
Vegas’ hometown rockers, Sin City Sinners, will release the band’s sixth album “Let It Burn” with all original material on Sunday, Feb. 14. In true Sinners style, the band will host a special “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” free performance and album release party that evening at Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill at 6750 W Sahara Avenue. Doors open at 8 p.m. with the show at 9:30 p.m.
On Valentine’s Day, Rockhouse is throwing an “Anti-Valentine’s Day Party” on Feb. 14. Guests can get 50 percent off 100-ounce cocktail bowls.
PBR Rock Bar is throwing a singles party, “Buck Valentine’s Day,” on Feb. 14 from 9 p.m. to midnight. Ladies receive $14 open bar, which includes free mechanical bull rides.
The ladies of the Luxor’s adult “FANTASY” will do a sultry performance at LAX Nightclub at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 and mingle afterwards. The evening’s event also will celebrate cast member Soolin, who was recently featured in a pictorial as Playboy South Africa’s Miss February 2016.
In honor of Singles Awareness Day, widely known as Valentine’s Day, RHUMBAR at The Mirage will welcome singles and couples for the month of February with The Breakup Shakeup concoction of Atlantico Reserva rum, Pimm’s liqueur, raspberry puree, cinnamon-coconut simple syrup, lemon juice and a dash of Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters, priced at $12.
CHINESE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will welcome the Year of the Monkey with a traditional “Dotting of the Eyes” ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2:15 p.m. starting at the resort’s East Side entrance off Las Vegas Boulevard. During the ceremony performers will ‘awaken’ a dragon and lions by dotting their eyes with red paint. Once awakened, the twisting and turning dragon will lead a parade of lions and dancers throughout the casino floor. The moving celebration will make a stop in front of Queue Bar for a “Collecting of the Cabbage” ceremony.
Lunar New Year festivities kick off at Grand Canal Shoppes on Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. with the signature fan dance above the waterfall. More than 500 red envelopes filled with a prize and bundled with signature retail incentives will be distributed to guests.
On Friday, Feb. 12, events at the Fashion Show will include the debut of the dragon, a signature lion dance, Chinese culture costumes and entertainment from the Hunan Troupe beginning at 1:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14, Saks Fifth Avenue at the Fashion Show will feature runway shows every hour on the hour from noon until 5 p.m. with the lion dance kicking off each show.
ALIANTE HOLDS WINE AND DINE DINNER WITH DUCKHORN VINEYARDS
Aliante will partner with Duckhorn Vineyards of Napa Valley, Calif., to host an exclusive wine pairing dinner in the Grand Ballroom at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18.
John Kapranopoulos, the western sales manager with Duckhorn will discuss the wine. The three-course dinner is $95, call 702-692-7530.
QUICK NOTES
“Island Heat” at Kahunaville in The Mirage has closed.
The Dana Leong Trio will perform at the Historic Fifth Street School on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Leong is a two-time Grammy award winning musician, composer, and producer. He is considered by many to be the world’s top electric cellist and referred to by members of the world-renowned Balkan Beat Box as world’s top trombone player. He taught jazz at Stanford University from the age of 16 and has collaborated with Kanye West and Sean P. Diddy Combs. Tickets are $10 advance or $15 at the door.
The Mob Museum’s next Wiseguy Speakers Series presentation will be “Liberace and the Mob” on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
“Marriage Can Be Murder” at the D had a “killer” night when Josh Belisle proposed to his girlfriend of six years, Marilyn McKay during the Feb. 1 show. The show’s Valentine’s “Killer” Date package is available Feb. 11-14.
TV reality star, Chumlee, of the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” recently spun a special guest DJ set at Ghostbar Dayclub inside the Palms and was joined by co-star Corey Harrison.
Pizza Forte is now offering customers a buy-one, get-one free pizza slice at their Sunset Station location. Monday through Thursday, customers who buy any pizza slice will receive one free cheese pizza slice with their purchase.
