No guarantee of Britney-J.Lo two-step at Axis; Sabina Kelley leaves in ‘Pin Up’ shakeup

By John Katsilometes

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015 | 3:40 p.m.

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is Mr. Lucky’s at 24/7, where the counter is abuzz with those who are in that condition. It’s not to complain because what do we expect at 11:30 on a Friday night careening into Saturday morning?

Construction work on the new center bar and lounge is in full force and has taken over the casino floor. Pizza Forte, a new restaurant from the Ferraro family of Ferraro’s fame, is open. And next up in the Joint are Cheap Trick and Peter Frampton. I once was at a dinner at Simon Kitchen & Bar where Cheap Trick played an acoustic set, then band members sat at tables and chatted with assorted media members.

In a story I’ve told many times over the years, one of our members became acutely besotted and started yammering about “hookers and blow, hookers and blow!” before wading off to the restroom. At that, Rick Nielsen, who is the guitarist for Cheap Trick and has seen all measure of drunken buffoonery, announced: “That guy has been over-served — a lot..”

So it’s great to be back, and on a related note the party of four at the kitchen counter has ordered a total of eight drinks on the Lucky’s 4 For 10 Shots promotion. Four Conundrums, and four Hooks. And you know, it’s not really that great an imposition. Just another night in VegasVille, where it all makes sense until you have to take a 7 a.m. flight.

But, hey, let’s keep the tab open, tarbender (hic):

• Britney Spears caused a tremor on the Strip by telling E! Online that she is not sure she’ll extend her contract to perform at Axis at Planet Hollywood. “I’m not really sure,” she told the celebrity news website. “I haven’t made up my mind. I really love doing the show. It’s a lot, a lot of fun, but I’m kind of torn right now. I don’t really know what I want to do.”

Here’s the skinny from New Guinea on Spears’ arrangement at Planet Hollywood: She is not contractually committed to Axis past her shows on New Year’s Eve Weekend. When Jennifer Lopez signed to perform at Axis in a series beginning Jan. 20, it was widely hoped (especially by Caesars Entertainment officials) that J.Lo would be booked in the dates left open by Spears next year.

Despite reports that Spears has been close to adding dates in 2016, such a toggling of boogie-fests at Planet Hollywood is not a certainty. Spears is still reviewing an offer to extend her contract at the venue while also working on a new album. New albums traditionally lead to extensive tours, and Spears is a proven moneymaker on the road. Hard to tell what’ll happen, with those options and Spears’ own hints that she might not return.

• Sabina Kelley is out of “Pin Up,” which was made evident through direct messages to me and from an announcement from the Stratosphere that burlesque standout LouLou D’vil has been signed to swing for Claire Sinclair.

D’Vil is onstage Sept. 24-28 while Sinclair is on break. (D’Vil also is in the lineup for Melody Sweets’ “Coney Island! Burlesque at the Beach!” production midnight Friday at Caesars Palace.)

There is no mention in that “Pin Up” announcement of Kelley’s status in the production, but she made it clear in her correspondence with me today that she’s finished with the show, turning back an opportunity to appear at the Strat on New Year’s Eve. Kelley contends that she was not happy with the terms in the contract producers gave her and has been offered a chance to headline in another show.

Saying she is off to “way bigger and better things,” Kelley says more will be revealed — off-stage and maybe on, given her history onstage in “Pin Up” and, years ago, “Jubilee.” Kelley occasionally guest-starred in “Pin Up” starting in May 2014.

In D’Vil, “Pin Up” has secured a well-known and highly regarded performer in the world of burlesque, winner of the 2013 Miss Exotic World at Orleans Showroom. She is to perform a unique act of her own along with the acts already in the show, and Stratosphere entertainment exec Matt Mascali says there will be additional performers used in the show, too, as the calendar continues to flip.

• A reminder that Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison wants to bring “Vegas Nocturne” back to the Strip is tucked into the announcement that “Bath Boy” David O’Mer is to appear in a single performance of “Absinthe” on Tuesday. O’Mer is famous for developing the aerial bathtub act, in which he appears only in jeans (and a smile) and was an act that cost in the neighborhood of $10,000 per week in “Vegas Nocturne” at Rose. Rabbit. Lie. in the Cosmopolitan.

In a news release issued by Spiegelworld PR, Mollison, in his “Improssario” persona, is quoted as saying: “David is one of the most talented artists I have ever witnessed. He is always welcome on the Spiegelworld stage. While I hope to see him back on the Strip in another Spiegelworld show in the near future, in the meantime, I am thrilled to relive our inaugural sold-out season of ‘Absinthe,’ which we shared in 2006.”

Indeed, before appearing on the Strip in “Vegas Nocturne,” O’Mer was a member of the original “Absinthe” cast in Brooklyn. He shares a tight bond with Mollison, who is clearly excited to return the bathtub act to the Strip, even for a night. Meantime, a version of “V.N.” is being performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland through Aug. 31.

Select acts from the production also have been showcased at New York’s Slipper Room, but Mollison is not giving up on his dream for the show to return to the Strip. As he said in a text, “Vegas, baby!” Which seems to say it all.

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