Misty Grimm, center, warms up with other runners during the 11th annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run in downtown Las Vegas, Dec. 5, 2015. The Las Vegas run competes with a run in Liverpool, England to see who can gather the largest number of Santas. The run benefits Opportunity Village with provides support to people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Published Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 | 10:22 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 | 1:26 a.m.
The Kats Report Podcast
KWTD — Bob Anderson bids adieu
The great impressionist, singer and actor has closed "Frank: The Man, The Music" at Palazzo Theater. What's next? There is talk of moving a version of the show to Carnegie Hall, and possibly even Broadway.
There is a term used in rodeo, and also in life, that applies to this day in Las Vegas: Buckin’ out stock.
It means to saddle up and go fer a ride. Practice some rip-roaring rodeo action. I have done that today, leading to this moment where the state flags of the United States (and also corporate sponsors) are being carried around by cowboys and cowgirls at the Thomas & Mack Center at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
This cool December Saturday started early, with the Great Santa Run on Fremont Street and is to end at MGM Grand with a pop-in to see the mirthfully masked dance troupe the Jabbawockeez.
Chronologically, we recap:
7:30 a.m.: The Great Santa run is a sea of red — aside from at least one person dressed in a blue Santa suit with a Star of David hanging from his neck.
The day’s co-hosts are Monica Jackson and Jason Feinberg of Fox 5’s “More,” and to fill time before the celebs show up to kick off the race, Feinberg starts talking of his cats. Ren & Stimpy are the names, I believe, and at one point several thousand red-suited runners give an “awwww” when Feinberg describes how Ren (or maybe it was Stimpy) looks when he or she is sleeping.
Former Mayor Oscar Goodman emerges from the VIP center/holding cell while sipping a martini (not yet 8 a.m.), and this beverage was the genuine article. You cold smell the gin, likely Bombay Sapphire, from 20 paces. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Goodman asks, and he looks in great spirits, smiling and fully suited. I so wish he’d run for governor …
Meanwhile, Goodman’s wife, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, is posing for photos with members of Chippendales, one of whom is — get this — a grandfather. Not publicized much, at least to my knowledge, is this reality. But what has been called the grandfather of male revues really is that.
One of the many, only-in-Vegas moments on the street behind the Third Street Stage: As Wayne Newton poses for a photo with members of “Jersey Boys,” Santa Claus slowly but unknowingly crosses in front of the group. One of the “J.B.” guys, I believe either Graham Fenton or Travis Cloer, calls out, “Hey, Santa, can you quit with the photo bombing? We’re posing here with Wayne Newton.” Rare comment, that. Newton also posed with the Jabbaz, bemused that the guys — holding character — nodded at him energetically but spoke not at all.
On the short trek up Fremont Street to the 5K run’s starting line, we smell exhaust and hear the unmistakable rattle of a vintage VW engine. This from the pink, mirror-plated Beetle once owned by Liberace that was a sidecar to his pink mirror-plated Rolls. The Liberace Foundation has had the car restored to operational condition; I’d never seen it actually driven before today.
The total turnout, as Mayor Goodman announced from the stage, was 8,000. And props to my man Daryl Borges for his work with the O.V. Elvi, who performed terrifically with the city’s go-to Elvis tribute artist for such events, Jesse Garon. How’s business, Jesse? “It’s goin’ great, man, just great.”
12:30 p.m.: Lunch-break action at La Cave at Wynn Las Vegas. I mention this moment because I was seated on the patio, in the sun, and actually felt something of sunburn developing on my neck. Meantime, my family in Idaho is knocking icicles from the storm drains ….
La Cave is a great hang, and I recommend the pulled-pork flatbread entree. Not that I’m an expert on pulled pork, mind you …
The visit to Wynn is relevant because it gave me a chance to catch up on a back-and-forth with esteemed young recording artist Nick Hissom. Late-late Friday night, Hissom posted a photo on Instagram of himself with Tom Cruise at XS in nearby Encore. That was sort of unexpected. So I asked what was happening, and Hissom — who started an EDM set at 1 a.m. — said he ran into Cruise on his way out of the club. Cruise had seen Hissom’s set and had liked it, and otherwise had a great time in his first visit to the hotspot.
“I have been a fan of his work all of my life,” the 23-year-old Hissom said. “I was really excited when I found out he was there watching.”
Only in … well, you know.
2 p.m.: Donato Cabrera takes the stage at Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center to lead the Las Vegas Philharmonic in a spirited production of “The Snowman.” At the center of this holiday performance is the 1982 animated film of that name. (Spoiler alert: The co-star of the film winds up liquefied).
“The Snowman” is bracketed by holiday songs before and after intermission, including show-closing, sing-alongs of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells.” Backing the orchestra is the 100 (or so) member Las Vegas Master Singers featuring at least one Las Vegas journalist (I saw you up there, oh former colleague).
Cabrera is a wondrous talent who is leading one of the most ambitious seasons ever for the L.V. Phil, 19 shows, 11 of them Master Series performances. This audience is held rapt, even as some of the younger fans call out randomly during the breaks in the music. Cabrera just goes with it. Those young voices just add to the spirit, even if they are out of the director’s control.
6:30 p.m.: In this piece of non-news, the Wrangler NFR is sold out tonight. This is the 293rd consecutive sellout dating to the rodeo’s first year in Las Vegas in 1985. More than 18,000 fans have packed the place tonight.
The relevance of this event can be easily quantified: When the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association moved NFR to Las Vegas in 1985, the city was home to 53,000 hotel rooms and hosted 14 million visitors per year. Those stats from 2014: 150,000 hotel rooms and 41.1 million annual visitors. The total attendance of the 10 shows should nudge 178,000 this year.
What else can we tell you about this event? More than 200,000 shoppers are expected to file through the Cowboy Christmas retail extravaganza at Las Vegas Convention Center. They getcha every which way at NFR.
And, every so often, you hear something about the contestants you’d not known before. One of the bareback contestants told a visiting blogger that he always prays before his go and also tries to pray along with the horse he has drawn for that ride.
“What if your horse is an atheist?” I asked aloud. “What if you get a horse named Penn Jillette?”
“That’s not an option,” was the response.
So it goes at NFR, where the anointed share the feeling that something, or someone, is watching over us.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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