Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Myron Martin dealt ‘Late Show’ four-of-a-kind; Dee Snider praises(!) ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’

Dee Snider at Fremont Street Experience

Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com

Dee Snider performs at Fremont Street Experience on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012.

Updated Thursday, June 4, 2015 | 12:29 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

Myron Martin, president and CEO of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, announces the Broadway shows for Season 2 during a donors reception at The Smith Center on Monday, Feb. 4, 2013.

Forever mobile, The Kats Report Bureau is eyeing the weekend, where the outposts are to include the Matt Goss show at Gossy Lounge in Caesars Palace, maybe some Robuchon action at MGM Grand, a pop-in to Light at Mandalay Bay to check in with the crew bringing “For the Record: Baz” to that club on June 19, and — lest we forget — the Burlesque Hall of Fame events at the Orleans. The highlight of that four-day event is the Miss Exotic World Pageant at Orleans Arena on Saturday night, and that should be a standing-room-only spectacle.

I know that I am to stand, at least. Standing ovations for all!

Earlier today, I spoke with the raven burlesque queen Tempest Storm, who continues to be the focus of a major documentary film chronicling her life and career. Filming of Storm is to continue next week, and we’re to hang sometime during that process and catch up. Storm is always busy, making personal appearances around the country. When I asked her how she was doing, the 87-year-old resident of Las Vegas said, “Oh, I’m still movin’ stuff around.”

Of course.

Let’s do some spinning ourselves, shall we?

• Smith Center President Myron Martin might not be playing with a full deck (heh), but he does hold four cards that are part of TV history. These are cue cards used on “The Late Show With David Letterman” in the final weeks of Letterman’s tenure at CBS. The cards are from the show’s monologue on April 29, in which Letterman referred to the upcoming Tony Awards, which are Sunday night. Martin is a Tony Award voter and found the cards while perusing eBay, snatching the collection for $45.

“People were dumpster-diving outside the studio after Letterman announced his retirement,” Martin said before Frankie Moreno’s show at Cabaret Jazz on Tuesday night. “Some guy just pulled these from the dumpster.” They are being shipped to Las Vegas even as we speak.

• Dee Snider — make that, the Great Dee Snider — seems to be doing what they term in political campaigns as “walking back” some comments he made last week. Snider has long been critical of the rock production “Raiding the Rock Vault,” now at Tropicana Theater, and repeated his opinions in a column posted May 28 in advance of Twisted Sister’s appearance last Saturday at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel.

Well, on May 29, Snider was on Twitter promoting “Raiding the Rock Vault.” One tweet: “HEAR YE, HEAR YE! I’m hearing nothing but GREAT things about Raiding the Rock Vault. It’s a MUST SEE show in Las Vegas!” Another: “Support ALL forms of metal and the preservation of its legacy! Follow my new friends Raiding the Rock Vault!”

As they say, there’s enough room in the sandbox for everyone. Now all we need is for Snider to make a surprise guest appearance with the “Rock Vault” crew. But I guess that wouldn’t be a surprise now …

• Teasing to a column that is to appear in this week’s edition of Las Vegas Weekly, Kristen Hertzenberg is leaving Las Vegas in August to move back to her original home near Houston. Hertzenberg is among the more respected and admired entertainers in this city, having spent six years as Christine in “Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular” and much of this year as Dyanne in “Million Dollar Quartet” at Harrah’s. She’s also a frequent performer at Cab Jazz, joined by the dazzling pianist Philip Fortenberry, and also has showcased her own rock/country/folk band at the Foundation Room in Mandalay Bay.

Hertzenberg and her husband, Dana, and daughter, Shea, are moving to Texas to be closer to family. Her final performance in “MDQ” is Aug. 2; the family moves out the next day. She’ll be back at Cabaret Jazz in December for a holiday show with Fortenberry, but she will be sorely missed, personally and professionally, in Las Vegas. She has put on some really wonderful performances, on the Strip and off.

• Still feeling that Cab Jazz vibe, Clint Holmes is back with a new show, or a variation of one of his more popular shows, paying tribute to The Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Billy Joel. The latter artist is new to the production Holmes has previously showcased at the Smith Center. It’ll be great because Holmes is always great, with show times set at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (tickets are $37 and $46 and available at TheSmithCenter.com).

• This week’s guest on “Kats With the Dish” is Linq headliner Jeff Civillico, who is embarking on a new educational program called Showbiz Academy. The weeklong series of workshops runs June 8-12 and is for high school students interested in entertaining, or staging entertainment, or maybe managing entertainers. They are to learn about the creative and business components of the Las Vegas entertainment industry. (Here’s a revelation for starters: Pay the people you owe what you owe when you owe it to them.)

Taking part are members of Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group, “Jersey Boys,” “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers,” Rose. Rabbit. Lie., along with Harrah’s comic magician Mac King and other headlining performers. For information, go to JeffCivillico.com and listen for “KWTD” at 8 p.m. Friday on KUNV 91.5-FM. That show will be posted on my column’s index page by the weekend, too.

• One of the best singers in Las Vegas who is not a nationally famous singer is Jassen Allen. He’s back at Ron DeCar’s Events Center on Friday night in the production “With Love,” a celebration of the music of Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross. Summoning the stylings of Houston is the similarly talented Alexandraia Morgan and the Not So Background Singers. With that handle, these singers better be good (winking emoticon) …

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the show is at 7 p.m., and the cost is $30, or $40 for VIP seating. A buffet dinner is included, and tickets are at RonDeCarsEventCenter.com and by calling 702-384-0771.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy