Rick's Restorations
A man and his machines: New History Channel star Rick Dale.
Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 | 1:19 p.m.
The virtual reality continues to spin out of Gold & Silver Pawn, home of "Pawn Stars."
The first spawn of the pawn sensation is a similar reality-based show to be called "Rusty Nuts," centering on the happenings at Rick's Restorations, the restorative Las Vegas business owned by Rick Dale.
Dale has been a frequent guest expert on "Pawn Stars" over the past year, and has become famous for restoring such items as old Coke machines, motorcycles, and even dentists' chairs. The show debuts Oct. 18 with two half-hour episodes that air at 6 p.m. and 6:30 on History Channel, the same network that airs "Pawn Stars." (I mentioned this show, then known simply as "Rick's Restorations" back in June.) That's when crew from Leftfield Productions, the company that also produces "Pawn Stars," hit Las Vegas to begin filming
Since then, producers have been seeking Vegas-styled items to de-rust, paint and otherwise make like new. Overtures to Mayor Oscar Goodman's office have not led to any such items to be featured on the show; Goodman doesn't have anything beat-up enough to be restored. Wayne Newton still is interested.
Maybe Dale can find an artifact to restore at Liberace Museum as the attraction closes, coincidentally, the night before "Rusty Nuts" debuts.
Chip Lightman
Lightman, Osmonds splitting?
In the face of rumors that he is parting ways with Donnie & Marie Osmond, whose Flamingo show he produces, Chip Lightman can't comment.
His comment? "No comment." That's what he said, or didn't say, this afternoon.
Lightman remains, at this writing, the show's producer, under contract through Oct. 15, 2012. (Coincidentally, I tried to get into the D&M show on Thursday and it was dark because Donny Osmond is ill.)
Meanwhile, Lightman's relationship with Las Vegas rock impressionist Brody Dolyniuk is latent. No real movement to report there. Brody remains really talented, and Lightman remains both interested and really busy.
Michael Grimm, onstage with Santa Fe and the Fat City horns on Monday night at the Palms.
Reunion at Santa Fe
"America's Got Talent" champion Michael Grimm returned to his performing roots Monday night, sitting in with Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns at the Lounge at the Palms. Grimm is a former member of one of the city's great bands.
David Perrico and Marley Taylor: A new look and a new sound.
Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor of Zowie Bowie at the 2010 AFAN Black & White Party at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Aug. 21, 2010.
Phillips, Taylor, Perrico Group forge on
Zowie Bowie again is filling Rocks Lounge every Friday at Red Rock Resort, where the act made its Vegas debut in the spring of 2006. So much has changed, right? Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor have gone Journey (this is where we slip in a few bars of "Separate Ways"), but both seem quite content as the act chugs along.
Apart from Zowie Bowie, Taylor is teamed with her life mate, David Perrico, for a just-launched show at Tropicana, which started Wednesday night at Celebration Lounge. The David Perrico Group performs at 10 p.m. every Wednesday.
"Charlie," as shown in Judy Alberti's office at Red Rock Resort.
And they call it ... Char-lie!
This week Station Casinos entertainment department execs Mandy Christine, Judy Alberti and Monica Reeves flew to Nashville to accept their Academy of Country Music Award for Green Valley Ranch in Henderson being named 2009 Casino of the Year.
The tall, chisel-like trophy itself will be no display piece.
The execs have since named the award "Charlie," a pretty fair country-music name, and plan to tour it around famous Las Vegas-area landmarks: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, Hoover Dam, and maybe even The Green Door, and I am kidding about that last one.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the U.S. 95 Corridor Improvement Project in the Santa Fe Station parking garage Tuesday, August 3, 2010. Susan Martinovich, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, listens at right. Elements of the project include widening roads, improving interchanges and constructing sound walls.
Mayoral clarification
The moment I most enjoyed from Mayor Goodman's Thursday-night summit with Stephen Colbert, as Colbert asked about Goodman's proposal to slice the thumbs from anyone caught committing graffiti in Las Vegas.
"Why not the index finger? Isn't that the finger you use to spray-paint?" Colbert asked.
"Not graffiti artists," Goodman answered. "They use their thumbs." I think he's right.
Totally jazzed
The UNLV Jazz Ensemble I and Las Vegas Academy jazz band put on a spirited show at Ham Hall on Wednesday. The turnout was very good for a midweek jazz show at UNLV, 560 in attendance. Even in the face of budget cuts for arts programs, UNLV Director of Jazz Studies David Loeb has put together a really cool band.
Chef Rick Moonen and Carrot Top host a cooking demonstration at Three Square Food Bank to benefit the Grant A Gift Autism Foundation on Sept. 15, 2010.
Top at the top
After two weeks in the annual Sun Celebrity/Media NFL Picks contest — the so-called "Chase for the Golden Nerf" — the leader is Carrot Top at 5-1. Justin Spencer of Recycled Percussion is 4-2.
Topper is a big NFL fan, a lifelong Dolphins fan, but bets his head, not his heart. In this contest, celebrities and select media types make three selections against the posted point spread (including totals) and the winner gets a Nerf football spray-painted gold — by a journalist who used his thumb on that can of Krylon.
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