Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Golden Nugget sparks some Friday night lights; Harrah’s to remain Mac King’s magic castle

Downtown Casino

Steve Marcus

An exterior view of the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013.

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is the Gold Tower at Golden Nugget, where on the monitors Notre Dame has just had its golden domes befouled by Northwestern 43-40 in OT. Real gold in those N.D. helmets, by the way. But it is a golden moment for Northwestern, which boasts one of the best journalism programs in the country along with a reliable placekicker.

Around this hotel, Golden Nugget’s entertainment lineup continues to be anchored by comic/musician/impressionist Gordie Brown. The longtime Las Vegas performer started at Golden Nugget a decade ago, made a brief move to the room that is now Sands Showroom at the Venetian, then returned to Golden Nugget in 2009.

Brown is notoriously quick, the fastest practitioner of celebrity tributes this city has known, often uncorking more than 50 in a 90-minute show, with Stallone in the spree with Sammy and Sinatra.

Golden Nugget also is adding to its schedule in the Grand, its renovated ballroom that fills out to a pretty healthy concert venue. Ending this year and entering 2015, the hotel has secured some ambitious programming (or, “shows,” in lay terms). Kellie Pickler was Friday night and Aaron Lewis is tonight. The shows tied to the arrival of National Finals Rodeo include Hank Williams Jr. (Dec. 4-6), Merle Haggard (Dec. 7-8), Travis Tritt (Dec. 9), Sara Evans (Dec. 10) and Alabama (Dec. 11-12). That is a heavy-duty lineup for the place where country took hold decades ago as then-owner Steve Wynn booked Kenny Rogers.

The 2015 series that Golden Nugget has assembled is “52 Fridays,” a headlining act of some merit every Friday night at Golden Nugget Showroom, as Brown is dark on Fridays and Mondays. The first blast is “The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show” (mighty brazen claim, that) on Jan. 2; Foghat (the band that claims to have been the basis for “This Is Spinal Tap”) on Jan. 9; Gary Puckett & The Union Gap on Jan. 16; and “1964 The Tribute” on Jan. 23. That’s a Beatles tribute act that performs only songs the band performed live.

Other notables: Eddie Money on Feb. 13, Sheena Easton on March 27, Morris Day on April 10 and Christopher Cross on May 15. What it means: Competition for your entertainment dollar is heating up — heating, I tell you! — downtown. Later tonight, it will be Harry Shahoian’s Rock this Town band in Rush Lounge.

Until then, we move right along …

• During last week’s Las Vegas Academy of the Arts “Under the Big Top” gala fundraiser at the Rio, Mac King let it be known that he has just signed a five-year contract extension at Harrah’s. King’s contract extends through 2019, giving him 19 years at the hotel. King’s 14-year run at Harrah’s is already a mark unmatched by any magician in town in terms of an unbroken stretch at a single hotel. He famously spent two months at the Maxim in the fall of 1999 before that hotel closed, and he was snapped up the following spring by officials at Harrah’s.

As is customary, King’s production is rife with reappearing Fig Newtons, goldfish and the Cloak of Invisibility. He’s a great guy, great entertainer and great Las Vegas success story. His shows are at 1 and 3 p.m. daily (dark Mondays). Check it out, and take the kids; maybe you can explain King’s Froot Loops joke to them someday. That’s a sly bit of verbal magic.

• Las Vegas Philharmonic was well-represented at the Las Vegas Academy’s annual fundraising gala at the Rio. During the live auction, L.V. Phil CEO Jeri Crawford dropped $5,500 on a tiny “Multipoo,” half-Maltese, half-poodle. This is what happens when you give auctioneer Christian Kolberg enough time to work a room — you might wind up spending $5.5K on a puppy.

Crawford was glad to make the donation for the 1.5-pound canine, as she is a longtime supporter of LVA. The math works out to $3,667 a pound for that li’l canine. Name’s Dottie, Dot for short. “She is running the house,” as Crawford says.

Crawford outbid Elvis impressionist Brendan Paul for the pooch, and where else but Las Vegas does this happen? The night raised an impressive $150,000, exceeding last year’s total, for an arts-driven school that happens to be part of Clark County School District and is publicly funded aside from the gala and related donations. Many great artists still performing in town and across the country are products of LVA.

• Those who are poking around for entertainment ideas are officials at Westgate, Stratosphere — and Suzanne Somers. The latter has been seen at Westgate in the company of onetime Las Vegas Hilton official Ken Ciancimino, who is on a tour around the city in hopes of signing Somers to a deal in a Las Vegas venue. Famous for her role as Chrissy Snow on “Three’s Company,” Somers has a long history, some 25 years, as an on-again, off-again performer in Las Vegas.

Otherwise, I keep hearing that Westgate is forging some master plan to fill its 1,600-seat theater, as “Raiding the Rock Vault” has departed for the Tropicana. Headliners and production shows are in play. Stratosphere is entertaining suitors to supplant Frankie Moreno when he leaves the property after his show Dec. 20, with “Pin Up” the only show with an extended future at the Strat showroom. “Pin Up” star Claire Sinclair’s contact is due for renewal in January, and those talks usually commence in December. She has been spelled, to great applause, by Sabina Kelley. By January, we’ll know a lot more about “Pin Up’s” prospects.

• Joining the Las Vegas Fans Entertainment Hall of Fame on Monday are longtime Las Vegas faves The Nitekings. This five-man vocal group hit town in 1982 playing the T-Bird Lounge before moving on to a regular gig at The Tap House owned by venerable Las Vegans Bob Harry and Jimmy Girard. The group has performed all over the city, opening for Leslie Gore at Sunset Station and singing with The Miracles, Del-Vikings, The Righteous Brothers and The Drifters, among others. Founder Richard Perez was just on the cusp of retirement when he received the call that the group would be inducted to the L.V. Fans Hall of Fame, which supports many beloved performers in the city’s history.

Monday’s ceremony is set for 12:30 p.m. at Addison’s Lounge at Rampart. Frank Citro will host a no-admission-fee after-party at Rhythm Kitchen at 7:30. Musicians are encouraged to attend and bring a plus-one in the form of a musical instrument. There shall be a jam session.

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

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