Holiday haps from Travis Cloer, Clint Holmes; Andrew Dice Clay goes for Laughs; Melody Sweets says ‘Maybe’ to Santa

By John Katsilometes

Published Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 | 3:24 p.m.

Updated Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 | 4:27 p.m.

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is the food court at Monte Carlo, and how happy are we for free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s right now? Very. Very happy.

Across the way, I’ve noticed the progress at Las Vegas Arena is coming along beautifully. I detected that progress as I was planning to walk over to the Arena from Monte Carlo valet (which is something of a fine mess right now, for construction, but still in full operation).

But how I wound up writing from the food court at Monte Carlo instead of on assignment at the Arena is a story both short and sad: Sometimes I am unable to successfully enter an appointment, such as “Garth Brooks Las Vegas Arena 8:30 a.m.)” into my calendar.

So here we are catching up on information impartation in the glare of the Golden Arches.

Moving on …

• Travis Cloer has put all of his ample talent and energy into his new release, “Christmas at My Place,” and brings that new CD to life Monday night for two shows at Cabaret Jazz. Times are at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.; tickets are $46 and $61 at TheSmithCenter.com.

Cloer, who swaps the role of Frankie Valli with Graham Fenton in “Jersey Boys” at Paris Las Vegas, can always be counted on to deliver in these solo shows. A seven-piece band will back him, and scheduled guests include Mark Shunock, Niki Scalera and Frankie Moreno (who is likely to take part in just the early show).

Expect Cloer and Shunock to duet on the new holiday classic, if there is such a thing, “Christmas in Las Vegas” by Richard Cheese. Scalera, who sang on Cloer’s album, is up for “Marshmallow World”/“Winter Wonderland,” and music director Keith Thompson (Cloer’s buddy and colleague from “Jersey Boys”) wrote the new original “Christmas Is My Favorite.”

“I’m pretty excited about the lineup, and we’ll be playing the whole record, but not necessarily in order,” Cloer says. “I love Christmas music, it’s fun music, it’s sentimental, and I’d love to see in Las Vegas an annual Christmas series in town somewhere. Have it televised and bring people in to sit-in and perform.”

You’d need a neutral venue for that. Oh, the Smith Center is such a place …

• On the topic of the city’s performing arts center, Clint Holmes is back for his annual holiday shows and has expanded the schedule by one night — tonight — along with Friday and Saturday shows at 8:30 and the 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.

More shows to keep tabs on: Kristen Hertzenberg and Philip Fortenberry’s “Holidays From the Heart” on Dec. 19 (shows at 2:30 and 7 p.m.) and — in a long-overdue booking — Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns on Dec. 28. Sliding in just under the gun to close 2015, Jerry Lopez and the boys are fulfilling a long-awaited performance with a one-off at Cab Jazz at 10:30 p.m.

And, lest we forget, Moreno, who consistently fills Cab Jazz, is back Dec. 15, 22 and 29. The Dec. 22 performance is his Christmas show. Moreno has been bouncing around the planet, performing in Australia and China and taking time off in Italy, in between appearances at the Smith Center.

We should know more about his 2016 schedule in, well, 2016. January, likely. Check back, eh?

• Andrew Dice Clay is set for a run of headlining appearances at Laugh Factory at Tropicana for 10 p.m. shows Dec. 11-13 and again Jan. 1-3. Clay is taking the open slot after Rich Little (7 p.m.) and the Laugh Factory’s regular lineup (8:30 p.m.).

Clay has wrapped filming his new series, “Dice,” airing in 2016 on Showtime. No specified air date for the six episodes banked, but Wayne Newton and Criss Angel are among those who have appeared in what is described as a “semi-autobiographical” adaption of Clay’s life and career.

Clay has no remaining dates at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel, but Hard Rock officials say they would be interested in bringing him back next year during the run of the series.

• Something you have got to download is the new Melody Sweets holiday single “Santa Maybe …,” which is now available at her website MelodySweets.com.

Adult in tenor and certain to fire up Yule logs across the great holiday landscape, “Santa Maybe …” features such Las Vegas heavies as Eric Plante of “O” (who produced, arranged and engineered the song and also plays sax), David Perrico of Pop Strings and Pop Evolution, Mike “Beans” Bengino of “MJ Live” and Stephen Lee of Donny & Marie.

It really moves. The song, I mean. A release party is set for Fizz at Caesars Palace at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Fizz is just a quick sleigh ride from “Absinthe,” where Sweets holds court as the Green Fairy twice nightly Wednesdays through Sundays. Great show. Jerry Lewis is its most recent devotee.

• Get to this Saturday morning (if you can properly operate an appointment calendar): The Great Santa Run is set for 7:30 a.m. at Fremont Street’s Third Street Stage. The benefit for Opportunity Village is in its 11th year; for information on how to register, go to LasVegasSantaRun.org.

This year’s celeb participants are the cast of “Jersey Boys,” Chippendales, Wayne Newton and Jabbawockeez. This goes off, rain or shine, but the upshot is it’s for a good cause — and you get a Santa suit. It’s a see of like several thousand folks in Santa costumes, lumbering along Fremont Street, and you are encouraged to rid the Slotzilla zipline attraction, as ticket sales are being donated to O.V. This event really has it all.

• “Nashville Unplugged: The Story Behind the Song” is being performed Friday at 9:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl. Aaron Benward hosts, and his guests are Travis Howard and Matt Warren in the hybrid performance-storytelling showcase.

Howard was a member of USA Network’s “Nashville Star,” where he met and formed a partnership with Miranda Lambert, who has since recorded 10 songs on three No. 1 albums in partnership with Howard. Warren has had 15 songs recorded by Gary Allan. Benward has penned 11 No. 1 songs and the themes to “Nashville,” “Project Runway” and “The Voice.”

The show is a heck of a time and coincides with Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which opens tonight. Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door. Hit the Brooklyn Bowl website, and thank me later, tater.

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