Tom Donoghue
Criss Angel is named the GOAT by Vanish magazine.
Monday, Feb. 25, 2019 | 12:30 p.m.
One of the Las Vegas Strip’s most talked about headliners won a major artistic award over the weekend. No, not her. Vanish Magic Magazine presented Criss Angel with The Greatest of All Time award onstage in front of a sold-out audience at the conclusion of Angel’s “Mindfreak” show Friday night at Planet Hollywood. “Criss Angel has created a truly historic production and has elevated live entertainment to entirely new levels, even in the entertainment capital of the world,” said Vanish editor Paul Romhany. “Criss’ talent, passion and work ethic have propelled him into a category all his own while continuing to inspire magicians worldwide.”
Chazz Palminteri with the Bronx Wanderers at the Linq.
Two hot Vegas shows celebrated grand openings this week. The Naked Magicians opened their first-ever residency run on the Strip at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club at MGM Grand. The Friday night event starring Australians Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne saw visits from local entertainers including Melody Sweets, Eric Jordan Young, Mac King, Gerry McCambridge and cast members from “The Australian Bee Gees Show” and “Fantasy.” And the Bronx Wanderers celebrated their continued Vegas success at a new venue, the Mat Franco Theater at the Linq, on Wednesday night with celeb friends Sweets, Young, McCambridge, Anthony Cools, Mat Franco, Chadwick Johnson, Chris Phillips, Douglas “Lefty” “Leferovich, Frederic Da Silva, Ricardo Laguna and performers from “Fantasy,” “Tenors of Rock,” “Menopause the Musical” and “Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man.”
On Friday night, baseball great — and former Vegas headliner from the “Renegades” show at Cleopatra’s Barge — Jose Canseco attended “Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly” at the Linq with girlfriend Morgan Strelow and went backstage after the show to meet the affable magician. Also on Friday, NFL icon Jerry Rice partied at Park MGM hot spots Juniper Cocktail Lounge and On the Record speakeasy and nightclub.
On Thursday night, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon warmed up for two weekend shows at the Cosmopolitan at La Comida in the downtown Fremont East neighborhood, joined by the Killers’ bassist Mark Stoermer and the Smashing Pumpkins’ tour manager Tommy Lipnick.
MGM Cotai in Macau, China, will be featured in the final three episodes of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” which wraps up its 16th season on February 28, March 7 and March 14. This season of the Emmy-winning cooking competition series has been based in Kentucky but the remaining cheftestants will journey overseas and spend time at MGM Cotai’s Skylofts, Grand Ballroom, MGM Theater and chef Graham Elliot’s Coast restaurant, among other destinations.
