Backstreet Boys lead Vegas stars on Pentatonix special
The upcoming “Pentatonix: A Not So Silent Night” Christmas special seems one-stop holiday shopping for Caesars Entertainment.
Several of the company’s properties, artists and attractions are to be featured prominently on the vocal group’s NBC special to air 10 p.m. Monday. Rio headliners Penn & Teller, cast members of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace and Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood stalwarts Backstreet Boys have all recorded appearances such locales as FlyLinq zipline and High Roller at Linq Promenade and Bacchanal buffet.
BSB actually leads the tour, which includes a stop with Kelly Clarkson and Maren Morris, who close the show with a segment at Las Vegas Rescue Mission. The two are featured on Pentatonix’s new holiday album, “Christmas Is Here!,” which is a collection of modern and classical seasonal tunes.
“Peti & Taller” vacate
A show with some promise has abruptly shut down at Hooters’ Night Owl Showroom. “Peti & Taller: The Hooligans of Magic,” the comedy-magic show co-hosted by Mateo Amieva, who was Criss Angel’s longtime sidekick in “Mindfreak Live,” and Christian Ford (who has appeared in the Fox sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is done.
Amieva and Ford gave notice on Friday that they would close their run Dec. 29. Instead, room operator Peter Housley of Admit VIP, citing slow ticket sales, dropped the hammer that night.
The duo found out about the change via e-mail Saturday morning. Welcome to the Vegas Four Wall Experience, gentlemen.
Housley is now looking for a new show to take the vacant 9 p.m. slot; Gordie Brown continues as the room’s anchor at 7 p.m. “Little Miss Nasty,” which is a burner of a rock-dance show, adds Thursday nights to its 10 p.m. weekend schedule. “Motown Extreme,” which I have not seen (he says rhythmically), takes the daily 5 p.m. groove.
Amieva says he and Ford will be back — and I nod in agreement — after touring their act in January. It’s a tough market, but the act is funny, and Amieva especially has honed his luckless sidekick character after a decade playing off Angel. The show deserves another shot to evolve, somewhere.
Time for Flav!
A man who causes commotion wherever he shows up, Flavor Flav ambled into Monday’s “I Love The ‘90s — The Vegas Show” penultimate performance of the year at Paris Theater. The rap icon was with Las Vegas producer Frank DiMaggio and local artist Valerie Brooks.
Flav was called out by Kid-N-Play with the requisite, “Yeah, booooy!” The crowd went nuts. Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, a man for whom the term “I’ll have what he’s having” seems to have been invented, actually left backstage during Kid-N-Play’s performance to hug Flav at the front of the stage.
The ’90s production has been a great night of nostalgic grooving, led by Salt-N-Pepa, but is silent until Jan. 17 so the lead act can re-charge. When this show is back, get there. It’s a time. I’ll be there, somewhere in the long shadow of Flavor Flav.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast is posted on the R-J website. Contact him atjkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
