Louie Anderson makes ‘Splash’ too late for Palace Station show

The good news: The ABC diving contest “Splash” may be the biggest boost for Louie Anderson’s career in a long time.

The bad news: Palace Station is closing the venue that carries his name while the show is on the air.

The comedian will have five more shows at Palace Station after “Splash” debuts March 19: He closes out the residency with shows March 21, 22, 28, 29 and 30.

By all reports, Anderson is taking the celebrity diving seriously and training hard not to be the guy everyone applauds for the effort but sends home the first week.

“We know in the long term this is going to be really good,” says Joe Sanfelippo, who produces Anderson’s show in Las Vegas in association with his Bonkerz comedy clubs.

But in the short term? Anderson will have to take advantage of the national exposure with dates on the road until Sanfelippo finds another Vegas venue for him.

Station Casinos provided “great support,” Sanfelippo says, but “Palace is the only property close enough to the Strip to make sense.”

Station executives are confirming Anderson’s departure without explaining why, but it sounds it has more to do with a different use of the space — historically, the property’s lounge — than with replacing Anderson with another show. …

The Riviera has been floated as one potential new home for Anderson.

The club is making some noise by holding a weekly comedy competition from March 23 to April 13, with finals on April 20. Sunday is the last day to post a three-to-five minute video on the Riviera’s Facebook page or mail a DVD to the hotel. The chance to headline for a week is for anyone at least 18 who hasn’t performed at the club in three years. …

With a domestic box office total of about $12.5 million, let’s just say December was probably not a good time to put the Cirque du Soleil movie “Worlds Away” up against “The Hobbit.”

But that’s just all the more potential viewers when the Cirque movie comes out on home video formats Tuesday. Those with 3-D TVs can watch it the way it was filmed, but it’s also in “flat” Blu-Ray and DVD.

And since so few of you saw it, it bears repeating that I speak of it here because the Cirque consists mainly of performance footage from the Las Vegas-based Cirque shows. …

The Laugh Factory comedy club at the Tropicana is staging a Wednesday benefit for the family of taxi driver Michael Boldon, who died when his cab exploded in the Strip shooting of Feb. 21.

The benefit was originally set for this week, but pushed back a week in hopes of a resolution of the strike by Yellow Checker Star Transportation drivers, organizers say.

The club invites other Las Vegas headliners, and is working to get more famous comedians to make guest appearances along with the club’s regular lineup. Tickets are $29 and $44.95; call 800-462-8767. …

Finally, reach out. Either direction. Someone will be there. No matter which side of the Strip you’re on, your Motown tribute is covered by producer Adam Steck.

Steck is behind “Human Nature: The Motown Show” at The Venetian, which only recently cut a deal with the label’s parent company to use the name so prominently.

But last weekend, Steck opened Boyz II Men directly across the street at The Mirage. And guess what? The trio gets people out of their seats with a Motown tribute, covering some of the same songs: “Just My Imagination,” “Tracks of My Tears,” etc.

Their claim is just as legitimate. In a recent interview, the Boyz talked about how cozy Motown was for a major label .

“You could imagine me being very sensitive,” Steck says with a laugh, when the Boyz informed him they’d like to keep the Motown segment .

Ultimately he decided there was no conflict. The Boyz’s Motown segment is “10 minutes out of 90,” Steck points out, and not mentioned in any of the advertising or marketing.

We could also point out that both Boyz and “Human Nature” work on sets created by the same production designer, Andy Walmsley. But we’ll save that for another column.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.