Base not finished with Planet Hollywood Showroom
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is the Wynn Las Vegas sports book, under the expert helmsmanship of my good friend Johnny Avello. From the Westminster Dog Show to the Academy Awards, Avello is an expert handicapper and also a big fan of entertainment in this city. I ran into him at Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center last month at “Cabaret,” and years ago he was a frequenter of the late CineVegas Film Festival at the Palms.
Anyhow, the reason for this visit to Wynn/Encore is to pay tribute to a true Las Vegas giant, banking magnate E. Parry Thomas, who died Aug. 26 at his ranch estate in Hailey, Idaho. The Encore Ballroom should be replete with some of the more powerful and influential figures in Las Vegas, with a series of eulogies from Thomas’ kids to be capped by Steve Wynn.
Until we pay our respects, we will write it up from this oddly quite locale:
BASE’S SPACES
Paul Zerdin closed his truncated “Mouthing Off” show at Planet Hollywood Showroom on Sunday night. The attempt to play off Zerdin’s championship in “America’s Got Talent” and build a hit show faltered after just four months. Base Entertainment has no production in that theater, as Frankie Moreno’s “Under the Influence,” which was paired with “Mouthing Off,” closed back in July.
There has been some buzz about how the P.H. Showroom will be managed as it sits dark, but Base is bringing in “America’s Got Talent Live” once again on Oct. 27-29, presenting the top three finishers in the contest show’s current (and 14th) season. Base reps are also talking of using the Planet Hollywood Showroom for a production with an attention-grabbing title next spring.
This concept, which seems still in the larval stages, reminds me of a conversation I had with “AGT” creator Simon Cowell back in December. Having returned to the judge’s table with Mel B., Howie Mandell and Heidi Klum, Cowell made it clear he wants to plan an “AGT” resident show on the Strip. If I were a betting man, and I am, I’d wager on Planet Hollywood.
NEON JOHN
John Fogerty’s return to the Venetian Theater next week will be marked by a unique live performance pairing the rock legend with an iconic Vegas backdrop. On Monday afternoon, Fogerty is performing a four-song set at the Neon Boneyard to promote his second stint at the Venetian (the nine-show set opens Sept.14 and runs through Oct. 2).
This appearance by Fogerty at the Boneyard is not a public event, but expect some very cool visuals of Fogerty playing, say, “Suzy Q” in front of, say, the old Golden Nugget sign.
MAYORAL TECHNOLOGY
In seeking comment from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on the death of the great Thalia Dondero, I was told by City Hall officials that Goodman issued her official response praising Dondero on Twitter. This is a major shift in media strategy between Carolyn Goodman and her predecessor and husband, Oscar Goodman, who was so averse to using computer technology that when he left office in 2011, a staffer presented him with a giant binder titled, “How To Use A Computer.” The tutorial began with, “How to turn on your computer.”
To this moment, I am still not convinced Oscar has ever sent an e-mail, and he’s certainly not managing his own Twitter account (the last time I asked who performed that task, he said, “I have no idea.”). But today’s Mayor Goodman is logged on and active in social media, in a very official sort of way.
John Katsilometes’ column runs Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
