Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club to reopen with Brillon, Luenell

Jimmy Kimmel is ready to go live, once more, on the Strip.

We speak of Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, which reopens Nov. 3 at the Linq Promenade. “America’s Got Talent” finalist Gina Brillon is the relaunch headliner, performing through Nov. 6. Veteran headliner Luenell is on stage for the 9:30 p.m. late show, also Nov. 6.

It has been a long time between punchlines at the Kimmel Club, which shut down in March 2020 and has hosted only private and corporate events since the city’s reopening. But now, ex-Caesars Entertainment and South Point exec Damian Costa’s and Vegas entrepreneur Nick Cordaro’s Pompey Entertainment are co-managing the venue.

Kimmel’s birthday is Nov. 13. We might finally see him back on the premises.

“Las Vegas is my hometown and live entertainment was hit harder here than anyplace. It’s time to stop inhaling and get back to laughing,” Kimmel said in a news release issued Tuesday, after Sunday’s original reporting in this space of the reopening. “We have a great lineup of comedians who are more than ready to get back to doing what they love in the city we love.”

The 8,000-square-foot room seats 300. JKCC, its handy acronym, will stage performances 7 p.m. Tuesdays 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, with midnight shows on Saturdays. Go to kimmelscomedyclub.com for tickets and additional info.

Cordaro will be active in booking the club through its relaunch.

“Jimmy Kimmel is a Las Vegas legend who can attract the best comedians in the business. We give show-goers an unforgettable night of laughter,” the club exec said.

Costa checked in with, “The food, drinks and comedy – it’s all here and delivered in a classic Vegas setting. We want our audiences to laugh and remember our shows as the best stop on their Vegas adventures.”

The cross-promotional plan is to “throw” from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the club for select headliners. This system was employed in the club a few times before the COVID shutdown. The room allows for TV/livestream telecasts. That’s why the ceiling is comparatively high for a comedy room.

And, as Costa says, the original concept was to create more of a showroom vibe than a traditional comedy club (forget that “Comedy Club” is in the title).

Among the Las Vegas comedy rooms that operated before COVID, Kimmel’s club is the last to reopen. We’ve been poking around for any positive news (or any intel, at all) for about three years on the club’s relaunch. Time to order a Cousin Sal, our favorite JKCC mocktail, and toast the funny.

Rio in activation

The Chi-Lites with Marshall Thompson have kicked off their extended engagement of Sunday afternoon performances at The Duomo at the Rio, also a Pompey Entertainment venture. The Chi-Lites shows carry through to 2 p.m. Sunday and also Nov. 6.

Thompson, the act’s founder still leads the act.

Tell me, have you seen her? Getting the groove on a Sunday w/ The Chi-Lites with Marshall Thompson @ The Duomo @RioVegas #RJNow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/LjJwQB27uk

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) October 16, 2022

The Chi-Lites charted with “Have You Seen Her” in 1971, covered by none other than M.C. Hammer on his 1990 breakout album, “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Me.” Beyonce has gotten a lot of miles out of her sample of “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So?”)” in her “Crazy In Love” hit. Jay-Z was featured on “Crazy In Love” and has also sampled The Chi-Lites hit “That’s How Long” on his “December 4th.”

“They ask me if I like rap, and I said, ‘Nooooo,’” Thompson says. “But the mailman came with a check with a bunch of zeroes on it. Now they ask, ‘Do you like rap? And I said, Yeeeesssss!”

The Chi-Lites are a unique booking in a still-blossoming room. Raiding The Rock Vault, a band that embodies Ozzy Osbourne’s battle cry, “You can’t kill rock and roll!” has extended to 2023. The Docksiders have just shifted to Thursdays-Fridays. This is a clear indication the yacht rockers are trying to steer to an audience.

And the engine that drives the entire Rio property, Penn & Teller, is still hoping to restart late November/early December as Teller recovers from quadruple-bypass surgery. There should be an update within a week about the show’s plans. While in rehabilitation, Teller has been working on card tricks with a new partner, Moxie Jillette, Penn’s daughter. It’s Mox & Teller, for now.

RWLV hearts Hart

We anticipate Kevin Hart will be a frequenter at the Theatre at Resorts World in 2023. Multiple dates are on the horizon. And in this context, “multiple” exceeds 20. The hotel has announced his New Year’s Eve appearances.

Garth on demand

We are zeroing in on plans for Garth Brooks to perform an extended engagement at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, starting in late-March or early April. Look for onsale just after Thanksgiving, with shows starting after Adele clears out. Brooks is certain to involve Trisha Yearwood, given his previous statements that a Garth-Trisha residency in Vegas is “a no-brainer.”

D&M reunion, kinda

Donny Osmond was a late scratch from his show at Harrah’s Saturday night. Osmond posted on social media he would miss the show after suffering what he termed “a mild injury” that morning during the Champions Run for Life & Ribbon Run at Town Square. Osmond underwent minor surgery on his right shoulder in January 2019, having suffered an injury onstage.

Oh, and you know when a surgery is minor? When it’s someone else’s surgery.

Anyway, Osmond is due back Nov. 1. And just as Donny was posting about his injury, Marie Osmond announced on her TikTok page that she is picking a date to visit her brother’ show at Harrah’s. “Let’s give him a big sellout when he goes back to work.” So look for her to visit the show the first week in November. And no, she has not yet seen Donny’s solo show, which is fantastic. This is a time to give it a shot of Marie, who says, “What do you say I tell you the date I’m going, and if you want, you can join us and let’s give him a big sellout when he gets back to work.”

What works in Vegas

“Atomic Saloon Show” at Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. The show celebrated No. 1,000 on Oct. 8. A righteous moment in the pandemic-reopening era. To the cast and crew, I say, we will always have Edinburgh, where it all started.

Cool Hang Alert

Sand Dollar Lounge has set a Make-A-Wish Charity night starting at 8 p.m. Saturday at the club’s Polaris Avenue-Spring Mountain Road location. The night is part of the annual “Nightmare on Spring Mountain” adventure. Guests are encouraged to wear Disney costumes and imbibe in specialty cocktails from David English and David Cooper, pizza from the great chef Chris Decker, and live music from Dan Fester. Cooper and Korey Replogle furnish the club’s distinctive art. All proceeds are donated to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. Go to TheSandDollarLV.com or wish.org for info.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.