Killer scenes used for the band’s upcoming album cover
A raking of the VegasVille scene, where the guy at the Plaza who looks like Brandon Flowers, is:
Killer scenes
The Killers recently took part in a photo shoot in and around Las Vegas with Dutch video director and photographer Anton Corbijn. The band’s Twitter posts run from May 28 through Friday, showing shots of Corbijn on assignment with Flowers, the band’s front man. The two depicted are on-site in the desert, and also in downtown Las Vegas.
Who's the man? pic.twitter.com/Tx1E5t0khO
— The Killers (@thekillers) June 3, 2017
In one shot at the Plaza hotel’s porte cochere, Flowers is shown wearing a cowboy hat while piloting a convertible Caddy. In another, he is wearing a bad-ass, silver jacket with “The Man” stitched across the back. These shots are for the band’s upcoming album and also to use for a yet-determined single.
— The Killers (@thekillers) June 1, 2017
Corbijn has worked with the band before, in 2005, on the video for “All The Things That I’ve Done.”
Englands spin
“Absinthe” skating siblings Emily and Billy England appeared Tuesday night on “America’s Got Talent.” They had previously been featured on “Britain’s Got Talent,” but this was their first appearance on the U.S. show. Check it out below.
Also in the audition round was Jimmy Slonina of “Mystere.” Check back for how these top Vegas artists fared with the judges.
The Kenny Smith Effect
Ex-NCAA and NBA star and current broadcaster Kenny Smith is hosting a live-commentary event at Topgolf at MGM Grand for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday. This is indeed Smith watching the game along the vast Topgolf video wall and providing color commentary. There is no charge for this opportunity, and at halftime Smith’s vocalist daughter, Kayla Brianna, will sing a couple of tunes.
It’s something different from Smith, a sharp analyst and a great player. Just don’t expect him to be quiet during your backswing …
Strip duo Kicks it
The symbiotic stage tandem Jarrett & Raja are using a Kickstarter campaign for their “Magician Vs. Maestro” show at Hooters hotel-casino. It’s fairly uncommon for entertainers to set up such an outreach program during a run, rather then before. But as co-star and piano virtuoso Raja says, “It never hurts.” The goal is $50,000 by the end of June. The duo opened their family-friendly show (regardless of the Hooters randy brand and image) in April.
Johnson’s Kerr connection
With the NBA Finals in full swing, now is as good a time as any to remind of the connection between the great Las Vegas jazz vocalist Michelle Johnson and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Johnson and Kerr became friends when they were teenagers studying in an international school in Egypt. One famous story: Johnson was the manager of the school’s basketball team when Kerr was a star guard.
The two reunited at an NBA Summer League game at Cox Pavilion in 2009, when Kerr was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns and Johnson sang the national anthem. She remains worried about his lingering back ailments, saying, “I cried when they gave him a standing ovation (prior to Game 2 in Oakland). I worry about him like a mom.”
Johnson is onstage with David Perrico’s Pop Strings band for “Songbook of the Soul” at Cabaret Jazz at 8 p.m. Friday. Her next solo show is “Strictly Taboo,” where Johnson unspools the hits of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, Etta James and others.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.