Las Vegas headliner to join ‘The Hollywood Squares’ reboot

Soon we will hear, “Luenell to win, Nate!”

“The Hollywood Squares” reboot on CBS was delayed from this past Thursday to next (or, Jan.16) in deference to the fires in Los Angeles. The show’s premiere is set for 8 p.m. that day.

Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club favorite Luenell is scheduled to be in the game-show’s grid in the upcoming season. “I’m excited,” the Sunday- and Monday-night headliner says. “It’s not like I don’t know ‘The Hollywood Squares.’”

Nate Burleson (“CBS Mornings,” “The NFL Today”) hosts, with Drew Barrymore taking the featured center square slot. Not sure where Luenell is positioned, or when she will appear. But she’ll dominate the scene.

“Meeting Drew Barrymore was a real thrill,” Luenell said. “She just shines. She’ll be great on the show.”

Other participating celebs include Tyra Banks, Julie Bowen, Yvette Nicole Brown, Whitney Cummings, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Tiffany Haddish, Oliver Hudson, Pete Holmes, Gabriel Iglesias, Jo Koy, Jay Leno, Justin Long, Kevin Nealon, RuPaul, Andrew Rannells, Kristen Schaal, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Sheryl Underwood and Jimmy O. Yang.

Luenell returns to Kimmel’s Club in March. Meantime, comic-actor Kym Whitley is ably taking her Sunday and Monday dates. Luenell is also cast in the upcoming “Dog Man” movie, role of Tilly. Ricky Gervais as Flippy the Fish, and as Petey the Cat, are also cast. Film is due Wednesday.

Venetian in ‘Showgirl’ plans

Voltaire at The Venetian was originally in line to host “The Last Showgirl” world premiere. The idea was for Miley Cyrus to appear and perform the film’s theme, “Beautiful That Way,” which was nominated for a Golden Globe. But scheduling prevented that from happening.

As Voltaire creator and The Venetian hospitality/entertainment exec Michael Gruber confirmed Thursday, all sides had hoped to make the venue the center stage for the film’s worldwide launch. Several cast members of Voltaire headliner Dita Von Teese’s show were cast in the film, which also used many “Jubilee” costumes from Von Teese’s show.

Producers switched to The Beverly Theater in downtown Las Vegas, which hosted the event, at the urging of Vegas broadcaster Rachel Smith, who also moderated the post-screening Q&A on the Beverly stage. The film’s star, Pamela Anderson, and producer David Schwartzmann appeared at the event, which was a fine time and a boon for the theater.

More ‘Jubilee’ memories

Seeing Holly Madison at “The Last Showgirl” premiere conjured some VegasVille memories. I caught a performance alongside Madison in 2009. This was a dual-purpose hang. Madison was studying for her starring role in “Peepshow” at Planet Hollywood. I had been working on a big profile story about Madison, who would perform in the show for three years.

These days, Madison co-hosts the “Girls Next Level” podcast, with former Playboy model and “The Girls Next Door” co-star Bridget Marquardt. The podcast recounts the hi-jinks of living in the Playboy Mansion, the setting for “The Girls Next Door.” We learn in the latest episode that Holly and Hugh Hefner’s favorite restaurant on Valentine’s Day, or any day, was Trader Vic’s.

Two years before the Madison visit, I saw a “Jubilee” performance with Tony Danza and Lee Roy Reams in 2007. They had been cast in “The Producers” at Paris Theater, adjacent to the Jubilee Theater at Bally’s (today’s Horseshoe). They sat in a reserved booth for the late show practically every night, after their own performance, energetically singing along with “A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody.”

These guys knew “Jubilee” front-to-back. Reams, especially, loved the show. He commented during the truly epic Titanic number, “Watch the bartenders in this scene!” as the cast members happily tossed beer bottles and bar rags at the back of the set.

I’d remembered them juggling those items, but “Jubilee” company manager Diane Palm corrected me. They were just dancing and tossing. Whichever, those were some times, folks, “Jubilee”-style.

He’s at Dolby

On the topic of Lenny Kravitz, Dolby Live is his Las Vegas performance stage. There has been some social-media conversation he’s headed for Sphere this year. No. Kravitz has five shows at the Park MGM venue, that is all.

Cool Hang Alert

Noybel Gorgoy and her band are opening Havana 1957 at the Flamingo, performing 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays beginning this weekend. Gorgoy is a terrific singer and musician and fits the “Havana” theme. She is originally from the Cuban city of Pinar del Rio. She was recruited in the original cast of “Havana Nights” at the Stardust from 2004-06, a show produced by Siegfried & Roy.

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 X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.