Vanilla Ice holds a block party at the Joint; Goodman unleashes the ‘dog
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is in the Arts District at the counter of Makers & Finders Coffee. I highly recommend the V60 Pourover Drip, a great drink and also, in some instances, an apt nickname.
Some happenings from VegasVille:
THRILLA WITH VANILLA
Remember when “Ice Ice Baby” was a hit? The original version of the song was about four minutes long. But at the “I Love the ’90s” show at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel Friday night, the song lasted about 12 minutes.
“Ice! Ice! Baby! To, to, to, to the extreeeeeme!” shouted the Iceman, who is 49, in great shape and an inspiration to all of us in that age division. He finished with a Vanilla Ice hat sitting sideways on his head and an American flag.
Ice was joined onstage by fellow headliners Naughty By Nature, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, All-4-One, Tone Loc and Young MC. Flavor Flav, a vision in crimson with his requisite oversize clock necklace, also ambled onstage and spoke with undecipherable enthusiasm. Joining the show-closing fray were dozens of fans pulled from the crowd; Ice and McGrath, in particular, were fired up over this throwback party that filled the 3,000-capacity hall.
Afterward, during a conversation that carried through the elevator ride to the post-show party at Vanity, Ice said, “Tonight was, oh my God, it’s all about the excitement of the ’90s. It’s block parties wherever we go. It’s get your friends together and get your freak on.”
Ice has performed regularly in Las Vegas over the past several years, including the LAX “Throwback Thursdays” party last year. “The greatest thing about Vegas is, half the time you don’t remember what happened,” said Ice, who wrote the song “Rock Star Party in Vegas” on his 2011 “W.T.F.” album. “Who doesn’t love coming here? You can come here at any age and live like a teenager.”
Ice will gamble and is an avid craps player, but said he was laying off this year’s Super Bowl. He does have an opinion, though: “Atlanta’s really hot, but I can’t bet against Brady, being there seven times. I would never go against him. I’d like to see Atlanta win it, but if I had to put my money on somebody, it would be the Patriots. ”
MVP PROP ACTION
MGM Resorts sports book director Jay Rood describes Super Bowl betting as “business as usual,” which means that on Friday he took a $485,000 bet on the Patriots. Thursday, he booked three bets exceeding $250,000 on the Falcons. He says heavy proposition betting might lead to a record betting take, statewide, for the game. The current record is $132 million from last year’s Broncos-Panthers Super Bowl.
“I think if we had two of the real ‘core’ teams, with the largest fan bases, we’d have more of an increase in handle,” Rood said, referring to the total amount of money wagered. “Right now, most of the money, 60 percent, is coming in for the Patriots.”
At the Wynn Las Vegas sports book, director Johnny Avello also reported “many six-figure bets” as of Saturday afternoon, with the largest being $330,000.
GOODMAN’S PLAY
Our favorite recreational gambler, former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, says he’s “an underdog guy.” So he’s taking the Falcons and the 3 points, and also likes the “over” at 59. “Everyone says I’m crazy to take the over, but I’m doing it,” Goodman said Saturday, allowing that the Goodman household was likely to push on the 3-point line and the over/under. “My wife (Mayor Carolyn Goodman) rarely wagers, but when she does, she asks my opinion and does the opposite.”
Oscar Goodman usually spreads his wagers around a few prop bets, too, comparing the Super Bowl to trying a big case in court. “Sometimes, if you have more experience, it matters because there is so much pressure.”
WHAT OF ‘THE VOICE’?
Not quite ready to specify the venue, but expect a stage version of NBC’s “The Voice” to drop into VegasVille the first week of September. Strong, believable buzz about this show.
WHO WAS WHERE
Thursday night: Soulja Boy was at the third level of Topgolf at MGM Grand to swing the sticks and partake in the mojitos on tap. As the social-media sniping between the rapper and Chris Brown has subsided, there has been no announcement confirming a fight between the two in March in Las Vegas, which was a hot topic a few weeks ago … Friday night: Rap star Ty Dolla $ign at DJ Mustard’s set at Marquee at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and joined the show for his hit “Blasé.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily 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.
