Tony Dovolani performed twice Saturday night but later learned that his cousin, Shkelzen Verzivoli, known as “Skalzy,” had died of a heart attack at age 42.
John Katsilometes
Columnist
Phone: 702-204-6176
X: @johnnykats
John Katsilometes’ man-about-town column appears on daily on page 3A. Katsilometes moved to Las Vegas from Northern California in 1996 and spent two years with the RJ before moving to the Greenspun Media Group in 1998, where he served as an editor, magazine writer and columnist. He returned to the RJ in August 2016. He has won numerous state and regional awards, including the 2013 Nevada Press Association Journalist of the Year honor, and has been awarded three times for column writing by the Best of the West contest.
The 10th anniversary of The Joint crops up in the planning schedule for the Hard Rock Hotel’s extensive overhaul.
The Stray Cats’ reunion, which along with ZZ Top at The Venetian, is a weekend pairing of great rock ‘n’ roll trios in VegasVille.
Vinny Adinolfi of Bronx Wanderers was stunned when Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton and Tony Orlando unexpectedly sauntered into his birthday party.
Steve Wolford had worked for Las Vegas’s ABC affiliate since 2005, after arriving from Tampa, Fla., where he began his career in 1979 as a writer and producer.
Still big fans of Vegas and frequent headliners on the Strip, ZZ Top begins a five-show spree at Venetian Theater on Friday night.
Maynard Tompkins, Fator’s warbling Elvis tribute artist and a fan favorite in his show at the Mirage, opened Terry Fator’s set on “Showtime at the Apollo.”
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is the home office in the Arts District. The Bureau went silent for a couple of days for a trip to Disneyland, where I observed Mickey Mouse actually signing autographs.
ACM Awards host Reba McEntire called out previous hosting tandems Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, plus Bryan and Blake Shelton. Operating solo, McEntire said, “I guess they figured it only takes one woman to do the job of two men!”
Vegas entertainer Lorena Peril has sung the national anthem at several L.A. Kings games, butnever when the team has faced the Golden Knights.
A year ago, the Academy of Country Music Awards telecast was held at the then-new T-Mobile Arena. It was a picture-perfect match — until the Golden Knights made the playoffs.
Addressing the scores of fans who turned out for her arrival at Planet Hollywood Resort, Gwen Stefani said, “I’m so excited and I’m going try my hardest to bring the best show that’s ever been here.”
“Finding the right words, and the right clothes,” Reba McEntire says. “Those are the things you focus on when you host this show.”
Stephanie Sanchez took an atypical path to her current position as a powerhouse executive for MGM Resorts International. Her journey wound through the adult revue “Fantasy” at Luxor, where she was the show’s lead singer for nearly a decade.
Typically clad in black and using just a black stool as his stage set, Sebastian Maniscalco’s act is focused on pointed commentary about his upbringing and current family