Our Metropolis
Empire of X
"X Burlesque" and "Men of X" founder Angela Stabile charts her history in Las Vegas, as a performer in and producer of adult revues.
Magician Criss Angel opened his Mindfreak store in Circus Circus in July. The Luxor headliner appeared on the season premiere of Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show today, Sept. 10, 2009.
The guitar-smashing ceremony at the grand opening of the Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip.
Tommy Rocker at Tommy Rocker's.
Louis Prima Jr. at the grand opening of the Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip.
It was at my third visit of the day to Sierra's Buffet at Virgin River resort in Mesquite when I told a friend, “I am starting to get sick. Homesick, I mean.” I’d been in Mesquite for about 24 hours, taking some time to decompress, and as my buddy said, “You’ll be back soon enough.”
Right. I was a Mesquitian just long enough to get antsy, about 48 hours. The Virgin River is a part of Black Gaming, Randy Black’s operation. He also owns CasaBlanca and is considered the Steve Wynn of Mesquite, except instead of Garth Brooks performing at his resort, he’s got a few guys hanging out at the bar who look like Foster Brooks. Virgin River is on the north end of town, where the virgins meet the river, I guess. What impressed me most about the resort was the staff. The employees there were terrifically friendly and responsive, even when thrown a curve ball -- like, when asked, “Where can we find the business center?” But they put up with our vociferous group of 25 guys -- sort of like a baseball team near the end of a long road swing -- and it looks like we’ll be back.
So batten down the buffet.
Some notes that have been on the tarmac …
The word is …
During each performance of “Believe,” Criss Angel (the show’s star) asks an audience member to “clear your mind” and give to Angel a random word. Angel then produces the word from the stage -- like magic!
A few weeks ago, a fan gave him the word “Holly.”
Snort!
I understand Angel handled the awkwardness of the moment with his usual aplomb, which is to say he humorlessly plowed right through the reference.
No if ands or …
In last week’s interview for “Our Metropolis,” Angela Stabile, co-producer of “X Burlesque” at Flamingo Las Vegas and “Men of X” at Hooters, talked of her two decades in adult entertainment in Las Vegas, which includes a stint as a member of “Crazy Girls” at the Riviera. She was a cast member when producer Norbert Aleman arranged for the famous photo shoot that lives on as the “No If Ands Or …” photo of the cast’s nearly bare behinds. “Even today, people refer back to that shot,” Stabile said.
On the photo that appears as an ad on cabs throughout the city, Stabile is second from the right. On the relief at the hotel, she’s third from the right. “It’s been years, almost 20 years, since it came out, and it’s still talked about.” Stabile recalled that she and fellow cast member (and current mutual friend) Shellee Renee were called in to pose for “body part” pictures for a new promotional campaign for the show. For one shot, the two posed side-by-side, facing away from the camera. Aleman liked that particular effect, and, well, here we are. Renee once joked that she once nearly slammed into a cab and (yes) almost rear-ended her own rear end.
There he was, in the Congo
Tommy Rocker’s Las Vegas Parrothead Club party on Saturday night nearly filled the 340-capacity club, but the crowd was not quite as packed as it was a couple of weeks ago for the 20th anniversary party. The event was to coincide with a Jimmy Buffett performance at MGM Grand that was announced on Buffett’s Web site months ago but was never formally booked. But dozens of Parrotheads from around the country (and even Canada, I understand) made the trip for the famed Last Man Standing party anyway. Many of the happy Buffett fans also were expecting to take part in more happy buffoonery at Parrothead events at the new Hooters to be opened on Rainbow Boulevard and Warm Springs Road, but that club did not secure the proper permits to open this weekend. So Rocker caught a break there, too. The only problem in his return-to-format effort is he’s not been able to run as frequently as he’s used to -- when the club was topless, he had ample time to train. “Now, I get 25 miles (a week), if I’m lucky.” Seems like he’s pretty lucky anyway.
Hard Rock Cafe post-game show
A few stray notes from Thursday’s Hard Rock Cafe VIP event: “She’s so sweet!” said Angelica Bridges, speaking of Stephanie Dianna, whom she replaced in “Fantasy.” Bridges was all geared up to take part in a delayed video interview we’d planned last week, and poof! Hours later she’d given her resignation to producer Anita Mann to deal with child-support issues in L.A. … Spotted at the buffet, Hard Rock Hotel President Randy Kwasniewski, among the well-wishers impressed by the Hard Rock’s layout (though the hotel and cafe are of course not officially affiliated). … Introducing himself, finally, was Louis Prima Jr., sporting a very minor cut on his chin after the guitar-smashing photo op that kicked off the party. The person wielding the wooden affect was former N’Sync'er Chris Kirkpatrick, and that would qualify as an only-in-Vegas injury. ... Parking is a pain at the new Hard Rock, which sits just north of the MGM Grand. Remember that if you want to park in the Showcase Mall parking garage, carry $3 in cash. Otherwise, you’re not allowed, and it’s U-turn time. I parked behind the In-N-Out/Walgreens strip mall just up the Strip, near the old Empire Ballroom, an area reliably desolate these days. … Stephanie and Planet Hollywood exec Tom Racine were there, and they are becoming one of my favorite couples. They’re just the nuttiest.
More Prima
Louis Prima Jr. (mentioned above, for those forgetful) is not the only Prima offspring in town. Lena Prima’s “Louis Prima, That’s My Dad” production has been booked for Addison’s Lounge at Rampart Casino on Nov. 27-28, also known as Thanksgiving weekend. The resort is drumming up its “golden age of Las Vegas” lineup, which includes veteran singing impressionist Bob Anderson on Oct. 30-31 and The Vogues (“You’re the One” and “Five O’Clock World” among their hits) Dec. 18-20. Lena Prima, who has been performing her familial tribute for nine years dating to Father’s Day 2000, has had a better time finding a gig than her brother, who said at the Hard Rock party that Vegas had about dried up for his form of entertainment. And when Vegas can’t find a spot for a Prima, we got some tough times, baby.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
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