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| January 28, 2005 | NEWEST - PRIOR WEEK - ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Las Vegas Entertainment Events | |
MARLENE RICCI
Went to the Riviera the other evening to join with a group of friends and entertainers to bid farewell to a wonderful friend, Marlene Ricci. Ms. Ricci was winding down a three year engagement of performing in the Le Bistro Lounge, where she held forth singing some of the best songs ever written. Ms. Ricci, if you don't already know it, was a protégée of The Man Frank Sinatra. At the time of her discovery she was working in a casino lounge at Lake Tahoe when a very close friend of Sinatra's spotted her. He told her that one way or another he would get The Man to see and hear her. A few months later Jilly Rizzo kept his word when she was appearing in the lounge at the Aladdin Hotel and Sinatra was at Caesars Palace. A section of the lounge had been roped off prior to her last show that evening. She received a call backstage from Rizzo that he was on his way with some friends and could she hold the show for a few minutes. Well, gang, that was the beginning of a fabulous career for a young lady who has tons of talent and always has time for her friends.  This was one of those special evenings that rarely happens anymore in our little village: friends filling an audience to say goodbye to a nice person. None of us had to be there, but we were! We wanted to be there out of respect for not only her friendship but to listen to her sing, joke around and hear her laugh. And we got all three! Her band, consisting of six fabulous musicians (including Sheila Marie on violin) and a backup singer were really on their mark this evening. Unfortunately I did not get all the band names (sorry gang). The first song she presented was a fairly new one titled A Thousand Miles and was a great way to start the show. She followed that with a series of songs including Under the Boardwalk, Landslide featuring the violin and Tapestry. As the star changed into another fabulous gown Ms. Marie did a violin solo that was absolutely out-of-sight. The song Evolving Rocks was composed especially for her by Ms. Ricci, and is a mix of classical, pop and jazz. Violin players rarely get a chance to shine in a show (unless they are the star). Musicians (all of them) spend years learning how to play that note just right. And, let me tell you, this gal can play the heck out of that composition: it's really a difficult instrument to play and when done right it is fantastic. Ms. Marie did it right! Ricci's rendition of Time to Say Goodbye sung in Italian was just beautifully presented. The closing song for the evening seemed just right, Troubled Waters. She'll be back in another room at another time and I'll be there along with all her friends. Incidentally, there were a lot of celebrities in the audience: far too many to name lest I miss one. |
I would like to take this moment to say a very nice man left us Sunday. Johnny Carson, who like everyone has said, put more people to sleep and very possibly even increased the chances of having more children brought into the world, will be greatly missed. As many of you know I worked for the Del Webb Corporation for a few years when Johnny was starring at the Sahara Hotel. I was not a close friend, but I had met him and he knew who I was. He was always a gentleman to everyone around him and was not known to ever have thrown a temper tantrum because something was amiss. I remember also his sitting in the back of the lounge inside the Sands Hotel (in the 60's and 70's) watching Bernie Allan do his German stick and laughing his butt off. He also was there whenever Louis Prima was performing. He will be greatly missed. As previously mentioned Minnie Madden and her CallBack News will be staging a second event for entertainers at the Golden Nugget next month. The first was for adult entertainers of every type, including models, etc. This one, however, will be exclusively for children, teens and young adults ages 5-21. The date selected for this very special event is Saturday, February 26 from 10 am. to 6 pm. The Entertainment Expo for Kids will feature workshops, demonstrations, and includes a trade show for parents and children desiring to learn more about the various disciplines of the world of entertainment. The Expo will be free to the public and a minimal fee for some of the workshops will be charged for materials. A talent showcase will be held throughout the day in conjunction with the Expo that will feature local performers who will be evaluated by nationally recognized agents and studios seeking to discover that next star. For further information contact Randy Urgola at (702) 891-9222 or visit www.callbackexpo.com. THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Bob Anderson who now has his own theatre in Branson will be making a very special trip back to Las Vegas in February. Bob, who last appeared at the Stardust Hotel, will be doing his usual impressions but, this time, will be featuring his own voice more. The Summerlin Library Theatre will be the site for this show with the dates set for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 18-20. If you would like to spend An Evening With Bob Anderson then make your plans now and call the box office at Summerlin for tickets priced at $24.95 plus tax. Vince Falcone and his trio will be featured all three evenings. This is a must see show if you like to hear those great oldies but goodies, plus many of the popular new sounds. And, oh, yeah, you never know who you might hear or see on that stage... Grant Griffin is finalizing his plans for his annual concert at the Orleans Hotel, Tuesday March 8th. As usual Griffin has signed three of the best female singers in Las Vegas to perform with him: Patricia Welch, Jeneane Marie and Michaelina Bellamy. Tickets and information may be purchased at the Orleans Box office. Folks this is a great evening of beautiful music ranging from Opera to Pops to Jazz and one youll not want to miss... The 16th annual Contemporary Arts Collective Juried Show will be held beginning March 19-April 9th. There's a top prize of $1,000 for the Best of Show. To enter, artists are requested to drop off (only two pieces) their artworks on March 8-11 from noon to 4 pm at the gallery located at 101 E. Charleston Blvd. suite 101 inside the Arts Factory on the corner of Main street and Casino Center. I will be entering two of my sculptures... Well, gang, that's about it for this week. I'm outa here!
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