by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Was very busy last week and this week, thus far? First off we attended the very special showing last Friday of the new Clint Holmes Show for 2004, then went back to the Bootlegger Monday night to recheck the Karaoke happenings, spent a couple afternoons at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway catching up on our three local drivers during testing, while also attending a special evening at the Palms Tuesday night honoring Breck Wall. And you think it's all fun?

The new Holmes show is (I honestly mean this) without question the best show ever. If you have never seen this fantastic performer now is the time! Clint is so dimensional on and off stage it's unbelievable. Not only does he sing the popular stuff like his tributes to both Tony Bennet and Sammy Davis, Jr., singing "If I Ruled the World" and "Mr. Bo Jangles," but he covers the entire gamut of music from Opera to Broadway. The musicians that back him are the best anywhere and his conductor, a personal friend for over 25 years Bill Fayne, not only arranges and conducts, but is a great singer in his own right.

"The new show is probably the most personal I've ever done," Holmes said. "I wrote the opening song, `In This Moment,' to set the tone for the entire show. It's how I want the audience to feel when they're in my showroom...that here, in this moment, on this night, I want them to get lost in the simple joy that music brings."

For the first time, jazz and R&B legendary keyboardist Ronnie Foster adds something new to the equation-the sound of a nearly forgotten and rare B3 Organ. The sound is unmistakable and Foster kicks off the show with the B3. There is without question an energy on stage as the various musicians take turns doing a solo or being featured along with Clint. A newly-arranged and vocally demanding opera medley showcases Holmes amazing talent and provides a truly one-of-a-kind experience. This combined with a Broadway Medley including a touch of "Maria" from "West Side Story" truly makes for a beautiful evening. Lead Guitarist Jerry Lopez adds a flourishing Flamenco guitar to the Salsa-themed "Canta Con Migo," and the audience also can hear the distinct sound of Latin percussion in several songs throughout the evening. Janien Masse Valentine, who has been with Clint as his principle backup and soloists for a few years, is featured in the Opera section as "Habanera" from "Carmen" as well as Maria.

All I can say is to repeat what I've already said: "It's the best show ever!" I would like to add that it's very possibly the Best Show on the Strip. Not since the greats like The Man (Sinatra), Sammy, Robert Goulet, Dean Martin, Matt Monroe, Lola Falana, etc., tread the boards along the Strip has such a complete entertainer presented such a fabulous show. It's wonderful to just sit and listen and remember those great old days!

Monday night went to the Bootlegger again to join Las Vegas Sun columnist Tim McDarrah to just make sure what I saw the other week was not my imagination. It wasn't! I wasn't enthralled by the great wine the other week, nor this time either. It's still the best FREE SHOW in Vegas on a Monday night (of course nothing is free when you pay for the wine and food). Kelly Clinton is responsible for making the show work. She's the driving force behind the Karaoke machine. This particular Monday night such luminaries as Cook E. Jarr, Clint Holmes, Bill Fayne, Billy Hinsche (he of the 60's group comprised of Dino, Desi & Billy) and Derek David from the Platters were on hand. Like Tim wrote in his column, the best part is discovering some of the amateurs who have a fantastic urge to entertain and do so! First up was a young lady named April who sang "Let's Dance" followed by a young Costa Rican named Grace who did a fabulous rendition of "This is the Moment." A lady named Tricana sang "The Best of My Love" with perfection. Fayne was just outstanding with his rendition of "Ebb Tide" and joined by Bo, the duo performed "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling." The kid that amazes everyone, and he should be working steady in one of the great lounges on the strip, is Michael Cagel. Every time he performs it's a standing ovation. He's that darn good! I could go on and on, but you got to go out there on a Monday night around 9:45 pm.,and see for yourself. I think you'll be pleasantly entertained!.

Good friend Breck Wall was honored by a local newspaper "Call Back" (it's dedicated to the Gypsies of the world-dancers, singers, etc) as Producer of the Year at a very special party held at the Palms Hotel last Tuesday. Breck, as you may or may not know, has produced the great comedy show "Bottoms Up" for so long everyone from Texas to New York to Reno owes him big time. So, Minnie Madden (she owns the newspaper) must've decided she wanted to get rid of a few I.O.U's and tossed this party for the man with the greatest smile in the world. Seriously, gang, it was done with true respect and love for the man and what he has accomplished over the years. Anyone who was anyone (that sorta let me attend) was there to honor this great guy.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Local NASCAR drivers Brendan Gaughan, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch took advantage of the great weather and tested their respective cars at the LVMS for two days out of the four allotted for testing. Kyle is only 18 (he turns 19 in May) and is looking forward to running a full schedule in the NASCAR Busch Series along with six attempts in the Nextel Series. "I really want to make a good showing here (LVMS) in March," he said. Brendan, who tested Wednesday and Thursday in his NASCAR Nextel #77 Kodak Dodge was very pleased with his testing, even though he scraped the wall between turns 3 & 4.. "I'm still on a very steep learning curve," he said. "And everyone with the teams (Penske South: Rusty Wallace is the lead driver) are really bringing me up to speed quick. As a matter of fact Rusty let me drive his car for 30 laps at Rockingham to just get a feel. That's what I call teamwork." Brendan is one of a handful of rookies this year in the Major League of Auto Racing. Didn't get a chance to talk to Kurt, but he did mention in a press conference that "I'm very comfortable here. I love to come here. I mean, it's home. I saw this place built from the ground up. I grew up racing at the Bullring (as did his younger brother and Brendan), which is just on the other side of turn two." All the drivers (and there about 43 of them during the test session) agreed on one thing: "We've got a lot of work ahead of us before we hit Daytona in February." The new Earnhardt Terrace looks great with the red, white and blue seats. Don't know it for a fact, but I understand the March 7th race is a near SRO deal. Sooo, if you're planning on going to the races in March you better call 644-4444 now and reserve your seat. There going fast!

That's it for another week. I'm outa here!

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