There is an event taking place downtown that is not to well known by the general public. A friend of mine invited me to attend and I did so, and was really surprised over the quality of the entertainment being provided inside a Federal Court House. Yep, gang, Senior United States District Judge Lloyd D George hosts his "The Arts" every month in the foyer of the Courthouse named after him. A very nice free buffet is also set up in the lobby for everyone attending to enjoy prior to the entertainment.
This particular noon event had Mayor Goodman stop by to say a few words, prior to the introduction of the Blasorchester Stadt Elmshorn orchestra from Hamburg, Germany. The group is comprised of only wind instruments and, I believe, there were about 43 members plus a supporting staff on a good will tour of the U.S. The band was formed in 1994 and is considered one of Germany's premiere wind bands. The first number was a fantastic U.S. National Anthem followed by the German Anthem. The band went smoothly into a medley of movie themes, did some Broadway musicals while gliding through some of the great classical's along the way. The nice thing I noticed was the number of senior citizen groups present. I presume many of them were transported by various methods to the event. Check it out for yourself by calling the City of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services for future events. What is really neat, folks, is it is totally FREE.
Another fabulous Saturday evening was spent at the Tropicana Hotel. First we (media types and VIP's) were invited to have dinner in the Tuscany Restaurant, a really great Italian eatery with very reasonable prices. This has to be at least my fourth or fifth time to visit the restaurant and to be seated by Maitre D' Jay De Riso, who has been hosting various rooms for so long he's laterally a Legend in Las Vegas fine dining. A Maitre D' can either make or break a room, and in this case it's truly a pleasure to know Jay will be there to greet you. You can have a nice appetizer for $6.95 along with a choice of either three Chicken Entrees ($16.95) or Veal (19.95). If you prefer for $12.95 you can create your own Pasta dish with either meatballs or sausage. Tuscany also offers a 12" Pizza ranging in price from $12.50 to $14.95. So, should you be on a budget but like fine dining, Tuscany's is the place to be.
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Following dinner we were ushered into the showroom to take in the fantastic, historic Folies Bergere, which is celebrating its 45th year at the hotel.. Without question the Folies is one of the best lighted, costumed dancing shows on the Las Vegas Strip. I have always enjoyed this particular show, produced and directed by Jerry Jackson. Whenever friends are in town I recommend the Folies as a must see! What's important to know is that it's constantly in flux: changes are made to freshen the show and new scenes are created to replace old scenes. If you saw the show in 2001 it's time to go back as the opening and the 1920 section were both new in 2003. This was an event to show the latest version including a great Big Band Era segment dedicated to the 1940's. One of my favorites, however, is the beautiful scene IV titled Romance which takes place in the 1850's and displays the beautiful ballroom gowns of that era. Singers Traci Ault and Dan O'Brien really know how to present those great songs of the past and today. The dancers, especially those wonderful acrobatic dancers (a rarity today by the way) are beyond description. Featured dancers Stephanie Shaw & Chris Nicholson are up to any task when it comes to dancing. And, my buddy, Wally Eastwood continues to amaze the audience with his juggling and jokes. No wonder he's listed as the Star of the Folies. This is a definite must see show.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: The monthly "Be a Legend" Amateur Celebrity Impersonator Karaoke Contest at the Imperial Palace crowned another Shania Twain the other night. The latest winner is Diane Fabiano who joins another Shania winner, Gina Michel who won in December. The contest had 15 contestants and is held every third Thursday beginning at 7 pm...
A new show will make its debut in the Railhead showroom Tuesday April 6. RCM1Productions is producing the show titled "Neon Lights" with Jay Leno look-a-like Marcel Forestieri acting as emcee and host. The main thing about this new venue is that Michael Cagle has landed a star spot in this show that will be presented every Tuesday and Wednesday night. There is so much to say about his singing abilities that it would take a whole column to list his credits. All I can say the price of a ticket is worth it just to hear Michael. Appearing with him will be Steven David (crooner), Paull Casas (singer), Genevieve (singer) and Rusty (country singer). There will be a 10-piece band, with tickets set at $14.95 for locals and $19.95 for tourist...
The Honky Tonk Angels Four Year Anniversary special continues through April 7th at the Gold Coast Hotel, then will go dark for a week and return on April 14 with an all new "Serendipity" show. More on this later...
Are you aware that First Friday is a monthly art event that takes place near Charleston and Las Vegas Blvd., and involves many art galleries and other artistic venues. And in May, according to publicist Margaret Kurtz, a lot of special events will take place involving all the arts. More on this as we approach May...
Brendan Gaughan's Kodak sponsored Nextel Cup #77 Dodge will run a special paint scheme at Bristol Speedway this Sunday to commemorate the April 16th release of the Lion's Gate film, "The Punisher" starring Tom Jane. Gaughan has been doing very good during this his rookie season, learning the little things that make each speedway different. It's a long learning curve, but I still expect him to surprise a lot of people with at least one win and possibly a couple of pole spots this year...
Well, gang, that's about it for another week. I'm outa here!
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