by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Went to the Flamingo Hotel the other evening to catch a new (really old) show starring George Wallace and his pal David Brenner. These are two heavyweights when it comes to standup comedy.

Brenner opens the show with his standard opening monologue, explaining how he used to use comparison type jokes, but no longer - that is a laugh because for the first five or so minutes he does his old stuff and it is great. The laughs just kept coming as he showed the stack of cards he had collected, with facts gathered from the many newspapers and magazines he reads on a daily basis. And that is what makes David different from other standup comics working today. He utilizes those items in a style and manner that makes it funny - some are actually funny to begin with.

We honestly enjoyed his 50-minutes of down-to-earth one-liners, three-liners and four-liners. He didn't do any two-liners (joke).

In my opinion, Wallace is the "King of Late Night Comedy" on the Las Vegas Strip. And now with the team of Wallace and Brenner, the Flamingo Hotel is the "Palace of Comedy" in Southern Nevada. You get these two heavyweights for the price of one -- $64.00 on the main floor and $53.00 for balcony seating.

If you haven't watched George in person, let me tell you - this is a BIG MAN. Talk about using today's news as a guide for comedy, this guy has it down pat. He also likes to get up close and personal with his audience and frequently enters that space reserved for his paying guest. Right off the start he comes across with one of his zingers: On opening bags of chips or candy: "The other day I bought a candy bar and had to put it under the car and run over it." I think you get the idea, right?

For the next 50 - minutes we laughed our butts off. Not only is Wallace a "big man," but he's a nice guy. Prior to the show there was a gathering of the media in a private area, where the two took time to greet everyone they could get to. You could tell they genuinely liked talking to us. Some of these gatherings can be very stressful for a star - as they get very uncomfortable around strangers. Not these two guys!

The Animal Foundation Benefit staged at the Mel and Marilyn Larson mansion in Sandy Valley was a huge success. About 125 people from all walks of life paid their $150.00 to wander through the unique home, look at oil paintings from the brush of actor Tony Curtis, purchase some hand-made jewelry from writer Bobbie Katz and be amazed with the bronze sculptures of this writer. It was a wonderful party.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Buddy Greco and wife Lezlie Anders opened their new nightclub in Palm Springs on March 23rd. A VIP reception preceded the opening show at 7 pm. Of course the opening act was the two owners of the eatery, which is aptly named Buddy Greco's Dinner Club. It is located at 68805 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. Appearing there this weekend is Pete Burbutti and coming in next week on the 12th for five nights is one of my all time favorites, Barbara McNair. Buddy will be back on April 19th through May 7, with Fred Travalena slated for May 10-14. There are two dinner shows at 7 and 9:15 pm... "The Price is Right - Live" will makes its Las Vegas debut April 25 in the Jubilee Theatre at Bally's. The show produced by the same people who produce "American Idol" and the television show "Price..." will be presented Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2:30 pm., and on Fridays at 8 pm. They are holding auditions for models to showcase the prizes from 9 am. to 2 pm. on Wednesday, April 12 inside the Jubilee Theatre... This is the big week for those monsters of the 1/4 mile drag strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Strip is hosting the National Hot Rod Associations (NHRA) big guns with a full schedule beginning today (Friday) and running through Sunday. All the stars, from John Force to Larry Dixon, will be on the line gunning for the pot of gold... The gang (all his pals) gathered last Sunday at the Bootlegger to bid Joey Villa a fond farewell as he left to join some of his buddies like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Sonny King and a slew of great guys and gals. Former radio host Frankie Dee was one of those attending. We (this writer) had stopped by Saturday to see Freddie Bell do his thing at the Bootlegger (he hosts on Friday and Saturday nights beginning at 10 pm.) and of course ran into singer Carme. Frankie Dee was there looking as dapper as ever. And at 91, he looked as fit-as-a-fiddle and was having a wonderful time. Well sometime Monday Dee was struck with something serious and supposedly tried to call his daughter. When the daughter arrived at the home, Frankie was said to be found in his chair, phone in hand. He had passed away. I agree with entertainer Nelson Sardelli that a moratorium be enforced - no entertainer will be allowed to die a physical death for the next five to 10 years.

Well, gang, that's it for another week. I'm outa here!

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