by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Have not personally been to the Stardust to take in Karaoke Night hosted by my buddy Michael Cagle, but as soon as I get back from this vacation you can bet I'm going to take the time to visit, watch and listen.

I've written a lot about various Karaoke venues in Las Vegas, and one of my very special ones is still the Celebrity Karaoke hosted by Kelly Clinton on Monday nights at the Bootlegger Restaurant. Both venues allow unknown singers to get up in front of a live audience and let it all out. The big difference between the two? Clinton has various celebrities dropping by unannounced and they, of course, get preference which they should. Hey, you pay big bucks to go see Clint Holmes, Gordie Brown or one of the Scintas perform in a showroom. At the Bootlegger you never know who will drop by. At the Stardust last Friday evening, 60 people signed up to sing. Michael reports that he tries very hard to give everyone an equal opportunity and I believe him. Showtime's at the Stardust is 6 to 10 pm. Another great thing happening at the Stardust is its giving away $100 cash to a person in the house by drawing, then $50 to the Best Female and another $50 to the Best Male.

Also Michael will be hosting a new television show where the top 24 amateur singers, discovered by special auditions throughout the village, get a chance to perform with a big cash prize up for grabs. For further info go to www.singsations.com.

Went to a super new restaurant over on Sunset Road the other evening. We used to go there when it was called Tuscany where we knew it served great Italian cuisine. When we last visited the owners were different and so was the food and we quit going. Then we noticed it had a new name, so what the heck we thought, let's give it a shot. In we went and wow were we glad we did. Todd's Steak, Seafood and Unique Dining is just a fantastic place to sit and enjoy a meal. The owner Todd Chloie and his wife, Terry are there in person with Todd in the kitchen and Terry making sure everything runs smooth out front.

This particular evening I ordered Cream of Asparagus soup thinking I would get a small bowl. Wrong! This came out in a beautiful super sized bowl and was delicious. My companion, realtor Cathy Bittinger ordered Shrimp Scampi and I had the Maple Roast Salmon filet. Let me tell you we were both very happy that we stopped by. Presentation, as you know, is just about everything plus of course it has to be flavorful and filling. Well, Todd's gets five stars on all three.

Todd is an award winning Chef who has been featured in numerous articles including the Zagat Dining Guide. He was discovered by executives of the old MGM (now Bally's) when he was a chef in Laguna Beach. They prevailed on him to move to our village and go to work improving its spectacular Sunday Sterling Brunch. He moved lock, stock and barrel and has never looked back. Incidentally the Sterling Brunch is without question one of the best anywhere. Now his personal dream has come true and he's doing what he loves best-preparing fine dinners for us lucky locals at a reasonable price. I suggest you stop by and give it a try for yourself. Todd's is located at 4350 E. Sunset Road in Henderson and for reservations (suggested) call (702) 259-8633.

Now for a little personal note. As many of you know I am a sculptor of what I consider some very nice pieces of art (of course). I have a web site where you can take a look at what I've produced. Every piece you see is for sale and I do mean for sale. They are all bronze and were cast in Sedona, Arizona. Each piece will have a total of 25 reproductions plus four Artist Proofs. If any of them interest you please send me an email and ask me for special pricing and mention my column for extra savings. The web site is at www.sculpturesbynorm.com.

I left for vacation and wrote this as I was going out the door. Will be back Sunday. So that's it for this week. I'm outa here! .

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