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| October 26, 2007 | NEWEST - PRIOR WEEK - ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Las Vegas Entertainment Events | |
ROBERT GOULET IN CRITICAL CONDITION
A dear personal friend of this writer is in extremely critical condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Yes, I'm sure by this time, you have heard about Robert Goulet's medical situation. So I will give you a little more insight as to what is actually going on with this beloved man who has entertained millions for more than five decades. Goulet came down with what he thought was a slight case of the flu, upon returning to his home in Las Vegas, following a concert in Syracuse, New York, on September 20. A few days later he began to feel weak and was suffering from shortness of breath. On September 30 he was rushed to St. Rose Hospital at Eastern and St. Rose Parkway outside Las Vegas, where after a barrage of tests it was determined that he had Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis. This was described to his wife of 25 years, Vera Goulet, as a rare but rapidly progressive and often fatal condition.
I visited with Mrs. Goulet at the local hospital, and what she was and still is going through is unbelievable. But one thing about Vera - she is tough when she needs to be! And, she needs that strength to battle for her husband's life. Yes, she is fighting the battle of her life for the man who has given so much to us - his public. It is a battle that can only have one of two outcomes: A needed lung transplant or eventual death. There is no in-between.  Since lung transplants are not performed in Las Vegas, Robert's long-time personal friend and physician, the renowned Dr. David Kipper, orchestrated his emergency transfer (by a medically equipped Jet) to Los Angeles, where Goulet was supposedly accepted as an emergency lung transplant patient on October 12th. As this is being written (Thursday, Oct. 25) they (the doctors of the transplant team) are still debating the viability of doing the transplant. Mrs. Goulet, however, has not given up that her husband (their 25th anniversary was Oct. 17) will live to stand on a stage once again and sing those beautiful words of music he has sung for us, for oh, so many magnificent years. |
Please, please say a prayer for this friend of so many. The list of those who have called or sent notes to Robert and Vera is endless. For a complete update on his condition and to add your thoughts and prayers go to www.robertgoulet.com. Attended the one-year celebration of impressionist Gordie Brown's arrival at the Venetian Hotel & Casino, Wednesday evening (Oct. 24). I've stated previously that in my humble opinion Brown is without question the best young impressionist in the business today. And, he proved it again the other evening with a fabulous show that ran a wee bit over, because of the speeches (normal show runs about 80 minutes). From the opening moment (this particular evening he opened with his impression of Sammy Davis, Jr.) and closed with his Elvis impressions. Incidentally his Sammy impression is the best in the business, and the Elvis bit is as funny has heck and he nails the voice!  I did not count the number of impressions that Brown performed, but it has to be more than 50 at a minimum. He does a run of voices when his friends, ranging from Jack Nickolson to Clint Eastwood, audition for the part of Batman. And what is so neat is that Gordie can truly sing in his own voice, although he prefers to entertain as one of his buddies - Paul Williams or Stevie Wonder. When he does a comedy takeoff of Bob Dylan and Ossy Osbourne holding a conversation it has you rolling in the aisle. It's a classic! Show times are 7 p.m. Gordie takes Thursday off to refresh his many friends. For more information including reservations go to www.venetianentertainment.com. THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Another friend and one of the greatest impressionists in the world today (Gordie used to work for this man) Rich Little opened the other evening at the Golden Nugget, downtown. Little will be there for more than 20 weeks, with breaks to fulfill other obligations across the country. There will be a media/VIP night soon and I'll report more on Rich at that time. Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday with tickets starting at $39.00 plus taxes, etc... Met a young lady the other evening, Jeanne Brei, who will be performing her shows "Jazzin' with Jeanne" and "Jammin' with Jeanne" at Fitzgeralds Casino, downtown, beginning Nov. 7th. More on this next week... The Comedy Festival will roll into town November 14, for a four day run of great comedians, including Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld. Headquarters will be Caesars Palace... Well, gang, that’s about it for this week. Well, gang, that's about it for this week. Please take a moment to say a prayer for my friend Robert Goulet and his wife Vera as you go through the day. It will be appreciated... I'm outa here!
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