Flavor Flav’s downtown Las Vegas variety show in the works
Flavor Flav can be called a one-man variety show, so it’s fitting his latest adventure in Las Vegas is indeed a variety show.
“Looking to do a variety show, right here from Las Vegas,” Flav said during Saturday night’s red carpet at the opening of “Criss Angel Believe.”
“I’m talking about the Plaza, baby, with my boy Jonathan Jossel. And hey, guess what? It’s gonna go down, baby!”
Flav has spoken of producing such a show for a while. He would be the host. Jossel, the hotel’s chief executive officer, could conceivably play some recurring role (I am now way ahead of the curve on this project) He was unavailable for comment about the time line, scale or even possibility of the Flav show at the hotel.
When I suggested to Flav that I would be in the studio audience when the project launches, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (with Public Enemy) called out, “You gotta be part of it, because there will be one!”
Rain for Wayne
There will be water at Cleopatra’s Barge after all. The moat is dry with pretty blue paint and lighting in its place. But Wayne Newton said during his time on the Angel carpet that a “rain curtain” is planned for the reopening of his “Up Close & Personal” autobiographical stage show at 8 p.m. Monday.
“We’re at the point in the show where we start rehearsals next week, and the stage hands are saying, ‘Can’t you include the rain curtain” ” Newton said, referring to the famous water wall he used in previous versions of his show as he covered, “MacArthur Park.” This is the legendary Jimmy Webb song where the luckless cake is wiped out by the rain, and there is a regretful flow of icing.
Chuckling at the return of the rain curtain, Newton said, “Why not? We’re going to see if it fits, and it’s very, very exciting.”
CelineFest
In her only European date this year and first after she closes her run at Caesars Palace, Celine Dion headlines the opening night of British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park in London on July 5.
UK – I’m so excited to be coming back to London to headline Barclaycard presents @BSTHydePark on Friday 5th July! This will be a European exclusive for 2019 so you won’t want to miss it. Tickets go on sale at 9am, Tuesday 29th January. See you there! 🙌🏻🇬🇧- Céline xx… pic.twitter.com/8WpPZAlKGs
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) January 22, 2019
The Colosseum headliner joins previously announced performers Florence and the Machine and Robbie Williams (also performing this year at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas), who will play the event on July 13 and July 14. respectively.
It is Dion’s first appearance ever at the event or the famous Hyde Park Oak Stage. The five-time Grammy award winner will be the best-selling artist ever to perform at BST, having sold more than 240 million record worldwide.
Her headlining performance is just a month after the end of her Strip residency Celine on June 8.
“It’s my first time doing a show in beautiful Hyde Park. I’m so excited. I love London, and it’s a great honour for me to be part of the Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park concerts,” Dion said in a statement. “I can’t wait. Summertime in London, here we come!”
What Works In Vegas
Star comic Sebastian Maniscalco, in major Strip theaters. Having sold out a series of previous performances at the Colosseum, Maniscalco headlines Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas for four shows May 25-26. The performances are 7:30 and 10 p.m., tickets onsale 10 a.m. Friday.
Maniscalco is cast in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming feature film “The Irishman,” and just played Madison Square Garden for four shows over the weekend.
ShowBuzz!
Tenors of Rock look all but signed — or maybe even signed, by this writing — to open at Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood. The guys are expected to close at Harrah’s Showroom in March, with the Elvis-flavored musical “Heartbreak Hotel” moving in … “Nitro Circus,” the co-production of Base Entertainment, Caesars Entertainment and Nitro Circus, is being moved back to later this year. The show was announced to open at Jubilee Theater at Bally’s this spring, but reportedly does not have its funding finalized to perform on the Strip this spring … On the topic of shows announced, there have been zero updates from Caesars Entertainment on “Sharknado Live,” which was also announced in August 2017 it was to open on the Strip. Initially, it was expected to open in 2018, then this year. Overtures to Caesars officials about the production’s future have yielded no firm answers.
Great Moments In Social Media
Chris Phillips of Zowie Bowie won a major award Tuesday. The Instagram photo of him in his Col. Sanders Halloween costume, with his 19-month-old daughter, Ava, dressed as a chicken, won a national KFC costume contest.
Phillips had not even known he was entered in the competition until he was informed of the victory by his wife, Jennifer. “She sent that photo in as a joke,” Phillips said. “And now, after playing 5,000 shows in Zowie Bowie, my career is complete!”
The prize is — wait for it — a $100 gift card to any KFC restaurant.
Gotta make this right: I misidentified Joe Louis’s daughter who attended Al Bernstein’s show at Tuscany hotel-casino on Friday night. Louis’ daughter, Candice Joseph, was at the show with her husband, author-musician-magician George Joseph.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter,@JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
