Smith Center putting new spin on Vegas

The Smith Center is out to make a new statement about Las Vegas, but some Vegas cliches you can't escape.

So, there are no VIP "comps" for Saturday's opening night gala. But yes, there will be a red carpet.

And why not, with a list of performers that keeps growing. Veteran TV producers George Stevens Jr. and son Michael hope to squeeze in everyone from Carole King and Jennifer Hudson to country legends Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.

Earlier this week, some seats still remained for the black-tie affair with pricey tickets -- $250 to $1,000 -- that the center's president, Myron Martin, notes is the exception rather than the rule for price points at the center.

The show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris includes Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Martina McBride, Pat Monahan, Arturo Sandoval and Broadway performers including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Osnes and Cheyenne Jackson.

Martin says the show will be filmed for a future TV broadcast, even if he is not certain of the final destination.

"We're going to end up with a commercially viable piece of television that could be run just about anywhere," Martin says, though his first choice is PBS. "If it isn't PBS it's because some big network offered us a lot more money."

-- By MIKE WEATHERFORD