Angel may judge his peers

A new NBC talent show may put future Luxor star Criss Angel into the awkward position of critiquing some of his Las Vegas peers.

"The Phenomenon," scheduled for Oct. 17, slated Angel and psychic Uri Geller to preside over a viewer-judged contest positioned as "American Idol" for psychics and magicians.

Except that Angel's spokesman says he didn't know about the magician part.

Auditions recently were held in Las Vegas, and producers also visited some of the local magic shows. The process of screening and interviewing candidates still was under way this week, but the producer in charge of casting confirmed several Las Vegas magicians either had auditioned or been invited without an audition.

The list includes Dirk Arthur, Nathan Burton, Rick Thomas and Steve Wyrick. All but Thomas currently have shows on the Strip. Realistically, none will be a threat to Angel's big-budget venture with Cirque du Soleil, scheduled to open next summer. Still, casting Angel in a role of seniority over them is "a position I'm sure we don't want to be in," says Steve Flynn, Angel's local publicist.

There's also a question of whether "Phenomenon" would violate Angel's contract for his A&E series "Criss Angel Mindfreak," which precludes involvement with another magic show. Flynn says "Phenomenon" originally was pitched as a contest for psychics only. The show is modeled on an Israeli TV hit called "Uri Geller Looks for a Successor." ...

As proof that national TV can help the bottom line, look to Terry Fator's upcoming date at the Las Vegas Hilton on Oct. 14. The winner of "America's Got Talent" is a newcomer to the Las Vegas market but already sold out his show. A second show has been added for Oct. 15.

The opening act will be another "Got Talent" contestant, finger-snapping Bobby Badfingers, who was on the first edition of the show last year. ...

The Aug. 28 death of Hilly Kristal, founder of legendary New York punk club CBGB, brought back to mind the 2005 talk that he would move the club to Las Vegas. "I might do that just to keep it going if I had to," Kristal said back then, during a lease dispute that eventually closed the iconic location.

Kristal's battle with lung cancer would explain why he didn't have the energy to pursue the move. It's easy to assume the proposal died with him, but who knows? Look at the MGM's version of Studio 54. For all we know, Kristal's death might even make it easier to license the name. ...

Italian ethnic stereotypes are now in repertory. The producers of "The Soprano's Last Supper" at the Empire Ballroom have shuffled the schedule to make room for a companion production, "Joey & Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding."

The wedding is now the dinner show and staged on Thursdays and Fridays, while "Soprano's" is a cocktail-and-appetizer affair Saturdays through Tuesdays. The two shows share some cast members.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.