Brady hosts television game show from Vegas

Marie Osmond loses a daytime TV show and Wayne Brady gets one days later. Some form of Vegas-based TV taping seems as inevitable as local variety acts competing on "America's Got Talent."

Osmond's syndicated chat fest appeared to be a lock earlier this year, with commitments from local stations covering 80 percent of the country. The big question was whether it would tape in Los Angeles or the empty Paris Las Vegas theater that last hosted "The Producers."

But the distributer, Program Partners, changed plans, citing the scarcity of local ad dollars in a statement: "The marketplace this year was simply unyielding."

That news was quickly countered by Venetian headliner Wayne Brady scoring the hosting duties for a revived "Let's Make A Deal" on CBS, with executive producer Mike Richards pledging it will tape here without naming the venue.

Good news for Brady. Also good, albeit potentially more expensive, for Base Entertainment, producer of his live show. As coincidence would have it, Brady's contract is up for renewal this month.

On the local front, the game show seems more feasible. The big challenge for Osmond -- and others who have considered talk shows here -- would be the logistics of booking A-list guests. Carrot Top is always standing by, but if you want Meryl Streep, it's easier to get her in Los Angeles.

On the other hand, no place could beat the Strip for packing people into a free game-show taping. If the same producer (Fremantle Media) can charge $49.50 for a nontelevised knockoff of "The Price is Right," imagine the crowds that would line up for a free shot at the real "Deal."

Brady's Venetian room would be a good, cozy one for taping. The Paris theater also seems a natural. It's prime real estate that wouldn't have stayed vacant since February 2008 if it wasn't earmarked for something special. A spinoff of "America's Got Talent" also has been rumored for the theater.

That's no stretch, since four Las Vegas acts headed into the NBC talent show's live competition this week. Mosaic, the a cappella group that often performs with George Wallace, competed on Tuesday. Future weeks will determine the fate of acrobats Mario and Jenny, Las Vegas teen Sabrina "Bri" Bernstein and Polish sister act Alizma, who have been shopped on the Strip for years by producer Blair Farrington.

Switching channels, MTV brings back "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" on Sunday. The contestants include Afroborike, a salsa troupe that includes Cuban dancers who were part of the mass defection by the cast of "Havana Nightclub" at the Stardust in 2004. ...

A couple of familiar faces return this fall. Ventriloquist Ronn Lucas, once an afternoon mainstay, opts for five single evening shows at South Point spread out from Sept. 3 to Oct. 8. And Frank Sinatra Jr. sings at the Suncoast Sept. 5 and 6. ...

The streak of most unlikely Vegas bookings continues. Last week, I noted an upcoming Leonard Cohen date dethroning Larry King. Now comes the announcement that Chazz Palminteri will do his one-man theatrical piece, "A Bronx Tale," at The Venetian Oct. 7-18. ...

The popular lounge act Zowie Bowie (Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor) makes the transition to its first sit-down, ticketed show with a Sunday evening series in Lance Burton's theater at the Monte Carlo.

The duo will do their usual dance-pop thing in the Monte Carlo's renovated brew pub on Fridays and Saturdays. But on Sundays, they will add a 15-piece big band for a vintage Vegas-flavored revue, which will have a Rat Pack feel but won't be limited to standards and retro fashions. It launches Sept. 13 with a three-month contract. ...

The show community is mourning the July 31 death of show producer Lynne Foster, 62. She and her husband formed Dick Foster Productions in 1976, and moved to Las Vegas in 1989. They opened "Alakazaam" at the Aladdin in early 1991 and the long-running "Spellbound," at Harrah's Las Vegas the next year.

Over the years, the company helmed "Imagine," "Mystique" and "Hats!" It currently oversees the performing "Bevertainers" at the Rio.

Foster's funeral was earlier this week in her native Idaho, but plans are pending for a memorial service here. Foster served on the board of Opportunity Village, so the family suggests memorial donations go there.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.