Fator DVD features Jackson spoof

Those who see ventriloquist Terry Fator at The Mirage will soon be able to compare his current Michael Jackson tribute to the old spoof captured on a "Live From Las Vegas" DVD.

The video, due in stores Sept. 1, immortalizes the Jackson bit Fator did until the day the pop legend died. A printed insert, addressed "Dear Fans," explains the shows taped Feb. 28 and March 1 are "a captured moment in time" and that Fator has "nothing but the utmost respect for Michael's talents."

Depending on your point of view, the DVD might be submitted as evidence of how, within a few hours of his death, Jackson reverted from a disgraced tabloid joke to his mid-'80s glory as a revered icon.

Fator doesn't see it that way. True, the retooled live show is "more of a tribute," removing "anything that would be considered mean," he says. That includes a visual gag -- Fator holding a baby out over the edge of the stage -- and jokes about plastic surgery.

"But I never really thought of my routine as mean," Fator says. He had a chance to edit the video, but decided, "I don't think anyone's going to watch and say, 'How dare he?' "

Fator clarified something I wasn't certain of, that his cowboy puppet Walter is an adult. Walter's trepidation is explained as, "How would a country legend respond if he was thrown onstage with Michael Jackson? I wasn't out there just to get cheap laughs."

You can judge for yourself when CMT airs the 71-minute concert on Aug. 28.

The home video release in Fator's first year at The Mirage is a marked difference in strategy from Celine Dion and Elton John concert videos that were delayed until the final months of their Caesars Palace runs.

Fator isn't concerned fans will buy the DVD for $15 instead of spending $70 for a ticket. "It actually generates people," he says. "It gets people excited. I think it makes people want to see it even more."

He cites fellow ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, who began to sell out 5,000-seat theaters after cable TV specials and home-video releases. ...

One of Fator's comments -- "I don't think he would have been offended by it. I think he would have laughed and thought it was very funny" -- brought up a bit of Jackson trivia.

Fator said Jackson had made plans to come in and see his show a couple of times, but canceled. It reminded me of the "Le Reve" folks saying Jackson saw their show April 4, after a few similar false alarms (including one in late 2007, on a night I coincidentally attended).

Was that the last Las Vegas performance taken in by the star? If any other local show people spotted him at a performance after that, drop me a line. ...

Ticket prices quietly were dropped in two price ranges for Carlos Santana's return engagements at the Hard Rock Hotel. The bottom two prices are now $55 and $95, a discount of at least $20. Top tickets for floor seats remain $155.

The promoter, AEG Live, didn't play up this news, but says the prices were cut to entice locals. The straightforward price cut is a contrast to the various short-term discounts that attempt to preserve the face value of tickets at the same promoter's Colosseum at Caesars Palace. ...

From "Shear Madness" to "Cannibal the Musical." The comedy by "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker was a hit for Insurgo Theater Movement when it was staged at the Onyx Theatre.

But now it moves into the theater space in Town Square shopping center built for the short-lived "Madness." Is it still just for locals, albeit with a high-profile location amid the party bars on Las Vegas' version of Bourbon Street? Or does it hope to succeed where "Madness" failed in pulling tourists?

"We are completely moving toward the tourists," with plans to promote the title on the Strip, says artistic director John Beane. "Madness" was "an unknown show in a largely unknown space," he says. "Cannibal" gained some traction with strong word of mouth and has the "South Park" connection.

The show opens with a half-priced preview today and is booked for at least seven weeks. Tickets are $20, definitely priced for locals. ...

Contemporary jazz pianist Ghalib Ghallab continues to record original material while carving out a living in restaurants and lounges on the Strip. His latest disc, "Toya's Song," rolls out with a release party at 6 p.m. Monday in the Range Steakhouse at Harrah's Las Vegas. ...

A local memorial service for Las Vegas producer Lynne Foster will be at 5 p.m. on Aug. 21 in an outdoor theater on the grounds of the new Opportunity Village complex at 6050 S. Buffalo Drive. Foster died of a heart attack at age 62 following dental surgery on July 31.

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