Grimm giving thanks for support
Michael Grimm comes home to Green Valley Ranch for a concert on Dec. 19. It was the casino where he toiled in obscurity before he won "America's Got Talent" last fall.
His manager, Don McGreevy, says the show with a five-piece horn section will be a "thank you" to the casino company that employed Grimm for years, as well as the Las Vegas fans "who supported him for the last couple of years."
(It's not a free show, however. Tickets start at $25.)
Grimm is still in negotiations with a major record label. He has met with producer Don Was, who has a knack for preserving a rootsy, soulful sound in radio-friendly hits for Bonnie Raitt and the Rolling Stones.
The singer also completed a two-week flurry of benefit concerts and a ride in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Grimm's "Talent" runner-up, 10-year-old Jackie Evancho, beat him to the Billboard charts, entering at No. 2 with her "O Holy Night" Christmas album.
McGreevy says they've worked too hard to let Grimm become a footnote to Evancho, the way "American Idol" winner Kris Allen has to scurry to keep up with runner-up Adam Lambert. "We're not just going to let this fall off the face of the Earth." ...
Sisqo, the Haitian pop singer best known for 1999's "Thong Song," will join "Fantasy" at Luxor for a limited engagement running Monday through Christmas Day.
Producer Anita Mann says Sisqo is a friend of one of the dancers in the show and thought it would be fun for a couple of weeks. "I've always loved that ("Thong") song. It was a fun, silly song and Sisqo is a great dancer," producer Mann says.
The move continues the gradual shift of "Fantasy" from generic topless revue to more of a pop-variety show with breasts. "What excites me is when we can bring people in for a reason," Mann says. "It just seemed like a perfect match. We want to do some fun, different things throughout the year."
'Tis the bargain season ... to a degree. You only have to drive on the highway to see electronic billboards advertising locals two-for-one deals for worthy shows such as "Tournament of Kings," "The Lion King," Blue Man Group and "Phantom."
Locals may have had less time to check out the comparably new Jabbawockeez at Monte Carlo. They're offering Nevadans a 35 percent discount, so far open-ended.
But, as they did last year, many of the Cirque du Soleil titles are actually raising their face value ticket price by $10 for Christmas. Bargain hunters should be careful starting about Dec. 16 if they're worried about temporary price increases that come down again after the New Year's weekend. The bump doesn't include the low-end price on "Ka." ...
Matt Goss will soon be singing for a third night each week in his Caesars Palace lounge revue. The British singer continues a curious pond-hopping imbalance to his career. In October, he returned to London, where he is still better known, for a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
And his new album "Gossy" is officially just a British release, though with e-tailers and digital downloads, there's hardly such a thing as an "import" anymore.
But on the Strip, Goss continues his slow build by adding Sundays to his schedule starting Jan. 16. ...
In a conversation last week otherwise devoted to all things Sinatra, Steve Wynn expressed little regret over raising Garth Brooks ticket prices by $110, to $253.
"It was ridiculously underpriced," he said. "Why should Garth Brooks be less than anyone else in town, especially when there's only 1,500 seats?"
But Brooks wanted the lower prices for the first year. "His pricing mentality with these big auditorium shows prevailed," Wynn said.
Wynn says that Brooks isn't a fan of tiered seating that would offer more than one ticket price. "He has his own way of looking at things. Garth is his own man, in every respect."
Wynn says Brooks is taking online classes to get a master's degree from Oklahoma State University. "One of the most unusual guys I ever met," says Wynn. "Garth is really something."
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.
