Magician taking his tricks to Flamingo

It's the big room and the next big step," magician Nathan Burton says of moving his magic show to the Flamingo Las Vegas in April.

Burton has proved to be a canny self-promoter since he first started working in "Showgirls of Magic" in 2001. He found his way onto "The Entertainer" -- the Wayne Newton-hosted variation on "The Apprentice" -- in 2005. But his visibility on "America's Got Talent" in 2006 is still driving business to his afternoon show at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

After nearly two years at the V, "Nathan Burton Comedy Magic" will close on April 13 and reopen at the Flamingo Las Vegas a week later, replacing the Society of Seven. Burton self-produces the show, but will share some marketing and ticketing with Harrah's headliner Mac King and that show's producer, Bill Voelkner.

"We're joining forces," Burton explains. "We can either go head to head or help each other."

"They're very different acts even though they're both magicians," Voelkner notes of the planned cross-promotions. With ticketed shows starting to feel the effects of a tightened economy, "Both for Nathan and Mac I think this is a really smart thing."

Burton says he is reworking his show to include a new set and more showgirls for the larger stage. But he's still in a roommate situation, sharing the stage with Toni Braxton and comedian George Wallace, so there will be limits on the production size. ...

From his new perch, Jimmy Hopper should be able to see across the Strip to his old one at the Bellagio.

Hopper will try to rekindle the magic from his years at Bellagio's Fontana Lounge in the new Lava Room at Trader Vic's in the Miracle Mile Shops. It's a 250-seater upstairs from the main restaurant area, with glass-wall views of the Bellagio across the street.

Hopper starts his Thursdays-Sundays gig today; admission is $20. The singer has been performing in Newport Beach, Calif., and writing music for a theatrical musical, "The Day There Was No More Music." ...

Comedians don't seem to casino-hop much once they score a steady headline gig. But recently, David Spade moved from Danny Gans' theater at The Mirage to play more dates in the "Stomp" theater at Planet Hollywood.

Now comes word that Howie Mandel moves to The Mirage on April 18-19 after at least five years at the MGM Grand. Sounds like "Deal or No Deal" has renewed interest in the longtime Las Vegas comedian, allowing him to play a larger room with fewer dates coming out of his suddenly busier schedule; Mirage comedians usually play a weekend, while MGM headliners stay a whole week. ...

All at once now, "S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y ... Night!" Those who blew bubble gum in 1975 will welcome the Bay City Rollers featuring Ian Mitchell to the Riviera's Le Bistro cabaret for a limited run, starting Tuesday and continuing through March 16.

Mitchell lived in Las Vegas for a stretch, but has since moved back to Southern California. ...

It speaks to how big Las Vegas has become that people in entertainment pursuits unrelated to the casino industry live and sometimes die here.

So it wasn't exactly "local" news when comic book writer Steve Gerber died recently of pulmonary fibrosis in an area hospital. Gerber's main claim to fame was "Howard the Duck," a satiric comic of the '70s that contributed to my misspent youth in ways still appreciated, and which had its name tarnished by being made into one of the worst movies of the '80s.

I e-mailed back and forth with Gerber in 1999 while he was writing "Nevada," a comic set in Las Vegas. Gerber was living something of a nomadic life then, and California-based friend Mark Evanier -- who took over Gerber's blog to announce his death -- said Gerber had no family and only one close friend in Las Vegas.

But Evanier did say several comic writers have since followed Gerber here, fleeing California for all the usual reasons. Sounds like a promising community to have here, and somehow, a logical place for those who traffic in fantasy to be.

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