Las Vegas...Phantom tickets @ $109.00! Carrot Top $72.00! Nathan Burton (& Buffet) $19.99!

Depending on your budget (and eclectic taste) there are a handful of entertaining acts to take in right now on the Vegas strip. 

"Carrot Top" - the once-wimpy dude with the shock of bright red hair who used to juggle power-saws when he first broke into show biz - is snapping up seventy-two bucks a shot for his show.

On the other end of the spectrum, Nathan Burton offers up a mesmerizing Magic Show (rife with a bevy of mystifying illusions that baffle even the most observant ticket-holder) for the bargain price of $19.99 (a buffet included).

I met Mr. Burton once on the red carpet at the Cinevegas film festival. 

Cool down-to-earth guy!

Phantom of the Opera is going strong at the Venetian @ $109.00 a pop! 

"An over-the-top spectacle," according to a stage critic at the Arizona Republic.

The Chicago-Sun Times raved, too.

"It will take your breath away."

As I strolled down Paradise just yesterday, I was surprised to spy a bilboard touting Charo's "concert" at the Riviera.

After I trundled on home from school as a lad, I often caught the effervescent "coochie coochie" girl reving up giggling audiences on the Merv Griffin show.

The Las Vegas Sun astutely quipped about Charo:

"A stick of dyamite exploding on stage."

Most Americans are unaware of the fact that the little spitfire is a skilled guitarist.

"A musical sensation" according to some.

Catch her act if you can!
The ever-popular "Blue Man Group" continues to pack the tourists in, but is a much pricier offering, with tickets selling for $129.00 (& skwywards!).

The dazzling stage show has been highly-touted as  "visually stunning", "wildly inventive", and "hysterically funny."

"An ecstatic experience," raved USA Today.

Chippendales (for the lusty at heart) is raunchy bill-of-fare for a hefty price tag of $58.00. (The Rio)

Ladies (and you gay dudes) take note!

In the event of unexpected up-close and -in-your-face lap dances, it may be wise to have a fistful of bills on hand to tuck into bulging g-strings.

Across town, Hooters is trying to steal some of the Chippendale's thunder with their own sexy male stud tease, known as the "Men of X".

In view of the newly-packed Beatles tunes this past week, a slew of die-hard Liverpudlian fans may want to take in the always-popular FAB Four at Planet Hollywood ($57.50).

"Legends" consists of 5 Fabulous acts in one spectucular stage extravaganza at Harrah's.

The longest running tribute show in entertainment history, Legends in concert features dancers, live musicians, and the world's greatest celebrity impersonators.

"The Show of Shows," according to the International Press Association.

"Grand. It's a cosmic curtain call of Legends," lauded another media outlet.

"American Superstars" at the Stratosphere is in a similar vein and offers one stage performance a night Sunday thru Tuesday.

There are wo shows nighty from Wed/Sat @  6:30 p.m & 8:30 p.m. respectively.

$49.50 will land you a show, dinner, and Tower (Stratosphere panoramic view of Vegas strip) , and two cocktails.  Good deal, eh?

"Bodies" is an macabre exhibition at the Luxor.

Critics are hailing the novel display as "innovative, real, and groundbreaking".

It is a showcase of real human bodies that have been preserved to allow the curious to explore the human body in a fascinating way never seen before.

If you can stomach it!

The "Titantic Exhibition" of memorabilia at the Luxor may appeal to a handful of history buffs, too.  And, the entrance fee of $27.00 won't bankrupt your Vegas budget.

The perennial favourite - "The Lion King" - is still wowing stage musical fans at the princely sum of $109.00 a ticket at Mandaulay Bay.

Of course, a little sunbathing at the pool may be the best route to go if the sweltering heat persists in the desert oasis (!!!) . 

All that it will cost you is the price of a cocktail or two!

Enjoy!

http://www.julianayrs.com/

Harvey Fierstein...the scorn of Vegas! Comment may result in ban...

Man, woman, or beast?

Well, we all know that Harvey Fierstein has a big fat mouth, a raspy Queenie kind-of-one.

But, some allege that in recent days, the "Hairspray" star put his foot in it.

The out-Gay performer angered some Vegas locals in the entertainment business when he lampooned edited shows (the propensity of producers to streamline stage musicals for Sin City audiences short on attention-span and pining to get back to the gambling tables), yardstick-sized exotic cocktails, and theatre environs that smack of a tomb-like ambiance.

Fierstein's poke at the desert oasis opened up the floodgates.

"Harvey should never be allowed to step foot inside this town again," one lamented.

A couple of fans sprang to Fierstein's defense, though.

One put it rather succinctly.

"There's a distinct difference between a New York audience and a Vegas one. Not that one is better (whew that was close!). The New York audience is stuffier, more informed, and more theatrically inclined.

That's a "right on" assessment, I noted to myself, as I read on.

"You have a variety of shows to appeal to many aesthetics. Here the emphasis is purely on the entertainment. The "think" factor is pretty much nonexistent."

The astute oberserver who just closed in "Mamma Mia" finished up by noting that there was less reverence for theatre in Vegas.

"You have customers coming in Bermuda shorts (God forbid!), T-shirts (promoting the musical, I trust), flip-flops, and tank tops (okey-dokey, if they've got great pecs or tasty melons to show off).

A New York producer was allegedly livid when the controversy about the length of musicals on the strip became a bone of contention.

"This story made me sick to my stomach. It doesn't surprise me that one of these Broadway prima donnas would do something like this."

Gosh, the "suit" made it sound like Fierstein was involved in some sinister plot.

"We will be coming to Vegas in the fall," the impersario gushed enthusiastically.

"Our show is ninety to ninety-five minutes and we welcome people to have a drink or two and have a good time. Las Vegas does not need Harvey Fierstein."

Will they be allowed a slot break?

Some noted that cutting parts of a musical actually works.

"It works in Phantom, which I have seen numerous times on Broadway, and it is better here," the actor/singer noted with smug satisfaction.

Not all the criticisms were harsh.

"Bravo Harvey for telling it like it is," one supporter quipped.

As to Los Angeles?

Don't get me started!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Sarah Brightman...boo! hiss!

If you're like me, when you hop on the net to play, work - or just plain surf through the blogosphere - you may be inclined to snap on the headphones and pipe in some background music as you tool around.

Today, my body is gently lilting to Dvorak's "New World Symphony" (Going Home).

Why, even Olympic Gold Medalist - Michael Phelps - is infamous for tuning his ear to some heady upbeat tunes to add a bit of splash to the water games.

The other morning I was in a mood for - gosh darn it, I confess - melodramatic song stylings by Sarah Brightman.

But, lo and behold!

When I clicked on the video to spank that monkey?

Nada!

At first, I thought the earplugs weren't resting soundly in the socket.

No Sir, all systems were a go.

Ah, maybe the volume was on mute?

When that panned out, I glanced up at the screen and spied a message from youtube.

And then, the ugly truth befell me.

"No longer available. EMI has claimed rights to this tune."

Boo! Hiss!

I'm mad as he** and I'm not going to take it anymore.

In fact, I'm going to burn all the Sarah Brightman CDs I don't own.

Well, that's the crux of it, eh?

Ms. Brightman is heading out on a leg of a concert tour, so why should her label offer up the music for free?

Even still, I think the scurrilous strategy was a boo-boo.

Videos on youtube are generally a bit fuzzy anyway, for starters.

So, I'm inclined to believe that in view of that - and if given the half-the-chance to get cozy with a performer - music lovers may just go out and buy a brand spanking new CD in the end scenario.

You blew it, Sarah!

By the way, were you Frank Lloyd Wright's beard, or what?