Tag Archives: Las Vegas entertainers

Las Vegas Entertainers Come to Aid of Singer/Musical Conductor Bill Fayne

Members of the Las Vegas entertainment community are once again stepping up again to help one of their own. An all-star lineup will be donating their time this Saturday for a fundraiser at the Suncoast for singer/musical conductor Bill Fayne, who is recovering from major throat surgery for cancer. 

“The great news now is that he is on a course to full recovery,” said entertainer Clint Holmes, co-host of the afternoon show with his wife, Kelly Clinton-Holmes. Fayne has been Holmes’ longtime conductor and arranger. 

Fayne, who has lost 50 pounds from his  surgery and diabetes complications, and Clint Holmes have been friends since their college days. 

Taking the stage will be Terry Fator, Frankie Scinta, Lance Burton, Louie Anderson, Robin Leach, Sandy Hackett & the Rat Pack Show, the ladies from “Menopause,” Elvis Presley tribute artist Paul Casey, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tribute artists “Oh What a Night” and Human Nature. 

The lineup of entertainers include Domenick Allen, Leigh Zimmerman, Cayleigh Capaldi, Rick Faugno, Lena Prima, 5th Avenue, Voci Vegas, the Las Vegas Tenors, Tony Sacca, Jerry Lopez, Jeff Neiman and Vincent Falcone. 

The event begins at 2 p.m. this Sat., March 6 at the Suncoast. Tickets are $45, $35 and $25 and are available at the Suncoast box office and other Boyd Gaming properties.

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Crooner Wayne Newton to Headline Tropicana in Las Vegas?

Momentarily it will be officially announced that aging crooner Wayne Newton will be back on the Las Vegas Strip as a resident headliner at the Tropicana. WayneNewton

Although the aging Las Vegas icon has lost his robust trademark singing voice of 50 years, this time a new show described as a “theatrical extravaganza,” will focus more on his personality and charm, not his singing. 

Jack Wishna, the agent brokering the deal through his CP America company, has acknowledged a pending contract but said he couldn’t discuss content until it is final. 

Others say Newton is finally ditching the bandstand crooner format he clung to with diminishing returns in this decade, and that his show will be reformatted to emphasize his strengths and not his weaknesses. 

A new format could go one of two directions or somehow combine them: A variety show in which Newton would introduce guest stars, or a “Joker Is Wild” shift (named after the Sinatra movie bio of Joe E. Lewis) that would have him maybe sing “Danke Schoen,” but mostly tell jokes, play his banjo and serve up backstage yarns from his long career. 

Please stay tuned for more updates from Las Vegas Backstage Access.

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Celine Dion Paints Baby’s Room

Celine Dion is expecting her second child in May, her Montreal publicist recently confirmed. CelineDion

The former Caesars Palace headliner conceived after fertility treatments, as she did with son Rene Charles, born Jan. 25, 2001. 

Dion, 41, ended her world tour in February and later acknowledged during an appearance on “Oprah” that she was hoping to have another child. 

The Canadian singing star has hinted that she intends to return to Las Vegas to perform after a baby break.

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Marie Osmond’s TV Talk Show Goes South

Las Vegas Flamingo headliner Marie Osmond’s television talk show, planned for a September premiere on stations in 80 percent of the U.S., has now been cancelled. marieosmond3

A weak economy was supposedly the culprit. “This project, under proper conditions, still remains a strong passion of mine,” she said in a released statement.

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Danny Gans Las Vegas Death Probe Ends with Publishing of 911 Tape Transcript

For many citizens of Las Vegas and throughout the United States, entertainer Danny Gans was an iconic figure, as much a part of Las Vegas background as the Mirage where he worked for almost nine years. So it stands to reason that the 911 tape of Gans’s wife trying to resuscitate him would be equally memorable.

It also closes the books on a police case that has had speculation buzzing for over a month.

According to The Associated Press, Clark County Police released the 911 tape, along with an incident report that details the police’s response to the emergency call.

On the tape, Julie Gans can be heard telling dispatcher Kaulana Flatt: “My husband, um, I can’t wake him up.”

“Is he breathing?” Flatt said.

“I can’t tell,” Julie Gans replies. “I can’t hear anything. I’m trying to feel a pulse.”

The line then falls silent for several seconds as Julie Gans begins chest compressions. She can be overheard saying “One, two, three, four, five.”

For over three minutes, Julie Gans valiantly tries to revive her husband as Flatt coaches her. The call is time stamped at 3:40 a.m. Police arrived seven minutes later. Danny Gans was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

According to Clark County coroner report, Gans died of an adverse reaction to the painkiller hydromorphone–better known as dilaudid, a powerful opiate used to control pain. In an interview later with police, Julie Gans confirmed that Danny was prescribed hydromorphone by doctors, but that he didn’t use it regularly.

According to Julie Gans, on the day of Danny’s death, her husband played golf, received a massage and went to bed. Julie Gans noticed something was wrong when she woke up and noticed he wasn’t snoring. That’s when she called 911.

According to Detective Chad Mitchell of the Las Vegas Police Department, Julie Gans complied with a criminal forensic expert’s request to view Danny Gans’s medication.

Foul play is not suspected in Gans’ death.

For over a decade, Danny Gans was a mainstay in on the Las Vegas entertainment scene, performing initially as a comedian in corporate functions throughout the United States. In 2000, Gans signed with the Mirage, a sister casino of the recently built Wynn Encore casino in Las Vegas.

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Entertainer Danny Gans’ Death Linked to “Drug Store Heroin”

Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy ruled yesterday that Danny Gans’ sudden death on May 1 in his Henderson, Nevada home at the age of 52 was accidental caused by acute toxic levels of the prescription painkiller clinically known as hydromorphone.    The drug – used to relieve moderate to severe chronic pain – interacted with his other heart and blood disease drugs. 

“Mr. Gans’ health conditions placed him at greater risk for heart irregularities, and the hydromorphone was a factor that exacerbated those risks,” said Murphy. 

The drug otherwise known as Dilaudid, is a highly addictive opiate nicknamed “drug store heroin” that is two to eight times more potent than morphine and  a drug not meant for long-term usage.  Drug side effects include high dose tolerance leading to dependence, troubled and slowed breathing, and impairment of mental and physical performance.  It is such a potent and powerful central-acting prescription drug that it can’t be called in to the pharmacy like most other drugs, but rather the prescription has to be handwritten and personally delivered. 

Some contend that the prescription was not a recent one, rather just an old prescription that Gans kept in his medicine cabinet.

This is also the same drug that was a top favorite of iconic entertainer Elvis Presley, who also died young at 42.  Although Dilaudid was not found in the many drugs discovered in Elvis’ system when he died, he was quoted in the book “Elvis: The Final Years,” as telling the wife of Red West, a member of Elvis’ inner circle, “I’ve tried them all, honey, and believe me, Dilaudid is the best.”

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Cleopatra Dies in Las Vegas

Born in Tehran, Iran, Yvonne Mahvis Boreta was the original Cleopatra at the opening of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when it opened in 1966.   Boreta, 64, passed away on June 3 in Las Vegas.  Besides working at Caesars, she was an accomplished painter, model and college graduate, becoming a full-time Las Vegas resident in 1974. 

Visitation will be June 10 from noon to 2 p.m., with a memorial service immediately following, both at Palm Mortuary, 800 S. Boulder Highway, in Henderson, Nevada.

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Las Vegas Tribute Artist Trina Johnson-Finn Released in Suriname

A judge in Suriname on Friday released Las Vegas entertainer Trina Johnson-Finn who was accused of posing as singer Toni Braxton at a concert there where she was pelted with trash and booed offstage. 

The 20-year professional singer who has augmented her career by impersonating stars as a “tribute artist” is now planning her return to Las Vegas to be with her husband, Raymond Finn, emotionally drained and financially devastated after the ordeal. 

Finn, who had spent three months in jail there, said she would not be present at her formality sentencing hearing on Tuesday. 

Finn has repeatedly said she was not involved in the impersonation scheme cover up that charged up to $53 per ticket for the Feb. 28 concert in Suriname’s capital.  A crowd of 3,000 threw bottles and beer cans at Finn in what has been dubbed the “Phony Toni” concert. 

The promoters Angel Ventura and his girlfriend Signet Sampson, though, remain in custody there and are expected to stand trial in July. 

Please see  April 25 and May 7 Las Vegas Backstage Access articles covering this case.

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Death of Las Vegas Entertainer Danny Gans Remains a Mystery

Still no answer is forthcoming on the reasons for the death of Las Vegas iconic entertainer Danny Gans, who died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 52 in his Henderson, Nevada home on May 1. 

Although “all the initial information is in,” says Clark County Cororner Michael Murphy, referring to toxicology reports submitted to medical examiners, “it’s not available for release, and we’re still poring over the information.” He added that they have “gathered what we believe is all the critical information, and we anticipate an answer within the next couple of weeks,” but said it could take longer. 

Murphy declined to speculate about possible findings.  Gans’ family members have said he was on medication to control high blood pressure, but otherwise had no health issues as far as they knew. 

According to Chip Lightman, Gans’ manager, the night before Gans died, the entertainer slept poorly. 

A memorial service for Gans was held May 21 at the Wynn Encore, where Gans had performed.  Those in attendance included his wife and his three children, Amy, Andrew and Emily, and Donny and Marie Osmond, Steve and Elaine Wynn, Clint Holmes, Rita Rudner, Criss Angel, Carrot Top, George Wallace, and former Nevada Governor Bob Miller.

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Danny Gans Memorial Service Today in Las Vegas

The Danny Gans memorial service will be at 3 p.m. today, May 21, in the 1,600-seat Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, the former showroom for the celebrity vocal impressionist.

Expected to attend are Steve and Elaine Wynn, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, entertainers Donny and Marie Osmond a throng of other celebrities, friends and guests. Originally announced as an invitation-only wake, the memorial will include some fans, firefighters and police who were offered complimentary tickets this week from showtickets4locals.com

Gans died in his home of unknown causes on May 1. He was 52.  His death is currently being investigated, perhaps for a couple more weeks.

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Danny Gans’ Autobiography & Music Video Release

Danny Gans, 52, a leading Las Vegas headliner since 1966, both at The Mirage for 8 ½ years and most recently performing at Steve Wynn’s Encore hotel, died unexpectedly early last Friday in his Las Vegas home.   (May 2 Las Vegas Backstage Access article.) 

Now it has been learned that two days before his death he completed his autobiography that was in the works for about a year.  The manuscript, according to this his manager, Chip Lightman, is now being edited and a meeting with the publisher today. 

Gans also had a music video in the works with Hollywood director Brett Ratner, performing “What a Wonderful World” in 10 voices.  It is planned to be a part of a CD that’s being released in a month by Hi-Fi Records.

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Las Vegas Entertainment Icon Danny Gans Dies

The Danny Gans Theatre at the Encore will be silent tonight.  Long-time Las Vegas entertainer, dubbed The Man of Many Voices, Danny Gans has died at the age of 52, silently in his sleep last night. dannygans

Singer, actor and impressionist Danny Gans, named Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year for 11 years in a row, began his Las Vegas career in 1996 at the Stratosphere Hotel before moving to the Rio, the Mirage and, most recently, the Wynn Encore. 

Steve Wynn, chief executive of Wynn Resorts, called Gan’s death “a profoundly tragic event that leaves us all sad and speechless.” 

Danny Gans left behind his wife, Julie and their three children.

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Beyonce Heads for Las Vegas Glitter

Since Las Vegas first grew out of the desert dust, powerful female entertainers have always found a home in the main beyonceshowrooms of Las Vegas casinos and hotels.   In just the past year, Las Vegas marquis have invited tourists to spend an evening with Celine Dion, Cher, Bette Midler,Taylor Swift, Rita Rudner, and coming this July, appearing at the Encore Theatre, in Steve Wynn’s latest and greatest Wynn Las Vegas hotel – Beyonce.   

Beyonce Knowles began her “I am…Sasha Fierce” tour in Edmonton Canada in March 2009.  After several dates in Canada, the tour moved on to Europe in April with stops in Austria, France, Germany and Spain along the way and ending with a series of performances in England. 

On June 21 Knowles’ Sasha tour makes its way stateside to Madison Square Garden in New York and continues across the country until July 30 when her tour arrives for four nights in Las Vegas.  

The title of Beyonce’s current album is a play on the persona she created over the past few years.  One half of the tracks of “I am…” are personal stories and come from the singer’s soul.  The other half of the album, “….Sasha Fierce” is full of the spark and flame that has come from the stage persona of Sasha.  And Beyonce will be bringing her all-female band and this high octane combination to Las Vegas for their joint Encore Theater marquis moment in July. 

Mike Ross of the Edmonton Sun recently gave Beyonce’s performance at Rexall Place 4.5 out of 5 stars rating stating, “Beyonce can sing traditional R&B if she wants. She proved it late last night – wailing on the Etta James classic At Last, which she performed for the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama.”

Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Saturday, April 25.  And – the good news – Beyonce is making first 2,000 seats available for $20 (plus applicable service charges).

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All Rise: The King is Back in the Building

For some, death is really not in their cards, it’s just a lifetime spent in purgatory.

Keeping with tradition, Las Vegas will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley this July with one of the largest Elvis conventions in the world. According to John Stuart, a long-time Las Vegas producer and the mastermind behind “Legends in Concert,” an award-winning celebrity impersonation show in Las Vegas, the idea is to bring back to faux life “all major people who were in the original concert 40 years ago.”

Though not an original Elvis band member, Sean Klush, the BBC’s “World’s Greatest Elvis” in 2007 is also planning to make his sparkling appearance. 

Elvis fans will get a a chance to take a special backstage tour and even participate in an Elvis impersonation contest. 

The King’s once-in-a-lifetime revival extravaganza is scheduled for July 15 through 19 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

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Siegfried & Roy’s ABC Special Airs this Friday, March 6

If you were not among the 1,100 guests paying upwards of $7,500 for a ticket at the Bellagio last Saturday evening in Las Vegas when the Keep Memory Alive organization had their gala fundraiser for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo siegried2Center for Brain Health that featured the supposedly last performance from Las Vegas iconic entertainers Siegfried & Roy, there’s still hope.  And even if you did attend, it’s well worth it to watch the hour-long “20/20” news magazine special on “Siegfried & Roy:  The Magic Returns” that airs at 9 p.m. this Friday, March 5, on KTNV-TV, Channel 13. 

ABC News’ Elizabeth Vargas visits with Roy Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher in their Las Vegas home and hears about the grueling five years endured by both of them since Montecore, the massive white Bengal tiger, mauled Horn during a 2003 performance at The Mirage.  Siegfried went through ‘caregivers syndrome’ – when people who take care of other forget to take care of themselves – and is reported on as well.

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Michael Jackson Expected To Announce $10 Million Performance Deal on March 5

Michael Jackson has reportedly returned to London yesterday to launch his comeback.  The 50-year-old debt-ridden King of Pop, who has been living in Las Vegas for the better part of two years while entertaining many performance offers, is scheduled to make a “special announcement” March 5 at The 02 Arena in London.  michael-jacskon2

Jackson will reportedly perform 10 concerts for a reported $10 million.  

The Los Angeles-based AEG Live, who operates The O2, has reportedly booked the deal.  If the shows are well-received and attended, and Jackson can make the commitments, the deal could extend to a total of 20 to 30 performances, at up to $1 million per show. 

AEG also has a strong Las Vegas connection.  Could it be that he will perform here too?

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Elton John Belts Out Last Beat on April 22 in Las Vegas …241 Performances & 3 Years Later

Sir Elton John started out as a limited run scheduled for just 75 shows over 3 years.  But as the lights went down on elton-johnthe first Elton John Red Piano performance at Caesars Palace on February 14, 2004, it became clear that this wasn’t going to be just a normal Vegas revue gig.  And it wasn’t the David LaChappelle photography, the inflatable banana’s and cherries or the actual red piano center piece that made his Las Vegas performances stand out.  It was the music, performed by Sir Elton John and his band that routinely drew his fans to his sold out show. 

Now, 241 performances later, Sir Elton John will say good-bye to the Coliseum at Caesars Palace on April 22, 2009. 

Sir Elton John’s career began in 1961 as a member of the band Bluesology.  In 1967 he started working with Bernie Taupin and a legendary music industry relationship was born.  After his 1970 self-titled debut album there followed a long string of critical and financial successes.  From 70’s hits like the perpetually popular “Your Song” to “Good-bye Yellow Brick Road” to 80’s favorites “Empty Garden” and “I’m Still Standing,” Sir Elton John and his who’s who cache of co-writers and producers have entertained audiences around the world.  

In 1992 Sir Elton John established the Elton John Aids Foundation to help find a cure for HIV.  To date, this organization has raised more than $150 million and actively works in 55 countries offering support services and treatment options to those living with HIV/AIDS. 

Also in the 1990’s Sir Elton John began another somewhat magical musical relationship when he collaborated with Tim Rice on Disney’s ‘Lion King’ soundtrack.  He earned a Grammy and his first Oscar for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and went on to work with Rice on the Broadway hit ‘Aida.’

While performing at Caesars these last five years in Las Vegas, Sir Elton John has shared the Coliseum Theater with Celine Dion, Cher and Bette Midler.  In late 2008 he took the Red Piano on the road, touring Europe with the show before returning to Las Vegas for the final Caesar’s performances.

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Is Michael Jackson going to perform in Las Vegas?

Money-hurting music pop star Michael Jackson, on and off again Las Vegas resident, has got rid of his white gloves and is now in talks to mount a concert comeback with up to 30 live shows in either London or Las Vegas later this year.michaeljackson

If it happens, it would be Jackson’s first major performance since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

London’s O2 arena is said to be competing with a few hotels in Las Vegas to lure the 50-year-old “King of Pop” back to the stage he once ruled.  This effort has been launched in the past, but now it’s in earnest.

Even though his bizarre behavior has wrecked his image, some insiders think the shows could net him $215 million, according to published reports in British newspapers.

“It will be the greatest comeback in the history of pop and there would be no problem selling out the O2 every night,” one source told London’s Daily Mail. “No one is concerned about his reputation and people don’t feel it is a risk. Organizers are confident people will come from all over the world to see him.”

There’s one fact for certain:  Jackson really needs the work.  Once one of the richest entertainers in the world, he’s in severe dire financial straits these days.  Last year he had to fight a $7 million lawsuit by a son of the King of Bahrain over an unpaid debt. In April, he’s auctioning off thousands of his possessions, including the sequined white glove he famously wore in the “Billie Jean” videos.

Jackson has said he is working on a new album, but nothing has materialized.  An adaptation of his video “Thriller” is supposedly headed for Broadway.  Released into 1982, “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time and launched Jackson’s career into the stratosphere.

He’s largely been a mysterious recluse in recent years while his reputation has been battered by sex scandal, strange illnesses, plastic surgeries and other odd and eccentric behavior.

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