The show you hear may make us sound like well-spoken, polite, erudite podcasters, but like many things in Las Vegas, that’s an illusion. For the past three years, we’ve been recording our show live with a listening audience of, well, tens, on the Internet. And so, as we did last year for our anniversary, we’re pulling the curtains back this week and airing all the behind-the-scenes drama. The curses! The chat people! The arguments! The Neil Sedaka impressions! The Steve abuse! It’s our 3rd birthday and we couldn’t be more thrilled, so sit back, relax … and beware.

In Banter: Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza thoughts, Mark has left LVRocks to reinvent the air conditioning, where the would 40/40 Club work, Yellow Tail Sushi opens at Bellagio, Criss Angel ups the hype with another delay, the M Resort’s blimp is delayed too, Virgin America debuts this week, the Price is Right Live’s fun but odd, Manilow changes his name and direct flights to China could be years away.

Links:

See pictures from the Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza here
Read Steve’s 40/40 issues here
The site for the Bellagio’s new sushi spot, Yellow Tail, is here
0AThe I Love Sushi place in Henderson that Miles complimented is here
See Steve’s breaking bulletin on Criss Angel’s delays here
See pix of the M Resort’s “lightship” is here
Read about the launch of the Virgin America’s new JFK-LAS route here
Get tickets to The Price is Right Live here
Read more about Manilow’s name change here

* * *

STRIP EXTRA: Steve on Nevada Newsmakers

Here's audio from Steve's 8/28 appearance on Nevada Newsmakers, a daily half-hour TV show based out of Reno. The discussion centers around how the national media deals with all things Vegas. Find more Nevada Newsmakers shows at NevadaNewsmakers.com.

* * *

STRIP EXTRA: Q&A FROM THE 'PALOOZA!

Here's the audio from the question-and-answer session of Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza on Aug. 16, 2008 at the Palms. The questions were answered by Miles and me as well as Hunter Hillegas of RateVegas.Com and Tim and Michele Dressen from Five Hundy By Midnight.

* * *

STRIP EXTRA: Jennifer Holliday

For the next two weeks, George Wallace will have an unusual co-star for his show at the Flamingo, the original Dreamgirl, Jennifer Holliday. Decades before Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for playing the role of big-voiced girl-band reject Effie White in the 2006 film, Holliday won a Tony for creating the same part on stage. She also landed a Grammy for the signature hit, “And I’m Telling You, I’m Not Going.” But Holliday’s life in the interim has been tragic, with bouts of depression, battles with her weight and an inability to replicate her earlier success. She spoke to Steve in advance of her opening for Wallace from Aug. 19 to Aug 30, relating stories of opening for George Burns at Caesars Palace in the 1980s, about a disastrous outing in the same showroom with Rosie O’Donnell in the 1990s and about how she reconciles her religion with her status as a gay icon.

* * *

Aug. 21: Carrot Top @ The Podcast-a-Palooza!

**NOTE: THE AUDIO IS A LITTLE ROUGH AND NOT EDITED THIS TIME SINCE IT WAS LIVE AND THAT'S THE CHARM OF IT. HOPE THAT'S OK!**

You may love him or you may hate him, but you cannot deny this one truth: Carrot Top is a Vegas star. And he’s the kind of star whose act could only have this kind of longevity on the Strip. Scott Thompson, the comic with the enormous orange plume and the shockingly ripped physique, joins us live today to explain his journey from Butts Road – no, really – to Las Vegas Boulevard. That’s coming up. Plus, news from Vegas, a new poll, the trivia question and, as always, the Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week. This is The Strip, we’re at the Palms and our part of the 2008 Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza starts right now.

PLUS: The Robert Earl rapproachement, Sheldon Adelson's protection and Steve's pre-Palooza nightmare.

Links:

See Carrot Top's website here
Get tickets for Carrot Top live at Luxor here
The website for Woo Restaurant, referred to early in the show, is here
See the back story on the Earl-Friess-Hillegas feud here
Find other Podcast-A-Palooza pix and video of The Vegas Gang's part here

* * *

Aug. 14: Nathan Burton

If there’s anyone who can attest to the fact that achieving fame in Las Vegas is never easy, it’s illusionist Nathan Burton. Yes, his goofy grin is now plastered across a tower of the Flamingo Las Vegas now -- and he reveals what that costs! -- but his journey to that triumph required two decades of work, gigs at countless hotels and appearances on not one but two top-rated reality TV competitions. Oh, and sealing himself in a box with seven Vegas showgirls for a week didn’t hurt, either. Burton joined us in the studio, as did Amy Turner of GritsToGlitz.Com subbing for a working Miles.

In Banter: The ladies' night ruling, BestofVegas.Com's screw-up and Steve's theory on that Cirque-Dubai transaction.

Links:

Nathan Burton’s website is here
Get tickets for Nathan’s show at the Flamingo here
Read Steve’s coverage of the ladies’ night question here
See the mildly risqué microwave trick Burton did on TV here
Hear Amy’s regular show, Grits To Glitz, here
See Steve’s blog rant and the head-scratching images from BestofVegas.Com here
Read the AP report on Cirque selling a fifth of itself to Dubai here

* * *

Aug. 7: David Spade

On paper, David Spade wouldn’t seem a likely to become a star, let alone a ladies’ man. And yet, more than two decades after he got his start in comedy clubs and was guided by Dennis Miller to a role on Saturday Night Live, Spade is a staple of American TV comedy as star of such hits as Just Shoot Me, 8 Simple Rules and Rules of Engagement. Spade, who usually performs his stand-up twice a month at the Planet Hollywood spoke to Steve about being the surprising object of affection of many a hot babe, about the tragedies that surround him and about the difficulty of mocking Barack Obama.

Plus, Vegas nightlife guru Jack Colton of JackColton.Com explains the noisy club scene, Steve Wynn's hooker tangle and why Alan Thicke will never be on this program.

Links

Get tickets to see David Spade at Planet Hollywood Aug 30-31 here
David Spade's website is here
For all things Vegas nightlife, check out JackColton.Com here
Read why Alan Thicke is a liar here
Steve's column about the would-be 9/11 discount is here
Steve Wynn's hooker adventure can be read about here
See Wynn's puzzling carpet-bombing advertising blitz here
The Michael Jackson "scoop" from Parade Magazine is here
Steve's piece on David Spade from the L.A. Times is here

* * *

July 31: Steve Lawrence

They’ve become known as the casino closers. Four times in the past decade, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme have been called upon to be the final performers at the closing of a resort or a famous showroom. But the act itself keeps on trucking. Well, sort of. Steve Lawrence is performing solo in August at the Orleans while his wife deals with a variety of health problems, as you’ll hear this hour. Lawrence spoke to Steve last week about Frank Sinatra, the original Tonight Show, about fighting with Eydie on stage and about why they haven’t seen a resurgence like Tony Bennett and Frankie Valli. Plus, he talks about their son, David, who composed the scores for the “High School Musical” movies. That’s all coming up.

In Banter: Trump IS having layoffs, Jerry Lewis is packing heat, Ping Pang Pong is wonderful, Miles is hung up over a gross Secret commercial and the prospect of the Las Vegas TV show as a movie.

Links:

Buy tickets to see Steve Lawrence at the Orleans Aug 15-17 here
See that Steve and Eydie is on What’s My Line here
See a spoof of the Secret Flawless ad Miles is so irked by here
Others hate that Secret ad, too, and they chatter about it here
Find the Global Gaming Business podcast with Vegas biz exec interviews here
Read all about Jerry Lewis packing heat at McCarran here
Find out more about the terrific Ping Pang Pong at the Gold Coast here
See the KVBC report on the Trump layoffs and Trump’s denial of same here
See the drive-thru article about the Fiesta Rancho sportsbook here
The Burger King drive-thru ad Miles whines about is here
Chris Lawrence’s blog post about the potential “Las Vegas” film here
Weatherford breaks news about a new poker show at the Venetian here

* * *

July 24: Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard has many claims to fame. He’s a well-regarded comedian, a terrific actor in such programs as FX’s “The Riches” and, of course, he’s probably the world’s most famous out-of-the-closet heterosexual transvestite. Oh, and he’ll be playing Vegas on July 25-26 at the Palms, so Steve chatted with Izzard about all of those things—and Izzard makes Steve a "Rich" promise that will delight many.

* * *

July 17: Wanda Sykes

She told Jane Fonda to f--- off in "Monster-in-Law," had her portrait snapped by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine and, this fall, is expected to marry Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Those are some of the highlights of Wanda Sykes’ illustrious career. The comic-actress, who performs stand-up twice in July and twice in August, speaks to Steve this hour about all that and some of the less thrilling moments – can someone say Pootie Tang?

In Banter: The Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza is coming up, a WSOP marathon night, BLT Burger rocks, Rub less so, MGMGrand.Com has troubles and more.

Links:

Get seats for Wanda Sykes' P-Ho shows in 7/18-19 and 8/8-8/9 here
Wanda Sykes' website is here
Steve's AFP piece on the WSOP finals is here
Find out more about the Vegas Podcastapalooza here
Read about WSOP finalist Craig Marquis' father here
The kerfluffle over the MGMGrand.Com is all over the blog here
The site for BLT Burger at the Mirage is here
Read Steve's LVW column on the Trump here (after 7/17)
Hear the full version of Wanda's porn-related phone prank and others here

* * *

July 3: Leno and Wayans

Jay Leno has always been comfortably inside the lines of mainstream American comedy while Damon Wayans has built a family business out of going out on a limb. So what do these two comics have in common? For one, both are performing in Las Vegas this month. For another, they’re both on the show this week. Leno reacts to questions as about why he’s not more respected by the entertainment media while Wayans tries to explain the method to his mad career.

In Banter: Steve Wynn's cocktail, Steve Friess' drinking binge, Harrah's environmentalism, Penn v Angel and a George Carlin tribute.

Links:

Get tickets to Damon Wayans' Orleans show here
Get tickets to Jay Leno's Mirage performances here
Learn how to make Steve Wynn's favorite cocktail here
Check out the Downtown Cocktail Lounge here
Read Penn Jillette's diss Criss Angel here
Learn more about Noir Bar at the Luxor here
The site for Miles' would-be obsession, Clean House, is here
Steve's scoops on the blue tape and the Criss Angel delay is here and here
Read how the AIDS Rides turned out to be a scam here
Read Harrah's press release on their WSOP carbon-credit buy here
That 7/1 WSJ piece on Vegas casino debt is here
See the George Carlin clip we played on the show here
Watch the whole Wayans three-titties routine excerpted on the show here

* * *

June 26: "Love," Exciting and Two

Two years ago this week, the world experienced the Beatles music in a new way, the Cirque du Soleil way. The show “Love” arrived in the theater formerly occupied by Siegfried & Roy to rave reviews and its soundtrack of tracks remixed from the original tapes by the original producer, went on to win a Grammy. To honor the show, we’ll talk live in the studio tonight to Kyle Stokely, a 12-year-old actor who has been in the production from the beginning about what it’s like being a child actor on the Strip and about all the famous people he’s met on the job.

In Banter: The New Yorker's Adelson opus, Cosmo v Cosmo, Trump in the dumps, Cirque gossip and a "locals" Sahara?

Links:

See Love's Kyle Stokely in a YouTube juggling video here
Get tickets to see Love here
That 12,000-word New Yorker piece on Sheldon Adelson is here
Steve's take on that New Yorker piece is here
Information about Wizard, the show about Harold Arlen, is here
Read about Cosmo's lawsuit against the Cosmo here
Trump's woes and denials of same can be read about here
Read more about Sahara's odd locals efforts her

* * *

REISSUED ARCHIVE EDITION: BEATLES PRODUCERS GEORGE + GILES MARTIN
Reissuing the June 8, 2006 episode featuring George and Giles Martin, the father-and-son duo who created the Love soundtrack from the tracks at Abbey Road Studios. This interview was conducted for a USA Today piece in advance of the show's opening at the Mirage.

* * *

June 19: James Caan

As casino security chief Big Ed Deline on the now-defunct NBC soap “Las Vegas,” James Caan played the center of gravity at the fictional Montecito with a certain old-school Sin City panache. That and a few film roles related to the Strip were enough to earn him the first-ever Vegas Icon Award at the 10th annual CineVegas Film Festival that’s on at the Palms this week. But what did Caan really think of those roles and that TV show? And, more importantly, what does he think led to its cancellation a year after he left the part? The colorful 68-year-old Oscar nominee lets loose on a variety of hot topics including drug use, bad films and the Mob.

In Banter: New tech at Rio and Fontainebleau, NY travels, room taxes, the Hank Greenspun movie and getting gas from hookers.

Links:

Download the Deutsche Bank look at Vegas building progress here
James Caan's Wikipedia page is here
Watch him make Kathy Bates "eat it!" on YouTube here
Find out all you want to know about CineVegas here
See the site for Xanadu The Musical here
Find our chat with Mel Brooks here
Read the R-J piece on their room tax poll here
Hear the disastrous George Wallace show here
Read about whores giving people gas here
The LV Weekly's take on the Hank Greenspun flick is here
See our coverage of the I-Bar's Microsoft Surface tech here
Read Steve's USA Today piece about Fontainebleau's Apple plans here

* * *

SPECIAL VIDEO: Sneak Peek of iBar @ Rio

This week, Microsoft rolls out its new Surface technology in the form of six $10,000 bar-lounge tabletops at the I Bar inside the casino at the Rio upon which, via some sophisticated touch-screen tech, customers can play games (video bowling, pinball), view YouTube videos, see who's sitting at other tables and send messages, take photos of themselves to send to friends and, oh yes, order drinks.

And here's some video I took -- think of it as The Strip Podcast Goes Pop-Up Video for all the comments I stuck in there. I used the thing to find my childhood home in Syosset, N.Y.

* * *

June 5: WSOP Champ Jerry Yang

A year ago, Jerry Yang was a just a 39-year-old social worker from Temecula, California, with six kids, a hefty mortgage and a wife who worked nights to make ends meet. Today, he’s living proof of why the annual World Series of Poker is the one championship that anyone can win. Yang spent $225 to enter a local satellite tournament that led him to a seat at the 2007 Main Event where he walked away $8.25 million richer. Next month, he begins a defense of that crown but this week, he’s live in our studio to talk about the year that was, what he’s done with all that money and how he feels about the changes being made to this year’s W.S.O.P.

In Banter: CityCenter's brief strike, more details on Fontainbleau, a tour operator thinks straight men are neglected in Vegas and K-Fed is Father of the Year?!?

May 29: Rita Rudner

Rita Rudner is having another important career moment. The comic has a new book out that’s both funny and surprisingly emotional and she’s recently become the first Vegas comedian to star in a PBS special to air in June. Rudner, whose girly voice and wry battle-of-the-sexes observations continue to pack ‘em in nightly at the Harrah’s Las Vegas resort, joins us live this hour to catch us up on all of her activities.

In Banter: The s*it flies at Panorama, revisiting Manilow, notes from Tussaud's and SATC is coming to Vegas, sort of.

Links

Get tix for Rita Rudner’s show at Harrah’s here
See Rita Rudner’s website here
See the info about Rita’s PBS special here
See Steve’s Madame Tussaud’s pictorial here
The site for Ethel M’s chocolate tour is here
Listen to Steve’s inspiration, Terry Gross, here
Miles’ starter kit for new Erykah Badu enthusiasts is here

* * *

May 22: LeAnn Rimes, Erykah Badu

We’re getting a little bit country, a little bit soul this week with interviews with two very different artists. First, former teen prodigy LeAnn Rimes is all grown up and writing her own music these days, some of it offering a window into what it was like to transition from teen phenom to married lady. Then, Erykah Badu, the R&B star often likened to Billie Holliday, is back after a five-year break with three – yes, three – new albums this year. She’ll explain how Apple’s Garageband kicked off that spate. Also, the winner of our Jersey Boys tickets giveaway is revealed!

In Banter: Playing the Criss Angel Red Carpet audio, a weird country song, Aria is named, Jubilee is old and a peek at Fontainbleau.

Links

Leann Rimes’ site is here
Erykah Badu’s site is here
Get tickets to Rimes’ concert at the MGM Grand here
Get tickets to Badu’s 6/13 concert at the House of Blues here
Hollyscoop is here
Read about Criss Angel’s threat to Norm Clarke here
Sharmian, who wrote that weird country song, is here
The YouTube video of the notable Taylor Swift can be seen here
Steve’s blog posts about the naming of Aria is here
Get tickets to Jubilee! here
The website for the Fontainebleau is here
An image of the Vegas Fontainebleau is here
The Jersey Boys Podcast can be found here

* * *

May 15: Frankie Valli

A priceless falsetto took an Italian pipsqueak from New Jersey all the way to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. But it’s only now, with the huge success of the Tony-winning Broadway show based on his life, that Frankie Valli is feeling truly appreciated by the entertainment world. That show, “Jersey Boys,” opened last month to rave reviews at the Palazzo, returning the sound of Valli and the Four Seasons to the Strip in grand fashion.

In banter: Terry Fator takes over, Cher needs work, the WSOP undergoes big changes, shrimp cocktails are more expensive and Vegas.Com rules the world.

Links:

Get Jersey Boys tickets for Vegas here
News of Terry Fator's takeover at the Mirage is here
Steve's blog post about Cher's show problems is here
A piece on the changes coming for the World Series of Poker is here
That website to find wireless hotspots in Vegas is here
A story about the increased prices for shrimp cocktails at Golden Gate is here
That weird Trek-crazy site's report on the possible closure of Star Trek Experience is here
Old blog posts about the feud, now over, with Robert Earl, can be found here

* * *

(FIXED) May 8: Bob Gaudio, Erich Bergen
Comment on the show here

Bob Gaudio is the legendary songwriter responsible for such hits as “Sherry,” “What A Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.” Gaudio’s first hit was “Short Shorts,” a novelty song he wrote when he was 15. More recently, Gaudio he wrote a musical based on the film “Peggy Sue Got Married” and he tells Steve that it may yet come to Broadway sometime soon. Gaudio is joined in this conversation by Erich Bergen, a 22-year-old actor from New York City for whom the Jersey Boys role is his first major part. Bergen is also a former podcaster whose show, Green Room Radio, was a Broadway version of “The Strip” in which he would interview celebrities of the Great White Way.

* * *

SPECIAL VIDEO EDITION: JERSEY BOYS PREMIERE
(See more pix and blogging on the event here)

* * *

May 1: Kerry Simon, Charlie Trotter

Steve Wynn – again! No, sorry. Gotcha! A podcaster cannot dine on Wynn alone. But speaking of dining, how about we serve you up a generous helping of two hot Vegas chefs, Kerry Simon and Charlie Trotter? Both have new restaurants in town, Simon at the Luxor and the Palms and Trotter at Palazzo. So we ask them about the dining scene, about their foie gras aversions and, of course, about what kind of fast food they eat.

Plus, in banter: Perez Hilton sucks, the Donnie and Marie idea sucks, a Hustler hotel-casino would suck and the broken Encore sign sucks.

Links:

Kerry Simon’s website is here
Simon’s Cathouse is here and Simon at Palms Place is here
Charlie Trotter’s Las Vegas site is here
A CBS piece about the Chicago foie gras law is here
Steve’s USA Today piece on the Oprah-Tina-Cher event is here
Kerry Simon’s local favorite place, Go Raw, is here
VegasTripping.Com’s amusing take on Donnie and Marie is here
Steve’s post about the Perez Hilton rip-off is here
Richard Abowitz’s item about the Hustler idea is here
The Las Vegas Sun’s piece on Vegoose’s cancellation is here
Steve’s LVW column on Tamara is here

* * *

April 24: Steve Wynn
4/23 VIDEO SPECIAL: New Vegas Ads

Twice in one month! Wow! Steve Wynn is back to discuss the recession, reveal some intriguing new plans for the future of his golf course and declare Spamalot, closing this summer, a success. Oh, and he explains how it is he did NOT lie to Steve a few weeks ago about those Danny Gans rumors. Sorta.

In Banter: Powerful people are listening, Harrah's IS punishing the R-J, Criss Angel has not repented, the "What Happens in Vegas" trailer is good, Andrew Lloyd Webber is writing a batty "Phantom" sequel and more.

Links:

The Al Phlipp and the Woo Team band that gave us our special music can be found here
"Las Vegas" Executive Producer Matt Pyken's IMDB profile is here
Pyken's new show, "Knight Rider," can be found here
That god-awful third-ever episode of this program, then called Vegas S&M, is here
Steve's Harrah’s ad-halt blog entry is here
The trailer for "What Happens in Vegas" is here
See the tasteless headline for Richard Abowitz' Criss Angel-Norm blog item here
Read the bizarre plans for Phantom II here
The R-J's piece on the Westin giving the money back is here
The R-J's coverage of Las Vegas Sands on trial is here
The site for Town Square is here

* * *

4/21 SPECIAL: Steve on KNPR, re: the R-J v Harrahs issue

* * *

April 17: Terry Lanni

You know a recession is pretty bad when it’s felt even in Las Vegas. Terry Lanni, the CEO of MGM Mirage, spoke to Steve earlier this month about these challenging economic times, about which of the young moguls of Vegas he admires and about the struggle to name the CityCenter Hotel.

In Banter: MGM layoffs, Harrah's dumps the R-J, mobile billboards under the microscope, Steve Scores and the Criss Angel nightmare for Cirque.

Links:

The R-J on the MGM Mirage employment cuts is here
Steve’s NYT piece and blog post on the Harrah’s-RJ issue is here
RateVegas.Com’s challenge to me and Christina Binkley is here
Read about the Las Vegas Monorail’s good news is here
Read about the Harrah’s name change is here
The Sun’s piece on the mobile-billboard issue is here
Steve’s Newsweek piece on salt-water pools is here
See Kool-Aid on Family Guy on YouTube here

* * *

April 10: Raising the Barr

The last time we heard from Roseanne Barr was before she signed to do a run at the New York-New York. That gig came and went and now Barr is playing through May at the Sahara. She spoke to Steve about the differences between working at opposite ends of the Strip, about giving Judd Apatow and Joss Whedon their writing starts on her legendary sitcom and about when she started calling herself the Domestic Goddess.

In Banter: More on the Binkley book, rival podcasters take their shots, strip clubs add fancy food, show ticket prices are rising and the Plaza's on ice again.

Links:

Roseanne Barr's website is here
Get tickets to Roseanne's Sahara show here
The Las Vegas Advisor's show-tix survey is here
Howard Stutz' column about Trump's delays is here
Steve's blog item on the Plaza is here
The Vegas Tourist podcast is here
Norm's item about Amazing Johnathan's hidden-cam claims is here
Read about the Binkley book controversy here
The YouTube clip of Roseanne's first Carson appearance is here
The image of a raunchy Roseanne on the cover of Vanity Fair is here

* * *

April 3: Steve Wynn

Guess who! It's Wynn on the young lions of Vegas, Encore, Christina Binkley's book "Winner Takes All," Eliot Spitzer, public art and Sheldon Adelson's delusions.

In Banter: Chewing on the best part of "Winner Takes All" by Christina Binkley, wondering who would swim in a salt-water pool, laughing about the Westin charging conventioneers, baffling over a McCain remark in Vegas and admitting being punk'd on April Fool's Day.

Links:

Kathleen Hennessey's brilliant piece on the Westin charging conventioneers is here
The gushing press release for what the MGM Grand is calling the first "ultra pool" is here
Planet Hollywood's good news is here
Steve's pictorial on the Forbuss Elementary student project is here
See Steve's USA Today review of Christina Binkley's book "Winner Takes All" is here
Buy a copy of Binkley's book here
Buy a copy of Tom Breitling's book, "Double Or Nothing," here

* * *

March 27: Attack of the Reality TV Champs
...with Terry Fator and Stefanie Schaeffer

Is Terry Fator ("America's Got Talent") worth $100,000 a show at the Hilton? Will Stefanie Schaeffer ("The Apprentice") stick up for Donald Trump and stick around after the opening of the Trump Las Vegas? Find out that and more as these recent reality-show champs talk about their Vegas work and their futures.

In Banter: Our Swiss recap, the Blue (wo)Man Group and the Plaza's on-again, off-again thing. Also, we take apart the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 27th annual Best of Las Vegas poll in the Tourist Tip Section this week.

Links:

Terry Fator's site is here
Get tickets to Terry's Hilton show here
Stefanie Schaeffer's site is here
The site for Trump's Vegas property is here
See all of Steve's blog posts on the Swiss trip here
See the YouTube clip of the weird thing in the Zurich airport tube here
See Terry Fator's winning "America's Got Talent" moment here
See Fator on Oprah here
See Stefanie Schaeffer's "You're Hired" moment on "The Apprentice" here

* * *

SPECIAL: Maria Bartiromo

* * *

March 13: Maya Lin

There are a lot of artists you’d expect to find on the Las Vegas Strip. Performing artists, that is. But it’s a pretty sure bet that you never expected to find an artist like Maya Lin there. Neither did she. And yet the Vietnam Veterans Memorial sculptress is about to become a Vegas headliner, one of the major attractions in an ambitious $40 million public arts collection being assembled by MGM Mirage for its $8 billion CityCenter project. Tonight we’ll hear all about what sort of piece she’s getting $3 million to create for Las Vegas, about her first impressions of our fair town and, for the first time, about how she’s re-envisioning her most famous works.

In Banter: Encore's opening soon, Steve loses 95 cents at Mandalay, Blue Man Group is looking for men and women (?), Bill Maher gets it wrong and Billy Crystal's odd "classics."

* * *

March 6: Emeril Lagasse and Tina Walsh

Bam! Emeril Lagasse, the Food Network’s most famous alum, has opened his third Vegas restaurant, Table 10, at the Palazzo. Steve caught up with the chef a few weeks ago for a chat about the Vegas food scene, his culinary empire and, yes, his fast-food preferences. That’s coming up. Also, Steve chats with Vegas stage veteran Tina Walsh, who has made a tremendous comeback by landing a major role in The Venetian’s “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular.”

In Banter: Bye, Hooters, a NYT writer hates Vegas, andhepatitis and ricin scares.

Links:

Emeril's website is here
Buy the Vegas Phantom tix here
Steve goes after a fellow local journalist here
Steve goes after a fellow NYT writer here
See pieces about the Hep-C and ricin here and here
Norm reports on Paul Stanley's Phantom turn here

* * *
Feb.