* * *

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. 28: Alanis Morissette

A decade ago, it was impossible to avoid Alanis Morissette on the radio. Her “Jagged Little Pill” album remains the biggest debut record of all time, selling 30 million copies worldwide and winning her seven Grammys. Yet Morissette has always been a bit of an enigma. On the outside, she seems rather girl-nxt-doorish, but her music and her lifestyle have often reflected someone working through quite a bit of torment. Morissette now believes she’s past a lot of that, telling Steve about her "recovery" and sharing her sympathetic thoughts on the trials and tribulations of Britney Spears other troubled young stars. The Canadian singer is just now returning to the music business after a two-year break during which she broke off an engagement with actor Ryan Reynolds, a topic that she addresses bluntly on her upcoming album, Flavors of Entanglement. She also explains the story behind her video spoof of the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” which is one of the most watched clips in YouTube history. Morissette is concluding her current tour in Las Vegas on March 18.

In Banter: More Bette Midler updates, is Elton John bored, Pure is raided and more on the coins-in-the-fountain question from MGM Mirage.

Links:

Alanis Morissette's website is here
Get tickets to Alanis' 3/18 Palms show (with Matchbox 20) here
The R-J piece on the Sahara remodel is here
Alanis' YouTube of "My Humps" is here
Richard Abowitz writes about the Pure raid here
Steve's blog post with new MGM response to the fountain coins question is here
Joe Brown's brutal Bette commentary is here

* * *

Feb. 21: Bettemania! With Toni Basil

Bette, Bette, Bette. These days, that’s all you hear about in Vegas entertainment circles. So here’s some more. This week, we bring you Steve’s first-hand preview peek at the show, a review from a loyal listener who also saw it this weekend, a new poll with a Bette-tinged theme and even a related Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week. Plus, Steve spoke with Toni Basil, Bette’s long-time choreographer and the singer behind that one-hit wonder “Mickey.” Basil explains how she used G.I. Joe figurines to plan the production, what sort of work she does for films like “Charlie Wilson’s War” and why she’s OK with being known as a one-hit wonder.

In Banter: A listener’s review of Bette’s show, new details on CityCenter, a new show for Palazzo, Wayne Brady renewed and a run-in with the Houseseatslv.Com tonidude.

Links:

Toni Basil’s website is here
Get tickets to see Bette at the Colosseum here
The site for HouseseatsLV.com is here
Mike Weatherford’s Cher v Bette column is here

* * *

Feb. 14: Lance Burton

Three weeks ago, when the Monte Carlo erupted in flames, magician Lance Burton was forced to cancel shows for only the second time in his 12-year run there. This Friday, though, it’s back to work for Burton as the beleaguered resort reopens to the public -- along with the best illusionist spectacle in Vegas. Steve spoke to Lance earlier today about the fire, his future and a surprising phone call he got from Roy Horn.

In Banter: Broadway West's death knell, Spamalot changes lyrics, Menopause is tops?!?, Bass Pro Shop is the No. 1 apparel shop?!?, a Robert Earl reconciliation?!? and more.

Links

Tickets to Lance Burton’s show is here
Steve’s current column about Broadway West is here
An AP piece on the changes of the Spamalot lyrics is here
Norm’s coverage of Tina Walsh’s new role at Phantom is here
Steve’s NYT piece quoting a listener about a flight school gone bust is here
The Silverton’s Bass Pro Shop’s website is here
Steve’s appearance on KNPR about Vegas paparazzi can be heard here
The blog post about coins in the Vegas fountains is here
Mike Weatherford’s column about Lance Burton as Monte Carlo’s face is here

* * *

SPECIAL: Steve on KNPR's State of Nevada on 2/11

* * *

Feb. 7: Wolfgang Puck and Frankie Avalon

Before Robuchon, before Palmer, before Lagasse and before Flay, there was Puck. Wolfgang Puck, of course. His Spago back in the early 1990s set off the star-chef boom here, and this month the most prolific restaurateur in Las Vegas is about to opens his sixth Strip restaurant, Cut, at the Palazzo. So Steve asked him about his proliferation and gets him to name his favorite fast food joint. Also, sticking with the theme of originals, Steve chats with Frankie Avalon, one of the original American teen heartthrob and a Vegas veteran.

Links

Wolfgang Puck's site is here
Frankie Avalon's Wikipedia site is here
Jeff Simpson's columns regarding the Trop are here and here
Steve's piece on the Monte Carlo fire from New York is here
Robin Leach's coverage of the Cher announcement is here
Steve's blog post about the Sahara's upscale rooms is here

* * *

Jan. 24: Mr. Sands Man

The first new Las Vegas Strip resort in nearly three years held its grand opening in grand style last weekend. The Palazzo is the taller, blonder, slightly more elegant 3,000-room addition to its sister property, the Venetian, and it served as an excellent time to sit down for an interview with Las Vegas Sands C.E.O. Sheldon Adelson. Sit back, relax, and get ready to hear some provocative comments from the Anti-Wynn.

In Banter: An incompetent Cathouse barrista, Menopause hits 1,000, Elaine Wynn at the casino caucus, and Oscar Goodman's queer query.

Links:

The Palazzo's website is here
Steve's USA Today Money-section cover story on Sheldon Adelson is here
Steve's AFP piece on the election, including Elaine Wynn's comments, is here
The Las Vegas Sun's brilliant new site is here
Norm's piece on Diana Ross' possible lip-synching is here

* * *

Jan. 17: Mayor Oscar Goodman

It’s been eventful nine years since the ultimate non-politician, a mob lawyer, became mayor of Las Vegas. Since then, Oscar Goodman has stirred up plenty of controversy, but he’s also proven to be a tireless promoter and defender of the city and a creative thinker when it comes to how to reverse the sagging fortunes of the beloved but blighted downtown area. All that work is starting to show some results, with downtown casino owners investing large sums to fix up their places and the city overseeing the development of land just to the east that will create a whole new downtown complete with a medical facility and a $150 million performing arts center. He even offers his prediction for the fate of the crappy part of town where we record this program.

* * *

Jan. 10: Bette Midler, Part II

Two weeks ago, Bette Midler talked about her new show, her movies and her music. So what’s left? Stick around and hear all about her early days playing in gay bathhouses and much more. Plus, an eight-hour casino, the life of the Vegas paparazzo and the astonishing Trippies results.

Links:

The 2007 Trippies results are here
Bette Midler's website is here
Get tix for Bette's Vegas show here
Steve's piece on Trailer Station from the New York Times is here and blog post/pix is here
The link to the Z100 phone tap regarding Vegas is here
The link to the Grits to Glitz episode discussing the Puck restaurant is here

* * *

Jan. 3: Our Top Moments of 2007

Another crazy year in Las Vegas has come and gone, and nowhere was it crazier than right here on this podcast. Fourteen times in the past 12 months, scoops you heard here first made it into Norm Clarke’s Review-Journal gossip column, but on this year-in-review roundup, we’re only revisiting the best moments -- as voted upon by YOU. So sit back, relax and enjoy the countdown. And, if you missed some of these shows, here’s your chance to hear them without having to wade through all those hours.

* * *

Dec. 27: Bette Midler, Part I

Bette Midler has been entertaining America and the world in her unique, varied way for more than 30 years. She’s won four Grammys, an Emmy and a Tony and was nominated for Oscars for her roles in “The Rose” and “For The Boys.” Now she’s following in the footsteps of Celine Dion and Bette’s one-time pianist, Barry Manilow, by settling down for 100 shows a year for three years at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Steve spoke to Bette for a Vegas Magazine profile back in November as rehearsals for “The Showgirl Must Go On” were just starting and the show, at the time, had no title or director. In part one of the interview, Bette discusses her environmentalism, her film career and her new show.

In Banter: CityCenter's almost-name, McCarran changes, Palazzo's delay and a special visit from a couple from Florida who review their experiences this week at the Bellagio, Wynn and the Signature at MGM Grand.