Ellen Sterling - Page 4

Jewtopia Live is a trenchant look at the culture that has grown up around Judaism in America. It opens at a Jewish singles event where we meet Chris O'Connell (Jeremy Rishe), a Christian who wants to be Jewish, marry a Jewish girl and, thus, have a wife "who cleans" and who "swallows" and whose very presence will enable him to never have to make another decision. His childhood friend Adam (Bryan Fogel) undertakes to teach him about being Jewish.

Something extraordinary happened in the showroom at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this weekend. A star was born.

At 8 pm the lights went down and, very quietly, Kris Kristofferson walked alone onto the stage of the Orleans Casino showroom. There was a black metal music stand to the right of where he stood. On it were a set list and, it seemed, a harmonica or two. He carried a guitar and a harmonica in a holder. He began to sing and, for 90 minutes or so, it was just Kris Kristofferson and his music.

Elton John has joined Celine Dion and Rod Stewart as an alternating headliner at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

The inaugural BWW Best of Las Vegas Awards brought on spirited competition and a great deal of interest. Now, the nominations for the 2011 awards are open.

Last night, Rod Stewart conquered Las Vegas. Opening a two-year run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace - where he will alternate with Céline Dion and Elton John - he had the audience of 4,100 on their feet, singing and cheering.

Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna came into the spotlight in the 60s. Accomplished writers and actors, theirs is one of the more enduring pop culture partnerships. Lovers and Other Strangers, their 1970 collaboration - first a play, then a film - told the story of their wedding in the Culture Clash of extended Italian and Jewish families.

Lots of people dismiss those singers who have been entertaining since the 1960s (or before) as 'oldies' acts, hauling out the old hits, looking old and, in all, nicely nostalgic but sort of sad. And, sometimes, that's true. But. There are also certain entertainers who vividly remind one of the golden days of vintage Las Vegas - before $2,000 bottle service in ultra lounges and celebrity DJs. There was time when entertainment in Las Vegas showrooms was special, with the with an only-in-Las-Vegas ambiance that signaled to audience members that they were in for a special, memorable evening.

On June 25, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival wrapped up its 11th annual celebration of that art form in grand style, proving that the art of cabaret is very much alive.

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival brings a vast variety of entertainment to South Australia. For proof, just look beyond the main stages in the 2,000-seat Festival Theatre and the 600+ Dunstan Playhouse, the most traditional performing spaces in the Festival Centre.

The gathering of extraordinary talent from around the world that is Australia's Adelaide Cabaret Festival has begun. And, through June 25, 44 stunningly talented individuals and groups will entertain and, in many cases, amaze.

Before I came to Las Vegas, I'd group all celebrity impersonators together. Most of them (like Rich Little) did several impersonations while some, like Vaughn Meader, did one person. (Of course, when his subject, JFK, was assassinated, his career was over.) But, whatever the number of people they did, they were copying the individual. But, since I've moved here, I've become quite familiar with another group of entertainers who 'do' their subjects, but are not impersonators. They are, instead, 'tribute artists.'

Think about it: How many times have you seen the title of a show or movie with an exclamation point on the end? There's Oklahoma! Airplane! ¡Three Amigos! Mamma Mia! Hot Shots! Oliver!....and those are only a few. Some of them actually, depending upon your response, may have deserved the exclamation. Most, however, do not. An exception to this general truism is Vegas! The Show.

Not being one given to exaggeration, I can say in all honesty that Earl Turner is the best solo performer in Las Vegas. Well, sort of. Earl is certainly the best, one of the people who earned Las Vegas the name "The City of Entertainment." But, sadly, he's not here often enough these days. Like so many other talented people, the economy has sent him packing, to other cities, on cruises - and Las Vegas-based entertainers are a staple of cruises these days - to anyplace there is work. In his case, that is a pity. Earl Turner is his generation's Sammy Davis, Jr. (Remember, no exaggeration!) He can sing, he dances and is a fine actor, too. While his show doesn't feature the latter, it certainly showcases his singing and dancing. He is also the only man I've ever seen perform And I'm Telling You (from Dreamgirls) and do it as well as Jennifer Holliday did.

In the very best "show must go on" tradition, the performers of Las Vegas' Broadway In The Hood troupe battled mics that didn't work and lighting that didn't always shine to perform The Best of Broadway Las Vegas April 21 at Texas Station Casino.

A Source of Joy Theatricals has gathered a group of 32 very talented, multi-cultural singers and dancers from Las Vegas to perform two very special benefit shows.

This new show really does signal a new day for Celine Dion and her fans and is very likely to bring her more and more devotees. In a word, her new show is gorgeous - gorgeous to watch and gorgeous to hear.

Even if you never got to see them, it's a good bet that you know the Rat Pack - Sinatra, Davis, Martin and Bishop - well. This is because, in a world where we lionize the mundane and everyone is a star, these guys were truly iconic, emblematic of Las Vegas. Their spirit lives on today in Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show at the Riviera Hotel on the Strip.

There can be no doubt that Terry Fator first winner of America's Got Talent has indeed 'got talent' in abundance. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, his talent ranks an 11. But, though he is talented and eminently pleasant, his show, Ventriloquism in Concert, in the Terry Fator Theater at the Mirage Hotel and Casino would maybe earn a 7.

There were so many celebrities in the Shimmer Cabaret at the Las Vegas Hilton the other night, it was difficult to keep track of them all.