Is there a Las Vegas headliner gig in Usher's future?
Celine Dion's inner Parrothead comes out.
Brad Garrett catches some Pussycat Dolls.
Mikalah Gordon gets a makeover.
Entertainment insiders suspect those frequent sightings of Usher may be scouting missions.
The rhythm and blues Grammy winner, who's been hinting that he's on the verge of a headliner gig here, has been spotted at "Mystere," "O" and "Le Reve."
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Add this to the mix: When he attended Wednesday's late "Mystere" performance, his six-member group included Bob Levin, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at MGM and former president of worldwide theatrical marketing for Disney.
Were they brainstorming for production concepts?
Levin is an entertainment heavyweight. He oversaw the marketing campaigns for films including "Jerry Maguire" (1996), "As Good As It Gets" (1997), "Men In Black" (1997) and "Charlie's Angels" (2000).
BEACHER BAR TO I.P.
Jeff Beacher is taking a bar version of his Beacher's Madhouse to Imperial Palace.
Known as "Beacher's Rockhouse," the 3,000-square-foot ground-level bar will open onto the Strip next to Margaritaville at the Flamingo.
In announcing the deal, Beacher said a report claiming the "Madhouse" was moving to the Imperial Palace was "110 percent inaccurate."
He said he received an apology e-mail from Michael Politz, who authored the item in "Eye on Vegas," a weekly Internet newsletter published by Las Vegas Food and Beverage Magazine. Politz e-mailed me, saying he apologized for the escalating bad blood, but said the information "was too good not to break." He added, "Depending on what happens with the Hard Rock we may never know how accurate I was."
Mikalah Gordon, the Las Vegas teen who made her mark on "American Idol" a year ago, appears on The Tyra Banks Show today (UPN's KTUD-TV, 3 p.m.) The show is titled "Idol Makeovers" and will feature several previous "Idol" contestants. Watch for a surprise announcement regarding Mikalah at the end of the show.
MAY I RECOMMEND...
Celebrate with Big Elvis on his birthday Tuesday at the Barbary Coast. His shows run at 3 and 5 p.m., with a cake presentation at 4 p.m. and a tribute to the King from 6-8 p.m.
SIGHTINGS
Songbird Celine Dion, a Parrothead? The Caesars Palace headliner was spotted at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville on Tuesday, with family and friends. ... Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond," watching the Pussycat Dolls show Wednesday at Pure (Caesars Palace). ... To the victors go the spoils: Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward, and teammates Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger and Joey Porter are camping out in the Palms' new Fantasy Tower. Ward is in the Crib Suite, Bettis has the Director's Suite, Roethlisberger is in the Penthouse Suite and Porter has both the Ghostbar Suite and the King Pin Suite. ... Dana Carvey, checking out the Fab Four on Wednesday at "V-The Ultimate Variety Show" (Aladdin). ... Joy Behar of "The View," backstage kibitzing with Barry Manilow and Phyllis McGuire after his show Wednesday at the Las Vegas Hilton. Manilow, whose album "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" remains at No. 3 on Billboard's Top 200 pop chart, celebrated his one-year anniversary at the Hilton on Thursday night. ... Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl back Larry Johnson, at Seamless Las Vegas early Thursday. ... Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of A&E's "Dog the Bounty Hunter," was the keynote speaker Monday at the general session meeting for the Professional Bail Agents of the United States, which was held at the Luxor. An A&E film crew was bird-dogging him.
THE PUNCH LINE
"The United Arab Emirates has agreed to give our ports back if we take Michael Jackson back." -- David Letterman
