Dion’s new show is sure to wow
Team Celine has requested that the media not run reviews or critiques until after Tuesday's show and keep some of the last-minute additions under the hat.
But there's plenty to report without being a critic. Besides, Newsweek and USA Today have revealed far more than any local reporters.
The most breathtaking aspects?
Until Celine Dion makes her entrance, the biggest star on stage is the longest ceiling-to-floor curtain known to mankind. When it collapses, there's a collective gasp. That's reveal No. 1.
Early on, the promised high tech has more to do with multiple video screens, which feature Dion's early years, than the giant LED screen. Large screens have been added to each side of the stage.
Above the stage, there's a chandelier that appears to be 40 feet in length. I'll leave the impressive song selection -- I counted about 20 -- to the experts. Her voice is at full strength after a long break.
I came away from Saturday's final rehearsal convinced it's the show of shows and may not be matched in Las Vegas for a long time.
HONORING A LEGACY
If the owners of the Sahara have a sense of history, they will hold a closing night party in the iconic Casbah Lounge.
Bring in some swing bands and Keely Smith, Louie Prima Jr. and his sister, Lena, for one last blast of "That Old Black Magic."
It's hallowed ground. Make it a tribute to the site of a sound that ignited the lounge era in Las Vegas, thanks to Louis Prima, Smith (who turned 79 last week) and Sam Butera and The Witnesses.
It would be a long-remembered gesture at a time when our city is fighting through some tough times.
The Los Angeles owners announced last week that the Sahara, once the epicenter of Las Vegas entertainment, would close May 16. It opened in 1952.
ROLL OUT THE BARREL
Made a stop in Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas the other night and our group couldn't resist an item on the menu: the "Tower of Sausage."
Afterward, as we were chatting at the door with partner chef Klaus Gastager, someone asked him whether their imported bands make any unusual requests, a la rock stars.
Nein, he said.
Every contract's the same: Each band member receives a half-liter of beer per break and the famed cold cuts at midnight.
"We want the band to be happy," Gastager said. But not too happy, he added.
"No schnapps."
THE SCENE AND HEARD
I misspelled Eddy Marnay's name in Sunday's column. Dion named one of her twin boys after Eddy because the French lyricist wrote many songs for her. He also wrote for Edith Piaf and authored the title song for Charlie Chaplin's 1957 film "A King in New York."
SIGHTINGS
At N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms on Saturday: New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes, joining a group at Moon nightclub in the Palms that included Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and ex-Steelers star Jerome Bettis. Ward was celebrating his birthday. ... At Tao (The Venetian) on Saturday: Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp, comedian Dane Cook and actor Danny Masterson in separate parties . Cook turns 39 on Friday. Masterson's party included fiancée Bijou Phillips, Eric Balfour, Ethan Suplee, Michael Pena and Juliette Lewis. ... Paris Hilton and boyfriend Cy Waits, at The Strokes show at the Cosmopolitan on Saturday and later at Marquee nightclub. Kemp joined DJ Eric D-Lux in the booth for a majority of the night.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Your official Las Vegas odds are 'yea, right.' " -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Signs Your Team is not Going to Make the NCAA Basketball Tournament
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
