Motley Crue cuts loose with ‘The Dirt,’ ‘Like a Virgin’
Motley Crue might not be the first band you’d select to cover Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”
Actually, they might be the last.
But that song is a single from the soundtrack of the upcoming Netflix biopic “The Dirt,” based on the book of the same title, which chronicles the band’s wild ride to rock stardom. Vince Neil, who splits time between Las Vegas and Nashville, sang the four new songs over the band’s tracks recorded at Tommy Lee’s home in L.A.
Neil was eager to put what and said several weeks ago was “a heavy metal spin on a Madonna song.” The idea arrived from bassist Nikki Sixx, who told Rolling Stone, “I went over to Tommy (Lee)’s house, and (rock producer) Bob Rock was over there,” Sixx said. “I said, ‘I’m gonna play you something and go in the other room so in case you don’t like it, you won’t punch me in the face.’ And Tommy started laughing. I started playing it and all of a sudden, you just saw Tommy’s face light up.”
The reaction was beyond genius.
“I heard the demo and it was like, ‘This is (expletive) genius,’” Lee added. “When it drops down into half-time, it gets so heavy. This is right up our alley and sort of ironic that Vince is singing ‘Like a Virgin,’ which is not even close. Or for that matter of fact, all of us.”
The L.A. premiere was Monday night, and the film streams on Netflix beginning Friday.
“It’s amazing,” Neil said Monday. “The movie is amazing. You laugh you cry and you root for the underdogs — us! The actors are amazing. They have not only studied each guy’s mannerisms, but took musical lessons … It’s a movie you’ll want to see over and over.”
Wouldn’t that be, I don’t know … excessive?
Brown in
There was a reason Palms General Manager Jon Gray (hey, his birthday was Monday) dined with Zac Brown at Scotch 80 Prime a few weeks ago — Zac Brown Band opens the Kaos Pool Concert Series on April 7.
Zac Brown Band is one of these bands that, when you refer to it as a country band, hard-core country music fans shoot back, “They are not country!” They are simply versatile rockers with some country flair who are musically superior, led by Brown himself. He showed his range in November 2015 when he sang “The Way You Look Tonight” during the taping of CBS’s “Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert” at Encore Theater (this is what you remember when you go to shows every night).
The Zac Brown concert is part of the Kaos Grand Opening Weekend celebration. Alicia Keys, Cardi B, Travis Scott, G-EAZY, J-Balvin, Marshmello, Skrillex and Kaskade are among the stars performing opening weekend at the new club and also at Pearl Concert Theater.
Beauty and the lease
The threat of eviction has been removed at Beauty Bar, its owner, Roxie Amoroso has confirmed.
“We are 100 percent open for business,” Amoroso said Monday. “We have no issues.”
On March 1, Beauty Bar was issued a three-day order to vacate by its landlord, T-Breo II LLC, which is a subsidiary of Tamares Real Estate, which also owns the Plaza. The document indicated T-Breo was acting because of “multiple indecent and disorderly incidents,” but never did act on its eviction notice.
Amoroso reports that the club is in full compliance of its lease, is current with rent payment and plans to finish out the term of that lease, which runs from April 2018 through July 2023. Amoroso says the incidents cited in the lease occurred before Amoroso seized full control of the club. She now has now enlisted a new management team, which she brought in about two weeks ago to run the place.
Beauty Bar opened in 2005 and is one of the cornerstones of the Fremont East entertainment district.
The Seinfeld shows
Jerry Seinfeld, a top draw at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, has locked in two additional weekends this year. He’s back Sept. 27-28 and Nov. 15-16.
A plug here for Seinfeld’s terrific Netflix series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” My top three episodes: 1) Jerry Lewis; 2) Norm Macdonald. 3) Michael Richards.
Park it here
Kelly Clinton Holmes, Elisa Fiorillo and Frankie Scinta are the latest headliners at Pegasus Theater at Alexis Park.
Holmes and Fiorillo co-headline “First Ladies of Las Vegas Entertainment” beginning April 12. Clinton is a long-running headliner in Vegas, including her time as entertainment director at Stirling Club at Turnberry Place and her weekly shows at Bootlegger Bistro on Monday sand Tuscany Suites on Wednesdays.
Fiorillo spent five years touring with Prince and the New Generation — ending in 2009 — and was friends with artist for more than 25 years.
On April 13, Scinta hosts a night of storytelling and Q&A titled, “One On One,” where he recounts his life “from giddy-up to whoa” and then invites questions from the audience. Scinta will play “an instrument or two” and will have his music director with him. But even so, he is quick to emphasize this is not a true “show,” as he continues to headline in “The Showman” at South Point Showroom.
Both limited-engagement performances are to run for a month ending May 4.
Italian Avalon Club
Frankie Avalon, an original teen idol in the 1950s and early ’60s, visited one of his favorite Vegas haunts, the Italian American Club, on Sunday night. He joined venerable showman Jerry Tiffe, the man I refer to as The Last Lounge Singer, onstage and also invited up promising crooner Michael Ross Nugent.
On Friday, Mark Preston, late of famed vocal group the Letterman, headliners the IAC Showroom. Preston also opened for Phyllis Diller in her days in Las Vegas. Show time is 8 p.m. and tickets are $25, a mere pittance.
Great Moments In Social Media
Donny Osmond is the current leader in this entry. From Friday, he learned that a superhero duo had been based on his family.
Well, you learn something new every day. Just found out @DCComics' #WonderTwin heroes were "inspired by the popularity of sibling act #DonnyandMarie Osmond."
I can see the resemblance... he's got a defined jaw, dark hair, and a sister full of sass.😜 https://t.co/UZ5T4v1Y8d pic.twitter.com/egTH4W19AR— Donny Osmond (@donnyosmond) March 15, 2019
“Well, you learn something new every day. Just found out @DCComics’ #WonderTwin heroes were “inspired by the popularity of sibling act #DonnyandMarie Osmond.” Not sure the sourcing here, but we’ll go with it.
ShowBuzz!
Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage, the ex-husband of Lisa Marie Presley and a major Elvis fan, took in Donny Edwards’ tribute to the King at South Point on Sunday night. A friend of Cage’s sent the actor video of Edwards’ show on Saturday, and Cage said, “I need to see this guy,” and Edwards rep Jeanne Bavaro made it happen …
Cirque du Soleil has lopped several management positions in Las Vegas. The move is described to me as similar to recent cuts in management at MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment …
Tenors of Rock, late of Harrah’s Showroom as of next Monday, are all but signed to Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood. Now, who is charged with the task of removing — and paying for — the removal of the big pillar in the middle of the room? Will that even happen? And will the room be expanded? …
A stage adaptation of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” headed for Paris Theater this year reportedly has some top-line Vegas talent on its production team …
Blanket statement: If you are an entertainment figure seeking a new venue, it’s best to use your “inside voice” when pitching your show to room operators after the show you are hoping to replace has just performed …
Funny moment at Matt Goss’s show at 1Oak Nightclub at the Mirage on Sunday. Goss called out a guy sitting near the front of the stage for not proposing to his girlfriend of eight years (she apparently lives in Canada). The individual was Craig Reid, who plays hula-hoop virtuoso Scotty in “Opium” at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Didn’t get the name of his lady friend, but she bore a resemblance to the show’s Nurse Chardonnay …
On the topic of 1Oak, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is promising some Vegas flair by auditioning local artists for its run at the Mirage beginning April 12 …
On the topic, still, of what happens at 1Oak, Goss snared the ace photog Denise Truscello’s camera during Sunday’s performance and attempted to take a photo of her. He stopped and said, “This is too heavy!” …
Frequent Strip headliner and “Let’s Make a Deal” host Wayne Brady was a late scratch from Saturday’s Keep Memory Alive Power of Love show. Brady reportedly was unable to attend because of a last-minute responsibility, but was very apologetic to have missed the event. Lionel Richie, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Bernie Williams, Miguel and Leona Lewis starred in a memorably entertaining show. And oh yeah, I’m looking forward to Brady’s next appearance here, too.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts.Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
