Larry King enjoys getting laughs

Larry King says that if he hadn't become the guy we see on CNN every night, he might have been a comedian.

"I'll tell you the truth. The biggest kick I get is trying to make people laugh," says the 75-year-old broadcaster. "Comedians are my favorite people. I've always had great respect for what they do."

That said, it has been a bit tough figuring out the right words to promote King's one-day performance Friday at Encore, a benefit for the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. After calling it "stand-up" at one point in a telephone chat, he backs up on that: "I don't know what else to call it. Storytelling? ... I tell funny stories, things that have happened to me. It's like an evening of humor."

It sounds similar to the "An Evening With ..." kind of show Burt Reynolds did at The Orleans in 2002. King isn't starting from scratch. He has been doing this for convention audiences and sometimes with motivational speaker Tony Robbins.

"A lot of the material is kind of proven in a sense. A lot of funny stuff. And it's all true. A little bit embellished maybe, but basically true."

King probably could have headlined Las Vegas a long time ago, given his many connections. For one thing, his nephew is producer Scott Zeiger (King's real last name), whose Base Entertainment helms "Peepshow," the Las Vegas "Phantom" and Wayne Brady's Venetian show.

"He had me do a routine for theater owners around America. He wanted to book me on a tour, like a concert tour," King says of his nephew. "The problem was, I have to work on CNN every night and I have a first obligation to them." At one point they even talked of him doing a 7 p.m. show on Broadway and then racing over to CNN. "But it would be too much."

Here's another connection: Opening the show is King's wife, Shawn, who is more familiar to the Las Vegas stages after showroom dates with Don Rickles and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Shawn King's father, Karl Engemann, is the longtime manager of Marie Osmond. "He put together that whole package at the Flamingo," King says.

King notes that Danny Gans was to bring Shawn out for a guest spot on the next night he would have performed had he not died in May. "It's weird. The whole thing comes around," he says. ...

Two more magic shows crowd onto the Strip. Magician Rick Thomas will open at the Sahara July 16. The hands-on producer is John Stuart, best known for his years at the helm of "Legends in Concert." Thomas and his tigers haven't performed in town in two years, after long residencies at the Tropicana and Stardust and a short one at The Orleans.

The single-named Scarlett does an about-face from a family-friendly afternoon act to a 10 p.m. show with topless dancers at the Riviera starting July 1. She trades her "Princess of Magic" handle for the new billing of "Scarlett and her Seductive Ladies of Magic."

By the time Thomas opens, Lance Burton's status as a competitor should be more clear. All that was certain at this writing was that the Monte Carlo headliner won't reopen before July 1.

That's 11 days after the official end of Burton's 13-year contract on June 20. But he broke his foot right in the middle of extension talks, so makeup dates could be involved regardless of whether he ultimately stays or goes. ...

The 12 members of the Upper U.S. Showband will have trouble fitting onto the tiny stage at Fitzgeralds on Friday and Saturday. Don Diehl's group, which played Las Vegas in the early 1980s before settling in the Chicago area, returns as a guest of comedian Kevin Burke in his "Fitz of Laughter" show. ...

Cashetta, the cross-dressing star of "Magic's A Drag," will stick around the Harmon Theater on Monday nights to host "After the Show," a new variety showcase. The show starts at 10 p.m. and is free for locals and those in the entertainment community. Burke and "Zumanity" host Edie are among those scheduled to perform Monday.

"Hitzville" returns to the Harmon July 1. Another Motown-themed revue, Human Nature, has slipped into town since the show took a break from the Harmon in February. ...

Locals can again reap discounts or upgraded seating offers for Bette Midler's shows at Caesars Palace through the end of her current run June 28. If they had it all to do over again, would they have opened Midler with the same ticket prices?

Probably. The same promoter, AEG Live, certainly didn't err on the side of caution when it opened Carlos Santana's exclusive shows at the Hard Rock Hotel with the usual Vegas markup. Here was a chance to do a recession-busting summer attraction with a general-admission floor and modest prices.

Instead, Santana's first block of pricey dates were said to be underwhelming in sales. On at least one night, patrons were moved from the balcony down to the floor, presumably to make the floor look full and save on bar staffing costs upstairs.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.