Pussycat Dolls plan to use extra lives

The Pussycat Dolls have left Pure nightclub, but they plan to bounce back with renewed kitty life on both sides of the Strip.

Robin Antin, founder of the burlesque troupe that spun off as pop stars, closed a Dolls-themed annex inside the Caesars Palace nightclub last month.

Antin says the Dolls will again have their own club by year's end, taking over the former Risque across the street in Paris Las Vegas.

Caesars will continue to have a Pussycat Dolls-themed bar and casino area, she adds.

The opening of the lounge in 2005 seemed one of the few times Las Vegas was ahead of the entertainment curve. The Pussycat Dolls lounge opened just months before the live act charted the hit single "Don't Cha" and spread the Dolls mystique beyond Los Angeles.

So it was a surprise when Pure Management announced the lounge would close at the end of February, reopening with a new theme in May.

Antin says that when Pure Management Group distanced itself from her friend Steve Davidovici, the club's controversial managing partner, "the club, for me, kind of took a different turn. I wanted to be careful with my brand and keep it fresh and healthy and always new."

"I had all these incredible ideas I wanted to do but wasn't really able. They weren't really allowing me to kind of do my thing. I'm such a creative force I need to know I can be constantly updating."

Antin also relaunches singer Matt Goss in the Cleopatra's Barge lounge at Caesars on Friday. The British singer croons in front of Doll-like dancers in an ongoing weekend showcase.

Goss started at the Palms last fall, but Antin hopes the venture will benefit from higher-volume foot traffic at Caesars. "I feel like the world comes to Caesars. I'm not sure if the world goes to the Palms (where) it's a very specific audience."

Meanwhile, the pop branch of the Dolls will stay in the public eye when lead singer Nicole Scherzinger competes on "Dancing with the Stars." ...

Elvis, at least as reincarnated by impersonator Trent Carlini, will be back in the building at the Las Vegas Hilton every Monday, starting March 22.

Back in 2004, Carlini performed on the stage the real Elvis Presley made famous, but he has bounced around to other venues with diminishing returns ever since.

The Hilton will market Carlini separately from its new Wednesday series of classic rock tribute acts, "Bringing Back the Music."

"Elvis is his own genre," says Hilton marketing executive Rick White. The Hilton also plans to host an Elvis festival this summer, he adds.

A recent Pink Floyd tribute put 1,000 people into the theater, and a Queen salute topped that with 1,600 people, White says of the Wednesday series.

The shows are heavily papered with promotional tickets, he is quick to add, but they drive casino traffic and bar sales.

Veteran record producer Jerry Greenberg is in charge of booking the tribute acts with funny names such as Aeromyth (which plays next week). ...

The "Men of X" won't be leaving Hooters Hotel after all. Producer Angela Stabile says her dancing dudes will merely be moving from the Night Owl Showroom to Dixie's Dam Bar starting March 24. ...

Impressionist Frank Caliendo recently expanded his Monte Carlo schedule from four to five nights, which would suggest strong business. A new locals promotion might suggest otherwise.

Either way, Nevada residents will be cheered to hear they can see him do his John Madden for a $35 ticket from March 18-27.

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