Reality television can help, hinder

Cheap and greasy reality TV is the lifeblood of basic cable.

Apparently, it's also supposed to save Las Vegas entertainment. Networks might not be aware of this added burden, but look at the shows that cast their fate to the reality winds.

• When the long-running "An Evening at La Cage" closed early last year, producer Norbert Aleman said he would reopen it if he could sell a reality series based on the female impersonators. It never happened, and Aleman lost traction to his former star, Frank Marino, who stepped up with his own "Divas Las Vegas."

• Magician Steve Wyrick kept his struggling theater open at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, apparently on the promise that things would turn around if he sold a reality show called "Tricky Bizness." Last March, Wyrick said an announcement was pending for the series where he would stage a "mega-illusion" in each episode.

Cameras rolled on a July 4 "Death Drop" in front of Planet Hollywood. But the stunt went awry, prematurely setting props on fire and injuring an assistant.

That may have chilled the TV deal, though Wyrick argued the mishap would make the TV viewing even more compelling. Nonetheless, "Bizness" did not air and Wyrick lost his theater last month.

• "Peepshow" opened as a Broadway-quality update on striptease, with a lavish budget and rotating guest stars. Now, costs are being slashed and former "Girl Next Door" Holly Madison is locked in as the permanent star.

"Peepshow" is taking an unusual two-month vacation, reopening March 1. It will have to survive until Madison can get back on TV. E! ran a sneak of "Holly's World" in December and ordered more episodes for June.

Co-producer Scott Zeiger disputed the notion that his live show's fate rides on TV exposure. "We're thrilled it's on the air," he says, but "we have real confidence in the brand."

Of course, TV was crucial to Las Vegas headliners decades before reality cameras made stars of back-stabbing housewives. Jay Leno told an industry publication his failed prime-time experiment nonetheless reached a wider audience and improved his numbers at The Mirage.

But it can work both ways. Jeff Dunham is due back in March at Caesars Palace, where he was presumed welcome to fill any dates left available by Bette Midler's departure.

Will the producers retract that welcome mat just a bit after the cancellation of Dunham's Comedy Central series, which debuted to record ratings for the network?

As they said in the days of old-fashioned TV, stay tuned.

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