Singer Goss, in wake of loss, sets sights for big year
Caesars Palace headliner Matt Goss is on the rebound after a rough year.
Devastated by the loss of his mother, Carol, to cancer in May, Goss has a big year shaping up.
Starting in November, he will be appearing once a month — Thursdays — at Spaghettini’s in Beverly Hills with the likes of smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz and others “to bring back old Hollywood.”
He will continue his weekend gig at the Gossy Room at Cleopatra’s Barge, his home for almost five years.
The former U.K. sensation is still a hot ticket back home. Tickets for his first appearance at the London Palladium in more than 20 years sold out in three minutes this week, he said.
Plus he is planning a secret show in Europe early next year, and he is looking to add more shows in Las Vegas.
Goss celebrated his 46th birthday Monday in front of a crowd. He performed a mini-concert at Luxury magazine’s Secret Soiree at the High Roller at The Linq.
“It was my first birthday without my mum on this Earth,” he said. “Vegas definitely took me under their wing this week.”
The sudden death of his mother on May 25 left him reeling.
“She was the love of my life,” Goss said. He brought his stepfather, Tony, to the states for mutual support. “We’re best friends, leaning on each the best we can. Tony told me he loved mum for 37 years, and it wasn’t long enough.”
RUVO’S NEW LOOK
Southern Wine co-founder and philanthropist Larry Ruvo has been busy this week explaining the gold-chain bling around his neck.
During a fundraising poker game at Hundred Acre Winery in Napa, Calif., on Sunday, Ruvo ended up wearing an oversized onyx necklace home.
Hundred Acre owner Jayson Woodbridge won the jewelry piece during an auction and said he would add $10,000 to the cause if Ruvo wore the bling for a week.
Las Vegan Ernie Moody said he would chip in another $10,000 if Ruvo wore the onyx-and-gold necklace for a second week.
Ruvo said he has been getting a lot of kidding from friends suggesting he’s “working on a second career as a rapper.”
Ruvo raised $320,000 for Keep Memory Alive, the fundraising arm for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Malia Civetz, a 2012 Las Vegas Academy Advanced Honors graduate, is knocking it out of the park these days. Now a junior at USC in the Thornton School of Music program, she has accepted the invitation to sing the national anthem Friday for the Los Angeles Angels’ game of the American League Division Series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Civetz’s impressive resume includes performing for President Barack Obama, singing in Barry Manilow’s show at Paris Las Vegas and being mentored by Clint and Kelly Holmes and Manilow. … Fans of the squeaky-clean R&B icons Boyz II Men are in for a jolt. A year and a half into their residency at The Mirage, the group has a new doo-wop song out titled “What Happens in Vegas.” It’s about a guy smitten with a stripper named Destiny.
SIGHTINGS
Lynda Carter, who played “Wonder Woman” in the late 1970s TV series, unveiling two “Wonder Woman”-themed slot machines Tuesday at the Global Gaming Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. In 1968, when she was 17, Carter played in a band called The Relatives with two cousins. They were booked in a lounge at the Sahara. The drummer was Gary Burghoff, who went on to play Radar for seven years on the TV hit series “M*A*S*H.” … Star chef Todd English, at Nils Lofgren’s concert on Sunday with Hard Rock Hotel exec Don Marrandino and his girlfriend, Alicia Jacobs, at Vinyl. English has been under contract with Bellagio since it opened in 1998, but Bellagio announced a year ago it was not renewing his contract for Olives, which fronts the fountains. A new name and menu will be unveiled for early 2015. English still operates Todd English P.U.B. at Crystals at Aria. … Lofgren, dedicating his opening song, “Wonderland,” to longtime friend and “Iron Chef” episode winner Kerry Simon, who watched from a VIP section in a wheelchair. Simon has been in failing health with the rare and incurable condition MSA (Multiple System Atrophy).
THE PUNCH LINE
“It will be strange seeing George Clooney with a wedding ring. Seeing Clooney with a wedding ring is like seeing Mel Gibson with a yarmulke. Or like seeing Matthew McConaughey with a shirt on. Or like seeing Honey Boo Boo with shoes. Or like seeing the Lakers with a victory. Or like seeing Bruce Jenner with a wrinkle.” — Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more at normclarke.com. Follow @Norm_Clarke on Twitter.
