Rain shows might mark new reign for Spears; Fator says new puppet really is fabulous

By John Katsilometes

Monday, March 28, 2011 | 5:40 p.m.

Entertainers are sometimes like fighters. At the Palms in 2007, Britney Spears was not in fighting condition. Or dancing condition, for that matter. But Friday night, in her return to the hotel, she had the float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee routine down pretty well.

At least, that’s what Palms owner George Maloof, playing the role of fight promoter, says about Spears' two three-song bouts at Rain on Friday night.

“I think the audience loved it, she looked great, and the production was pretty spectacular,” Maloof said in a phone conversation today. “I’ve talked to her manager, Larry Rudolph, and he was really excited about it. She’s just a performer, a game day-type person.”

Spears’ appearances at Rain drew about 3,200 fans paying admission prices of $40 to $100 a shot to the oft-inflamed dance spot. The shows are to be stitched into a Spears special set to air Sunday on MTV. Spears also is appearing on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning, having taped a performance Sunday in San Francisco.

Her well-received performances helped eradicate memories of her ill-fated 2007 VMA appearance, when she seemed lethargic, bored and lost to remember how to lip sync her own lyrics.

“She really didn’t prepare for that show, that’s the bottom line,” Maloof said. “She had so much chaos around her at the time, but she’s a much smarter girl now. I actually consider her pretty brilliant. She’s brought the right people back in her life. … Everyone is rooting for her, and she’s focusing on the people who want her to succeed and not everyone on the Internet who don’t.”

Maloof says some of what has been written about Spears online -- especially by novice bloggers -- has been “brutal.” But for her, the Palms is the happiest place on Earth, and maybe the start of a genuine comeback. At age 29, she’s got a lot of fights left.

Dialed in

Mirage headliner Terry Fator says the idea of using a gay puppet in his act should not necessarily be seen as groundbreaking, although his newest character, Berry Fabulous, skirts the issue in the same way Liberace once claimed to be heterosexual.

Flamboyantly heterosexual, of course. But little Berry, he of the satin jacket, gold chains and Flock of Seagulls-inspired hairstyle, is actually brought onstage in a large cabinet marked “Closet.” Even so, the Berry character is ambiguous about his sexuality, a running joke in the routine that was actually suggested by Fator’s wife and onstage assistant, Taylor Makakoa.

“We had all these gay jokes, and Taylor reminded me, “I think it’s really obvious, but he won’t admit it,’ ” he said during Friday’s episode of “Kats With the Dish.” As for any possible backlash from culturally intolerant fans, Fator said, “I think the world has come a long way. … I think the vast majority of people now understand it’s just part of life. Being in the entertainment industry, I have known so many gay people, and I was raised fundamentally religious and was taught that it was wrong. But I have known and befriended so many gay people that I’ve come to realize this is not a lifestyle choice, this is just something they are. They were born with certain affinities, I was born with certain affinities, it’s been no problem. …

“Berry came on the George Lopez show with me, when he debuted, and the response was 100 percent positive. People just love him.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats With the Dish at twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.