Frankie Moreno sets dates at Cabaret Jazz; Coastal Luxury still wants to run Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015 | 12:59 p.m.

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is MGM Grand, the City of Entertainment, in Sin City, the Entertainment Capital of the World, the City of Broad Shoulders, Hog Butcher to the World …

Hang on. I’m running amok.

I’ve had not enough sleep for the great Clarion knockdown-drag-out of Monday night, which kept me out until about 5 a.m. I’ve had some weird assignments in my career, including the time I interviewed a robot that was coaching a Little League team in Chico, Calif., but the unfinished destruction of the former Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel was near the top.

The demolition team could have detonated that building a thousand times and not have a repeat of the elevator tower standing defiantly amid the debris. On Tuesday, the crew wrapped a steel cord around the shaft and pulled it to the ground, the scene playing out similar to a Toyota Tundra commercial.

I’ve since been reminded that the Hacienda also failed to fall in a complete fashion on New Year’s Eve 1996, with sections standing until crews were brought out New Year’s Day to finish the job.

Nonetheless, the look of abject shock on the face of owner Lorenzo Doumani when the elevator tower held firm in place was priceless. Fortunately, his company’s website address, hanging from the side of that tower, got a lot of airplay.

Here at MGM Grand, the spot of the old Marina Hotel, the nightclub Hakkasan has notched the No. 2 ranking in the 2014 Nightclub & Bar Top 100 list of clubs across the country. This is Hakkasan’s first appearance on the list, as it was not open long enough in 2013 to register a ranking. The club dropped in just behind fifth-annual champ XS at Encore, which grossed $103 million to $105 million in ’14. Hakkasan was just behind at $100 million to $103 million.

The nightclub scene is not exactly my thang, but generating adrenaline among a certain demographic and selling that adrenaline back to that demographic is Pure (or, rather, Omnia) genius.

Time to scoop up some rubble:

• Coming off a quickie tour of Paris and Zurich, in which he was promoting the city on behalf of the LVCVA, Frankie Moreno has found a temporary venue. Well, it’s actually a permanent venue, but temporary for him as he continues to seek a resort showroom.

Moreno has been plenty busy in absentia. He’s booked for a series of Tuesday dates at Cabaret Jazz in the Smith Center, the shows titled “Under the Influence,” beginning March 17 and running through June 9 (no show April 7; tickets are $20-$25 and available at TheSmithCenter.com).

Contrary to the assumptions of those who saw Moreno’s shows at Rush Lounge in Golden Nugget years ago, the name is not tied to throwing back shots of Crown. Moreno’s sets are based on artists who have influenced him through his career or of whom he is a fan. The sets will change regularly, as Moreno is working with the same 10-piece band from his final months at the Stratosphere.

But before any of that Cab Jazz action transpires, Moreno is playing Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort, the locked-in dates March 7 and April 11. Tickets are $19, $29 and $39. It’s Moreno’s first foray into that room, which many performers in town believe is among the best midsize venues in the city.

Otherwise, Moreno and his manager, Tamara Conniff, are looking over options around the city, joining the long list of free agents seeking venues on and off the Strip. The dates at Red Rock and, especially, Smith Center buy him some time to find a suitable stage. The new shows also keep the curious among us from asking this scribe where Moreno will be playing again, and that is a good thing.

• The day after the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas issued a formal statement verifying that it had ended its business partnership with Coastal Luxury Management at Rose. Rabbit. Lie., I received word that CLM was actually still interested in running the restaurant/speakeasy/party den at the hotel.

The person conveying this message was CLM founder David Bernahl, who, with then-partner Rob Weakley, signed on with then-hotel President John Unwin to develop the RRL concept. Unwin has since left the property in the aftermath of the purchase of the property by the Blackstone Group, replaced by former Aria President Bill McBeath.

In that transition, the operating contract between CLM and the Cosmopolitan expired. But Bernahl sent an email statement last week saying, “Over the last few months, we have been working with the Cosmopolitan to purchase the RRL brand, take on the liability of the business, and become a traditional tenant with a new twist on the already exciting concept. I’m looking forward to advancing those conversations with new CEO Bill McBeath once he settles in.”

In response, the Cosmopolitan countered: “The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is the sole owner and operator of Rose. Rabbit. Lie. and its brand. At this time, the Cosmopolitan is not engaging in conversations with any former partners but is constantly looking to add unique and compelling experiences to the resort.”

To me, the operative phrase starts with “At this time …” which seems to leave open the possibility, even hypothetically, of all options at the venue. And also to me, it’s good the hotel, at this time, is keeping RRL open. It’s a distinctively entertaining hang.

• Two of the fans at the front of the crowd at Imagine Dragons’ live Target commercial broadcast from Fremont East for the Grammy Awards are performers in Las Vegas productions: Lisa Marie Smith, singer in “Pin Up” at the Stratosphere, and Paul Johnson, a swing performer in “Rock of Ages” at the Venetian.

I heard from these kids as they arrived to wait in line after winning a spot in the 1Iota “Super Fan” online contest. They were “premium” ticket-holders and after arriving at the pre-show party at Triple B were told that they would be moved to the front of the crowd.

Dressed in black, a requirement of all fans watching the performance, Smith and Johnson were practically leaning on the stage and took a series of Instagram shots from the band’s two performances of “Shots” from the new album “Smoke + Mirrors” being released Feb. 17 and available exclusively at Target. The two did catch the back of their heads on the broadcast, and as Smith said in a text, “Our claim to fame! Nailed it!” It was a classic night.

• The Cadillac owned by Carmen Shortino, wife of “Raiding the Rock Vault” singer Paul Shortino, turned up as if magically Tuesday afternoon at the Peppermill on the Strip. That seems appropriate, as the Peppermill is something of a magical place, stuck in its own time vortex. This is the Caddy that vanished from a parking space outside Carson Kitchen in downtown Las Vegas on Jan. 28 after they had taken part in an NSPCA event at City Hal.

This is where Mayor Carolyn Goodman gave a sendoff to the foster puppy Keno, who took part in the annual Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday. After the event, the Shortinos stopped for lunch at Carson Kitchen at 6th and Carson streets. They parked Carmen’s fully loaded 2008 Cadillac CTS, with the familiar DUKFAME license plate (a nod to Paul’s role in “This Is Spinal Tap”) near the front of the restaurant. Less than an hour later, the car was gone.

The couple though the car was a goner until a Metro officer called Carmen on Tuesday afternoon asking if she had reported a Cadillac being stolen. She had. She went to the tow yard to inspect the car, and it seemed to have been taken on a long joy ride and left at the Peppermill. How the culprits were able to drive off with the car, which was locked, is still not known.

But just hours before the car was recovered, Carmen had signed the paperwork for a replacement vehicle, arranged through her insurance company, AAA. This one’s a 2012 Cadillac CTS with 16,000 miles on it, a ride with more life than the 2008 model (which had 75,000 miles). The old car carried ample sentimental value as it was given to Carmen by her mother, Claire.

But after all the stress and drama of picking out a new car and moving on from the old one, Claire gave her permission for the new Cadillac, which should be delivered from its lot in Santa Clara, Calif., by the weekend.

And, for anyone wondering, the Shortinos had collected several cans of dog food to donate to NSPCA. They were still in the car amid candy wrappers left behind. The Shortinos recovered the dog food and, of course, the DUKFAME plate.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.