Columnist Joe Delaney: Put holiday tasks aside for a bit

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 8:37 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com.

Take a break from Christmas shopping and addressing Christmas cards and escape from the usual Yuletide hype ... See a show. There are some outstanding choices, especially for this weekend before the weekend before Christmas ... Chances are, with room occupancy down a little this week, seats should be available just about everywhere.

Paris Las Vegas finally gets its Le Theatre des Arts open for a Barry Manilow concert, Friday through Sunday ... Don Rickles is scheduled there Dec. 29-31 ... And then? Don Ho, his talented daughter Hoku and the Kids Next Door will offer a Hawaiian Christmas Party as part of their annual December visit, Friday through Sunday, at the Orleans.

David Brenner, currently at the Golden Nugget, is doing well enough to consider continuing well into 2001 ... Louie Anderson is at the Monte Carlo through Dec. 16, followed by Howie Mandel Dec. 22-24, after which Lance Burton reappears.

More suggestions

Siegfried & Roy (Mirage) are also taking a holiday break, but Danny Gans is in action this weekend in his Mirage theater ... If you still must have a magic fix this weekend, Caesars Magical Empire has a collection of top practitioners plus an excellent dinner ... More magic: Mac King (Harrah's); Dixie Dooley (Plaza) and Rick Thomas (Tropicana), afternoons; Fielding West's comedy-magic, evenings (Lady Luck) and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian).

Comedy: In addition to Brenner and Anderson, listed above, there's "Bottoms Up," afternoons (Flamingo Las Vegas); "Legends of Comedy" with classic impressions of Jay Leno, George Burns, Roseanne, Rodney Dangerfield and Jack Benny (Frontier); Carrot Top and Rita Rudner in separate rooms (MGM Grand); Pete Barbutti (Plaza); plus comedy clubs at Harrah's and Riviera.

Unusual attractions: "Blue Man Group" a solid hit, now playing seven nights a week (Luxor), and "De la Guarda," from Argentina, a political protest with rock-concert-level sound, sans stage or seats (Rio).

Impressions, anyone?

In addition to Danny Gans and "Legends of Comedy," there's "Bill Acosta: Lasting Impressions," now at the Flamingo Las Vegas with eight stalwart musicians and 12 occasionally topless dancers; "Honky Tonk Angels" (Gold Coast); Scintas (LV Hilton); and "Stars of the Strip" with Robbie Howard and the Walkers, afternoons (Lady Luck); and Andre-Philippe Gagnon (Venetian).

"Legends In Concert" (Imperial Palace) and "American Superstars" (Stratosphere) are successful long-running star-replica formats ... Also at Stratosphere, the even longer-running "Viva Las Vegas," a true revue with our favorite Elvis Presley takeoff, Golden Joe Baker.

Elvis lives on and on with duplicators at the Boardwalk, Bourbon Street, New Frontier, Riviera and many of the shows listed above ... Be sure to check Friday's Accent section for complete listings.

Music and dance

Renaissance man and his hand-picked band, Clint Holmes is at Harrah's, and superb saloon singer-impressionist Bob Anderson is in the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theater through Dec. 22 with this Saturday off for an "Asian Nights" special ... Traditional Las Vegas: "Jubilee," the late Donn Arden's legacy (Bally's), plus Nevada Ballet Theatre's holiday-season perennial, "The Nutcracker," tonight through Dec. 26, UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

Still more choices: "Tournament of Kings," including dinner (Excalibur); "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" (Flamingo Las Vegas); Justin Tranz' "Hip-nosis" (O'Sheas); the Fremont Street Experience; and "An Evening at La Cage" and "Crazy Girls" (Riviera).

More girls: "Skintight" (Harrah's); "Midnight Fantasy" (Luxor); Karen Denise's "Naked Angels" (Plaza); and "Showgirls of Magic," real variety with magic, comedy and dance as well (San Remo).

Thursday wrap-up

Rainbow Company's "The Apple Tree" concludes this weekend (Charleston Heights Center) ... The LV Philharmonic's Yuletide Celebration will be in UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday ... Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi and Dorothy Hamill will perform in a "Holiday Skating Spectacular," 8 p.m. Saturday in the Mandalay Bay Events Center ... Take that break ... See a show ... See you Friday.