Columnist Joe Delaney: Assessing Carlin’s move to MGM

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

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

George Carlin's departure after 10 successful years at Bally's is further proof that Park Place Entertainment is not entertainment oriented, with the possible exception of the Flamingo Las Vegas ... Carlin's crowd counts have been consistently high ... Could it be that his four-wall (lease) deal was too favorable for Carlin? ... MGM Grand entertainment chief Richard Sturm was more than happy to reunite with Carlin in January.

Carlin's new deal calls for 14 weeks, with dates in both the Hollywood Theatre and the nearly-three-times-as-spacious "EFX" Theatre ... Jay Leno will be in the "EFX" Theatre Thursday through Saturday as Leno stand-up comedian, rather than NBC's "Tonight Show" host.

If a replacement for Tommy Tune, scheduled to leave "EFX" Jan. 15, had been signed, wouldn't MGM Grand have already announced it?

Local event

Variety Club of Southern Nevada, the children's charity will conduct its annual "Care for Kids" Radiothon, in conjunction with Station Casinos and KQOL 93.1-FM, starting at 5 a.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Saturday, live from Sunset Station ... Mayor Oscar Goodman will be there on Friday at 9 a.m., Lance Burton, 4-4:30 p.m., and Phyllis McGuire is scheduled Saturday afternoon ... They will be joined by other stars and dignitaries throughout the 36-hour live radiocast.

DJs Big Kahuna and Shari Singer will co-host, and there will be satellite broadcasts from other Station casinos ... The focus of the radiocast is to share some of the personal stories of the 17,000 needy Clark County children served by Variety Club.

All of the funds raised stay here as the nonprofit organization helps local agencies through its allocations program, which includes maintaining the Variety Day Home and the Variety School for Special Education ... Your contributions are tax-deductible; please participate, it is so vital.

Star-policy rundown

It's Clint Holmes evenings and Mac King, afternoons (Harrah's); Four Tops and the Temptations, plus the Scintas (LV Hilton); Magician Fielding West (Lady Luck); Blue Man Group (Luxor); Leno, as previously mentioned, in the "EFX" Theatre, Rita Rudner, and Tina Turner with Joe Cocker, Saturday and Sunday, Garden Arena (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy in their theater and Danny Gans in his (Mirage).

There's more: Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Pete Barbutti (Plaza); Jerry Lewis (Orleans); David Cassidy-Sheena Easton (Rio); B.B. King (Stardust); Red Buttons (Suncoast) and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian).

Bernie Allen, a very funny man, headlines at the Riviera Comedy Club Friday through Sunday; Allen's life story would make a great movie subject, a history of post-war show business ... More about Allen in Friday's column ... Buttons, like Allen, is an octogenarian who is still at full strength as a performer ... The same can be said for King, a comparative youngster at 75.

Good listening

A few years back, singer Gayle Beverly released a cassette, produced by pianist-arranger Charlie Shaffer, with moderate results ... We recommended it ... Now three of the standard cuts are being featured on KJUL 104.3-FM's "Romance Through the Night" program ... Multitalented Larry White has a CD entitled "Journey," 11 songs, originals and standards, beautifully performed.

Philadelphian Ronnie Trent once played drums in Frankie Avalon's first group, led by Frank Leone, now head honcho of the local Musicians Union ... A Las Vegan since 1974, Trent became ill and, in 1997, was in need of a lung transplant ... Through a miraculous set of circumstances, Trent received the transplant and is back working.

He's performing as a pianist at Ferraro's Restaurant in Green Valley, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays ... His successful lung transplant is one of only 300 worldwide.

Congratulations

Cirque du Soleil's "O" celebrates its 1,000th performance with its 7:30 p.m. Bellagio performance Friday ... More than 1.75 million people have enjoyed this outstanding production ... While at Bellagio, stop in for a set with the Noel Freidline Quartet, Thursdays through Mondays in the Allegro Lounge, check for times.

The Noel Freidline Quartet is an acoustic group, firmly rooted in the jazz tradition ... Freidline can also be seen, leading his 14-piece orchestra, in the new Robert Redford film "The Legend of Bagger Vance."

Vassili Sulich, co-founder of the Nevada Dance Theatre, now the Nevada Ballet Theatre, has been invited by the National Ballet of Brazil to stage two of his works in the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janiero on Dec. 2 and 3 ... Sulich will stage "Mantodea" and the equally acclaimed "La Barre," two of the more than 50 ballets he created during 25 years with the NDT ... See you Friday.