Columnist Joe Delaney: Pondering Britney, ‘Chicago’ and Caesars

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Aug. 9, 2001 | 8:21 a.m.

Playing catchup: I find Britney Spears' Pepsi commercial offensive ... It comes across as virtual soft-core teenage porn ... And that tag with Bob Dole and his dog is in even worse taste.

Teenage females have always needed something or someone to scream about, starting with Frank Sinatra in New York City's Paramount Theatre in 1942-1943 ... In the 1950s it was Paul Anka and the "American Bandstand" stars, and in the 1960s the Beatles and other British invaders ... Today it's 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and similar groups.

You can find some of their mothers and grandmothers convening in clusters nightly at the New Frontier, screaming as loudly and hoping to be taken onstage by "Thunder From Down Under" members ... Their fathers, meanwhile, may be at one of the so-called gentlemen's clubs, a sad commentary.

The latest from Venetian has someone planning a no-name production of the Bob Fosse musical "Chicago" ... When "Chicago" opened at the Mandalay Bay Theatre it had a Broadway-caliber cast led by Chita Rivera and Ben Vereen ... It didn't do as well with Marilu Henner, but well enough ... When it was reduced to a no-name cast, it had to close.

Hail Caesars at 35

Happy 35th birthday, Caesars Palace ... We were there at the opening and many of our finest Las Vegas entertainment memories were made covering opening nights in the Circus Maximus ... The Ritz Brothers were in the lounge along with Xavier Cugat and his orchestra featuring a teenage Charo, plus "Bottoms Up" with Breck Wall and David Harris, still holding forth, full strength, at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

We remember Jack Benny's opening lines in the Circus Maximus in 1966: "I'm very happy to be here. Caesars Palace is happy that I'm here. Prudential Life Insurance is especially happy that I'm here. I have all my insurance with Prudential. I won't tell you how much insurance I have -- but when I go, they go" ... The resultant laugh lasted a good three minutes.

A pleasant memory: In 1968 being invited to participate in the Passover Seder ceremony, conducted by Theodore Bikel, onstage at the Circus Maximus after the second performance of "Fiddler On The Roof" that evening ... Bikel is my favorite Tevye, next to the original, the late Zero Mostel.

A personal high spot, in January and February of 1971 I served as emcee and host for six weeks of late, late shows that started at 2:30 a.m. in the Circus Maximus ... The first three weeks featured the Duke Ellington and Woody Herman orchestras and the second three weeks, B.B. King headlined.

We wish all concerned at Caesars Palace every success in the years to come and hope that Celine Dion plus a Cirque du Soleil-type production will fill the 4,100-seat Colisseum for 200 shows a year starting in March 2003.

January 1971 was an outstanding month for jazz lovers with Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars in the Tropicana Blue Room, Ella Fitzgerald at the Flamingo with a group that featured the great trumpeter Roy Eldridge, plus the Ellington and Herman orchestras ... Armstrong put up his horn for the last time on July 6 of that year.

This is last call for jazz fans who would like to hear some of the world's finest players over the Labor Day Weekend ... The annual Ralph and Sunnie Sutton Mountain Jazz Party takes place Aug. 30-Sept. 2 at the Marriott City Center in Denver ... Sutton is one of the all-time great stride piano players ... Call them at (303) 838-4240.

Star-policy rundown

It's Merle Haggard, Friday only (Boulder Station); Bill Acosta (Flamingo Las Vegas); David Brenner then the Amazing Johnathan (Golden Nugget); Mac King, afternoons, and Clint Holmes, evenings (Harrah's); Sheena Easton (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); George Carlin (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans in separate theaters (Mirage); and Lance Burton (Monte Carlo).

Plus Rita Rudner (New York-New York); Smothers Brothers (Orleans); Kenny Kerr (Regent Las Vegas); Penn & Teller and the Scintas in separate theaters (Rio); Steve Wyrick (Sahara); Phyllis Diller (Suncoast); Rick Thomas (Tropicana); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian).

You can still support the Sun Summer Camp Fund ... Please ... See you Friday.