Columnist Jeff German: Star power returns to the Strip

Friday, April 18, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.

Star power and Las Vegas have always been a good fit.

So we shouldn't be surprised to hear that Celine Dion's "A New Day" show, less than a month old, is pumping up business at Caesars Palace.

Park Place Entertainment, which owns the Strip megaresort, doesn't have any hard figures to share with us yet, but it is anticipating good news when first-quarter earnings are announced in a couple of weeks.

"By all indications, the opening of that show has had a very positive impact on the guest count at Caesars Palace," said Michael Coldwell, public relations director for Park Place, which has invested heavily in Dion.

As it hyped the debut of Dion's three-year stint with a rush of publicity last month, Park Place said it not only was a new day for Caesars Palace, a traditional home to legendary performers, but a new era for entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip.

More likely, it was a return to an old era (with a modern high-tech twist), where the stars were called upon to attract tourists.

When legends such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley ruled the Strip in the 1960s and 1970s, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority didn't have to hire a high-priced advertising agency to dream up the edgy, offbeat television commercials of today to lure visitors here.

All the LVCVA had to do was run a spot with "Old Blue Eyes" or the "King" on stage in front of a few showgirls, and the fans came running to Las Vegas.

But somewhere along the line, with the rise of megaresorts over the last 15 years, Las Vegas lost its star power. Other than illusionists Siegfried & Roy, there were very few quality performers visitors could count on seeing here on a regular basis.

The powers that be on the Strip decided that Las Vegas needed to provide a variety of entertainment options to tourists to compete with the Disneylands of the world.

So theatrical shows such as "Mystere" and "O" were created, and Broadway productions like "Chicago" and "Mamma Mia" took center stage.

The variety has been a good thing. But what has been missing is that old feeling that Las Vegas is a special place that turns out the biggest names in entertainment.

A show like the "Blue Man Group" is entertaining. But who remembers, or even bothers to learn, the names of the painted-blue faces who star in the show?

People don't come to Las Vegas to see the Blue Man Group. But tell them Celine Dion is at Caesars Palace, and they'll be here in a jiffy.

If you don't believe in the power of celebrity, walk into Dion's boutique next to the $95 million Colosseum Caesars built to house her production.

A visit to the store this week found people buying up anything with her name on it -- including cologne, T-shirts, jewelry, designer pens, sweat pants, key chains, candles, even golf balls.

Star power sells. And as we've learned from history, it sells Las Vegas.