Columnist Jerry Fink: Williams is at home for holidays

Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 | 8:45 a.m.

Christmas with Andy Williams is almost as traditional as Christmas with Santa Claus.

If you want to get the entire family into the spirit of the season, make plans now to see "The Andy Williams Christmas Show" Dec. 18 at the Orleans Arena. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $43 to $64.

Williams, who turns 77 today, premiered his Christmas show during the six-year run of his Emmy Award-winning variety series on NBC. The series began in 1966 and ended in 1972.

"I've been doing the Christmas show forever," Williams said during a recent telephone interview from his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Mo. "I've taken it on the road every year, performing eight or 10 shows a year."

Williams, who splits his residence between Missouri and Palm Springs, Calif., has been in Branson for 13 years, performing in the $12 million theater he designed and built.

The 2,000-seat, 48,000-square-foot theater is the only one ever to be featured in Architectural Digest, noted Williams.

"I drive into a little garage at the theater, open a door and I'm in my dressing room," Williams said. "It's like a New York apartment with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, terrace.

"I open another door and I'm on the stage. I walk out and I know the lights, sound, everything is going to be right -- it's like walking into a living room filled with 2,000 people."

It's no wonder he is not giving any thoughts to retirement.

"It's really fun," Williams said. "I'm not exaggerating. You can't manufacture it. I'm just as relaxed as can be. I sing. I feel good. I laugh. I do a 20-minute stand-up monologue before each performance. I just started doing it. It's fun.

"I'm a stand-up comic after all these years."

Williams, who inherited the title of "Most Laid-Back Entertainer" when Perry Como died, says he takes time off from January through most of April.

"Then I open in Branson the last week of April," he said. "This year (2005) I will open with Petula Clark. Last year it was Ann-Margret. I perform in the spring for six weeks and then I'm off in the summer, usually doing tours, and then I'm back in September for six weeks."

Each November he begins six weeks of his Christmas show at Branson. This year they will continue through Dec. 11. Then he will take the show on the road, with stops in Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.

Williams is no stranger to Vegas. He first performed here in 1947 with his brothers (billed as The Williams Brothers) and vocalist Kay Thompson.

"We opened in August at the El Rancho Vegas," he recalled. "We worked with them quite awhile."

His first solo gig in Vegas was at the Flamingo in 1955. In 1966 he was the first headliner at Caesars Palace.

Williams and his wife, Debbie, visit Vegas about once a year, but he rarely performs here anymore and says he doesn't miss it.

"I've done it so much," he said. "I've played Vegas all my life. I was at Caesars Palace for 10 years."

He says times have changed.

"New people come along," Williams said. "There are more production shows, fewer celebrity people. Now they incorporate the celebrities into the productions."

While he does some touring -- internationally and across the country -- Williams says these days he focuses mostly on his Branson show.

This from one of the world's most recognizable vocalists, with 18 gold and three platinum albums to his credit. Among his many hits are "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses."

"The big recording time is past for me," he said. "It's hard to come up with something people will buy."

However, there was a recent blip on his record radar screen. In 1999 two songs he recorded 30 years ago ("Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Music to Watch Girls By") were performed in a couple of commercials in England, and the songs suddenly were among the top 10 hits in that country.

"They were kind of sexy and aimed at a young audience," Williams said. "The kids dug the commercials."

They dug them so much that Sony re-released the records.

"When I did a concert tour over there the places were packed," Williams said. "Half the audience was 60, and half was 16. It was wild. The kids were going nuts. Panties were thrown onstage -- which had never happened to me before. I was 70 and for the first time they were throwing panties.

"When I needed them and wanted them, I didn't get them."

Oh well, there's nothing wrong with a belated Christmas gift.

Gans has surgery

Danny Gans is going to be doing his impression of an athlete on injured reserve for the next few weeks, because of surgery on a torn tendon in his right hand.

The Mirage headliner will be off Tuesday through Dec. 27 and then return for engagements on Dec. 28-31 and Jan. 4-6, 8 and 9.

Gans will be performing with his hand in a cast for those two weeks.

He will be off again Jan. 11-24 for rehabilitation work.

According to his spokesman, Melanie VanBurch, on Jan. 25 Gans will return to his normal schedule of Tuesdays through Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

"Normally a person who has this kind of operation would take off for eight weeks straight, but Danny wants to perform and so he will work with a cast on for a couple of weeks," VanBurch said.

Gans injured the tendon while lifting weights a year ago. The injury caused three fingers of the hand to "drop, as in half mast," according to VanBurch.

He had surgery on the hand last summer and was supposed to be off work for six to eight weeks, but because he missed several shows earlier he went back to work without a cast after only three weeks.

Gans canceled performances after the deaths of his mother and father, and after he suffered a cracked sternum in an auto accident. Shortly after returning to work he re-injured the tendon, requiring his latest surgery.

"I can't tell you how much I will miss doing the show every night," Gans said in a prepared statement. "Being onstage is the best part of the day for all of us. We have such fun every night. This will be the longest three weeks, just sitting around with a huge cast on my hand, waiting for my fingers to heal.

"Unfortunately, though, the doctors say that this is the only way for the fingers to heal properly."

Gans says he has given up trying to bench press 350 pounds.

Kids D.C. bound

A stellar cast of Vegas entertainers will raise funds Sunday to help send 18 young singers to Washington, D.C., to perform Dec. 12.

The highlight of the trip for Helen Joy's Young Entertainers, ranging in age from 5 to 16, will be a performance at the White House.

TV host/producer and entertainer Tony Sacca is using his annual Christmas show at the Stratosphere for the fundraiser. Sacca also will perform in Washington.

About $800 per child is needed for the trip, which includes airfare and hotel.

Those who will perform on behalf of the young people Sunday include puppeteer Ronn Lucas, impressionist Gordie Brown and the Society of Seven with Lani Misalucha.

Also scheduled to perform are vocalists Denise Clemente, Lisa Miller and Lena Prima (daughter of Louis Prima), comedian Sandy Hackett and the legendary Sonny King.

Members of the Young Entertainers also will perform, and the Michael T. Orchestra will back up the performers.

Doors to the Theater of the Stars will open at 1 p.m. Cost of admission is a $25 donation.

In Washington, the Young Entertainers will perform at several locations, including the Washington Monument and at the site of the national Christmas tree.

"But the most exciting one will be a private performance at the White House," Sacca said.

Sacca is the host of the syndicated interview show "Entertainment Las Vegas Style," which airs locally at various hours on KVWB (Channel 21, Cox cable channel 12), KPVM Channel 41 (Pahrump) and KTUD cable channel 14.

The show has been on the air for 19 years.

"And this will be our 19th Christmas show," Sacca said.

The first few years the show was taped at Mount Charleston.

"We brought in Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus," Sacca recalled. "Sandy Hackett was the comic -- he's Jewish but he did a Christmas skit. And we had the Cabbage Patch dolls, which were hot at the time."

Initially the shows were outdoors in the snow.

"Eventually, we wound up doing it in the hotel on Mount Charleston," Sacca said. "I would get 60 rooms on a Sunday and everybody would come up. Every Christmas show we did up there it snowed -- for nine straight Christmases."

Finally the show moved down the mountain to Las Vegas, first at the Riviera and for the past seven years at the Stratosphere.

Each year Sacca donates money raised by the show to charitable causes.

"I always use the Christmas show to give money back to the community," he said.

Sacca says he is taking a film crew to Washington to tape the Young Entertainers for a TV special.

"Hopefully, I'll have it ready for my New Year's Eve show."

A trace of Trace

Forget about Santa for a minute: Trace Adkins is coming to town.

The country music star will perform at the Silverton at 10:30 p.m. Thursday through Dec. 11 as part of the National Finals Rodeo festivities in Vegas. Tickets are $47.95.

Adkins, a native of Louisiana, has had a string of hits lately, including "Every Light in the House," "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," "I Left Something Turned on at Home," "Chrome," "I'm Tryin,' " "Hot Mama" and his latest, "Rough and Ready."

On Dec. 13 he will release a new single, "Songs About Me," which will be included on a new album (not yet titled) to be released in March.

Last year Adkins became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He says he never knows when he's going to perform with the classic country show.

"I was probably on 15 times this year," he said during a recent telephone interview from Nashville, Tenn. "I just kind of tell them I'm going to be in town this or that weekend and I'd like to come out and perform.

"They always say yes."

With his singing career in full swing, Adkins is expanding his interests into acting.

In February he was a guest on the CBS comedy series "Yes, Dear." Also this year he has made three guest voice appearances on Fox's animated series "King of the Hill," and has already recorded more episodes scheduled to air in 2005.

"I'd like to do some more acting, as the opportunity arises," Adkins said.

He has performed in Vegas a few times, and generally likes it.

"I enjoy Vegas," Adkins said, "But to tell you the truth, an old swamp rat like me just can't hardly take that desert air. After three days it just dries me up."

Eder to sing Saturday

Broadway songstress Linda Eder will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the UNLV Performing Arts Center. The program is part of the university's "New York Stage and Beyond" series.

Eder, who starred in "Jekyll & Hyde" on Broadway, will perform songs from two of her albums: "Broadway, My Way" and "Christmas Stays the Same."

She will be backed by the UNLV Chamber Chorale.

Tickets are $35, $45 and $70. For more information call 895-2787.

Nutcracker(s)

Two area ballet companies will perform "The Nutcracker" this month -- the Boulder City Ballet Company, and the Nevada Ballet Theatre with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

The Boulder City company of young ballet students was founded by Amy Arnaz (wife of Desi Arnaz Jr). This will be the troupe's eighth annual performance at the Boulder Theatre at 525 Hotel Plaza.

There are two casts. The first will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and 1 p.m. Dec. 11. The second will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 and 1 p.m. Dec. 12.

Tickets are $15. For information call 293-5001.

The Nevada Ballet Theatre production will be at the Rio's Samba Theatre Dec. 17 through Dec. 23. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Dec. 17, 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 18. On Dec. 19 there are performances at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $30-$65.

For information call 777-7776.

New time

"Legends in Concert" at Imperial Palace will be dark Dec. 13 through Dec. 18.

When it returns Dec. 20 there will be a new time for the early show -- 7:30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. The 10 p.m. performance will remain the same.

"Legends" is dark Sundays.

Bared

"Splash," which will be dark Dec. 11 through Dec. 24 and on Dec. 31, has announced a few changes for 2005.

For one, there no longer will be a family-friendly performance -- all shows will be topless. You must be 18 or older to get in.

Also, beginning Jan. 1, shows will be at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Tuesdays through Thursdays. Shows on Fridays and Sundays will be at 8 p.m.

The show will be dark Mondays.

Xmas magic

The Honky Tonk Angels' annual holiday show, "A Magical & Musical Christmas," will be at the Gold Coast Dec. 15 through Dec. 30 (dark Monday and Tuesday).

In addition to the Angels, the cast will feature magician Bill McRea and Santa Claus.

Showtime is 8 p.m. in the Showroom.

Tickets are $29.95 (includes one drink) and $34.95 (for a dinner and show package).

For information call 251-3574.

Christmas album

Ron Dante (of Archies fame) was in town this week promoting his recently released Christmas album, "Rockin' Christmas Party."

Guest artists on the album include Gary Lewis (Gary Lewis and the Playboys), Bobby Vee, Tommy Roe, Lou Christie and Chris Montez.

Among the cuts is Lewis singing "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Holly Jolly Christmas."

Dante and Andy Kim are making plans to perform at the Cannery in May. Last year they were at the Riviera.

As the Archies, the duo are best known for "Sugar Sugar," which they performed for the animated series "The Archie Show" in 1969.

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