Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.
Hey, Cirque.
Don't make it bad.
Take an interesting idea, and make it better.
And remember to keep ticket prices down, then we'll come around, and enjoy it better.
What are we talking about here? It is the new Cirque du Soleil show, which is set to open at the Siegfried & Roy Theatre at The Mirage in early 2006.
According to a report this week in a French-language Montreal newspaper, and confirmed to VegasBeat by two additional sources, the new Cirque show will feature music by the Beatles, but will definitely not be a production show similar to "Mamma Mia!," which wraps a plot around a popular music catalog.
"It will embrace the imagery and spirit of the Beatles, and the best of what Cirque has to offer," Stephane Baillargeon of the newspaper Le Devoir told us in a phone conversation Thursday.
It will be directed by Dominic Champagne, whose Cirque credits include "Zumanity" at New York-New York and "Varekai," a touring Cirque show that has played extended gigs in New York and Los Angeles.
The unnamed Beatles-themed show began life several years ago in Cirque founder Guy Laliberte's Montreal living room when he was visited by George Harrison after a Formula One race.
The two struck up a friendship and hit upon bringing a Cirque show to London based on "Yellow Submarine," the psychedelic 1968 animated film.
After Harrison died, Laliberte convinced Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono to take in some Cirque productions, and Laliberte eventually got from them permission to use Beatles music in a show, Baillargeon explained.
"In the end they decided 'Yellow Submarine' as a show was too '60- themed, and they wanted to do something that was more current."
All three sources were emphatic that the Cirque show would not have a plot like other recent productions based on music catalogs, such as "Mamma Mia!," which has music from ABBA, and the Queen show, "We Will Rock You."
Le Devoir reports that the deal is done. The contract, it reports, "authorizes the creators of Cirque du Soleil to pick from the richest catalog of the most famous rock band in history. Even better, according to documents obtained by Le Devoir, Cirque also got authorization to remix musical passages at will. The Beatles have never before authorized sampling of their catalog." (Kudos to Las Vegas Sun reporter Molly Ball for her translation skills on that one.)
Cirque routinely does not comment on pending productions.
MGM MIRAGE spokeswoman Yvette Monet said that there would be an announcement "when the time is right."
Bride day
Another sign that things are getting back to normal in the wake of Sept. 11 -- people are getting married on the anniversary again.
Saturday marks the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"The last two years we didn't have more than 20 weddings on Sept. 11," Charolette Richards, owner of the Little White Wedding Chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard, told us.
"But we have three or four times that many scheduled for Saturday, and we expect a lot of walk-in business as well.
"What I have noticed about Sept. 11 vows now is that a lot of them are renewals. After what happened people realize what a sacred thing life is and marriage is, and they want to reaffirm it," Richards said.
New entertainment
Caesars Palace with Celine Dion -- check. Paris Las Vegas with "We Will Rock You" -- check. Next Caesars Entertainment property to get a headliner makeover -- the Flamingo.
The buzz among some Caesars execs and entertainment industry movers-and-shakers at the "We Will Rock You" opening Wednesday night was that the famed Strip property will have a resident production show within the next two years.
Current hotel headliner shows include the afternoon entry "Bottoms Up!" followed by Gladys Knight at 7:30 p.m. and George Wallace at 10 p.m.
VegasBits
Game on: Ben Affleck, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Brian O'Halloran were spotted checking in at the Palms on Thursday afternoon. They are all scheduled to appear there today at a poker tourney and then a DVD launch party for Miramax Home Entertainment's "Clerks Special Edition," "Jersey Girl" and "Rounders Special Edition." At 8 p.m. Smith is doing a public question-and-answer session at the Brenden Theatres about the films ...
Cover: We hear that the People magazine next week has a cover story on Siegfried & Roy ...
Congrats: KVVU Channel 5's 10 p.m. news reporter Heidi Hayes is pregnant. The baby is due around New Year's. The daddy is the Fox 5 morning weather forecaster and her husband, Ted Pretty ...
Hey Hey: Former "Monkees" heartthrob Davy Jones headlines at the Silverton on Oct. 2. Ticket go on sale today ...
Spin doctors: Seven heavyweight Las Vegas public relations professionals have been named to the UNLV Division of Educational Outreach 2004/05 Certificate in Public Relations Advisory Group. The group includes Billy Vassiliadis, Solveig Thorsrud-Allen, Lenora Kaplan, George McCabe, Bruce Merrin, Peggy Smith and Mark Fierro. The group will assess the current curriculum and course content of the nine-year-old, noncredit professional development program and make recommendations for a revised curriculum to be implemented in fall 2005 ...
Support: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will attend the second Schmoozer benefit for the Jewish Family Service Agency at the Harley-Davidson Cafe on Sept. 22. Advance tickets are $25 and are available through Mitch Gilbert at (702) 732-0304.
From Sun wires
Shriver anxious to return: Maria Shriver is a public official by marriage, but she wants more than anything to get back in the news game, holding the microphone and asking the questions.
Discussingher interview with Roy Horn about his near-fatal tiger attack, California's first lady said she hadn't wanted to leave NBC News earlier this year. The special, "Siegfried & Roy: The Miracle," which will air at 9 p.m. Wednesday, was produced by NBC's entertainment division.
"One of the goals when the news division suggested that I go on a leave, was I'm going to find my way back on the air," Shriver said. "That was important to me, because I felt that I still had a lot to give as a journalist ... and I wanted to prove that I could still do it."
Ritter family files suit: The family of John Ritter has sued a Burbank, Calif., hospital, accusing it of negligence in the death of the actor last September.
Ritter's wife Amy Yasbeck and his four children filed the wrongful death suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Sept. 3.
The suit said Ritter, 54, died of a tear in his aorta. But when he went to the emergency room complaining of chest pain, nausea and vomiting, he was misdiagnosed as having a heart attack, the suit alleges.
Paltrow taking a break: Now that baby Apple's on board, actress Gwyneth Paltrow is putting the brakes on her film career.
"I can't imagine going back to shoot a movie," Paltrow reveals in the latest Entertainment Weekly, hitting newsstands today. "I don't imagine that I'm going to take on something very big in the next 6, 8, 10, 12 months."
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