LOOKING IN ON: ENTERTAINMENT

By Jerry Fink (contact)

Monday, Nov. 5, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.

Entertainer Gordie Brown, who recently celebrated his first anniversary at the Venetian, has more talent than one person has a right to have.

Impressionist. Comedian. Singer. Composer. Musician.

Sketch artist.

Before winning a talent contest in Canada and taking to the stage, Brown drew political cartoons for the Ottawa Sunday Herald for five years.

He always had his heart set on performing in Las Vegas , and he even bought a home here early in his career while jobs took him to other parts of the country. He finally landed a gig close to home in 2004 and played two years at the Golden Nugget before moving to the Venetian.

He keeps fans in stitches with a bottomless bag of impressions delivered at a breathless pace. He lampoons everyone from late-arriving guests to Johnny Cash and presidents George W. Bush and Clinton.

Although he often relies on certain routines and characters, his act evolves - sometimes right before your eyes - as he reacts to fans. His spontaneity makes an interesting show even more interesting.

"I'm only onstage an hour and a half, but I spend the whole day trying to come up with new stuff," he says.

Brown has taken up his sketch pad again to create caricatures of the people he imitates and other celebrities. It's not far removed from what he does onstage - take a recognizable person and turn him into a caricature - except he uses a pen and paper.

"When I first started drawing again I was really rusty," Brown says. "I'm proud I was able to sharpen up my skills again."

He has put 120 drawings in "Gordie Brown in Caricature," a book that will soon be available on his Web site (gordiebrown.com ). He's also putting together an album of songs he wrote.

Details: 7 p.m. Fridays through Wednesdays, Venetian Showroom, $79, 414-1000.

Vegas classic remembered

The Treniers are part of Las Vegas entertainment history, legendary performers who helped create the local lounge scene in the '40s and some say created rock 'n' roll.

Brothers Claude, Cliff and Buddy Trenier are dead, but nephew Skip Trenier, 71, is still around.

So is 85-year-old saxophonist Don Hill, who was with the group from the beginning to the end.

Hill will be honored by and perform with singer and dancer Jeanne Brei when she debuts a show Wednesday at Fitzgeralds.

"My very first show will be a tribute to Don Hill since he'll be turning 86 that week," Brei said. "I've been talking with lots of legendary Las Vegas lounge entertainers about saluting the man with the honking saxophone who was one of the early founders of rock 'n' roll."

Brei will give two performances every Wednesday through November. The early show, "Jazzin' With Jeanne," will be a cross between "the Dinah Shore and Nat King Cole shows," she says. It will feature Charlie Shaffer on piano, Danny DeMoralis on bass, Jimmy Racey on drums and Hill on saxophone.

The later show, "Jammin' With Jeanne," will be "a looser cabaret jam with some very special guests." The French jazz band Sac a Pulses will be her backup for the late show during the first three weeks. Dehner Franks will be on piano.

Details: 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesdays through November, Fitzgeralds Showroom, $30 general admission. $15 seniors and locals, 254-3836.

Checking out Travalena

Could another impressionist be bound for Las Vegas, joining a field that includes some very talented entertainers - Danny Gans at the Mirage, Rich Little at the Golden Nugget, Gordie Brown at the Venetian?

Veteran Vegas performer Fred Travalena made a triumphant return, selling out almost every performance at the Suncoast Showroom and receiving standing ovations from fans.

Travalena, a Vegas fixture from the '70s through the '90s, packs a lot into a 90-minute show, doing impressions of not only all the usual suspects but characters from "Star Wars," a Smurf, Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig, every president since John F. Kennedy and even a presidential adviser - Henry Kissinger.

Travalena wound up the impressions with a rapid-fire list of 15 or 20 celebrities, including Michael Crawford and television characters Archie and Edith Bunker.

Now, if he only had a room large enough to put all those people.