Cher fans are the real show

By Jerry Fink

Friday, May 16, 2008 | 12:42 p.m.

The man walking across the casino at Caesars Palace had a boxer’s mug — a hard, chiseled face with a nose broken so many times it looked like something drawn by Picasso.

A 7 o’clock shadow colored his strong jaw. Powerful legs and hairy, muscular arms pumped rhythmically as he pushed his way through the masses.

Everything from his buzz cut to rhino-leather skin screamed boxer, bricklayer or Teamster, everything but the calf-length, black chiffon.

Someone who had just stepped off the street and seen this Rocky Graziano clone in an evening gown might have thought:

“Cher must be in town.”

And so is a small army of gays, lesbians and cross-dressers, and an even larger army of straight fans, turning out in droves to see the long-awaited over-the-top and underrehearsed show at the Colosseum.

If “Jersey Boys” down the Strip at the Palazzo is about the music, as Las Vegas Sun critic Joe Brown says, Cher’s show is about the fans.

Expect a different atmosphere at Caesars from the days when Celine Dion reigned as the queen diva. The followers of Cher and Bette Midler are flamboyant and exuberant. Today the show spills out of the theater and into the casino, restaurants, nightclubs and shops.

So don’t be shocked if you pass a poker table and see among the players a barrel-chested man chomping on a cigar stub and wearing a pink boa and a sequined gown. He’s just waiting for the show to begin.

And it has begun.

Mum on the Jackson CD

Producer RedOne is spending a lot of time in Las Vegas these days, supposedly working on an album with Michael Jackson, which he can’t talk about.

“Honestly, I’m not allowed to talk about Michael at all,” says RedOne, who was born Nadir Khayat in Morocco and now calls Los Angeles home. “I just love him. I’m a big fan of his. There’s something going on, but I can’t talk about it.”

What RedOne can say is he’s spending a lot of time in the recording studio at the Palms.

“The studio, it’s incredible. The sound is amazing,” he says. “And so is Las Vegas. I love Las Vegas. We get a lot of peace of mind in Las Vegas. It’s very nice. It feels good working in Vegas. It’s very convenient, so close to L.A. It’s like a dream world that helps you musically and creatively.”

RedOne also can say he’s working on an album with Toni Braxton, who has been canceling shows at the Flamingo lately because of an undisclosed illness. She’s booked in the showroom until September, when Donny & Marie take over.

The producer also says he is helping to navigate the return of the New Kids on the Block. (After an absence of 14 years, maybe the former boy band should be called New Old Guys on the Block.) And he is working on projects with Akon and Lady Ga Ga (“Big Boy/Big Girl”).

Around town

Producer David Saxe continues his promotion to help a variety of local charities, selling tickets for $25 to local residents for his six shows. This month’s beneficiary is Opportunity Village, and locals can choose from “Fab Four Mania” or “Trent Carlini, the Dream King” at the Sahara Theater or impressionist Gordie Brown, Gregory Popovich’s “Comedy Pet Theater,” “Toxic Audio” or “V, the Ultimate Variety Show” at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center at Planet Hollywood. For information call 260-7200. You will have to present local identification to qualify for the discounted price ... Golden Rainbow will host its 22nd annual “Ribbon of Life” fundraiser to provide housing and direct financial assistance to Southern Nevadans living with HIV/AIDS and to support prevention education. The production draws singers and dancers from Las Vegas shows including “La Cage,” “Le Reve,” “Mamma Mia,” “O,” “Phantom, the Las Vegas Spectacular,” “Spamalot,” “Folies Bergere” and “Jubilee!” (2 p.m. June 14-15, Le Theatre des Arts at Paris Las Vegas, $35-$200, 384-2899) ... Chris Coyne, lead singer for “Folies Bergere,” will join the Las Vegas Tenors — Bill Fayne, Teddy Davey, Mark Giovi and Bobby Black — for their next show at the Las Vegas Hilton. (6 p.m. June 1, Las Vegas Hilton Theater, $40-$53.64, 732-5755) ... After fiery shows by Wishbone Ash (not blues) and Jimmy Thackery (back to the blues), Boulder Blues returns with a strong lineup of free Thursday concerts at Boulder Station’s Railhead. Next week it’s Eric Sardinas, followed by Kelly Richey on May 29 and left-handed guitar slinger Coco Montoya on June 5.