Goodman #allin on #nocaps, wagering
Astack of Plaza casino chips. A Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas paperweight. A coffee mug from the Sands. An Oscar Goodman bobblehead. A miniature, orange “Road Construction” sign. The Killers’ CD “Battle Born.” A sampling of fruits and veggies from Gilcrease Orchard.
Any of it, all of it, could be assembled in a Las Vegas gift basket.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman is on the case, in her latest wager with a mayoral counterpart during the NHL playoffs. Goodman and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser will wager on the upcoming Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and Washington Capitals, beginning Monday night at T-mobile Arena.
Each is putting up a “goodie basket” on the series. Once more, the mayor of the losing city will be required to wear the opposing team’s jersey at a public event. Goodman also asked Bowser if she would agree to also wear a showgirl headdress as part of the wager. That overture was politely declined.
Goodman said she’d like some cherry blossoms from the Washington region. She also joked that her D.C. basket should include the heads of her own “politicians of choice.”
Goodman is jabbing at the Capitals by writing all of her Twitter posts in lowercase, in contrast to the Capitals’ official hashtag, #ALLCAPS. The official @Cityoflasvegas Twitter page, too, is lower-case. An example, “we’re serious about #nocaps! #goknightsgo cc: @capitals.” Twitter feeds for MGM Resorts International and Clark County are also replete with #nocaps (and no capitals).
Yes, the hashtag #nocaps is now a thing …
J. Keith Moyer • Chase Rankin • Manilow lands it
Barry Manilow opened previews for his residency at Westgate’s International Theater on Thursday night. The room was nearly full, with the balcony opened at its 1,607seat capacity. The show raced to be ready for the assigned start date, but is already a slick and polished production.
Manilow is a star. Just the manner in which he walks onstage reflects that quality. The man knows how to glide, grin and strike a pose, and his litany of classic hits easily carries the 90-minute production. Manilow is also frequently funny, as he talks of one of his greatest tunes, “Weekend in New England,” allowing, “That’s kind of a weird song because the title isn’t even in the song. There is no line, ‘We spent a weekend in New England!’ But they played it on the radio anyway.”
The show is well-paced, too, ebbing and flowing thoughtfully, with Manilow linking the numbers with memories of his days growing up in Brooklyn. A couple quibbles: I’d love to see overhead cutaways to Manilow’s hands dancing across the keys, and a few Vegas-styled showgirls grooving it up on the customized catwalk lowered for “Copacabana.”
But for now, we’ll just enjoy Lola. She was a showgirl …
‘X’ at 16
On the topic of showgirls, “X Burlesque” marked its 16th anniversary on Wednesday night at the Flamingo. The show actually opened under the title “X” at the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood) in 2002 before moving to the Flamingo as “X Burlesque” three years later.
The production effectively launched Matt and Angela Stabile’s Stabile Productions empire on the Strip, and continues to update with new numbers
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performed to Rihanna’s “Lemon,” Tyga’s “Bad Bitches,” and “Midnight Train to Memphis” by Chris Stapleton.
The Stabiles celebrated
No. 16 alongside producer/ manager Tiffany Mondell and choreographer/manager Anthony Cardella, who along with dancer/choreographer Meeka Onstead are largely responsible for the show’s evolution. A nod, too, to the rotating “X” comics Nancy Ryan, John Bizarre and James Bean, who provide a dozen minutes of comedic interlude while the show re-sets for the second half.
The show is rare among Vegas topless shows in that it doesn’t use a singer. That idea famously flopped after two shows in 2002, and “X Burlesque” has stayed with the dance-comedy-dance format ever since.
Golden Knights gear
Westgate Las Vegas President Geno Iafrate and hotel sports book director Jay Kornegay presented Manilow and his manager/partner, Garry Kief, with a pair of Golden Knights jerseys after Thursday’s show. No. 18, for the year, with “MANILOW” stitched across the back. No word on whether Manilow will slip into one of those pieces amid his many costume changes.
And, the cast of “Fantasy” at Luxor is also outfitted in VGK T-shirts in their show-closing number, set to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” and sung by Lorena Peril. The shirts debuted Wednesday night and the cast is wearing them through the end of the playoffs. Or, wearing them until they … don’t.
Contact John Katsilometes at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.
Life, entertainment
As of 9 p.m. Friday:
1. 3 Mario Batali restaurants on Las Vegas Strip to close
Days after new sexual misconduct allegations were made against celebrity chef Mario Batali, his company announced Friday that it will close its three Las Vegas restaurants July 27.
2. Las Vegas police say teen shot parents, killing father
A 15-year-old boy shot his father to death and wounded his mother in a west Las Vegas home Thursday morning before being wounded when she got a gun and returned fire, according to Las Vegas police.
3. Daughter identifies Las Vegas couple as victims of fatal U.S. 95 crash
A Las Vegas woman has identified two of the five people who died in a fiery three-vehicle crash in Nye County Sunday afternoon as her father and stepmother. 4. Bettors confident longshot bets on Knights are golden
Hermin Soriano, a food server at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, was ridiculed when he showed his coworkers his futures wagers on the Golden Knights.
5. Championship parade talks in the works for Golden Knights
Whether they win or lose the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights can expect a hero’s welcome at the end of their first season.