Vegas Stars: June 2011

The Magic of Paris

Stephane Vanel

Photos by Nikki Artale
The Magic of Paris is a unique show featuring slight of hand magician Stephane Vanel from Paris, France. On June 1, 2011 Stephane opened his show in the Anthony Cools Showroom and he was warmly greeted by the audience. The Magic of Paris is produced by Thierry Cohen who has put together a great cast to entertain all age groups. The show runs Tuesday through Sunday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and is dark on Mondays.

The show starts with two beautiful Parisian dancers who set the mood of being in Paris with their sexy song and dance routine. I must say that the Las Vegas dancers have fabulous bodies and a pleasure and a delight to watch. Stephane performed a tango with Audrey Remy-Listier that was sexy and hot.

Stephane Vanel charms and mesmerizes the audience with his handsome looks and his graceful body movements on stage. He reminded me of the actor Gilles Marini, the French Actor, who had a role in Sex and The City film and was Cheryl Burke’s partner in Dancing with the stars. Gilles is so handsome and he is a product of a Greek mother and an Italian Father, gee that is the mixture of my sons.

Excellent is how you would describe his performance as you sit in wonderment trying to see how Stephane manipulated the cards and had the girls appear and disappear with ease.

Anthony Rais

Anthony Rais, a master puppeteer, was part of The Magic of Paris Show featuring his puppet Totolino. Totolino is a boy clown who will tug your heart strings as he is manipulated by 23 strings and moves gracefully and artfully with the music from Paliachi. Normally a puppet has nine strings to be manipulated so you can imagine what Anthony Rais is doing with his 23 strings. It is absolutely brilliant and breathtaking.

Totolino floats gracefully into the air by a balloon and his movements are so life like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yeq8iobk3hY
Anthony brought on another one of his many puppets who was dressed in a beautiful white dress that had been made from his mothers wedding gown.

It was magical to see how the puppets captured the attention of the audience. Anthony Rais brings his magic to shows all over the world and the world is a better place by his memorable performances with his puppets.

I am looking forward to seeing Anthony Rais in Siegfried “The Show”. His impersonation is flawless with his accent, movements and spectacular costumes. The audience reviews say he is spectacular and think he is the real Siegfried.
http://www.anthonyrais.com/html/full_show.htm
We all enjoyed Anthony greeting everyone after the show.

The entire cast spent time with the fans outside the showroom.

Stephane Vanel, Anthony Rais & Tony Pace
We got to hang around with everyone at the after party in the Sugar Factory at the Paris Hotel. The food and especially the candy were great.

To purchase tickets call 877 374-7469 or visit the Paris box office.
http://www.parislasvegas.com/

Rich Little

Rich Little

Photos by Nikki Artale
Impressionist Rich Little is headlining in the Starlite Theater at the Riviera showcasing “Laugh A Little” which should be called Laugh a Lot because that is what everyone was doing. It was such a joy and pleasure to see Rich Little on the stage performing his impressions of many famous artists. He still captures the audience with his comedic abilities and his charm.

Rich said he was very excited to be back in Las Vegas after touring the country with his one man play “Jimmy Stewart and Friends”. He is known for his impressions of political figures and his more than 200 voices.

It was media night when Rich Little hosted a welcome party before the show and it brought out many friends and celebrities, along with the press who gave the show high reviews.

Steve Rossi, Catherine Brown, Rich Little, Judi Rock, Nikki Artale

Tom Stevens & Perla Stevens
Rich Little’s show is a tribute to the yesteryears of old Las Vegas when all the stars would perform on the strip and their names were boldly displayed on the marquee signs in front of the hotels. Those were the real good old days and that is what it felt like to have Rich Little back in town. I must say it was very exciting to see Rich in person because for so many years I had only seen him on TV. He gave it his all and made sure everyone was enjoying the show as he went through his famous impersonations with songs and dancing. He is in perfect physical form and moves about the stage with lots of energy.
http://www.richlittle.com/

Rich Little took the time to come out after the show to take photos and sign autographs and by his side was his girlfriend Catherine Brown, a stunning brunette who said that Rich is the real thing and she is very happy in their four month relationship. You may have recognized Catherine from Brett Michaels “Rock of Love 2” show were she was a contestant.

Rich Little & Catherine Brown
When the show ends Rich Little will once again tour with his Jimmy Stewart Play, going to Texas, New York, Wisconsin and other states. Rich has written a book “Little by Little” and we are all looking forward to reading it.

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Women in Film

Women in Film

Shawn Lane & Phyllis Carreon-Taie
Photos by Nikki Artale
Dream Vision Studios and Women in Film are conveniently located at 4544 W. Russell Road Suite H-J in Las Vegas. Everyone gathered for the grand opening on June 4, 2011 in the 11,000 sq. ft. facility, to celebrate with the owners Shawn Lane of Cheyenne Marketing and Phyllis Carreon-Taie, founder of Women in Films Chapter LV. Shawn and Phyllis have joined together to bring a full service facility that will have an Events Division, VIP services, 3D production, educational programs and many more production mediums. http://www.dreamvisionstudios.us/ http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2009/01/26/business_life/iq_26321080.txt

On hand to celebrate the occasion was former Lt. Governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono and her husband Dennis Bono along with many celebrities and noted entertainers in Las Vegas. A big hit of the evening was a Robot named Melania who spoke personally to us. I kept searching for the voice and then finally discovered who it was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhzQgjp75M4

Dennis Bono & Lorraine Hunt-Bono

The Voice
It was a night filled with great entertainment, food and an open bar. A spectacular light and laser show was put on by Mobius8 (John Lario) and Cindy Gomez who accompanied him on stage and belted out a powerful song. John Lario invented The Hydra, an interactive art form from laptops and software programs creating a series of infrared beams that he manipulates with his hand to create sounds. http://vimeo.com/21859328

Cindy Gomez, stunning and beautiful, stood out in the crowd and I knew she was someone special as she entered the room. We all soon found out when she took the stage with Mobius8 and the magic began as she sang and moved on the stage. Not only is she a fabulous singer, she is also a song writer and has worked with some top producers. Her new album “World Gone Crazy” will be released this fall. www.cindygomez.com

Cindy Gomez & John Lario Mobius8
Also performing was violinist Beth Folsom who has played with Yanni, a favorite of mine, and many other noted artists.

Beth Folsom
There was an endless flow of wine and hor d’voures that were prepared and served by the students of the Le Cordon Blue School of Cooking and they did a fantastic job.

Enjoying the food was Chef Jodi Amoruso and her boyfriend David Ariel. Jodi refers to herself as the chief cook and bottle washer. Call Jodi to cater your event and leave the planning and cooking up to her to create a special and original dinner party for you.

Jodi Amoruso and David Ariel

A silent auction was held in the front of the studio with memorabilia of famous entertainers and lots of spectacular pictures.

It was a fun and exciting evening and we look forward to many special events at the new facility. Shawn Lane is noted for the outstanding events and red carpet movie premiers she puts together and we know she will make this new venture a total success.

Epicurean Affair 2011

Epicurean Affair 2011

Written & Photos by Nikki Artale

For the second consecutive year, on May 26, 2011, the Nevada Restaurant Association held the Epicurean Affair at the Palazzo Resort Hotel in Las Vegas. The culinary event keeps getting better each year and as always the food is so delicious. Some of my favorites this year was the lobster balls, grilled octopus and the fresh oysters.

http://www.nvrestaurants.com/

Doors opened for the VIP guests at 6:00 pm and that allowed us to wander around the pool side without a large crowd, which came later at 7:00pm Which included the general admission.
It gave us a chance to talk to the chefs and sample their best dishes.

I was very impressed with Chef Luciano Pellegrini from Valentino’s Restaurant as he made one of my favorite dishes Gnocchi. He gave lots of tips on making the perfect Gnocchi and it was absolutely delicious. Chef Luciano came to America in 1985 from
Bergamo, Italy. He became Chef/Partner at Valentino Las Vegas in 1999.

In 2001 and 2003 Chef Luciano won the Epicurean Award from Las Vegas Live Magazine and has appeared on the Food Network and the Discovery Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxElGP21m3M
The wine and cocktails flowed freely all night served by beautiful girls and young ladies who had their bodies painted by fabulous artists made the pool experience magical.

We were entertained by two young men in rubber suits who swam most of the night in the pool and a stilt walker who mingled with the crowd.

Some of the participating restaurants were Top of the World, Valentino, Hash House A Go Go, Il Mulino, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Nobu, Carnevino Italian Steakhouse and Max Brenner. There were over 75 restaurants showcasing their best dishes.

Max Brenner had the best chocolate cookies I ever ate and they also had faux syringes filled with melted chocolate, which I assume was to get an immediate chocolate fix by squirting the chocolate into your mouth. Oh my.