Anderson’s mother of comebacks continues
Fthe Golden Age of Television. Louie Anderson has. “They can talk all they want about the Golden Age of TV, but right now we are in the Platinum Age,” said Anderson, the Las Vegas comic and actor who earned his second Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Christine Baskets in the FX series “Baskets” Thursday. “TV has shot into the stratosphere. Never have we had more programming, more boundaries crossed.”
Anderson won his first Emmy last year, as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, for his role as the mother of twins Chip and Dale Baskets, played by co-creator Zach Galifianakis. Anderson is nominated once more in that category, joined by the requisite powerhouse field of nominees: Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live”), Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”), Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Matt Walsh (“Veep”).
“There are so many talented people out there, we’re just happy to be in that field,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be the little show that could. People are really just now finding the show, too, and it’s gaining momentum.”
The table is still hot for Anderson’s live act, too, as evidenced by the announcement earlier this week that he’ll return to Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort Sept. 15-16.
“I’m especially thrilled for Zach,” Anderson said. “I told him when we started that I believed the show would be great. I’m just proud to be his mother.”
From those behind ‘Absinthe’ …
Spiegelworld’s “Impresario Extraordinaire,” Ross Mollison, has long hinted that he had a new show in the works for Las Vegas, where his “Absinthe” remains a pace-setting production.
The show, “Heroes,” was revealed Thursday in a statement describing it as a look at the “secret lives of of bellboys, chambermaids, concierges and guests — each of them a hero — as their stories intersect across physical space and time.” The director is a force: Steven Hoggett from “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” a two-part stage play that has been a hit on London’s West end for about a year.
“Heroes” will be workshopped at St. Ann’s Warehouse near the end of the month. Mollison would love to bring the show to the Strip, of course, but the timing on that remains to be seen.
Quiddlers advance
The Quiddlers, a longtime Vegas side act, made it through the audition episode of NBC’S “America’s Got Talent” on Tuesday night. The physical comedy group is currently cast in both “Vegas! The Show” and “V — The Ultimate Variety Show” at V Theater at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.
They performed as a quartet of little people, covered in black drapes while dancing and rolling across the stage singing “Y.M.C.A.” Judge Simon Cowell said succinctly: “That was one of the strangest things I’ve seen on this show.”
Hot release
Hot Club of Las Vegas has released its latest CD, “Hamajang!” on itunes and elsewhere online. The title refers to the Pidgin English term meaning “messed up.” The gypsy jazz band is led by multitalented guitarist Mundo Juillerat, who also plays in the “Le Reve” band at Wynn Las Vegas.
The band recorded two songs with a full orchestra under the arrangement of veteran Vegas conductor Richard Mcgee (who helped found the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 1998) and covers Joe Satriani’s “Always With You, Always With Me,” with bassist and composer Tyler Williams, also of “Le Reve.”
Cuban-born Noybel Gorgoy, late of Clint Holmes’ stage show at Palazzo Theater, is the lead vocalist, and former “Le Reve” artist Amos Glick provided the lyrics on most of the cuts.
“We are a modern gypsy jazz band and with all these songs we’ve blended in musical genres from all our musical experiences,” Juillerat says. “There’s Latin, rock, flamenco, R&B, funk, Broadway and even progressive rock influences at play here.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.