Di Domenico working on new material
WHEN John Di Domenico won the Laugh Factory’s international Donald Trump impersonation competition in April, part of his prize package was a headlining run at the comedy club at Tropicana.
Ten months later, Di Domenico has not headlined at the Trop or any Laugh Factory outlet in the U.S.
But it’s not because the offer has timed out. Di Domenico is working on a standup act largely devoid of his bracing impersonation of the president.
“I have not had time to put a new stand-up act together, and I want to do it as myself, not Trump, so I need some time to write new material,” says Di Domenico, who continues to tour the country and travel abroad with his Trump impression. He is making appearances in Washington, D.C. (as Trump, naturally), and has finished a streaming project in which he portrays the president for a series he plans to pitch to Netflix, Amazonorhulu.
Trump bolted to the top of Di Domenico’s lengthy list of impressions as he campaigned for president in 2015-16. But in Di Domenico’s lineup of characters, it might as well have been Austin Powers to occupy the Oval Office. With equal aptitude, Di Domenico performs that impression, and also Sean Connery; Larry King; Jay Leno; Mike Myers’ Wayne Campbell character from “Wayne’s World” and Dr. Evil from “Austin Powers”; and Dr. Phil Mcgraw.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Di Domenico says. “I love what I do, and I’m very grateful to do it and make a living at it.”
Di Domenico says he’ll attempt to achieve what seems impossible — invoke moments of his Trump impression without creating a political chasm. He says he wants to express his own views
— but are those views in line with the current office-holder, or independent?
“They are independent,” says the man who plays Trump, “formed over my years on this planet.”
Cool hang(s) alert
I’ve happened into a few under-appreciated (at least, across Vegasville) venues over the past couple of weeks. M Pavilion at M Resort is one. Clint Holmes sold out an 1,800-seat performance Saturday night, which served as an ideal forum to promote his “Soundtrack” residency with co-star Earl Turner at Westgate Las Vegas’ International Theater.
The last time I’d been in that venue was in May 2015 for Holmes’ appearance with Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns, also a hot seller for the resort that pulls from a high concentration of locals looking for value (Holmes’ tickets were $20).
Late Saturday, it was
Franky Perez & The Truth at Count’s Vamp’d on West Sahara Avenue. This no-cover rock show is not for everyone, but Perez is never less then electrifying with his mix of heavy originals and covers such as Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and The Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post.” Owned by Danny Koker of the “Counting Cars” History TV series, Vamp’d is an off-strip treasure trove of rock ‘n’ roll, similar in vibe to the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in L.A. That’s likely why on Saturday, Perez wore a Viper Room T-shirt — totally soaked three songs into the set.
And Rampart Casino has a hidden gem of a room, Cascade Lounge, that’s been running regular shows for about a year. The afternoon of Feb. 11, I caught Elisa Furr’s note-perfect tribute to Celine Dion; this, too was a fairly ridiculous bargain at $18 per ticket.
Cascade leans toward tribute shows, tapping into famous acts and familiar music. Up next, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, is Mick Adams and The Stones. The person who tipped me off about Furr’s show, Felice Garcia, late of “Million Dollar Quartet” at Harrah’s and “American Superstars” at Stratosphere, is pitching a Carrie Underwood show at Cascade, which seats about 400 and would do well to drop “lounge” from the title.
Who was where
Rose. Rabbit. Lie. vocalist and 2005 “American Idol” finalist Mikalah Gordon and Chester Lockhart of “Sex
Tips For a Straight Woman From a Gay Man” at Paris Las Vegas, Friday night at Peppermill … Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys and Perrish Cox, last with the Seattle Seahawks, on Monday at Topgolf at MGM Grand … Justin Prentice of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” at Blue Man Group at Luxor on Tuesday night … Erik Haula of YOUR Vegas Golden Knights, at Mat Franco’s 9:30 p.m. performance at Linq Hotel … Haula’s teammate James Neal, Wednesday at the 8 p.m. performance of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @ Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Sunday:
1. Report shows Strip has Nevada’s tightest slot machines
When the state Gaming Control Board released its statewide gaming win statistics for 2017 in late January, the headline was the 2.8 percent increase from $11.26 billion in 2016 to $11.57 billion for the
336 nonrestricted locations across Nevada.
2. Man with wife’s body near vehicle at Henderson casino in custody
Willie Bain was taken into custody at a Henderson casino after he was found with his wife’s body near his vehicle late Saturday night, Las Vegas police said.
3. Woman dies after vehicle strikes her near
Las Vegas sign
A woman died after a vehicle backed up and struck her near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign late Saturday night, police said. 4. Queen with Adam Lambert solidifies the
Park Theater’s schedule
Sources familiar with booking at the venue pinpoint an August/ September launch of a 26show series for Queen with Adam Lambert.
5. Strong winds to usher in cold temps in Las Vegas Valley
Powerful gusts are expected to batter the Las Vegas Valley on Sunday, followed by a cold spell with low temperatures in some neighborhoods dipping below freezing by early Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.