Mayor seals deal on bet with D.C. leader
AN itchy Alex Ovechkin jersey and a Vegas baby bib marked the end of Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s Stanley Cup Final betting spree.
The mayor paid off her bet with Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday. She wore a Washington Capitals’ No. 8 Ovechkin jersey and sent a Vegas goodie basket to the nation’s capital. The two mayors made the traditional championship wager before the Stanley Cup Final, won in five games by the Capitals.
When asked how the Caps’ jersey felt, Goodman said, “It was very itchy.” She wore the sweater throughout the day, including to the City Council meeting. When she posed in the Caps’ colors, Goodman made sure to place a Golden Knights crest next to her “Welcome To Fabulous Mayor Goodman’s Office” sign at City Hall.
Goodman added a personal touch to the gift basket, a Las Vegas baby bib for Mayor Bowser’s adopted daughter, Miranda Elizabeth. Bowser adopted the infant at birth in March.
Among the other items in the Vegas basket: Oscar and Carolyn Goodman bobble-heads (naturally), a commemorative City of Las Vegas medallion, mayoral casino chips, a Welcome to Las Vegas visor, a small Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and matching cuff links, a martini glass and miniature bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin, Vegas playing cards, regional snacks (including a packet of Jojo’s Jerky) mayoral pencils and pens, a Vegas tote bag, a signed photo and a letter of congratulations.
Mayor Bowser’s first public response to all of this was to “like” Mayor Goodman’s photo of the basket o’ snacks.
P&T go dark
Crucial to any disappearing act is the reappearing.
Penn & Teller are going dark at the Rio on July 10 and will return on Aug. 18.
Teller, 70, will undergo spinal fusion surgery next month to address chronic symptoms of hanging upside-down in straitjackets and otherwise climbing in and out of boxes over a 40year stage career.
During this “dark” time, Penn Jillette is undergoing a medically supervised water-only fast.
As the vocal member of the comedy-magic duo, Jillette said today on Twitter, “Yes, we will NOT being doing our show from July 10-August
18th. Teller needs back surgery and I’ll be doing a medically supervised water-only fast. We’ll be back super-healthy! Sorry for changing anyone’s plans.”
He later added in a separate post, “Oh, the time is for Teller to heal completely, I won’t be on a water-only fast for the full five weeks, of course. Medically supervised and just long enough to give some help to my blood pressure. Not for weight.”
Jillette, 63, has famously dropped 100 pounds through a strict vegetable-based diet over the past three years. He has held his weight at about 220 pounds.
Away from the stage production, Penn & Teller’s show “Fool Us,” recorded in March at the Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater, returns at 8 p.m. Monday on The CW. Piff the Magic Dragon is a featured guest. And the duo will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Friday.
In January, P&T celebrated their 25th anniversary of performing in Las Vegas.
‘Holiday’ in at Wynn
Encore Theater has been home to such headliners as John Fogerty and Diana Ross ever since “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” closed in December. But the resort has not stopped creating original productions.
“The Holiday Show” is the latest. The winter production will run Nov. 30-Dec.
30; tickets go on sale 10 a.m. today.
As reported in this space a couple of weeks ago, the show is being created and directed by Philip Wm. Mckinley, with choreography by Marguerite Derricks. Both have worked on productions at the Wynn (including “Showstoppers” and the relaunch of “Le Reve”). The musical is a rollout of holiday favorites, “Santa Baby” and “This Christmas” among them, with a variety of dance numbers.
Cracking wise
“Our next composer is coming from a very successful run in ‘Marilyn! — The New Musical,’” is how Keith Thompson introduced Travis Cloer on Wednesday night at the Composers Showcase at The Smith Center. The entertainers in the room laughed and applauded. Cloer is a close friend of Thompson’s dating to their days in “Jersey Boys.” Cloer was a cast member in the show that went dark Sunday at Paris Las Vegas after 15 shows (23 counting previews).
“Yes,” Cloer said, grabbing the mic. “So if anybody’s hiring …”
Cloer then sang a new song he’d penned with Thompson, “Notice Me.” It wasn’t exactly an audition, but Cloer nailed it anyway.
‘Bachelorette’ at Aria
Aria is to be the setting for Monday’s episode of “The Bachelorette” on ABC. Becca Kufrin and her spate of suitors (and I have an alibi) hung out at the hotel’s Skye Suites and the restaurants Sage and Herringbone. The crew is also shown partying at T-mobile Arena, and the rose ceremony is staged at nearby Vdara. It’s all one-stop shopping for “Bachelorette” fans.
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. Thursday:
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3. Teens face judge in 17-year-old’s slaying in vacant Henderson home
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