Vegas ‘AGT’ singer to perform for judges
ONE day, or night, Daniel Emmet will sing the “America’s Got Talent” medley in a Las Vegas showroom.
This is a two-song mash-up, with Emmet’s original “Amante,” followed by Il Divo’s “Passera.” Those were the songs Emmet sang, the first in truncated form, to pass his audition on June 19. Tuesday, he’s back on the show for the Judge Cuts sudden-death round.
“The show keeps me on my toes,” says Emmet, co-star of “The Cocktail Cabaret” at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace. “It helps that my head is a karaoke machine.”
Emmet, who studied music at Chapman University in Orange, California, sings in seven different languages and samples all styles, from opera to pop to rock. Proud of his composition skills, Emmet started the June 19 performance with “Amante,” a song he’d written about four years ago. Judge Simon Cowell halted the rendition and suggested, “Passera,” a song he’d he recorded with pop-vocal superstars Il Divo, which he created in 2004 in his Syco music label.
Emmetwashandedahandwritten lyric sheet backstage and played the tune on his mobile phone. He says, “My adrenaline took over, and I had a real determination to prove I was worth a second look.”
The roar from the live audience, paired with the judges’ approval, gave Emmet hope that his style will continue to resonate through the competition.
“When I see the comments on the videos of the show on Instagram, people loving the genre, it validated my belief there is a market for what I sing,” he says. “That is huge to me.” At the suggestion that his famous two-song audition can be presented again in Vegasville, he says, “Oh yeah. We have to do that.”
Whatever his intention, Cowell has created a moment. We’ll save a seat for him.
Vegas-centric event spiked
The Livewire Festival, a star-laden music festival set for Aug. 23-26 in Blackpool, England, has been canceled. Current Colosseum at Caesars Palace headliner Mariah Carey was to appear at the event, with Boyz II Men and Matt Goss — both of The Mirage — also set to perform over the four-day festival.
Goss, especially, was looking forward to returning to his home country, where he still commands a crowd. He and Boyz II Men were to perform Thursday, followed by Carey on Friday.
A festival spokesman is quoted by the BBC that the event is “postponed until 2019” due to the ill health of “key personnel” within promotion company Livewire Events. Kenny Rogers had earlier canceled his appearance after telling organizers he was “working through a series of health challenges,” according to the BBC.
Good use of RV
The Hallucinator, a converted early 1970s GMC Motorhome, is the latest entertainment vehicle produced by Spiegelworld. The rig is being turned into a bar and hangout as the company renovates Caesars Palace’s Roman Plaza, home of the the “Absinthe” Spiegeltent.
“Absinthe” producer and company founder Ross Mollison (the “Impresario Extraordinaire” so frequently name-checked in this space) has always been a fan of “The Six Million Dollar Man” TV series, and bought a GMC RV just like the one piloted by Oscar Goldman (the late Richard Anderson) and Col. Steve Austin (Lee Majors) in the show.
“They went everywhere in that RV, and I loved how it looked,” says Mollison, who plans to host VIP groups of between 10 and 15 in the rolling fortress. “It’s so old, though. I think we paid like $20 for it.”
Previously announced is the Led-infused, 35-foot-tall Wormwood Tree from Burning Man, which should be in place by October. Roman Plaza will be renamed Green Fairy Garden, with an “Absinthe”-themed bar and graband-go food option. Mollison is hiring a chef — a real chef, not a stage character — to head up the dining program.
Hours for the new complex are being sorted out, but it might be noon-midnight. “We’ll have ‘Absinthe’-themed food and drinks, which will be great,” Mollison says. “We might say they’re terrible, just to throw people off, but they’ll be great.” The project should be finished by the end of the year.
Cool Hang Alert
The Gatsby Gang Jazz
Band is performing at The Underground at The Mob Museum from 7-10 p.m. Saturday and again July 21 and July
28. The vibe is Roaring ‘20s, the moonshine (I am told) is palatable and the music harks back to tunes from the 1920s to 1950s. Admission to The Underground is included with a general admission ticket to the museum. Guests can also duck into The Underground after 5 p.m. daily for free, or at any time by using the daily passwords on Instagram Stories @Mobmuseum_underground.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ johnnykats on Twitter. As of 9 p.m. Thursday:
1. Las Vegas Raiders stadium club PSLS to cost fans up to $75K each
Personal seat licenses for premium club seating at the Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium will cost fans between $20,000 and $75,000 apiece, documents obtained by the Review-journal show. 2. EX-NBA star Charles Oakley arrested
EX-NBA star Charles Oakley was arrested
Sunday after committing a fraudulent act during a game of blackjack at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, according to the state Gaming Control Board.
3. Wayne Newton closes Las Vegas estate as public attraction
“As of now, we are just taking a breather and deciding what we want to do in the future,” Wayne Newton said. “We have not wanted to make any rush decisions.”
4. Highway reopens after flooding in Las Vegas Valley
Heavy rain Thursday temporarily closed part of U.S. Highway 95, delayed flights at Mccarran International Airport and prompted the National Weather Service to issue three flood alerts for Southern Nevada.
5. WSOP Main Event final table of 9 set in spectacular fashion
With the field of 7,874 down to the final 10 players, Nicolas Manion went all-in with pocket aces, Rich Zhu went all-in with pocket kings and Antoine Labat called with pocket kings. As of 9 p.m. Thursday:
1. Flash flooding
Flash flooding in the Las Vegas Valley. 2. Inside the new Las Vegas Raiders stadium
The planned Las Vegas Raiders stadium will have 10 levels.
3. Timeline leading up to Scott Dozier’s execution
Scott Dozier is set to be executed by lethal injection the night of July 11 at Ely State Prison.