Las Vegas Backstage Talk column
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Feb. Las Vegas Backstage Talk column in Casino Player Magazine, and Gaming Today.
by Michele LaFong
With the advent and popularity of Smart TVs, where it is now possible to watch web TV on your main set, alternative programming and new opportunities for entrepreneur talent for internet entertainment is growing daily. This new popular trend couldn’t have been more evident than at the IAWTV awards, “the Oscars” of the Internet Shows held at The Rio H & C last month.
Many familiar faces were seen on the red carpet like “Fitness Celebrity”, and “Infomercial King” John Basedow, inventor and star of “Fitness made Simple.” Basedow was a presenter, and was also nominated for three awards. When John guested on LVBST with Guinness World Record holder, Comedian Fran Capo, “World’s Fastest Talker, John explained what awards he was up for this year; “(Best Variety Series) is for CULTURE POP, my YouTube series where I take to the streets getting people’s opinions on the top entertainment, celebrity and pop culture news. The second is for FIT NOW with BASEDOW (Best Writing), in which I give fitness, exercise and nutrition tips for people to improve their bodies and lives, The third is for the work I do with Buzz60 Entertainment News (Best News Series) and that’s awesome since they’re one of the first companies to give me a job where I get to keep my shirt on.” Both Fran Capo, and John Basedow’s interviews are archived on lasvegasbackstagetalk.com
Following a successful 7 month run at The Laugh Factory at The Tropicana, Legendary prop comic and watermelon-smasher Gallagher quietly closed his seven-night a week show on December 30. It’s a wonder that this eccentric free spirited, flighty, highly creative, mad comedy genius could stay in one place for that long! I’m definitely going to miss him and the backstage drama that always seemed to follow him. I’m sure every comic that has worked at The Laugh Factory in the last 7 months, has a “Gallagher story” to tell! When I asked what his plans were after his out of state gigs were over, his response was “wherever I end up!” He explained his state of mind at this stage of his life quite well in a recent interview that I entitled “Getting really personal with Gallagher.” That video can now be seen on casinocenter.com.
Dana Carvey, one of my favorite and funniest guests returned on LVBST to promote his upcoming dates at The Orleans Showroom, Jan. 31 & Feb.1. Right off the bat, he did a very funny but scary impression of me…I hope it wasn’t as dead-on as it sounded! Not only is he always upbeat, freshly hilarious, and topical, but he’s also one of the nicest mega-talents in show business. Dana shared some of his comedy writing, and developmental process. “I tape all of my shows but it’s really hard to get myself to listen to it…yet it’s incredibly instructive. I’m really hard on myself.” After a show, from time to time, you might find Dana trying his luck out at The Black Jack tables. “Paul Anka taught me how to play… You gotta whack it. You really gotta whack it! I was reminded what Paul Anka sounds like when he’s talking…and I must say…it was a little eerie. We touched on many interesting subjects including Mike Meyers and the possibility of more Wayne’s World projects. The interview will air on Jan. 30.
Grammy Award-winning musician and acclaimed actor Meat Loaf will return to the RockTellz & CockTails stage at the PH Showroom inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Meat Loaf will perform 24 dates, beginning Feb. 13, kicking off the 2014 series. Shows will be every Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday, Feb. 13 to April 8, at 7 p.m. Meat always delivers a dynamic and dramatic show and is a very interesting character. The legendary musical group and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Jacksons are the next legacy artists of the RockTellz & CockTails series. The Jacksons, including Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, will perform 40 shows, beginning Feb. 20. Thurs.-Sun. 9:30pm
I finally went to check out Golden Globe winner,Pia Zadora’s new nightclub show at Pia’s Place @ Piero’s. Her residency there started in Sept. and is open ended Thursday-Saturdays at 9pm. Pia Zadora is at home working the room, singing, telling funny stories, and even has special guest drop- INS like Jerry Lewis, Rich Little, Steve Rossi, and other notables. Pianist Vince Falcone, former musical director for Frank Sinatra heads her quartet in an intimate, throw-back setting that recreates “Old Vegas”. A great time! Pia invited me to do some comedy…and next time I will…
Another gem not to be missed of headline entertainment without a cover charge is Singer/Piano player/Funnyman Michael Shane. Shane was hand-picked by Steve Wynn, to perform at Wynn’s Tower Suite Bar, and is a regular on LVBST. Michael keeps the night moving from behind the piano with never a dull moment and lots of personality. He also takes requests and can’t be stumped. I love it! Like Pia, Michael is popular and puts on Special Guest Star drop-ins . He can be seen on some Thursdays at Bootleggers Bistro at 5:30pm. Be sure to check their schedule as they don’t give out dates too far in advance.
Other acts not to miss this month include Comedian Amy Schumer, Feb. 7& 8, The Mirage, Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone, Feb. 7-9, Clint Holmes, Feb. 8, Smith Center, Clint Black, Feb. 13, The Smith Center, Dion, Feb. 13 & 14, The Orleans, Crystal Gayle, Feb. 14-16, The South Point, Ron White, Feb. 14 & 15, The Mirage, The Eagles, Feb. 15 & 16, MGM, Boz Scaggs, Feb. 15, Eastside Cannery, Mike Epps, Feb. 15, The Palms, Helen Reddy, Feb. 15, The Orleans Showroom, George Lopez, Feb. 21 & 22, The Mirage, John Pinette, Feb. 21 & 22, The Orleans, Adam Carolla, Feb. 21, TI, Danny Wright, Feb. 23, The Smith Center, George Thurgood & The Destroyers, Feb. 27, The Smith Center, Rob Schneider, Jan. 30- Feb. 1, The South Point, , Ray Romano, Feb. 28 & March 1, The Mirage.
Your comments are always appreciated.
TweetJan. LVBST syndicated column by Michele LaFong
January LVBST column
LVBST-Las Vegas Backstage Talk column is published monthly in Casino Player Magazine and Gaming Today.
Finally… a rowdy and fun new concept in Las Vegas casino entertainment that won’t break the bank!
I’m pleased to recommend a unique quality experience that is now available to locals and tourists alike.
Buzz’N Brushes in the Orleans H&C proves that you don’t have to be a budding Picasso to have a great time and that’s part of the fun!
This new interactive Las Vegas attraction puts all the tools in the hands of the audience-turned “art-class” to help them create a work of art that they can then take home.
This is all done with step-by step instruction from entertaining Art Teachers that are on-stage supported by an attentive staff that “works” the floor and are specifically trained to engage the partying artists in an upbeat, “anything goes” type atmosphere complete with music, laughs, games, raffles, dancing, booze, and a pizza kitchen that specializes in making thin-crust pizza. There are day and night classes to choose from with different themes and packages. Whether you make reservations as part of a group or a single, you’re looking to party, blow-off some steam, meet people, or just network…there is bound to be something there for you. Did I mention that this space also includes an art studio that features different artist’s work? I predict corporate events, and bachelorette parties alike will soon catch on to this new, hot, innovative trend.
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Champion and Actor Randy Couture was the special guest Celebrity Host last month at the “Paint N Punch” two hour Event which ended with photo opportunities and an autograph session. I witnessed one of the partying artists insisting, while lifting her shirt that Randy sign her cleavage…and he did…“Anything for charity!” Randy generously donated his time to support Buzz‘N Brushes for a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Couture. Its programs fulfill unmet needs of veterans of America’s armed forces as they return to civilian life, which includes assistance in financial crises. Randy had this to say when I interviewed him following the hilarious, almost topless display:
“When Teresa Lemming, Owner of Buzz‘N Brushes first approached me with the idea of me hosting the show…I was like well…I’ve never painted before…but it was really fun and easy. I wasn’t nervous about the Hosting part of it because once you’re used to standing in that cage in front of the masses in nothing but your drawers…everything else pales in comparison!”
Randy had just returned from Bulgaria, where he finished filming “The Expendables 3,” with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, Jet Li, Antonio Banderas, Ronda Rousey, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Victor Ortiz, and Kellan Lutz.
An edited portion of my videotaped interview with Randy Couture is posted on casinocenter.com
Jon Taffer, star of “Bar Rescue” on Spike TV, and frequent favorite guest on LVBST, was recently on ABC’s 20/20 revealing some short-pour tricks that some desperate bar owners “all too often stoop to,” to short patrons on their alcoholic counts even while they are watching! He demonstrated just how easy it is to get fooled. It looked like magic! I can’t wait to hear what else Jon has to reveal on his next in-studio visit.
Steven Wright, the “Confucius of Comedy,” finally guested on LVBST to promote his up-coming gig at The Orleans Showroom on Jan.3 & 4. I had been trying to get him on my radio show for 3 years! Known for his dead-pan style, monotone voice, and trademark wit, Wright has an arsenal of brilliant one-liners like: “Right now I’m having amnesia and Deja vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before… It’s a small world, but I wouldn’t want to have to paint it…” And if anyone would know about painting it would be Steven Wright because who knew this Academy Award®-winner and Grammy® Award nominee also was a budding artist and musician with paintings and music samples of really cool original music that he wrote, played, sang and recorded up on his website? I would never have guessed! He even plays the harmonica. Dylan-“esque,” was what came to mind, and as an avid Bob Dylan fan, I was intrigued. I would love to see him incorporate his original music and art with his Stand-up show. Perhaps I can convince him…you never know!
My interview with Steven Wright will air on Jan 2. All interviews are archived on lasvegasbackstagetalk.com.
Larry the Cable Guy returns to The Palms H&C Jan.31. I hope to have him on the show before that. I remember asking Comedian Bill Engvall what life was like on the road with “The Blue Collar Comedy Troupe” and who was the most “out of their minds” -you, Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, or Larry the Cable Guy?” Bill responded without hesitation “Larry!” He also said he that he was the sweetest guy. “We called him the “Mikey” of the Comedy Troupe. He could be talked into going along with anything. He really was the only redneck amongst us, and… that’s not a costume that he wears. It’s not at all an act. He pretty much got married on four wheelers! That’s part of the reason that he’s so popular and people can relate to him so well because there are no airs, he’s just genuine.”
Other Headliner picks for January are: Garth Brooks and his band at Wynn Jan. 3 and 4, Wayne Brady at The Mirage Jan. 4, Tim Allen at The Venetian H&C Jan. 8, 18, 31, Gabriel Iglesias at The Mirage Jan. 17, Paul Revere & The Raiders at The South Point H&C Jan. 10-12, Styx at The Palms H&C, Santana at Mandalay Bay Jan.22-Feb.1, Shania Twain at Caesars Palace Jan.22-Feb.15, Jay Mohr at The South Point H&C Jan. 24-26, Dolly Parton at Primm Valley Casino Resorts, Rob Schneider at The South Point H&C Jan.30-Feb.1, Daniel Tosh at The Mirage Jan.31-Feb.1.
Your comments and feedback are always appreciated.
“Getting Personal with The Stars”- Bill Cosby by Michele LaFong
Bill Cosby an Icon that did not Disappoint
(Cosby guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM in Las Vegas, and Web.)
The only interview that I ever was nervous about doing was with Bill Cosby. It was a phone interview, and I had never spoken to “The Comedy God.” As soon as the interview began, he tried to “turn the tables” and interview me! Then I asked him a question. “What drove you to work so hard to get your doctorate when you were already a successful comic?” Cosby’s response went on for over twenty minutes, which turned into another one of his signature masterpiece stories. As he was speaking, I realized that the funniest moments were in the timing of his poignant pauses. He is a natural born teacher, always engaging, and forcing the listener to think. He leads your mind in a certain direction, holds back on the answer, and makes you use your imagination to draw your own conclusions.
Bill Cosby always has a tale to tell, that has a lesson behind it, or a lesson to conclude from it. “I’m not your mother!” was the motivation and the theme to the story as to why Mr. Cosby decided to get his doctorate. I guess you will have to listen to Bill’s answer in order to understand that punchline! The audio interview is archived on lasvegasbackstagetalk.com, click LISTEN-at top of website.
Following the interview, I went to see Cosby’s show at Treasure Island H & C, The TI. As skilled and masterful as his performance was on stage, the backstage performance with his friends and fans proved to be even more spectacular. He shared a very long, and detailed story about his very last gambling experience that proved to be extremely memorable, and filled with many moments of self-disgust, where Cosby retired to his suite and found himself looking in the mirror, and telling off “The Fool” that was reflecting back at him! The roller-coaster of emotions that he described were so relate-able, and funny that it still has me laughing every time I think about it. I’m really looking forward to his return engagement on July 20 at Treasure Island H&C.
Bill Cosby will be featured in Michele LaFong’s Monthly Syndicated Columns, “Las Vegas Backstage Talk,” and Cover Feature in “Getting Personal with the Stars,” in Casino Player Magazine.
I also went to see Comic Rob Schneider who was performing his very funny stand-up act at The Orleans Showroom. He performed some popular characters that he was known for doing on SNL. He gave me a very short but candid videotaped backstage interview.
Schneider revealed on “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” that immediately following a phone conversation with me from the radio station from two days prior, he learned that his wife was pregnant.
He then expressed concern that the Rob show, his new sitcom on CBS might be cancelled, and that he would not find out the status until the following week. I assured him that it would NOT be. So of course…it WAS!
I remember when I heard the news just two days later. I was thinking “OH NO! CBS pulled out. Maybe Rob should have pulled out too! Just kidding… I was thrilled for him & his wife, and loved that the “baby announcement” was debuted on “Las Vegas Backstage Talk
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Rob Schneider, Bill Haley Jr. Mark Mayer, LVBST w/Comedian Michele LaFong
May 17, 2012 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Rob Schneider guests on Las Vegas backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong, the only show that “Gets Personal with the Stars.”
After opening for comedians such as Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, Schneider made his network television debut in 1987 on “The David Letterman Show.” In 1990, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels saw Schneider’s appearance on HBO’s “13th Annual Young Comedians Special” and hired him to be a regular on SNL. During his four seasons on SNL, Schneider was nominated for three EmmyR Awards and a Peabody Award..
Schneider is well-known for his longtime collaboration with Adam Sandler and Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison. Schneider has starred in several Happy Madison projects, including “The Benchwarmers,” “50 First Dates,” “The Longest Yard,” “Eight Crazy Nights,” “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds.” Schneider co-wrote and starred in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,” “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Animal.”
Schneider is the star of the new CBS show, “Rob,” about a lifelong bachelor who married into a tight-knit Mexican-American family. Rob is a successful architect who elopes with Maggie in Las Vegas after a whirlwind romance.
For more about Rob Schneider, click HERE.
Rob Schneider recently performed at The Orleans Showroom on May 5th – 6th
Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets
If only for the impact of “Rock Around the Clock”, Bill Haley would deserve a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (He was inducted in 1987)! Yet his impact in the early days of Rock and Roll went well beyond that milestone! Two years earlier he’d put out “Crazy, Man, Crazy” an original amalgam of country and R&B that arguably became the first rock and roll record to register on Billboard’s pop chart! For most of the Fifties, Bill Haley was a presence on the record charts, and he appeared in several rock and roll movies aimed at teenagers. It is estimated that Bill Haley and His Comets have sold 60 million records worldwide.
Now his Son, Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets, recapture the heyday of his famous father and The Comets and carry on the tradition his father started! Re-creating the Music, the Feel, the Excitement, the Authentic Stage Costuming and the Energy, Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets will transport audiences back to the very beginning of Rock & Roll! Audiences will be on their feet, dancing in the aisles and singing along to every song during this incredible, all-age, Affordable Show!
More about Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets here!
You can catch Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets live at Suncoast Hotel & Casino
Suncoast Showroom, May 19 – 20 7:30pm
Managing Editor / Sports Columnist for “Gaming Today” – Mark Mayer
Mark Mayer was a sports writer for daily newspapers in South Carolina and Florida for more than 20 years before moving to Las Vegas. In the last 10 years, Mayer has been on the other side of the betting window as a ticket writer at Primm Resorts before working two years at Vegas Insider. Off and on over the past decade, he has been sports editor for “GamingToday”.
“GamingToday” a weekly publication that is distributed to casinos and subscriptions every Tuesday with gaming and entertainment news and articles.
The current issue of “GamingToday” features Michele LaFong filling in on entertainment for the incomparable Monti Rock III this week. (Issue for May 15 – 21, 2012)
View Michele’s article in “Gaming Today” HERE
Comedian Michele LaFong is a radio personality in Las Vegas. She knows the in and outs of show business and attracts the A-listers. Check out LaFong’s “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” column in Gaming Today, which will soon be “Getting Personal with the Stars” a monthly syndicated column in Gaming Today, as well as Casino Player Magazine, a monthly entertainment life-style magazine, with over eighty eight thousand paid subscribers nationally. (“Las Vegas Backstage Talk will also be a monthly syndicated column in CP Magazine.)
You can listen to a recording of our show below!
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