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Judy Thorburn and Debbie Hall
The Media Divas
By Judy Thorburn and Debbie Hall
We enjoyed art, comedy, musical comedy, and Indian cuisine with a touch
of celebrity doing good things thrown in for good measure.
It might have been April Fools’ Day, but excitement at the grand opening
festivities for the new Hooters Hotel poolside paradise, which features
two heated pools, beach sand, palm trees, a lagoon filled style
waterfall, cabanas and two hot tubs (one with a swim-up bar) was very
real. At 12:30PM, TV personality, Montel Williams appeared in person to
accept a $10,000 donation from Hooters for the Montel Williams MS
Foundation thanks to Alex Karalexis, a fighter for the Ultimate Fighting
Championship, who was also on hand and chose this charity as the
donation recipient after winning a black jack tournament there in
February. Williams, himself diagnosed with the disease, established his
self-titled charity for which he has personally raised more than $1.1
million to further the scientific study of MS in hopes of finding a
cure. Thanks to Hooters and all involved it was rewarding afternoon!
Montel Williams
The “boys” were in rare form when Queer Eye for the Straight Guy filmed
a segment at the Palm’s Resort Ghost Bar with an eye on Joni Max art up
for auction to benefit Canine Companions for Independence and the Oregon
Tiger Sanctuary. Part of Ra Gallery, (www.joinmax.com), Joni’s original
works and Giclees encompasses faces and nudes with passion and style.
The event was a huge success with hundreds of attendees who came out to
enjoy an evening of art, cocktails and appetizers. The line of
party-goers stretched from the Ghostbar entrance all the way to the
hotel lobby! What a night!
From gay guys to middle aged women, we enjoyed the alternate, so called
“green” cast for Menopause, the Musical. While the show retains its
humor and energy, we got to see it from a different perspective with
different actresses. With this cast, the actress, Susan Beaubian,
portraying “Power Woman” is much taller than Skye Dee Miles. While both
certainly fit their roles, it is an interesting contrast to see the same
character portrayed by two different actresses. “Earth Mother,”
portrayed by short haired Cheryl Spencer, relays a down to earth quality
while long haired Vita Corimbi’s portrayal is more ethereal. Dance
captain Patti Gardner was the timid “Iowa Housewife” and she showcased
her many talents in this role. We understand why she is also the
understudy for both the Iowa Housewife and Soap Star. Paige O’Hara,
known for supplying the singing voice of the lovely, heroine Belle in
Disney’s Academy Award nominated, animated film “Beauty and Beast”,
brings a feel of desperation to her role of “Soap Star” while Satomi
Hofmann portrays the “Soap Star” as more in denial than desperate. What
makes this so wonderful is that we got to see four characters portrayed
by two different people and enjoy the different interpretations.
Menopause, The Musical is playing at the Las Vegas Hilton. Call (702)
732-5755 or 1-800-222-5361 for times.
Talk about FUNNY! Through April 29, David Brenner and George Wallace
perform together at the Flamingo during the “damn best 10 pm show” in
Las Vegas. The evening began with a VIP party in the Second City Theater
that included a buffet table filled with delicious hors d’oeuvres of
crab cakes, chicken with peanut sauce, beef sticks and baked brie with
fruit. We had the pleasure of speaking with George Wallace, who 6’ 5”
tall is a BIG man with a BIG heart and personality. Louie Anderson also
stopped by the party and we found him to be a warm and gracious
individual! After bypass surgery, he is looking healthy and happy to be
performing at the Excalibur. What a joy it is to be in their presence.
George Wallace with The Media Divas
Louie Anderson with The Media Divas
The show began with a montage of David Brenner at the beginning of his
career. He spoke about doing observational comedy. For example, he spoke
of a dumb sign he recently saw. “Illiterate? Then call 1-800…” He spoke
of how he wanted to challenge himself, so he decided to comment on
current events and the news.
David Brenner’s performance is topical, thought provoking and funny with
most of his act inspired by newspaper clippings, informative facts that
he expounds on, turning them into hilarious material. Other jokes come
from people and their perceptions. For instance, without a doubt, our
favorite is how David explains the Jewish Holidays. He says its simple
as this. “All the holidays are basically the same. They tried to kill
us, we escaped, let’s eat.” He also explained that he was sick of the
stereotypical belief that Jews can’t fix things. “Of course we can fix
things. We can do it with one finger.” Then he crooked his finger and
said, “Come here and fix this.” David is one funny man whose humor
attracts people of all ages, race and gender. The audience was a mixed
lot and it was obvious they all loved the comedy he offers.
George Wallace then strutted his stuff on stage. While he was dancing,
he told the audience, “I have no jokes so I am going to dance for 15
minutes.” He continued to dance and would count down, “14 more minutes.”
Then he laughed and commented about the advisory that no taping or
photography would be allowed. He showed his cell phone and said, “My
phone is on. I am not going to miss a call because of strangers.” He
also told the audience that, “I don’t care if you walk in the last ten
minutes of my show, as long as you paid.”
He is also very topical and spoke about the sign, “What Would Jesus Do?”
He commented, “Jesus would drive a Hyundai. I know. I read the Bible and
it said we should be in accord.”
Recognized for his “I Be Thinkin” jokes, it is his way of commenting
about the state of the world and he has no trouble speaking his mind
offering some opinions that are both comical and true. At every show you
can count on surprises, giveaways, prizes (yes PRIZES- we won’t divulge
what’s been given away. But, we might add they run the gamut, from his
comedy CD to a car) and much laughter. George is right when he mentions,
“You never know what will happen during my show”. George loves to
interact with the audience and he encourages audience participation. He
randomly picks a few people from the audience to join him on stage, and
after playing off responses to questions about their life or work, they
get to leave with a very special gift from this very funny man. What a
crowd pleaser!
When George is not performing at the Flamingo, he is getting ready for
his new radio show, due to debut in the summer that will be syndicated
nationwide in conjunction with CBS Radio Inc., Westwood One, Premiere
Radio Network, Clear Channel and Envision Radio Networks. The radio show
will be much like “Inside the Actors Studio” with comics. “I have come
to love Las Vegas and get to see so many of my comic friends here as
they headline regularly and decided it would be fun to share with
America what goes on in a comic’s mind as well as what’s new in Las
Vegas,” explains Wallace. Congratulations on everything, George, and be
certain to check him out at the Flamingo. Call 702-733-3333 or
www.flamingolasvegas.com for more information.
We want to thank everyone at Origin India for the most fun party ever!
At the VIP party to celebrate the Grand Opening, we were treated to a
four-course dinner, to what is called Indian Fusion Cuisine. Most of the
dishes are a bit spicy, but oh so tasty. Starting off was the appetizer
(Dalvara), a deep friend patty made of lentils with a delectable blend
of spices long with either a sweet champagne (Dalvara) or other
beverage. The next course was Potli Samosa, a pastry stuffed with green
peas and cauliflower, Lamb Chapli Kebab and Murgh Chilli Milli, chicken
marinated in a combination of Indian and East Asian spiced backed Indian
Barbeque style. Along with this course, we enjoyed Lachha Paratha, a
flat bread with crispy spirals. Our next course was char grilled chicken
(Murg Bemisal) with boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and cilantro. The Lamb
Dahiwala (or Gosht Dahiwala) is lamb with an onion, yogurt and cashew
nut sauce. The Shrimp Dum Sunheari had a light curry sauce that added
sweetness to it. Chicken and cheese (Paneer Shabman) and broiled
potatoes (Aloo Idichi Masala) were also served along with Kabuli Rice.
The desserts were traditional Beet’s Halwa made of all things, BEETS,
with spices, nuts and raisins and actually quite sweet. The other
dessert was Corn Phirni, made with corn, milk, yogurt, vanilla and
spices.
Origin India - Photos by Stephen Thorburn
We also need to mention Krait Beer, a very light smooth beer offered at
Origin India to go with this fabulous meal. Many fine wines and beers
are offered as well as Indian tea. All this can be enjoyed in a warm
atmosphere decorated in shades of burgundy, orange, and yellow to
represent the spices of India as well as candles and soft overhead
lighting. Check out Origin India at 4480 Paradise Road, in the Northeast
Corner of Paradise and Harmon next to CVS Drugstore.
Remember, The Media Divas make entertainment news DIVALICIOUS!
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