Judy Thorburn and Debbie Hall

February is gone and March is here as we enjoyed Superstars, comedy and more comedy, upscale businesses, fine food, and birthday celebrations.

A BIG THANKS to the Stardust for the invitation to see Jackie Mason and Roseanne Barr in their showroom. These two comics are very funny with insightful commentary about life. The funniest routine was Jackie Mason talking about the failed musical, Titanic. “What were they thinking,” Jackie asked as he sang, “They drowned, they drowned. How high was the water?” A former rabbi, he has a very funny and straightforward gift of gab regarding issues such as political, religious, ethic and race relations that rings true, you can’t help but laugh out loud. After so many years as a TV star its great to see Roseanne back on tour performing her live comedy act. Roseanne, now a blonde, went back to her roots (no pun intended) as a standup comedienne, calling herself the “original Desperate Housewife” and she is as sarcastic and edgy as ever. By the lineup of crowds waiting to get in and see her show, it’s obvious she has a huge following that couldn’t wait to hear her spiel on what is going in the world, according to Roseanne.

Tuesday, we celebrated our friend Courtney Perna’s birthday. She’s the host of Inside Poker and you all know her as the very pretty blonde seen in the Station Casinos commercials. We love that Courtney refers to herself as a “Diva in training”. We all converged on Flavors, the gourmet buffet at Harrah’s and what an experience! We were treated to the VIP section (designated for Club Card participants and other guests of the property), which offers place settings of real linens, beautiful china and silverware in spacious booths and roomy tables. After a glass of champagne, we had to decide what we wanted from the incredible variety of food ranging from comfort foods to cuisines from around the world such as Chinese, Traditional Southwestern, Italian and Seafood. The carving stations are just NOT carving stations, but flame broiled kabobs, steaks, chops and other fine cuts of meat. The seafood station has pickled herring (a favorite of Media Diva Debbie) with shrimp, crab, and oysters, and salmon. Plus, vegetarians will be happy to know they’ll never go away hungry. They have plenty to choose from with an assortment of meatless dishes such as California rolls, sushi, pizza, a salad bar with all the fixings that has 15 varieties in rotation, plenty of cooked vegetables, pastas and stir fries cooked to order and fresh fruit. And, what a dessert station! Other than your favorite ice cream parlor, you get to pick from among your favorite ice cream flavors that include, would you believe, mouthwatering tiramisu or pistachio along with rich and creamy chocolate, vanilla bean, and cherry to name a few, besides homemade sorbet, gelato and a root beet float, just for the asking. And that doesn’t mean there aren’t pies, cakes, cookies, and other sinfully delicious pastries also available to satisfy even the pickiest sweet tooth. Occasionally servers make their way around the room with trays on wheels creating incredible delights such as Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster right in front of your eyes and just for you. How’s that for royal treatment? We had a chance to meet with Flavors Room Chef Debbi Lewis, a friendly young woman from New Jersey with a bubbly personality, who explained to us the thought, care and preparation going into making Flavors one of the best buffets in Las Vegas. With all it has to offer, the warm atmosphere, inviting décor and unbelievable food, Flavors at Harrah’s indeed lives up to its name. We unanimously agreed at the end of our meal that Flavors is tops on our list for buffets and a great Las Vegas dining experience. Dinner, from 4-10PM is $18.99 and be assured, it is a great value.

Photos by Lindsay Hebberd

We also want to give a HUGE thank you to Cozy’s Comedy Corner at Tommy Rocker’s for continuing the celebration of Courtney’s Birthday. You can catch the laughter the last Tuesday of everyone month beginning at 8 pm.

On Wednesday evening Media Diva Judy experienced more laughter at The Funny Business Comedy Club inside the Krave Theatre at Desert Passage inside the Aladdin (soon to be Planet Hollywood). Producers Angela Sampras and Matt Stabile (X Girls, the Show) put their heads together and came up with the great idea of bringing together an eclectic mix of veteran comics and up and comers for this show, and the result is highly enjoyable fun fest that guarantees side splitting laughter. The evening started with plump hostess, Pudgy, aka The Queen of Tease, taking the stage. She’s a very funny lady that knows how to work the room, is quick and clever, poking fun at herself and any member of the audience she chooses to interact with, and always with a keen sense of humor. The rest of the lineup includes Boston native Dave Russo, who looks a lot like a young Robert De Niro, and has a high likeability factor, and Joe Trammel, two very funny guys audiences should recognize from TV’s Wayne Newton’s Entertainer show on the E Channel. Russo’s material revolves around the fact that he isn’t tall, his relationships with women, and East Coast humor, all creating one laugh after another and never once being offensive. Joe Trammel is more than just a prop comedian. He is one powerhouse of energy incorporating quick costume changes with dances all the while lip-syncing outrageously funny parodies of movies such as Titanic and Jaws and hits songs. Rounding out the cast is Carole Montgomery, one heck of a raunchy female comic that says it like it is, with no holes barred as she talks about all aspects of the sexual experience between men and women and much more. She is bold and in your face, yet she addresses issues that are so true, but tells it in such a way that it is hysterical. Carole recently completed a successful run of her show “Confessions of a PT&A Mom” and has also appeared on Comedy Central with Dave Chappelle. For an evening of adult comedy that will have you laughing your socks off, Funny Business Comedy Club will definitely do the trick.

Photos by Lindsay Hebberd

Meanwhile, Media Diva Debbie attended the networking meeting of the Nevada Hospitality Group at the Renaissance Hotel. A big thank you to Elizabeth Anderson and to the wonderful staff of the Renaissance Hotel for the wonderful cuisine of salmon, grilled shrimp, prime rib, lamb chops and the decadent desserts. More importantly, this organization strives to help the entire hospitality industry including hotels, vendors, suppliers as well as the food and beverage industry. This is an important organization for our state.

On Thursday, Media Diva Debbie was treated to see Celine Dion’s “A New Day,” even though, as Celine joked with the audience, “the show is in its fourth year.” Staged by Dragone, it is a visual and audio feast of light, color, movement, dance, live music and the voice of Celine Dion. She is very comfortable on stage, interacts with the audience between numbers and is on stage the entire time except for costume changes. It is a celebration of love and music with standards, Celine’s hits and covers of other songs with one sung in Italian and other in French. Celine alternates with Elton John (whom Media Diva Debbie saw on February 19) and Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar’s Palace.

On Friday, what a day we had. First, Media Diva Debbie was the substitute host with Media Diva Judy on her radio show: Movies, Gossip and Sin. Just to let you know, The Media Divas will begin broadcasting and podcasting their radio show, Las Vegas Around the Clock with the Media Divas next week on www.lasvegasaroundtheclock.com as well as other networks and stations.
 
Then we dashed to Eyes and Optics retail eyewear (with a sister store, Oculus, at Caesar’s Palace) on South Rainbow to experience cosmopolitan eyewear. Photog Stephen Thorburn tried on a pair of $4,000 glasses (which were awesome) but there is a price range for everyone looking for designer glasses and sunglasses. The event was catered by Marc’s Authentic Italian Restaurant, which offered a delicious buffet of rolled eggplant with mozzarella, Italian Sausage and Peppers, proscuitto wrapped asparagus, and baked ziti. This is a wonderful store for those of us that are vision impaired, but not style impaired!

Photo by Stephen Thorburn

Then we dashed to Boulder Station to laugh during the “Sellout Tour” at the Railhead inside Boulder Station. The slogan of these four comics is: Four Comics; Four Different Points of View; One Goal; Urban Brilliance. They are brilliant. Billy D. Washington, Louis Johnson, B.T. and Vince Morris put on quite a show and then offered to answer any questions, “you’ve always wanted to ask a Black man but was afraid to ask.” Off stage and as guests on our radio show (along with Dave Russo of Funny Business) they had us laughing in between finding out about their roots. In person, they are even funnier. Las Vegas was their first tour date in 2006 and they continue on to Columbus Ohio for their next date. What an incredible experience for all of us.

Photo by Stephen Thorburn

Until later, remember, we make the news divaliscious!