David Perrico casts line to Britney Spears band; Rio closing Village Seafood Buffet

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Gina Jones

Published Tue, Nov 3, 2015 (1:29 p.m.)

Updated Tue, Nov 3, 2015 (3:43 p.m.)

David Perrico’s Pop Evolution

David Perrico and vocalist Naomi Mauro perform in Pop Evolution, an 18-piece band featuring musicians from various Las Vegas productions, inside the showroom at the Stratosphere, July 2, 2013. Launch slideshow »

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is Ultimate Fan Cave at Westgate Las Vegas. With varying degrees of personal and financial interest, we are watching the Carolina Panthers parry with the Indianapolis Colts.

This cave and enclave are just off Westgate Superbook, where the hotel is investing $13 million in upgrades including the world’s largest LED screen and new sportsbook bar.

The screens are up and dazzling in a hypnotic way — Colts QB Andrew Luck looks as imposing as a Tyrannosaurs Rex (same mobility tonight, too). The bar is supposed to be open as early as tonight. Read more about this project in my column in The Sunday, which comes out Sunday.

More from this cave dweller:

• Worlds are mashing as the Las Vegas lounge scene meets a superstar headliner on the Strip at David Perrico’s Pop Strings show Saturday night. Sitting in for the performance at Lounge at the Palms is the four-piece rhythm section for Britney Spears’ band at Axis theater.

The added musicians will join Pop Strings as non-billed guest stars. They are drummer Ernie LaRouche, keyboardist Marc Delcore, guitarist Zach Comtois and bassist Greg Delcore.

They’ll perform on Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” and cover of The B-52’s “Love Shack.” Also added to the setlist is “Hungry Like the Wolf,” the Duran Duran classic, which in its original form didn’t feature a string section.

“This is the kind of stuff we need,” Perrico says. “The outside, self-contained musicians from headlining shows jamming with local players. It’s super positive.” It’s not a new concept. Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns hosted some fiery jam sessions with musicians from Santana’s band and Tower of Power in the Lounge.

• From the restaurant scene, we understand that the Rio, which has announced that Guy Fieri’s El Burro Borracho will open in early 2016 near Voodoo Beach pool, will closed the long-running Village Seafood Buffet by mid-November.

The buffet will not be totally removed, though. It is being moved into Carnival World Buffet, which will be renamed Carnival World & Seafood Buffet. More than 70 dishes will expand the seafood selection at the buffet, and there will be an announced upcharge for the boosted menu.

No announcement yet on what will replace Village Seafood Buffet or the recently closed Martorano’s on the promenade level.

Click to enlarge photo

Nevada Ballet Theatre dancer Joshua Kekoa directs Las Vegas Sun columnist John Katsilometes during a rehearsal for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," part of the "Balanchine Celebration" set for Nov. 7-8 at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. In the background is NBT dancer Steven Goforth.

• An update on rehearsals for my appearance with Nevada Ballet Theatre in “A Balanchine Celebration: The Best of Ballet, Hollywood and Broadway.” The show is 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (for tickets, go to TheSmithCenter.com and NevadaBallet.org).

The show is a tribute to legendary choreographer George Balanchine, interlocking scenes from “Serenade,” “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “Who Cares?,” which is a tribute to George Gershwin. I’m playing the Gangster, or a hit man, in “Slaughter.” I have three lines, and I handle such props as a gun and stack of fake cash.

We had our third rehearsal Monday afternoon. Impressively, I waited for the moment George Balanchine Trust repetiteur Philip Neal arrived to kick my first line. “Gotcha, pal,” seems simple enough to remember, right?

But not when the overlord of the Balanchine legacy is in the rehearsal studio at NBT. I stood and gazed at my partner in the act’s opening scene, Joshua Kekoa, and simply repeated an earlier line, “Right in the theater, huh?” Three lines. Get it right.

But we left in good repair, and I remain impressed at the attention to detail and nuance required to make this production work. At one point, Neal instructed one of the dancers portraying a cop to crawl along the floor and actually sniff — as if sniffing for clues. It was a small directive but is a killer little moment in the scene.

The Mob Museum Talks Casino Cheating

George Joseph shows off an opaque domino during a Courtroom Conversation at the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement on Wednesday, May 21, 2014.  The MOB Museum is playing host for Launch slideshow »

• The next Mob Museum Courtroom Series is 7 p.m. Saturday and is sold out. It’s easy to understand why. The subject is the 20th anniversary of the Martin Scorsese award-winning film “Casino,” set in Las Vegas and chronicling the Mob’s hold on the city’s casino industry.

“The Real Story Behind Casino” is a panel discussion featuring former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who represented Lefty Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro during his day as the reputed “Mob Attorney” and who played himself in the film; Jeff Silver, Nevada Gaming Control Board attorney during the Spilotro/Rosenthal era; Marc Kaspar, retired FBI agent who tracked Spilotro for more than a decade; Deborah Richard, undercover FBI agent who penetrated the Spilotro inner circle; and Gwen Castaldi, TV reporter who covered Spilotro and Rosenthal in the years that they conducted business on the Strip.

Though the event is sold out, it is available to watch on an Internet live stream at this link. Learn all about, or be reminded of, how the Chicago Outfit wielded its power over the Stardust, Fremont, Marina and Hacienda hotels.

• Recently a member of Bella Electric Strings who played for the troops stationed at Guantanamo Bay, violinist Lydia Ansel is back at Rockhouse at the Venetian at 8 p.m. Sunday. She’s performing her mix of electronic and rock musicianship on that magic fiddle at Rockhouse through Nov. 15.

Late of Zowie Bowie, Ansel and Bella played during a stretch of performances from Oct. 16-20 at Guantanamo. The Plain White T’s also were on the brief tour. Some 5,000 servicemen and women reportedly turned out for the shows.

• Returning to cave-like, lounge-esque environs, Paul Scally and his Grand Laughs Las Vegas is bringing a TV game-show production to Lounge at the Palms at 9 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.). Guests from the audience are allowed to participate in the style of “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal.” The show is $20 per ticket, or $10 a person for large groups and families. Go to Palms.com for information.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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