Is Las Vegas Arena in ultimate fight for naming rights?

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Angela Stabile, fifth from right, and her sexy “X Burlesque” cast at the Flamingo.

Thu, Oct 29, 2015 (6:08 p.m.)

13th Anniversary of ‘X Burlesque’

The 13th anniversary of Launch slideshow »

The Kats Report Bureau this week visited the Halloween party hosted by Matt and Angela Stabile at their home in Seven Hills. The Stabiles operate Stabile Productions, on something of a hot streak of late. The company stages the long-running “X Burlesque,” “X Comedy” and, beginning Nov. 9, “Piff the Magic Dragon” at Flamingo Las Vegas’ Bugsy’s Cabaret. The new adult revue, “X Country,” premieres Nov. 22 at the Improv in Harrah’s.

“X Burlesque” celebrated 13 years at Flamingo this spring, and as a demarcation of that anniversary, the Stabiles placed a set of 15 tombstones along their home’s putting green. These gravesites were for adult shows that have closed since “X Burlesque” opened on the Strip in 2002. Among them such titles as “Striptease,” “Bite,” “Crazy Horse Paris,” “Viper Vixens,” “Sydney After Dark” and “ICandy.”

Lest the Stabiles be accused of mocking the dead shows of competitors, one of those gravestones was marked “Raack-N-Roll,” which was a short-lived Stabile Productions show at The D Las Vegas. “We play fair,” Angela Stabile said. “We’re just having some fun.”

More traversing the neighborhood as Halloween approaches:

MGM Arena Construction: 1/8/15

The MGM Arena construction site on the Strip behind New York-New York and Monte Carlo on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, as seen aboard a Maverick Helicopter. Launch slideshow »

• The most recent “we don’t respond to rumors” response, or nonresponse, comes from MGM Resorts International in the face of published reports that the UFC is vying for naming rights for Las Vegas Arena. The so-called UFC Center would be the site of UFC 200, which is scheduled at what is now Las Vegas Arena on July 2.

The latest announcement for events booked at the arena is George Strait has added a pair of shows Feb. 17-18, 2017. His original set of shows April 22-23 and Sept. 9-10 have sold out or are expected to soon. The new dates go on sale Friday.

Janet Jackson is playing the arena May 14, but I would expect the next big entertainer announced will be someone extremely friendly to the Baby Boomer set. An artist who is a legend, with a 6 and/or a 7 in his/her biological age.

As MGM Resorts International President Bill Hornbuckle said in July, “Baby Boomers still have all the cash, so that’s not lost on us.” The acts who have most recently thundered through MGM Grand Garden Arena include Aerosmith, Rush, Jimmy Buffett and Madonna. The latter is the youngster of that group at 57.

Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart Tour’ at MGM

Madonna performs at her Launch slideshow »

Meantime, the formal name of the new theater being constructed at the Park leading to the new arena is Monte Carlo Theater. MGM Resorts has yet to verify if there are plans to enter into a naming-rights agreement at that venue.

• On the topic of people doing things in buildings …

Two of the city’s finest showmen are teaming from Nov. 6-8 at Cabaret Jazz in the Smith Center. Clint Holmes is back with his monthly residency at the “little room” joined by his longtime friend Earl Turner. The show is titled “The Two of Us,” and as Holmes says, “Earl is one of the most passionate and powerful vocalists you will ever hear.”

The upcoming setlist is dotted with songs meaningful to both artists. In this hit parade: “Another Star” by Stevie Wonder, a Bill Withers medley featuring “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lovely Day” and “Lean on Me,” and even a segment where Turner turns to the acoustic for a medley of David Gates and Bread tunes.

Turner has been a favorite in his original home of New Orleans, so expect “Jambalaya” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” These two have known each other for decades. Back in 2006, Holmes cast Turner in the role of Holmes’ father in the autobiographical play “JAM” at Judy Bayley Theater, though Turner is in fact younger than Holmes. This proves once more that these men are ageless, timeless, priceless, all of that.

• Keeping with Cab Jazz, our favorite of the smaller venues in the city, Michael Shapiro returns with his Reckless in Vegas ensemble for a dress-up show 8 p.m. Friday. It’s not billed as a costume party, but a cash prize is awarded to whomever arrives with the snazziest 1950s-’60s attire.

Frankie Moreno Performs at Stratosphere

Frankie Moreno performs in the showroom at the Stratosphere Tuesday, Feb 11, 2014 Launch slideshow »

The room buzzed again Tuesday night with the return of Frankie Moreno, who routinely sells out the venue. Moreno’s next set of dates at Cab Jazz are Nov. 18 and 30 and Dec. 15, 22 and Dec. 29. Tickets are available at TheSmithCenter.com.

• Carrot Top is depicted on the cover of Reader’s Digest. The Topper is among 10 comic figures in caricature for a story titled “Funny People’s Favorite Jokes.” The Topper is in great company on that cover, joined by Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon and Mindy Kaling.

Carrot Top’s favorite joke is not one of his own, though he has a lot of prop-free material that would have worked in print. Instead, he quoted Steven Wright:

“I bought a dog the other day. I named him stay. It’s fun to call him. ‘Come here, Stay! Come here, Stay!’ He went insane.”

Sit, Roll Over and Play Dead were in the same litter.

• Something I learned this week about the cast of MTV’s “Real World Las Vegas,” currently being filmed through Christmas in downtown Las Vegas with Gold Spike and Oasis its resident headquarters: None of the cast members are permitted to use cell phones.

They don’t even carry phones during filming to ward against posting their activities on social media and possibly texting a particularly curious journalist. They are not even allowed to hold a phone belonging to someone else for concerns over being seen with such a device. A secondary concern is these phones might be ruined during any hot-tub interplay.

• The adult revue “Sexxy,” fronted by column friend and occasional soul sistah Jen Romas, has quelled talk that it is moving out of Westgate Cabaret by instead announcing a new show time: 7 p.m. beginning Tuesday with its 200th show. The topless production has hopscotched starting times over the past several months, most recently going off at 10:30 p.m., which does nothing to enhance ticket sales.

Another show that was said to be headed for the former Shimmer Cabaret was Cameo. Remember that? The “Word Up” performer was initially to be headlining in Cabaret by now. No word (up) on what is happening with that show, though “Sexxy” has just snapped up that choice 7 p.m. slot.

• Usually, big events begin with the national anthem. This one will close with it: Sierra Black is among the contest winners to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before one of the nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center. NFR runs from Dec. 3-12.

Black gained fame in VegasVille a few weekends ago when she sang a duet with Keith Urban at Route 91 Harvest Country Music Fest at Las Vegas Village. She is an accomplished artist who has opened for Little Big Town and the great singer-songwriter Joe Nichols.

But get this. Black is the daughter of Randy Black, founder of Black Gaming and later COO of Mesquite Gaming, which operated Casablanca, Virgin River and Oasis in Mesquite. Until he left Mesquite Gaming two years ago, Black was known as the chief spokesman of all gaming in Mesquite. His empire began with the purchase of Virgin River in 1990.

Sierra Black alternates between Las Vegas and Nashville and has a CD scheduled to be released next year.

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

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