Living in Las Vegas

Only hours ago, about 3 a.m. this morning, Las Vegas Entertainer Danny Gans died at his Las Vegas/Henderson home in his sleep. His wife called 911 at 3:44 a.m. to say he was having trouble breathing but by the time paramedics arrived it was too late. He was only 52 years old and the exact cause of this death is unknown at this point. He is survived by his wife and 3 children.

Danny Gans is known as the “Man of Many Voices” and has been the reigning Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year for the past 11 years. He has had a longtime comedy and musical show at The Mirage and I recently posted about how in February of this year he moved his show over to Steve Wynn’s The Encore. His marquee on the Strip is the largest freestanding one in the world.

Danny Gans’ manager, Chip Lightman, told Fox 5 News, “Obviously everyone is in shock, I apologize, I want to give you more information but right now I have to tend to the family.”

Steve Wynn is in New York, but stated over the phone, “Elaine and I and all of us in the Company are devastated at the loss of our brilliant, talented and loving friend. One of the most unique human beings and entertainers in the world has been taken from us in an unexpected moment. A profoundly tragic event that leaves us all sad and speechless. The loss of Danny to his wife Julie, his children Amy, Andrew & Emily is at this moment impossible to comprehend. We will all try to go on with our lives without our dear friend. At this moment it seems almost impossible.”

The Mirage said “All of us in The Mirage family are deeply saddened to learn of Danny’s passing. We all knew of his devotion to his family and our hearts and prayers are with his wife and children.”

Once again, Las Vegas as we know it is changing. I will keep you updated as new information arises.

The results are in! Here’s a quick run down of the staff and reader picks for Best of Las Vegas 2009.  To get the complete list, head on over to the Las Vegas Review Journal and click on the Best of Las Vegas.

Best Nightclubs: Pure and Prive

Best Family Attractions: Adventuredome and Bonnie Springs Old Nevada

Best Local Rock Bands:  The Killers and The Black Jets

Best Steakhouses: Outback and Capital Grille

Best Performers: Danny Gans and Bette Midler

Best Comedians: Rita Rudner and Craig Ferguson

Best Magicians:  Lance Burton and Keith Barry

Best Singers: Bette Midler and Rick Faugno

Best Strip Hotels: Bellagio and Paris

Best Downtown Hotels: Golden Nugget and El Cortez

Best Locals Hotels: Red Rock Resort and Eastside Cannery

Best Buffets: Bellagio and Wynn

Best Malls: Fashion Show and Town Square

Best Places to take out-of-town guests: Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston

Best Celebrity Residents: Andre Agassi and Vince Neil

Best Local TV Anchors: Paula Francis (KLAS-8) and Jim Snyder (KVBC-3)

Best Local Radio Personalities: Mark & Mercedes (KMXB-94.1) and Dave Berns (KNPR-88.9)

Best Local Politicians: Mayor Oscar Goodman and Senator Steven Horsford

Attorney Glen Lerner won the most annoying local TV commercial, beating out John Barr from last year. I have to disagree with this because John Barr’s commercials are beyond annoying, but at least Glen Lerner’s are somewhat catchy, and effective. 

And a special congrats to Paris Hilton who uniquely managed to win top pick as both best and worst celebrity tourist!

I just want to start out by saying I love Craigslist .  You can pretty much find anything you want there and there are no annoying ads or anything, it’s right to the point.  So I’m always browsing over there, checking out houses, jobs, stuff for sale and if I’m really in the mood for a good laugh, I check out the free stuff.  Now don’t get me wrong, I know during these hard times someone else’s trash might be your treasure, but sometimes people take it to the extreme! For example:

misc plates, bowls, and glasses (central)
some with small chips

small hotel samples (charleston and Valley View)
shampoos hand soaps, razors, toothpaste, conditioners,lotions, etc.

Seriously!?

TV At Rainbow and Russell
Please email me with directions to your house.

Ummm, sure, ok . . . . WTF?!

Free Empty Formula Cans (Henderson)
You could use them for a lot of things, organizations might use them to decorate for a donation can. 25 oz.cans with lids. you might have to dust them out there’s about 30 of them. email back if interested….Thanks

Ok, this is just straight trash. Throw it out!!

Free Aged Horse Manure (Las Vegas S.W.)
Get ready to plant your garden and feed your trees…It will be spring soon.
Free aged horse manure…… call

I understand the importance of feeding your garden and all, but  . . . how aged is this?

And the grand prize goes to:

old used peanut oil, great for biodiesel - must pick up (summerlin)

3 or so gallons of peanut oil used to fry a turkey two thanksgivings ago (2006 i think). yeah it’s old, but my guess is that it will still work for biodiesel purposes. my second guess is that if you are the biodiesel type then you will know if this will work or not.

I have no comments, I think that one speaks for itself!

Danny Gans, “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for the last 11 years, will be performing his last show Saturday, November 22, 2008 at The Mirage . However, for all you Danny fans, the good news is that he will be coming back in February to perform at the Encore Resort at the Wynn Las Vegas .

Steve Wynn stated “Danny Gans’ continuing role as the star of the Encore Theater underscores the individual identity of our new resort and underscores our continuing, unqualified commitment to excellence in service and entertainment. I built the Danny Gans Theater at the Mirage in 2000 as a result of being convinced that he would bring to our family a standard of performing artistry unequaled by any other single star in Las Vegas. The result has been obvious, and he has occupied that singular position ever since. On a very personal as well as professional level, I am absolutely delighted to welcome him back into our newer family across the street. We are going to have a great time together — just like the audience.”

Danny Gans is known as the “The Man of Many Voices” and his show is basically comedy and musical impressions. He started at the Stratosphere, then moved to the Rio and then the Mirage. For the last two years he performed for a sold out crowd of 1,250. The Danny Gans’ Las Vegas Strip marquee is the largest freestanding marquee in the world.

In addition to performing on the Las Vegas strip, he also a Christian singer and has two CD’s out “Danny Gans My Lord My Life” and “Danny Gans Brand New Dream“.

Tickets for the Danny Gans Show will run you $100, it starts at 7:30 p.m. and is dark on Thursday. It doesn’t look like you can reserve any for his new show at the Encore yet, but I am guessing they will probably be even more expensive. Enjoy!

That’s right, not half off or buy one get one free, a totally free ticket to the George Wallace Show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.  When you go to vote, make sure you get one of the “I Voted” stickers.  Each sticker is good for one free admission to the 10:00 p.m. show Tuesday through Saturday until November 11th.

His show sounds like it’s pretty cool.  His website says his show is evolving and never the same twice.  He likes audience participation and gives away prizes like CD’s, DVD’s, jewelry, cruises or cars.  And he signs autographs and takes pictures after every show.

Since I am not overly familiar with George Wallace I thought I would dig around a little bit and these are some cool things I found out about him:

1.  He is considering running for Mayor of Las Vegas.

2.  He was Jerry Seinfeld’s best man at his wedding.

3.  His brother is Steve Wallace from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Fran 49er’s.

4.  He lives at the Flamingo!? (I’m not 100% for sure on this.)

5. He is number 93 on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Standup Comedians.

Interesting.  Anyway, being a local, I can never actually afford tickets to the shows out here and since a pair of tickets to George Wallace’s show runs $150, this may be my only chance to go, so I hope I make it!