To use pasties or not? That is the question,

Originally, Crazy Horse was surprised that Carmen Electra was willing to go that far, having imagined a more conservative approach to an outfit for her cameo. But Electra wanted to go all in if she was going to participate. “It is my dream to be in a Vegas show,” Electra told me before a rehearsal. She was sitting in her dressing room at MGM Grand. At the time we talked she planned to appear with pasties. The show opened last night and some reports I hear are that she surprised everyone by going with her top fully exposed. Either way would not surprise me. I have a call in to Crazy Horse to find out, though honestly I feel silly asking if Carmen Electra wore pasties last night. But the way Crazy Horse does lighting, there is the strong possibility that people only thought they saw her fully uncovered. I am going to see the show tonight. But she radiated confidence and comfort in our interview earlier this week.

And she was in great shape. Even casually dressed in sweats, with sneakers bearing a likeness of Jim Morrison and a logo for the Doors, Electra is stunning in person and looks far younger than 37.

Twice before, the dancer, actress, model and singer has come close to being a showgirl on the Strip. The first attempt was years ago: A news conference announced Electra as the star in a forthcoming show at the Aladdin. But the show simply never happened. “It sort of dissolved,” Electra says now. Her next effort was in 2007, as a would-be assistant to magician Hans Klok in his short-lived show at Planet Hollywood. But she departed during rehearsals and the show opened, albeit briefly, with Pamela Anderson as a replacement. Electra has no regrets: “I felt as if my heart was not into it. The chemistry wasn’t there. I could not fake it. I feel blessed and lucky that Pam could come in and take my place.”

But with her guest appearance in Crazy Horse, Electra feels she has finally found a suitable outlet, especially because it taps into her ability as a dancer. “I have so much respect for the beauty and history of Crazy Horse. I am honored to be able to do this. So much of it is based on classical ballet.”
So she says she has been rehearsing with more discipline than those who know her reputation as a party girl may expect. “For me on this trip,” she says, “I have just been working long hours. I don't want to leave. I really want to nail the choreography and the music, and after rehearsals, I go straight up to my room.”

Electra has done the spontaneous Vegas wedding and a more contrived one for a reality show. But unlike Holly Madison, who recently called her reality show more entertainment than actual documentary, Electra insisted she had kept it real during filming. "We had some control of when the camera was on. But that was really us, One thing abut Dave is that he is totally real." And I was able to get my question answered about which of the two fashion-conscious celebrities insisted on more time at the mirror while they were married. "Definitely Dave. Not even close. I sometimes hide from mirrors. Definitely Dave."

Though her first run with her show ends Monday, she is hoping this becomes more than a cameo, that instead these shows mark the beginning of a longer relationship with Crazy Horse, or even her first step to a Vegas headlining career. “For me, my heart is really here,” Electra says. “I hope I can come back to Vegas. For this show, I want to come early to rehearsal and stay late and perform longer. I love doing this and I love live audiences. I really want to perform in Vegas more permanently.”

[Update: Electra wore pasties in her first two numbers but went without them in the third, which drew wild applause, according to Crazy Horse.]

(Courtesy photo from Carmen Electra)

Wynn Resort’s posh nightclub Blush didn’t seem to be enforcing its “casual chic” dress code this past Thursday when poker players gathered to honor one of their own: Doyle Brunson. Wearing a big cowboy hat (normally a club no-no) and bouncing the occasional admiring young woman on his knee, the 75-year-old Brunson was having a blast telling stories of games past.

The 40th anniversary of the main event of the World Series of Poker would be starting its first day of registration the next morning, and the party was honoring (though he missed one or two over the years) Brunson’s 40th anniversary as a player at the WSOP. Brunson has won the main event twice (the first to do so in consecutive years) and altogether has won an impressive 10 bracelets at WSOP events.

Brunson’s beginnings in poker, he recalls, date back to playing illegal games in the ’60s, but that changed with legal poker in Vegas and his highly influential book “Super System” from 1978 (originally self-published). But it wasn't until television and the Internet that poker’s high profile exploded. Now, the game not only attracts celebrities but also has made players such as Brunson into stars themselves. This year at various WSOP events, he’s routinely rubbed elbows with players such as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Charles Barkley, Jason Alexander, Herschel Walker, Brad Garrett, Cedric the Entertainer and Jennifer Tilly.

That amazes and amuses Brunson. Although he’s surprised by his own celebrity, he is not surprised by the game’s change in popularity — from crime to spectator sport. “No one thought it would come to this,” he says, as he looks around the plush club. “But America found out what I knew 50 years ago. Poker is the greatest game there is.”

Brunson will always be remembered for being one of its all-time great players. According to Las Vegas gambling expert Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor, Brunson had as much as anyone to do with the changed fortunes of poker. “More than any single figure,” Curtis notes, “Brunson bridged poker’s past to its present. ‘Super System’ was probably the most influential book in constantly attracting new players.” And, as a player, Curtis does not count Brunson out even now. “He’s always commanded the respect of even the newest and brashest on the scene, which is a testimony to the fact that, on top of having seen it all, he’s also extraordinarily skilled. Truth is, if he couldn't play, they'd ignore him.” Yeah, gamblers are cold that way.

But the young players concur with Curtis. “Not only can he still play competitively, he is still among the best in the world,” says Daniel Negreanu, one of the many poker pros at Blush. “And in some senses, he is even better now, because Doyle learns something new every day.” Jennifer Harman, another poker pro, adds: “He still has the poker mind of a 25-year-old. It is amazing.” Regardless of his future winnings, Brunson’s ties to the past will always keep his stature unique. At the Blush party, which was packed with the young and the beautiful as well as some of the best up-and-coming players in the world, Brunson sat next to an unassuming man in a casual sports jacket. Few there seemed to recognize him, while the well-heeled attempted to schmooze Brunson away. But Brunson was content to talk to his old friend (pictured), and ignore the many who were trying to get Brunson’s attention. The less famous man, he turned out to be almost as legendary as Brunson. Jack Binion, who with his late father, Benny Binion, helped create the WSOP.

Though Harrah’s now owns the tournament (which no longer takes places at Binion’s but at the Rio), Binion has seen the best players in poker for decades. “Doyle dominated poker in his day more than anyone could today,” he said. “He is not as good as he used to be, but he is still good enough that these young players better watch out for him.”

Brunson, on the other hand, thinks his days of winning the main event are behind him: “It would be very difficult for me to win now. I have a bull’s-eye on me, and everyone wants to beat me. So, if I am not real lucky, I have to jump too many hurdles.”

Still, each year Brunson forks over the $10,000 fee for the buy-in. “I feel I owe poker to play in the main event. And, I love playing. I am a poker player. That is all I am.”

And, then another admiring woman comes over to sit on his knee and begins to whisper in his ear. Brunson is all smiles. Harman observing the scene says, “Doyle just really knows how to enjoy himself and from when he started until today whatever has changed with poker, he is always having a fun.”

As it turned out, he was right about his chances; 2009 would not be the year he would win his third main event bracelet. At 1:59 p.m. on July 5, Brunson sent out a tweet: “WSOP 2009 is over for me. It’s disappointing, but also a sense of relief. Now back to the real world.”

Photo: Doyle Brunson, left, and Jack Binion. Credit: Sarah Gerke

To promote the opening of a new tattoo parlor, magician Steve Wyrick added daredevil to his resume and advertised plans on Saturday to be dropped from a locked box onto flaming spikes. Here is how the trick was advertised to go down (with the assistance of rock star Chester Bennington):

"Bennington ... will lock and shackle Wyrick into one of the band’s equipment boxes. Connected to a crane by only a few thin ropes, the box will be dangled over a bed of 500 flaming spikes 80 feet below. The ropes will then be set on fire, forcing Wyrick to make his escape before the last rope breaks and sends him plummeting to a fiery death. Wyrick will have to jump 20 feet off a burning box to a safety rope and rappel down while avoiding the spikes and tremendous heat. This type of escape has never been attempted by an illusionist anywhere in the world."

Nothing like that actually happened. But a press release went out that night describing the result with breathless enthusiasm, as if something even more amazing happened despite no actual drop being part of the "Death Drop." Instead of a fall onto burning spikes, Wyrick made a safe landing by helicopter:

"Tonight (7.4.09) at the south entrance of  Miracle Mile Shops daredevil magician Steve Wyrick attempted  'Death Drop.'  After magician Steve Wyrick was locked in the box for 'Death Drop,' the ropes were attached to the box, that were attached to the crane and were lit on fire. The fire flared up  and it was put out before it was raised up in the air. The box was opened to make sure Wyrick was safe,  but magically  he wasn't in the box. He then instantly appeared in a helicopter that flew and landed on Las Vegas Boulevard."

And, yes, Wyrick was safe. But the press release left out that at least one other person was not at all safe but being treated by paramedics.

Norm Clarke got part of the story in his column, noting that it was Wyrick's stunt double who was hurt. After Norm started reporting, a revised statement was issued:

"Obviously, when you undertake a stunt of this magnitude, there is a risk of someone getting injured.  We took every precaution to insure the safety of Steve, Chester, the crew and audience.  One of the crew members in the stunt suffered minor injuries.  He was treated immediately on site by paramedics.  We anticipate a speedy recovery."

I guess that injury was too small a point to make in the triumphant initial press release, and any other possible injuries were not mentioned at all.

But by that point, I already had heard that more than one person was injured and that a photographer on site caught shots of someone in a stretcher. Is that "minor"?  Plus, being treated by paramedics is only the start of the process; I wanted to know if there was more treatment required.  I had some questions:

1. Was the person treated by paramedics on the scene taken to the hospital, and is the person still there? 2. How many people were injured? 3. Does a speedy recovery mean a full recovery or will there likely be scarring, say, from burns?

After asking these questions, I received a reply that again pointed out that the person was treated by paramedics but not telling me anything else. And this time I was told a "swift" recovery was expected, which again is not the same thing as a full recovery. As to how many people in all were injured in some way, there was no direct answer.

Finally, on Tuesday, I spoke to Steve Wyrick himself,  who was very friendly and personable but managed to avoid answering my questions. He said  he had to protect the secrets of the stunt. That didn't make sense to me: Who wants the secret of a stunt that doesn't work safely? At the end of our conversation, after he had essentially failed to clear up any of my questions, I made that point to Wyrick. As you'll read below,  he told me he was considering getting back to me with answers.

Meanwhile, I hope someone is investigating what happened and how seriously at least one person was injured,  especially since Wyrick says he plans to try this stunt again.

Wyrick began our interview by explaining to me that the stunt was to be filmed for a television show and he wanted a live feel by doing a single shot. "We were filming and so there is one time and one take and there is an inherent risk to that."

Abowitz: How many people were hurt, and did anyone need to go to the hospital?

Wyrick: Right now, I can't get into the details of the people who were injured and what happened. I know everyone is expected to have a speedy recovery.

Abowitz: Do you mean with burn scars? Will it be a speedy recovery or a full recovery?

Wyrick: Right now, I would say speedy recovery. The injuries are very minor; I can say that.

Abowitz: Can you say what went wrong?

Wyrick: It is still under investigation. But what I can say is that it was without question one of the most horrifying events in my life. It was a very difficult evening to get through.

Abowitz: And probably an even worse evening for whoever was injured. When did you find out someone or more than one person was hurt? Did you know when you were in the helicopter?

Wyrick: I can't get into the specifics of the trick, because I am an illusionist.

Abowitz: But don't you think when someone is injured we have left the realm of illusion and entered reality?

Wyrick: Obviously my greatest concern that evening was for the public safety, my safety, my staff's safety and Chester's safety. I can say it was minor injuries.

Abowitz: Will you be doing this again?

Wyrick: I am definitely going to reattempt Death Drop.

Abowitz: It was my understanding that magic is supposed to only look dangerous and not be dangerous?

Wyrick: You don't need a death-defying challenge to get hurt. Every single working stage in the world has challenges that can become dangers. Even a show like "Jubilee!" there is so much going on that it is easy to get hurt. You can easily get hurt on a stage elevator. Stage elements create danger. And, now let's take it outside a normal stage and put it in public and it becomes a wild and crazy ride in terms of the danger and what can happen. That is why Death Drop was so well attended. There must have been 15,000 people watching when I looked from the helicopter. But to focus on your question, any time you do a trick like Death Drop, you depend on a lot of machines and cables. There were chain motors and a crane. God forbid if the crane lifted the box in the air, what if a cable snapped, what if a rope burned through quicker than anticipated? There are so many elements that can take place in a challenge like this, because you are depending upon machinery.

Abowitz: I appreciate all of this. But I wish I could convince you to be more specific about the injuries: How many people were hurt and how they were hurt? I understand that this is a trick, but I think after injuries it is time to come clean with people about what happened.

Wyrick: Right now I can't. But I will speak to a couple people and get back to you.

Photo: A stunt by illusionist Steve Wyrick on Saturday apparently did not go as planned.

I could not make it to the Pearl inside the Palms to see Jay-Z on Friday. But that turns out to be a good thing for readers of the Buffet on two fronts. One is that Ann Powers happened to be there reviewing for The Times. You can read Powers' review here. Here's an excerpt:

Jay-Z shows are fun because the rapper is so adept at spinning liquid gold; his mouth is one of the most nimble in the genre’s history, and he uses it to present thoughts that are sharp, funny and resonant. Hits flew fast and furious at the Pearl, from radio staples such as “Hard Knock Life” and “99 Problems” to insider favorites like “Jigga What” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder.” Jay-Z also sampled from his remix collaborations with other rappers, including Young Jeezy’s homage to Obama, “My President,” and Kanye West’s “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.”

Powers goes on to note the presence of  "Rihanna, all smiles in the mezzanine."

And, though I could not be there, Buffet photographer Sarah Gerke was not going to miss a chance to shoot Jay-Z. Interestingly, she reports that the media were specifically instructed by the public relations team for Pearl that they were not allowed to take photographs of Rihanna.

Photo: Sarah Gerke

Two big Vegas players are included on the money end of the Jackson saga. Colony Capital, a partial owner of the Las Vegas Hilton (where Elvis performed), bailed Neverland out of foreclosure. And AEG, which books and produces Cher and Bette Midler at Caesars and Santana at the Hard Rock, was the promoter behind the London concerts. Both companies seem to be caught having to choose between losing millions and/or engaging in desperate acts to squeeze money from what has been left behind (rehearsal footage and an empty mansion). No doubt anything they do to recoup their money many will see as in questionable taste.

Remember Jackson declared in a statement released after Neverland was searched that he would never consider the place home again. Did he ever even return there? And releasing any of the rehearsal footage of a perfectionist is not at all an appropriate coda. And even as a tribute show, there is no Michael Jackson concert in London without Michael Jackson. That is the thing about unique talents: They are irreplaceable.

Certainly, given the Vegas angles, this city is as obsessed with Jackson as any other place right now. But there is other news in the Entertainment Capital of the World. For starters the city is gearing up (click for complete list of activities) for July 4 weekend in a rough economy. And when, like me, you live across the street from a casino you get letters like this in the mail:

"Dear Neighbor:
On Saturday July 4, 2009 a special event will take place at Green Valley Ranch. This event will feature a fireworks display, and due to your close proximity to Green Valley Ranch, we would like to make you aware of the event. The fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. and last approximately 10 minutes..."

The Las Vegas Sun and Review-Journal have stories on what seems the incredible incompetence that in part led to abandoning building many floors at one of the towers at CityCenter (pictured) on the Strip. The local word among politicians and casino insiders is that the success of this mega-resort of all mega-resorts is the best hope to revive Las Vegas. The idea is that interest in the new destination resort will fill the city with so many tourists that all boats lift on the rising tide. Surely a tide metaphor is a dangerous place to be in a desert landscape?

Every day we have thousands of rooms on the Strip going unused in this economy, and while how many rooms CityCenter adds to that total depends who you ask on what day the answer is certainly thousands more rooms. Therefore isn't this more likely to be a problem than a solution? We will see. CityCenter at least is set to start opening before the end of the year, unlike two other multibillion-dollar projects in Vegas with one defaulting on loans (Cosmopolitan) and the other going into bankruptcy (Fontainebleau).

Lance Burton, the longtime headliner at Monte Carlo, put to bed rumors of his retirement by announcing a new contract that will keep him at Monte Carlo for as long as six more years. Burton does the best traditional magic show in Vegas. If you have kids who have never seen a magic show, then Burton is the big-production show that you should make their first experience. I am thrilled he is staying in the neighborhood.

Speaking of things kids will love, I finally made it to "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay.  It has not received the Vegas treatment like "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular." This is a replication of the Broadway show including intermission. Therefore I feel no particular need to review it with detail. But I found "Lion King" fun and joyful, and I suspect based on a thick crowd on a Monday, a traditionally slow night on the Strip, the show will enjoy a long run in Vegas. Whatever Broadway-Vegas problems other shows at other casinos have faced, Mandalay Bay has proven immune, previously enjoying a long run for "Mamma Mia" also at full production length.

This blog has been honored with two recent mentions in the news. One of my favorite blogs is David McKee's Stiffs & Georges. His focus is on the big picture of casino operations, and I was pleased the Buffet was named by him one of the essential Vegas blogs. Check out his entire list, and be sure to read his blog if you care at all about who is winning your money at the top of the food chain and what they are doing with it (these days, stay one step ahead of debt, mostly). Also, Review-Journal's Norm Clarke quoted this blog this morning while covering Criss Angel's shameless season-opener plan for his cable series.

Photo: Sarah Gerke

Do you recognize this woman? Well, the sash is probably a giveaway. This is the winner of the Miss USA contest, Kristen Dalton.She was the winner and therefore was neither asked nor answered a question by Perez Hilton at the contest. Here she is yesterday at the Nevada Cancer Institute with Dr. Karen Milligan, left, drawing attention to a crucial resource in the community.

And, this morning at 11, Miss USA is kicking off National Ice Cream Month. And, talk about using your celebrity to bring attention to a cause few knew about, I truly had no idea that there was a National Ice Cream Month until this morning. And, now I am an informed citizen, thanks to Miss USA. According to the press release:

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month. He believed Americans loved enjoying this fun and nutritious food.

Do you think she checked with doctors at NCI on if they thought the nutritional value of this food merited a month of celebrating ice cream? If you want meet Miss USA, the celebration of ice cream event takes place at Serendipity 3's patio at Caesars Palace.

What an odd job being Miss USA must seriously be.

Photo: Nevada Cancer Institute

Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington remembers the day I met him for the first time, on the Strip in 2000. His band's debut had come out a few days before and had shot up the charts. A national music magazine wanted his band somehow in the next issue, and it found the group at a radio convention in Las Vegas. A photographer arranged a shoot of the band pretending to gamble at the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood).

Linkin Park was so not famous then; the casino's floor manager carded the band members even for pretending to gamble. As for me (who got a call that morning to run down and do a quick interview with the unknown band), I mistakenly called them Lincoln Logs the entire conversation.

"That was a pretty funny time," Bennington recalls. "There were a whole lot of new experiences happening at that time. It is funny. I remember everything you were saying. And I remember that time when we could not buy an interview with most people. And now we are at a time where it seems we can spend all of our time doing interviews and nothing else. It's been a very interesting ride." 

As we were speaking by phone Monday, one of his four children was hollering in the background. Bennington will be in Vegas on July 4 offering what he says is the debut performance of his new band, Dead by Sunrise, at Planet Hollywood's Steve Wyrick Theatre in the Miracle Mile Mall. They will be doing an acoustic performance to intentionally thwart the efforts of bootleggers he says, until the final electric versions are ready for release.

But his real reason to be here is not so much musical as to promote the opening of Club Tattoo in the mall; he is a co-owner in the tiny chain. As for the difference in playing in a hit-making band and owning a tattoo parlor, Bennington, notes that there isn't much. "In the beginning, being in a band was a lot less about business. It was about having fun, and trying to get enough money to pay for the rent for your rehearsal space. Nowadays, with Linkin Park being what it is, there is a lot of business going on. It is not much different than operating and owning a business like Club Tattoo. The one thing I don't have to do is the daily grind of operating and managing the shop. That is what my partners do. I am the lucky guy who gets to promote the shop and use my celebrity to raise awareness of Club Tattoo."

In addition to the concert Saturday night, during the day at Club Tattoo, Bennington and his band will be signing autographs from 2 to 4 p.m.

Photo:  Club Tattoo

By coincidence, there is an auction beginning today at Planet Hollywood including items that once belonged to Michael Jackson. According to the Las Vegas Sun:

"The 21 Jackson- and Jackson 5-related auction items, which include vintage photos of Jackson from the '70s, early concert posters and Jackson-worn costumes, are expected to be sold Friday between 2-5 p.m."

This will be the second Michael Jackson-related auction in Vegas in recent years. The last one in May 2007 (pictured) was at the Hard Rock and provoked, as with most things Jackson, a lawsuit,

The Sun also has the image I remember best of Jackson in Vegas. It was taken on  Nov. 20, 2003. It was a time of typical Jackson craziness. Jackson needed to be on his way back to California to face accusations of child molestation. Instead, Jackson spent two hours or so being driven seemingly randomly through Vegas streets in a black SUV. Following him were the media helicopters, police and fans in cars. Eventually Jackson arrived at Green Valley Ranch resort and casino, directly across the street from my home where I am  typing this now. The photo shows a pale spectral Jackson in the back seat of the SUV with a serene expression. Moments earlier he had been blowing kisses like all the world was a fan. In the photo, Jackson looks like he could be leaving a stadium concert undeterred by the chaos and stress of the car's other occupants, not to mention the nuttiness outside at the edges of the frame. But it was not a concert; it was a freak show. By morning Jackson was on his way back to California. (And there would be more scandal and court time spent over a surreptitious recording made during that plane trip.)

But while it seemed obvious that Jackson was no longer in any condition to be an entertainer, 2003 -- to me,  at least -- was not the end of Jackson's Vegas time; it was a beginning.

Tonight is media night for "Peepshow"'s new star Holly Madison. She started in the show this week. While "Peepshow" received solid reviews and strong buzz, stars Mel B and Kelly Monaco were on three-month contracts. To resolve this Mel B's replacement is a professional from Broadway, and Holly Madison was brought into replace Kelly Monaco. Unlike Monaco, Madison does appear topless. This has been the direction of the show anyway as it adjusts to the Vegas market.

By coincidence for another story, I  recently interviewed Scott Zeiger, whose company produces "Peepshow"  (as well as "Jersey Boys," "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular" and Wayne Brady's Venetian show) . Zeiger was excited about Madison and her celebrity-driving sales when I asked him about that. He argued that while Madison may lack the profile of Mel B, in many ways the nature of Madison's celebrity is a perfect match for the Las Vegas market in general as well as a match to "Peepshow," a frivolous romp fantastically choreographed and carefully conceived by Jerry Mitchell, in particular. But he also said his vision of the show includes a rotating star every three months to keep the show fresh. Based on my interview with her Wednesday, Madison is hoping to change his mind on that. I think she probably has a reasonable shot at doing so. I've seen a lot of shows in Vegas plan rotating stars to keep up media interest and to bring in new people, but almost without fail they eventually settle into one star. Why? Because the tourists from around the world are the ones in the audience, and so with the audiences already rotating (as new tourists arrive and the old ones leave), eventually shows discover the work required to rotate a star is pointless.

I was told that Madison would not discuss Criss Angel. They share a publicist, and the publicist chose to stay in the room for the interview. This is not unusual in Vegas. The publicist for "Peepshow" made the same choice, and both remained discreetly in the background during the interview.

I am going to post separately my discussion with Madison about working at Playboy. When we met she was dressed casually like she was ready to go to the gym and was relaxed during the interview:

Richard Abowitz: How have the first couple of performances been?

Holly Madison: Really fun. The first night I was nervous. But it was so much fun. The cast and crew are amazing,  I just feel very lucky to be part of this talented cast. They have been so nice and so welcoming.

Abowitz: Do you have a lot of experience in front of a live audience?

Madison: "Dancing with the Stars" has a live audience. But I was never really thinking about that. I was thinking about the 22 million people at home. So it was scarier. So this live audience I have a lot more fun with. We have a scene with audience interaction.  Absolutely, this ["Peepshow"] is a new thing. But  I've seen the show several times, and I have been given a lot of rehearsal time.

Abowitz: You play the shy Bo Peep. Is she anything like you?

Madison:  I think that character is me. Even in the beginning when she draws the heart on the shower, I used to do that all the time. Everything about the character is exactly like me.

Abowitz: Are you doing the identical part that Kelly Monaco performed or has the character been altered for you?

Madison: I am allowed to improvise a little bit and throw my own personality into it. But right now I do the same dance number Kelly did and the same parts. But what I would like to do is work myself into it more. There are other dance numbers I would like to be a part of. So maybe after this week, I'll start bombarding the creative team with my wishes.

Abowitz: What part of the show were you most worried about opening night?

Madison: The dance number at the end, because the costume is so skimpy and I did not want to slip and fall in my high heels. But I have gone through a few in front of an audience and I have done OK and so I am happy.

Abowitz: You said you were like your character in "Peepshow." She is very shy and you on television seem very outgoing?

Madison. This is how I am in my personal life. I am shy,

Abowitz: How different is a reality show from a personal life?

Madison: I think it is very different. It captures a part of who you are. But in my case especially you have to step yourself up a lot more.

Abowitz: What do you mean by "step yourself up"?

Madison: Exaggerate your personality, because you have to be a little more funny and little more crazy than you would be in real life. Because nobody wants to watch a show about someone sitting alone in a corner working on a computer.

Abowitz: Do you think it has given people a mistaken impression of who you are?

Madison: Yes and no. If you watched the show you have a good idea about my work at the magazine and my hobbies and the things I like to do. That can give you a window into what I am like. But people come at it with their own opinions too, and people see other things. Anything I do on "Girls Next Door" is meant to be fun, funny and entertaining.

Abowitz: So you think of it as more entertainment than documentary?

Madison: Absolutely in the case of that show.  I think what people love about "Girls Next Door" is that it is a bit of an escape like a sitcom and kind of like a guilty pleasure. It is just fun.

Abowitz: You have said you want to be known as Miss Las Vegas. Does that mean you have other plans for Vegas after your three months in the "Peepshow"?

Madison: I would love to stay in the show if they will have me. I have moved here. I am looking for a house. The deals are good. I am hoping to buy by the end of the year, and I am just looking for the right house. There is something different about Las Vegas. It is a small town in a big city, and I am in love with it.

Photo: John Ganun

Criss Angel is trekking to Edwards Air Force Base for a stunt that's just plain tacky.  If this is intended as a tribute to the troops, it falls short. He'll walk over improvised explosive devices for his TV show.  But unlike soldiers who face real danger from explosives, Angel knows where the devices are, and he has a trick to keep from being hurt.  Robin Leach spoke to Angel about this trick:

"I’m going to try and avoid literally being blown up by an IED," an icily calm Angel said of the improvised explosive devices. "This is a life-or-death situation. It’s more dangerous than anything I’ve ever performed." Criss will perform the stunt his mother doesn't want him to attempt at Edwards Air Force Base.

Of course, this narrative is familiar now for season openers of Angel's "Mindfreak" cable series: Last year, it was an exploding building that was the most dangerous stunt Angel had ever attempted. 

Leach says: "Criss will use his psychic powers to tread gingerly over not one or two levels of incendiary devices but seven levels of lethal, explosive mines." Hey, if he really can detect IEDs with his psychic powers, he'd be more useful in combat zones.  We'd take one for the team and give up "Believe" at Luxor if it were for the good of the country.

As a side note, Angel is being sued by a young illusionist who says he contributed illusions to both Angel's television show and  DVD releases. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Jacob Spinney claims in his lawsuit that Angel's company did not make the proper royalty payments and further deducted a "performance fee"  from what Spinney was paid,  presumably for Angel using Spinney's work. When I sought a response to the lawsuit, Angel and his camp declined to comment.

In a profile by John Katsilometes in Las Vegas Weekly, Holly Madison, who opened in "Peepshow" on Monday, reflects for the first time on her breakup with Angel. Here is an excerpt of her conversation with Katsilometes, beginning with Madison addressing the reason the camera-friendly relationship ended:

"I think it happened because some people don’t want to be happy, and they always look for problems, even if there aren’t any. Some people don’t want to be happy, so they pick away at something until they find problems."

I ask Madison who takes responsibility for the decision to end the relationship. She fires back quickly, "I should have. But it wasn’t me. I would have done anything to make it work. He’s the one with the problem, not me."

Madison goes on in the profile to qualify her praise of "Believe" as being a biased product of love. There goes that advertisement blurb. I am supposed to interview Madison on Wednesday but have been told in advance she will refuse to answer any questions about Angel. I guess the Who was right: It's the singer not the song.

Meanwhile, all these distractions for Criss Angel may help keep real problem from being noticed: Cirque is offering no time line for implementing "fixation" needed on "Believe" and won't supply any details about possible  improvements.  Of course, diversions are part of any illusion. Angel knows this best. Or, as Madison claims he told her in the Weekly profile:

He says, ‘I was getting bad reviews, but on the day of my premiere when we were walking down the red carpet together, that’s all people wanted to talk about.’ So, he admits that.

Photo: Sarah Gerke

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Angel's "Believe" at Luxor as part of the lawsuit instead of Angel's DVD releases. That error has been corrected.