No, not Aubrey O'Day! We
still have her to kick around. And we still have Holly Madison too.
But the second worst show at the Luxor (yeah, we get to keep Criss Angel), "Fantasy," the topless revue, recently replaced its main singer, Stephanie
(photo), with Angelica Bridges, a model and singer of Strawberry Blond (not to
be confused with Strawberry Alarm Clock).
The singer in "Fantasy"
has no nudity in her performance. I thought Stephanie, who performed in the
show for eight years, was the only true talent in that cast. I was very sad to
see her replaced. But with the arrival of the semi-celebrities at Peepshow, and
a couple of guest stints by Carmen Electra in "Crazy Horse," this change of bringing a semi-celebrity to "Fantasy" seemed inevitable.
I did
a story on Stephanie for Las Vegas Weekly a couple of weeks ago. In
reporting that story I learned she had raised two children including one with
autism while performing in Vegas shows-- not just "Fantasy" but for more than two
decades.
Tonight I was to review Bridges performance as her replacement. But a news
release went out late Friday from the show producer of "Fantasy," Anita Mann,
saying Bridges had withdrawn for "personal matters that require
her immediate attention."
Yesterday, I reached Bridges via Facebook, and she confirmed widely
reported rumors that her ex-husband had made her job in Vegas a custody issue
for her two children. With her permission I quote her note to me:
"Yes it is true that the ex is/was holding the children until he received
my resignation from the fantasy show. You think that once you are finally
divorced that you can be 'free' and protected from such behaviors. In this case
I am still at his mercy and he can still control where I live and where I work.
There would be no way I would give up my children. I quit my job in order for my
children to be safely returned to me this week. I have upheld my end of the
bargain so I pray he upholds his. I am sad, heartbroken and miss the girls,
Anita Mann and the heads of the Luxor. They have been so wonderful to me and my
only hope is that I would be able to be back on that stage again!"
(She has custody of her children, who are visiting their father in Canada and due back Tuesday.)
This just breaks my heart. Children should never be pawns to control
adults. There is no incompatibility between being a great mother and performing
in a Las Vegas show -- ask Marie Osmond! As for geography, how much difference is
there really between Vegas and L.A. especially if, say, you are a
Canadian hockey player subject to road trips and team trades? How transparent and very,
very, sad.
The tiny bit of local news I have to add to this story is that Mann and the president of the Luxor have scheduled a
meeting with Stephanie for today. One assumes it is to try to convince her to
return to the cast for now as a replacement for her replacement. She has already turned that option down. But they want to meet with her again. When I
spoke to her by phone this weekend, Stephanie was clear that she was done
performing in "Fantasy." I asked her if money could change her view. "I have never looked at what I was being paid. I just sign contracts," she said. But not this time. Stephanie is focused on finishing her first solo disc and
releasing it. Then the rest of you will be able to hear the singing Las Vegas audiences have admired for years.
Meanwhile, best wishes to Angelica Bridges and her family on that horrible situation.
Photo: by Jerry Metellus, courtesy Stephanie
Seems like this is a perfect fit for the "God moves in mysterious ways category". I would think that Luxor management could offer her more support for developement and promotion of her album than she could ever generate on her own, and I think they would be glad to help in this case. A little smooth talking could make this a win-win situation.
Posted by: Jeff in OKC | October 19, 2009 at 09:38 AM
Yes. Very sad that children are used as pawns for silly manipulations of adults. But I really admire Stephanie for making her choice. A choice that, in my estimation, is the ONLY one to make. The children and their welfare are most important, making it a no brainer.
In my eyes, Stephanie is a good person. And a good parent. And we need more of them in Las Vegas.
But then, if that happened, you'd be out of a job, Richard. But there is hope. Like you said, we still got that idiot Criss Angel. So your job stability is assured.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | October 19, 2009 at 09:52 AM
Of course nobody seems to be interested in getting the father's side of the story. Then again, he isn't blabbing every chance he gets to get more media attention. Children being used as pawns is indeed sad; a mother using the press to publicly use her children as pawns, ever sadder.
This story would not be made public if she hadn't made every attempt to contact anyone and everyone who would hear her side of the story. (Which is very one-sided) Ask her who made the initial call to TMZ?? If she spent as much time with her kids and being a good mother as she does trying so desperately to be famous, perhaps her ex husband would back off.
You mention that the previous star of the show raised two kids with autism as if you try to point out that this is somehow a family event. Spin it which ever way you want, I'm not buying it. You try to spin the professional athlete father as though he could be traded at any moment, however if you did your research (ie: a quick google search) you would find that he has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he only gets traded if he asks for a trade. It's safe to say he isn't going anywhere. Road trips may be part of the sport and are definitely not ideal, but I don't know how it's any less ideal than a mother dancing semi-nude in a Vegas fantasy show and trying to pass it off as classy.
Angelica loves to smear her ex's name in the press every chance she gets. Ever notice that he never says a word about her? Now, who is the bad parent?
You also left out the very interesting fact that she is suing him for 14 million dollars two years after their divorce was finalized. She sounds like a bitter, social climbing gold digger to me.
Posted by: Mara | October 19, 2009 at 06:54 PM
I couldn't AGREE more with Mara's post if I wrote myself.
One can only imagine the impact this will have on their girls once they are old enough to Google and read about it. She should focus on being a respectable Mother. Or maybe she could hire someone with that $18,000/month child support payment she receives and have THEM teach her girls about high moral standards... since she obviously isn't capable.
It's been implied that the $27 mil contract was kept under wraps to her so that she would sign the divorce papers. Uhmm.. that's PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. As soon as the Oilers signed Souray it hit the press! No secret.
Gold digger is spelled A-N-G-E-L-I-C-A B-R-I-D-G-E-S.
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