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About Xania
Xania spends her nights on the town and her days writing about those nights. Find more Xania on The Circuit and Xania's Hot Spots at Las Vegas Weekly.

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Vegas nightlife queen Xania Woodman caught up with burlesque queen Dita Von Teese who is currently guest starring at the Crazy Horse Paris at MGM Grand.

How many times have you visited Vegas?
I couldn't possibly guess! I suppose the first time was with my family when we were driving across the country, making the move from Michigan to California when I was 12. I suppose back then, Vegas was more 'adult' oriented, so I don't remember thinking much of it until I went with a bunch of friends when I was 18 and had the time of my life! Now I usually come to perform, I've always been more interested in the shows and the nightlife than gambling.

What's the most trouble you've caused in Vegas? Any crazy happenings? What was your wildest night?
Oh boy, I knew this was coming. I would have to admit that I had a little Hunter S. Thompson style 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' weekend once in the early 90's, if you know what I mean! But I'm generally a pretty decent and good girl. I save my naughtiness for the stage!

How does your show contribute to the entertainment scene in Vegas?
I think that with all the modernized burlesque, my act brings the historic and risque part of what burlesque was really about. Sadly, one thing lost in the modern burlesque scene is the lack of stars. In burlesque's heyday, the stars created their own acts, and that part of being unique that actually made a dancer memorable is gone when someone creates a revue based on their vision alone.

I keep odd hours which I think is why Vegas and me get along so well. 'Anything at anytime' is the Vegas way which comes in handy when I'm up at 3AM cranking out hard-hitting journalism or creating stupid videos and I want shrimp cocktail.

It's that free-spirit mentality that has always made Vegas a utopia for comedians. Before the two-drink minimum days of comedy clubs, Vegas was the only place for top comics like Johnny Carson, Shecky Greene and Don Rickles to peform regularly. Even Rat Pack performances in that pre-Cirque era were a series of jokes and one-liners padded with songs.

THE BARR IS BACK
Today, one of the hottest tickets in Vegas is Roseanne Barr. She's midway through a six-week run at New York-New York and the name of the show seems appropriate for Vegas: 'All You Can Eat Comedy.' Unless you also keep odd hours and watch the nightly 'Roseanne' mini-marathons on Nick at Nite, it's easy to forget she had the no. 1 show in the country at one time. Shows like 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld' are on so many local and cable channels that they don't leave room for many other syndicated sitcoms. I remember when 'I Love Lucy' used to be on all day long on one channel or another and it seems Lucille Ball has been replaced by other re-run redheads like Debra Messing, Laura Prepon and Reba.

Then there was Roaseanne's off-stage issues once her show ended like the fallout and tabloid headlines from her worst damn marriage period. It seemed like she disappeared for a long time surfacing here and there for a movie or play or a TV gig. Recently, she's staying busy with the Vegas show and tour, her HBO comedy special, 'Roseanne Barr: Blonde & Bitchin' and even released a kids DVD and showed up in Vegas for The Comedy Festival where she played in the celebrity poker tournament.

As you probably know, 'Spamalot' star John O'Hurley is doing double duty as a host of 'Family Feud' on the CW. In a recent episode of coincidence, one of the questions asked was "Name a Las Vegas casino past or present."

Guessing along with the contestants has been the watch-at-home appeal ever since the Richard Dawson era and with so many Vegas casinos over the last 50 years, this was going to be tough. At first we thought it would be based on brand awareness which is usually equal to the size of the advertising budget. There's also size and spectacle and luxury and celebrity news and how many television shows are filmed at the casino.

We were somewhat surprised by the answers and snapped a pic of the television when all of the answers were revealed. We thought Palms was a lock to be on the list as well as Caesars Palace and MGM Grand. Palms didn't make the survey, but Caesars and MGM Grand both did.

If old-school Vegas stories weren't so popular here on Vegas Pop, we might be surprised that Flamingo took the top spot. Since the Flamingo is undergoing a brand repositioning, they're not doing as much advertising as some of the other casinos, but due to it's fabled and somewhat dubious history and continued success, it seems to embody the spirit of Las Vegas. Caesars Palace also captures that old-school decadence vibe, but also has a modern feel. The first mega-resort, the first mega-luxury resort, the Rat Pack haunt and the largest hotel in the world (for now) round out the top six spots.

Also, only 70% of the questionees are represented with these answers as the other 30 responders named a different casino with five mentions or less.

Related:
- John O'Hurley for the Dogs
- City's Best Las Vegas Casinos

Las Vegas is sexy, but that's not a news flash.

Sexy is pitched from the moment you land at the airport with images of flesh, silk and feathers to the fleet of roaming billboards where provocative pitches for sexy shows are mixed in with ads for Carrot Top and George Wallace. The restaurants are seductive, the nightclubs like JET, TAO and PURE are seas of sexiness and gentlemen's clubs like Scores need no introduction.

In fact, one of Sin City's most appreciated icons is the Las Vegas showgirl which can still be found in grins-and-bare-it topless revues like Jubilee!, Crazy Girls and MGM Grand's Crazy Horse Paris.

They don't call it the Las Vegas Strip for nothing.

It's at Crazy Horse Paris, where the International Queen of Burlesque Dita Von Teese will shine her bright spotlights on one of the sexiest artforms in the country right now, vintage burlesque. She was the first guest star in the history of the fabled revue last year in both Vegas and Paris and is returning for a string of shows (Apr. 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23) where she will perform the 'Le Bain' routine. Anyone with a little high school French or memories of Bain de la Soleil suntan oil commercials knows that 'le bain' is French for 'the bath,' which means Dita will be awash in bubbles in a bathtub on the Crazy Horse Paris stage at the MGM Grand.

That just may be the last bit of proof we need to confirm the existence of a higher being.

Like anyone needed another reason to hit a gentlemen's club while the sun is still up, but if you do, Seamless is hosting hard rocking heavyweight group Sevendust for a meet and greet tomorrow with Xtreme Rock Radio 107.5 FM starting at 5PM.

Doors open for their concert at the House of Blues around the same time the meet and greet starts, but the first of three opening acts takes the stage at 6PM so that should allow plenty of time for even the casual fan to meet up with the band at Seamless over by the Orleans and head over to Mandalay Bay in time to rock. No word on where the after party is yet, but they're playing in Anaheim the next night in a tight schedule to support their new album, 'Alpha.'

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When I first got the press release that the Blue Man Group is looking for a fresh inventory of Blue Men, I really didn't think much of it other than posting the open casting call info on the blog. Sure, my body's overproduction of dihydrotestosterone and Scottish heritage have left me bald and somewhat blue, but the only time I think about the Blue Man Group is when I'm at the Venetian or at the airport, or watching television or driving down the Strip. Let's just say they have a healthy advertising budget.

As I read the release, certain seemingly unconnected events in my life started flashing in my head that lead to a thought that my destiny may be as a Blue Man. It's weird how sometimes the Cosmos lines up and presents opportunities.

HOW WEIRD IS THIS?
Last week I was waiting to check out at Wal-Mart and in the impulse buy area, they had all of Garth Brooks CDs for $5.50. 'No Fences' has too many good tunes to pass that deal up as those songs hat will long outlast the groceries, yard rake, socks and cherry car air freshener that was also part of my purchase that day.

Sly and the Family Stone took the stage in Vegas and performed together for the first time in more than two decades save a very brief GRAMMY jam years ago. Legendary comic and Vegas headliner George Wallace opened the show.

Spy report:
"George Wallace opened the show and then just The Family Stone came on for a few songs. At that point Sly joined the band on stage and stayed for the remainder of the show (they did about 6 or 7 songs including 'Tune Up' and 'Thank You'). Sly was in great form and spirits and often walked into audience to give high fives and autographs in between songs. Also during the show Sly's two daughters each performed solo numbers – one of his daughters Novena Stone is a classical pianist and played a song on the keyboards; his other daughter Phume Stone is a rapper and did one of her own raps."

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This is my 40th year and 5th decade writing about Las Vegas. During the entire span the city has been referred to as "the entertainment capital of the world." Making a rare drive along the famed Strip the other night, I started wondering it the phrase meant the same today as it did when it was first coined.

I don't think so.

The entertainment of the bygone Las Vegas was the entertainers, the names on all the hotel marquees that are virtually gone today. Names such as Frank, Sammy, Dean and Joey, or Anthony Newley, Juliet Prowse, Joel Grey, Shecky Greene or Johnny Carson. The headliners and co-headliners performed two-shows-a-night, seven-nights-a-week for two, three or sometimes four weeks at a time. They started exactly at 8PM and midnight with a dinner and drink show, respectively. There were lines weaving through the casino prior to the performance with your reservation guaranteed, but your seat location depended on the toke you gave the maitre d' or captain seating you. It was part of the Las Vegas excitement that old-timers miss.

Liza Minnelli celebrated her birthday in Vegas belatedly during a recent show at the Luxor and Vegas photographer Scott M Doctor was there to snap these photos.

HOME SWEET HOME

For a modest $700,000, you can own Lance Burton's former home of 20 years. The Spanish-style house includes almost an acre of land with a pool and gazebo, five bedrooms, four bathrooms and more than 3,500 square feet of living space with a view of Sunrise Mountain as pictured in photo above. The property was featured in the Sunday LA Times' Hot Property column by Ruth Ryon who began her celebrity real estate column in 1984, the same year Lance's former casa was built. Ruth visited with Lance at his new magic mansion before seeing his show at the Monte Carlo. His high tech castle in Henderson is complete with tributes to his profession including Houdini mural and a secret passageway.

Take a virtual panorama tour and look at photos of his home for sale or contact agent Dulcie Latorre directly before it disappears.

Even though the show has been open for a few weeks, we as dancers, are always trying to better our routines. Under the direction of JJ Villar, we review all our dance numbers, make sure our spacing on stage is perfect, and change anything that needs to be changed to make the routine work.

While all of this is going on, the technical crew is also working hard to light our show so that production value is added. According to the tech crew, in order for the 'lighting to be perfect' they need to test it directly on our bare skin requiring us drop our pants quite often during rehearsal. Sometimes a little too often.

The 'X Show' was created in 2002 and since has developed a world-wide following. The X Girls did a tour of South America in Santiago, Chile and Bogotá and Cali, Columbia last year. The X Show has also performed across the US from Lake Tahoe, Cal., Ute Mountain, Col. to the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. They are scheduled to perform in Laughlin, Nev. in April and Lac du Flambeau, Wis. in August.

'X Burlesque' is now playing at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. The Flamingo president, Don Marrandino, known as the man with the Midas touch, brought the sexy revue to the famed resort. "The X Girls are a talented group of gorgeous dancers and their new Burlesque project brings an energetic and sexy production to the resort."