August 30, 2009 Elijah Johnson from “The Lion King” performs during the “Las Vegas Celebrates the Music of Michael Jackson” concert in The Pearl
at the Palms on Saturday. Leave it to an 11-year-old wunderkind to remind us why we are still so fascinated with Michael Jackson. More from the show: The terrific Vegas vocal ensemble Mosaic, which tore it up with “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’†from “Off the Wall,†is still trying to find a residence on the Strip, or somewhere suitable in Vegas. The crew is auditioning for the new NBC contest show “The Sing-Off,†which is set to premiere in October. The closest auditions to Las Vegas are the Sept. 19 sessions in Los Angeles. “The Sing-Off†contestants are all vocal groups. (Note to self: Ask Johnny Avello at Wynn to post odds on this show). … Fator never disappoints with the puppets, eh He brought his “Beatle†puppet and sang the Paul McCartney/Jackson duet “The Girl Is Mine.†Not to detract from the performance or the show, but this has to be the worst song ever recorded by two musical geniuses in history. Fator followed with “Ben,†in his own voice, the first song he ever sang in front of an audience. As he said, that was easier to accomplish when he was 7. … I’ve not often seen Holmes and his wife, Kelly Clinton Holmes, sing together. They did that on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,†and Holmes followed with “Human Nature,†solo. Holmes is the one performer who also performed in the 2001 USO benefit show, post-9/11, at Mandalay Bay. …
Zowie Bowie (the uber-tanned and charismatic Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor), headed to Monte Carlo next weekend for an extended residency at The Pub and Lance Burton Theatre. Their authentically crafted Old Vegas set deserves Strip headliner status, but they should drop the song they did today: a lounge-like version of “Rock With You.†It was, “Rock! With youuuu. Aaaaall! Niiiiight!†Like that. When they started in, I instantly thought of Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, and I know I’m not alone. Lose it now. Thank me later. …