So what did I do for Thanksgiving Weekend. Got a haircut. Went to Vegas and created art by being hung upside down and slammed into a canvas covered in paint. No I wasn’t drunk, no I didn’t lose a bet (I’m still too young to gamble!)…I was a participant in the Blue Man Group show at the Venetian. So here’s what happened. A Blue Man selected me randomly out of the audience and brought me up on stage. They helped me into a plain white jumpsuit, placed a blue mark on my cheek (think Indian war paint) and put a blacked out motorcycle helmet on my head. Then they led me off stage and covered the jumpsuit with blue paint (rather roughly I might add). Then they attached a rope to my leg, hung me upside down and slammed me into a canvas. And then they pulled me out of a Jell-O Mold. Don’t ask me how they did that last part, I think I blacked out after being slammed into the canvas (I woke up and all I saw was orange). And then before taking the following photos, I just wiped the war paint off (they gave me a hand wipe backstage). It was an impulsive and stupid thing to do, but at least I got pictures!

But there’s also some interesting news coming back from Vegas. While I was in the Wynn for Avenue Q, I chatted with the head usher (Bill) about the changes to Treasure Island and what’s coming soon. What did I learn?

• What happened to Treasure Island?
  • Steven Wynn started Treasure Island then sold it to MGM a couple of years ago. This was my first trip in several years (last time I was there, the English Armada was still being destroyed by Pirates) and I actually stood there and watched the new show…there aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe how bad it was. The one lesson I walked away with was this: beware pop music…it can sink ships. No really, there’s no reason for the ship to sink other than that the sirens are singing and all of a sudden fireworks go off on the other side and the ship starts exploding and sinking. I’m so disappointed. Bill told me that his friends who are in the show laugh all the way to the bank.
• What’s that big hole between The Venetian and The Wynn?
  • The Venetian is building a second tower, in the basement of which will be a Broadway theatre for the Vegas debut of Phantom of the Opera.
• How musical is Vegas going in the coming years?
  • Aside from Avenue Q already there and Phantom on the way, Steven Wynn is building a castle shaped theatre and 400 seat outdoor amphitheatre behind the Avenue Q theatre for Spam-a-lot and live entertainment, Mel Brooks just cut a deal with Mandalay Bay for The Producers and Hairspray is moving into the Luxor with Harvey Fierstein (whom I hate on the original soundtrack…nothing like a little gravel in the morning to kill your hope for mankind).