Laura Jackson Adds Spunk to the Reno Philarmonic

I had the pleasure of attending Reno Philharmonic's "Latin Temptation" at Reno's Pioneer Center last night. I had seen one prior show—a cowboy poetry and music performance—at Pioneer Center, but this was completely different in almost every aspect.

The Reno Philharmonic, led this season by music director and conductor Laura Jackson, performs regularly at the venue. Jackson spoke before the show to members of the Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals Network and said, "This is where I want to be." Her flamboyancy and energy during the performance backed that statement up. You can tell Jackson enjoys what she does, and her stage presence alone makes it worth seeing one of the Phil's remaining shows.

Although I don't consider myself a classical music buff, I was thoroughly entertained, especially by the opening act, which featured selections from Georges Bizet's Carmen. Click here for a sampling.

Event though the pace was a little slow at times for my taste, accordion extraordinaire Peter Soave put on an amazing show playing to the music of Astor Piazolla. The night ended with a tribute to Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Apparently, Jackson has a sense of humor as well. After intermission, she said to the crowd, "I wonder how many of you have been to a Latin show where two-thirds of the music is French."

Hey, it was an entertaining two hours, and that's all that matters.

Eastside Cannery Launches New Concert Venue

LeAnn Rimes to Kick-Off Concert Series at State-of-the-Art Location

LAS VEGAS – January 5, 2010 – Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel announced today the completion of its new state-of-the-art concert venue that will feature nationally renowned artists. The Casablanca Event Center with 1,100 seats has been redesigned with new sound-reinforcement throughout the entire room to provide high quality acoustics and an innovative lighting system to create a dynamic visual backdrop for the performances.

“Our new venue is a great place to see a show and provides an intimate setting for concertgoers while the upgrades to the sound and lighting package presents a wonderful venue for national acts,” said Marty Gross, vice president and general manager of Eastside Cannery.

Every month, Eastside Cannery will host a different show, kicking-off the concert series with headliner LeAnn Rimes (January 29,) The Commodores (February 27,) Eddie Money with John Waite (March 20,) Jenni Riviera (April 10,) and Ronnie Milsap (May 15.)

Tickets are NOW on sale for all shows and available in three levels: Gold, Prime and Reserved. For more information on a specific show and to purchase tickets call (702) 856-5470, visit www.eastsidecannery.com, or go to Eastside Cannery’s sales counter located at the front desk. Must be 18 or older to attend.

Holly Gives Back for the Holidays

The holidays in Las Vegas are usually a bit different than they are in the rest of the nation. There’s no escaping the city’s sexy attitude and the party-all-night lifestyle. It doesn’t exactly match with the innocent imagery of holiday family dinners and animated children’s specials. But that doesn’t mean it’s only about Las Vegas nightclubs and parties during the holidays. There are plenty of charitable events like the Great Santa Run and the Magical Forest, but sometimes you need a global face to get global attention for a great cause, and no starlet represents Vegas as much as Holly Madison does!

She went from Girl Next Door to Las Vegas’ sweetheart, and Holly’s got her schedule full with store openings and hosting opportunities, but that doesn’t mean she won’t take time out to help the needy. The star of the burlesque revue, "Peepshow," Holly will soon be seen on E!’s "Holly’s World," where she will showcase the best of Sin City for the whole world to see on Sunday nights. She’s hoping it will boost the Vegas economy and encourage tourists to come. But before the premiere, she’s been working hard to help the less fortunate.

Over the Thanksgiving break, she teamed up with Playboy Playmate Laura Croft and Jersey Boys’ Rick Faugno to help serve meals to at-risk kids at the Le Cordon Bleu’s student run Café Bleu. Now for the Christmas holiday, Holly started her own toy drive with the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots. Holly Joy Christmas Toy Drive will be accepting new, unwrapped toys of $10 and above at various radio stations across the Las Vegas area. Holly and the organizations are hoping for a goal of 1000 toys, but plan on topping whatever they reach this year with next year’s drive. This is a great way for Las Vegans to pitch in this holiday season and maybe get to catch a glimpse of Holly in person as she promotes her charity. If you want to catch Madison’s new reality show, tune in this Sunday on E! after the Girls Next Door season finale and expect plenty of cameos including Mayor Oscar Goodman, Robin Leach and other Vegas regulars!—Provided by BestofVegas.com