Buh-bye, Earl Turner?

Journalist Esther Lynn, who gossips about Vegas online as Claire Voyant, reported yesterday that "Earl Turner is no longer part of the [Las Vegas] Hilton's Shimmer Cabaret show." He's been co-headliner with Lani Misalucha.

The show's dark until Friday but Earl won't be there anymore when it resumes, Lynn writes. The rest of the juicy post:

"Depending which story you choose to believe, either Mr. Turner refused to take a requested pay cut as business is a bit slow right now, or Earl, of the inflated ego, went off to do a cruise ship gig, saying something like "I don't know how long Voices will run and I need to keep my other options open." Perhaps by NEXT Friday we will have the accurate information. What we have been told is that, for the immediate future, the show will reopen on the 11th with Ms. Misalucha at the helm. There will have to be lots of changes in advertising. If you have a pair of sharp scissors, you may want to join the team to help cut Earl's face out of all the photos and ads, and lop that "S" off the word Voices."

I just tried to confirm this report but it's Saturday and nobody from Hilton PR's team is around. A box office reservationist told me when I pressed her about whether Turner would be in the show upon its return, "As of now, Earl Turner is still officially in the show, but there is no guarantee that that will be always be the case."

I was intrigued by Lynn's "of the inflated ego" snark. I hadn't really been all that aware of Turner until he and his folks turned out to be the only people involved with "Las Vegas Celebrates The Music of Michael Jackson" to make significant comp demands or refuse to promote the event in the press.

Something tells me that if Turner really does depart for wetter climes, an interview with the lovely Ms. Misalucha -- an arranged entertainment marriage if there ever was one -- could be very illuminating.