Mamma Mia, Trump and WSOP

Sorry I've been quiet today, but it's been a bit of a busy morning writing my next Las Vegas Weekly column and filing a piece for tomorrow's New York Times on the renewed Steve Fossett search before heading to lunch at BLT Burger at Mirage.

I'm at the Rio right now for the World Series of Poker -- the last 27 are being whittled down to the so-called November Nine today. So, since I don't actually have to spring into intense action until we get closer to that -- and there are 18 of the 6,844 players left, I have a breath.

I'll discuss BLT Burger on this week's episode of "The Strip" this week but suffice to say it was a very pleasant surprise. And yesterday's visit to the Trump is the subject of a slightly admiring but largely scathing LVW column to come, so I'll hold my fire on that until Thursday with perhaps some preview on the show as well.

Which leaves all I have to discuss right now is the preview I attended yesterday of the "Mamma Mia!" film yesterday. And girls, y'all better get out that pack of wild horses you used to drag your men to "Sex and the City" last month if you want to go in pairs to see this. Even more than SATC: The Movie, MM!: The Movie is nothing but eye and ear candy for the ladies and, happily for me, the boys-who-like-boys crowd. Dominic Cooper, the actor who plays Sky, in particular, is a young, beefier Adrian Grenier who does entire numbers with the camera lovingly panning over his immaculate physique. Read all about him from the San Francisco Chronicle here. He's like a Mario Lopez who can act.

The local MM! cast attended and they all were effusive. I imagine that's partly because the movie provides a three-dimensional view of what, on stage, is essentially two dimensional. And they were very respectful of Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan in the flick even though it was clear she did not do justice to many of the more difficult singing moments -- particularly "Winner Takes It All," which is the emotional core of the entire show.

Ultimately this was a very campy, very sexy, very expensive version of the show with Streep sort of saying to the audience: "I'm Meryl Streep, I'm going to have fun playing this role and you're invited to come along on the ride with me." It is a lot of fun, if you're into that sort of thing.