Punk'd by Cirque du Soleil, re: #MJ?

Back in January, I had this conversation with Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre in Montreal for the Las Vegas Weekly:

Lamarre: “A lot of artists [ask us], but there are not that many iconic stars, you know? What do you do? Elvis and the Beatles are alone in their own game.”

Me: “What about Michael Jackson?”

Lamarre: “Yeah, he’s probably the only other icon I can imagine that would be of interest. Maybe Madonna, perhaps. We’re talking about people that will turn our creators on.”

Me: “Is there any movement right now towards a Michael Jackson show?”

Lamarre: “No.”

Me: “No discussions, no talks?”

Lamarre: “No.”

Me: “Is it too soon? Do you think there’s a certain cooling-off period right after the most recent round of Michael Jackson frenzy?”

Lamarre: “Yeah.”

Me: “You do.”

Lamarre: “Yeah, that’s what I think. I’m not saying no, not saying no to anything at this point in time. But we are focused right now on delivering Elvis.”

That was about four months ago and a lot can happen in four months, but somehow I find it hard to imagine there really were no talks going on back then because today, Lamarre made this announcement:

"We are honored and thrilled to be in partnership with the ultimate and most important record selling artist of all time. This association between two international entertainment brands promises to deliver to fans of both Michael and Cirque du Soleil unique artistic experiences."

He told Entertainment Tonight that Cirque will produce an arena-touring concert starting in fall of 2011 and then a permanent Las Vegas show at, of course, an MGM Mirage property, in late 2012.

The Wall Street Journal offers some skimpy details:

The Las Vegas show will be more akin to a theme-park attraction, possibly featuring elements like motion simulators and 3-D visuals. It's also likely to include a nightclub and restaurant that include a Michael Jackson theme. The casino was not named in the announcement.

So it's already in the works. Leave it to a dead MJ to steal Madonna's Glee-ful day in the sun.

But, of course, the real question is: Luxor, Mandalay Bay or Monte Carlo? I'm throwing in my lot in for the Monte Carlo. That way they can reposition the MC even more as part of CityCenter which, by 2012, will be desperate for some new loving. Let's just hope they don't go slapping ads on the Mandarin Oriental for the occasion.

[Image credit: BestWeekEver.TV]

Legend Vince Paterson To Direct/Choreograph Cirque's Elvis Show

Update: Mike Weatherford has already reported this as well. It didn't come up when I went looking all over for prior references, but I wanted to give credit where it's due.

The Cirque folks have been extremely tight-lipped about the much-anticipated Elvis show at Aria opening later this year. But very solid sources told me Vince Paterson will be directing and choreographing it, and Cirque has now confirmed this. And that's a huge, huge deal.

Who is Paterson? One of the world's most sought-after choreographers, that's all. Among his credits is Madonna's "Blonde Ambition" tour and Michael Jackson's "Bad" tour. Here is a 1-minute YouTube clip where he explains how Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" video came to be.




He's also responsible for the Marie Antoinette image of Madonna struck (left) for her "Vogue" performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. He got a Tony nomination for his work on the stage version of "Kiss of the Spiderwoman," did the choreography for such films as "The Bird Cage," "Closer," and "Evita," has created videos for Van Halen, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and David Lee Roth. Last year, he was a judge on the Bravo dance competition "Step It Up and Dance."