Loose Itinerary

Sunday--arrive in the late evening. Have a margarita!

Monday--outlet mall, LOVE

Tuesday--downtown for fun and Mary Beth's poker lesson, dinner at Grand Lux Cafe, Jersey Boys

Wednesday--our day is free...any ideas?...maybe The Caveman, Donny and Marie

Thursday--sadness and depression as our fun comes to an end



Really only ONE AND A HALF more days!!! YIPPEE!!!

Marie's Back

From People.com

Marie Osmond Makes Emotional Return to Performing


By Mark Gray




With tears in her eyes and her voice shaking at times, Marie Osmond donned her bravest face Tuesday night as she took to the stage for the first time since the death of her son for a show that she dedicated to him. "The way Osmonds survive is we keep singing," she told the audience at the Flamingo Las Vegas, performing one day after the funeral. "That's what we want to do tonight. I know my son would want that and this show is for him."




The crowd in the sold-out showroom applauded her throughout the 90-minute show, giving her a standing ovation when brother Donny said, "I think we need to give a big round of applause for my sister for even coming on stage.





"Though saying the show would be a little different than others, Osmond fought through her emotions and remained largely on schedule. Taking a moment to introduce an opera song, she spoke of her Mormon faith helping her through the past week before dedicating the song to her son Michael Bryan, 18, whom she called "my angel." Michael took his own life on Feb. 26. While going back to change into her outfit for the song she told herself to "pull it together."




With Marie off stage, Donny marveled at her ability to perform Tuesday, calling her a "strong woman" and saying, "I hope you all appreciate what she's going through tonight." But despite their grief, the duo did have fun on stage, performing in a dance-off, with Marie joking about her brother's dancing skills. Donny was very quick to point out that he won Dancing With the Stars. Marie, in turn, challenged her brother to dance in heels as she had done on the show.





As the Vegas performance neared an end, Marie continued to smile but appeared overcome with emotion as she wiped away tears and struggled to finish the evening's final song, "It Takes Two". After the music stopped and crowd came to its feet, Donny simply walked to his sister and hugged her.

New Music!

In honor of the Donny and Marie Show resuming in Vegas tomorrow night, I've added a song by each of them to the playlist. They'll be familiar to you...even to YOU Mary Beth. Are you sure you're old enough to go on this trip with us?

Sher-er-er-er-er-er-y Ba-a-by!

I was at work the other day and had my music on random play. I had one student in the room who was working, and the music wasn't bothering. Then "Sherry" came on. He says to me, "That woman's voice is really bugging me. Can you skip to the next song?"

I had to tell him that it was a man.

We then had to argue about that for a few minutes.

He decided the guy must be gay and probably dresses up as a woman.

It's too bad when a 7th grader can't appreciate a nice falsetto!

Seven more days!!!

Weather Matters

High in Billings today--40*

High in Vegas today--60*

New Song

In honor of Mary Beth's aspirations to be a professional poker player, I've added "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga to the playlist!

What do you think?

This is an afternoon show? Interested?

Understanding the opposite sex may never be easy, but Kevin Burke breaks it all down for you in “Defending the Caveman” at Excalibur. He stars as the narrator for this hilarious one-man comedy, created by comedian/writer Rob Becker, that attempts to debunk the age old myth that men are all jerks.

Before landing in Las Vegas, Burke starred in the Broadway tour of “Defending the Caveman.” The timeless subject matter and the insightful humor about the differences between men and women have made "Defending the Caveman" the longest-running solo play in Broadway history. It has been seen in 45 different countries and translated into 30 different languages.

“Instead of looking at men as a--holes, why don’t we just look at them as having a different culture?” asks Burke at the beginning of the show. Then he starts to explain how many of the same characteristics that were conveyed by cavemen are still very apparent in modern day behaviors of men and women and that understanding this is the key to also understanding the opposite sex.

Prehistoric-looking props and lighting and sound techniques are used to enhance Burke’s performance. His casual stage presence and typical jeans and T-shirt ensemble give him the every-man look that all guys can relate to.

Women like to shop because they are innate gatherers, says Burke. Cavewomen were in charge of gathering food and knowing what colors to look for as an indication that certain things were ripe and ready for the picking. This same concept explains why women like to shop and gather more clothes when the seasons change, even if their closet is already full.

Cavemen on the other hand had only one task and that was to hunt. He explains that this is why men have a more narrow and focused mind. Burke uses watching television while his wife, Karen is attempting to talk to him as an example.

“If I’m watching and Karen comes to talk to me, I can’t even hear her,” jokes Burke.

He uses many funny scenarios like this during the show to narrate the different ways that men and women respond to the same situations and the hilarity that arises from them.

As Burke shares more instances from his life, couples in the audience laugh and nudge each other, acknowledging that they relate to his experiences. Single people in the audience find the show equally amusing and also enlightening on how to better interpret the opposite sex on their next date. His typical audience includes everyone from young people visiting for a wild weekend to people celebrating bachelorette parties, anniversaries or just a good time in Vegas.

While this show is scripted, Burke refers to the audience for inspiration and to help dictate each performance.

“Even though I am the one who has all the lines, the show is really a conversation with the audience. The way they react to the show will then affect me and the way I perform the next line… Every audience is different so it’s as though I have a brand new acting partner every night,” said Burke during an interview.

Before "Defending the Caveman" he worked as a stand-up comic for more than 15 years and was inspired to do the show after being impressed with its positive message.

“Once I read the script and I saw that this was a comedy that brought people together and built people up as opposed to tearing people apart, that’s what made me want to do it. If this had been ‘Andrew Dice Caveman’ I never would have been interested,” said Burke.

When it comes to the one relationship rule that people should take from the show, Burke explained that laughter and understanding is the key to a happy relationship.

“After seeing 'Defending the Caveman' I can’t guarantee that you’ll never fight as a couple, but I do guarantee that your fights will be a lot funnier,” said Burke.