http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow RSS Feed for Chuck Darrow en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:04:18 GMT http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091120_CasiNotes__All_you_need_is_Cirque_du_Soleil_s__LOVE_.html LAS VEGAS, NEV. - Truth be told, I was more than a little skeptical. I found it hard to believe that anything could be as beyond-words fabulous as "LOVE" was purported to be by both the media as well as friends and acquaintances who had seen the Cirque du Soleil celebration of the Beatles at Mirage Las Vegas. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091106_CasiNotes__Borgata_serving_up_celeb_chefs.html IT HAS to be a foodie's ultimate fantasy: Getting up-close-and-personal with a slew of superstar chefs while sampling some of their dishes. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091030_CasiNotes__Caesars_cooks_up_an_Emeril_competition.html REMEMBER WHEN cooking was merely for eating? Well, those days are gone, at least at Caesars Atlantic City, where whipping up a meal is the entertainment attraction. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091023_CasiNotes__Halloween-themed_magic_show_does_the_trick.html IT IS, IT WOULD seem, a classic no-brainer: a magic show with a spooky, Halloween theme. But despite the countless magicians who have hocus-pocused their way across Atlantic City casino stages over the past three decades, no one has ever thought to stage such a pageant - until now. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091021_CasiNotes__Timeless_Lily_Tomlin__Comedian_updates_her_famed_character_Ernestine_in_A_C__show.html WANT TO PUT Lily Tomlin in a great mood? Just mention you saw her perform at the old Latin Casino in Cherry Hill in the mid-'70s. In no time you'll be strolling happily down Memory Lane with the actress-comedian who on Saturday makes her long-overdue Atlantic City debut at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091016_CasiNotes__Downbeach_Film_Festival_is_in_a_Garden_State_of_mind.html THE DOWNBEACH Film Festival is moving uptown. Last year, the modest exhibition of independent movies debuted in the AyCee bedroom community of Margate. This year, each of the five full-length theatrical features, five documentaries and a slew of shorts will be on view at the Screening Room, the jewel box of a theater on the 13th floor of Resorts Atlantic City. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091013_CasiNotes__Jason_does_Donny__The_former__Seinfeld__star_brings_satirical_send-up_to_Atlantic_City.html IT WAS A LOGICAL assumption to make that if and when Jason Alexander made his Atlantic City debut, he'd do it as Jason Alexander. After all, given his musical-theater background, an evening of show tunes and witty repartee about his life and career would likely have made for a hot casino ticket. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091009_CasiNotes__Renaissance_has_a_____renaissance.html DURING A 2002 interview at her Doylestown home, I broached the subject of a Renaissance reunion with Annie Haslam, whose soaring, five-octave voice helped propel the British progressive-rock band to cult stardom in the early 1970s. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091002_CasiNotes_.html IT'S NO coincidence that Emeril Lagasse has never done business in such no-brainer locales as Philly, Boston or New York. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20090925_CasiNotes__Venues_make_a_play_for_GLBT_crowd_with__OUT_in_A_C__.html AS FAR as Atlantic City is concerned, the bus-riding, slot-loving seniors who helped fuel the town's casino industry for three decades are pretty much gone for good, thanks to Pennsylvania's burgeoning gaming scene. Which means the town's gambling dens have to mine other demographic veins if they want to remain viable.