Comic actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer collectively have been getting laughs by pretending to be musicians since their first musical "mockumentary," "This Is Spinal Tap," was released 25 years ago.  But the real joke is that these guys are good enough singers and instrumentalists to actually have had successful careers in the music industry.

That's the takeway from the trio's wildly entertaining Sunday night set at Borgata's Music Box theater.

The team's "Unwigged and Unplugged" moniker for its current tour is a little bit of a misnomer, as McKean and Guest (on acoustic guitars and, in the latter's case, mandolin) and Shearer (bass guitar and "big" bass) were amplified throughout the two-hour set, as were the keyboards of C.J. Vance. But that is just nitpicking, as the show was a two-hour romp through the music the guys wrote and performed for "Spinal Tap" and "Mighty Wind."

Whether on the acoustic tunes by faux Brit headbangers Spinal Tap, or the equally make-believe early-'60s folk of the aptly named Folksmen (from "Wind"), the three stars proved to be incredibly gifted musicians, pickin; grinnin' and singin' with the best of them.

And while all of the program's 24 originals were written as parodies of various genres, the fact is that they all had enough lyrical intelligence, sharp playing (especially Shearer's sophisticated bass lines) and strong vocalizing to identify the three as top-notch musicians.

Among the many highlights were the Folksmen's Appalachian tragedy ballad, "Blood On the Coal" and the sing-songy "Old Joe's Place" as well as such "Spinal Tap" selections as  "The Majesty of Rock" and the "controversial" "Sex Farm."

There was also a heaping helping of comedy--scripted and ad libbed--which exponentially increased the show's entertainment quotient and put the finishing touches on a great evening of song and laughs.

A bit of Vegas-style decadence came to the Boardwalk Saturday night as "Beacher's Madhouse" made its Atlantic City debut at Trump Taj Mahal.

Presided over by comic Jeff Beacher (who is definitely not the hardest-working man in show business), the "Madhouse" proved to be part "rave," part Fellini set piece, part Weimar Republic cabaret, part middle-school male fantasy and part Halloween party--a high energy, low-taste affair that sure looked like a lot of fun for the mostly twentysomething crowd that indulged in the Bacchanal staged in the Taj's Xanadu room.

As an onstage DJ spun house and hard rock tracks, the pimped-out crowd--many of the women came dresssed for a Penthouse magazine photo shoot--danced and took in the scene that was populated by little people dressed as Oompa-Loompas from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and Lollipop Guild types from "The Wizrd of Oz," and other, normal-height cast members in bunny rabbit and other animal costumes.

One scantily clad female dancer busted a move from inside a steel cage suspended over the floor.

While there were performers involved, it was the crowd that was the main attraction, as revelers participated in various contests and even took it upon themselves to provide some diversion for the others (the omnipresent video crew on more than one occasion captured two young women passionately kissing).Now that's entertainment!

As cast member Dan the Song Parody Man (from "The Howard Stern Show") put it so succinctly: "You don't come to see the show, you come to be the show!"

As for the guy whose name is on this Dionysian dance party, he is more the ringmaster than a performer. Or maybe a mad scientist would be a better analogy: He threw a bunch crazy, R-rated thoughts into a bowl and out came scads of money. 

"Beacher's Madhouse" certainly isn't for everybody (folks who believe in things like piety and decorum have been warned). But it sure seemed like those who attended had a great time. Beacher should make every effort to ensure his traveling orgy makes AyCee a regular stop.

Spending almost a decade in the Nevada desert doesn't appear to have been detrimental to Penn & Teller.

The 35-year-old one-of-a-kind act, which blends wiseguy verbal comedy, circus sideshow stunts and a hilariously cynical approach to magic has left its gilded home at the Rio casino in Las Vegas for a three-night stand at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City--their first AyCee visit in many years. And they are as entertaining and astounding as ever.

Armed with what appeared to be close to an hour's worth of new-to-the-East Coast bits, Penn Jillette (the one who talks) and the virtually silent Teller (that's his legal name) turned in a typically strong set that ably showcased their individual and collective talents.

As the booming-voiced Penn filled the Concert venue with his trademark, non-stop, wiseguy patter, the team kept the audience enthralled with such how-did-they-do-that? shtick as mind reading, levitation, fire eating and several hilarious "tricks" that really weren't, but which were staged just to fool randomly selected audience members to great comedic effect.

Among these were a sequence in which a blindfolded woman is led to believe she has become an expert knife-thrower, when actually, Penn, with the help of Teller, simply placed the daggers on strategic parts of a backboard.

It probably doesn't sound like much here in Cyberspace, but trust me, it's hilarious.

Some 20 years ago, in a review of Penn & Teller's show at the Merriam Theater on Broad Street, I wrote that seeing the duo perform was the most fun a person could have in public. I stand by that statement.

Comic Robert Schimmel's Saturday night show at Trump Plaza has been cancelled.

A press release issued by the Plaza earlier today did not give any reasons for the cancellation, saying only that is due to "circumstances beyond our control." Tickets may be refunded at the point of purchase.

In a related note, E! Online is reporting that recent charges lodged by L.A. police that Schimmel assaulted his wife, Melissa, have been dropped because Mrs. S has decided not to persue the case. She has, however, filed for divorce.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement's just-released finding of casino tycoon Pansy Ho  to be an "unsuitable" business partner for MGM Mirage may shake things up in Atlantic City. 

The DGE's 74-page report concluded that Ho cannot be part of any company doing business in Atlantic City because her 86-year-old father, Chinese gaming overlord Stanley Ho, has long been suspected of ties with the country's organized crime interests.

Why this matters to the DGE is because MGM Mirage is Boyd Gaming's (silent-but-equal) partner in Borgata, the almost-six-year-old pleasure dome that is what comes closest to being a successful casino-hotel operation in Atlantic City these days (meaning its profits, while on an extended decline, haven't plummeted like everyone else's).

The choice for MGM Mirage of course, is whether or not to sever ties with Ho or Borgata. It's a tricky decision that could have significant consequences for AyCee.

The reason MGM Mirage may stick with Ho is because she is their partner in the company's Macau, China operation, which represents a massive investment for the Vegas-based gaming empire, and which is a huge gaming market.. On the other hand, The Big B is MGM Mirage's foothold in Atlantic City--still the nation's second-largest gambling jurisdiction.

It's much too early to make any kind of call, but if MGM Mirage--which, at one pre-economic meltdown point was going to build a $5 billion complex adjacent to Borgata--walks away from that property, my guess is that it will also say whatever the word for "adios" is in Chinese to Atlantic City once and for all. Which means any chances of a mega-resort ever being developed on that 70-plus-acre site (which are pretty slim to begin with) would get exponentially smaller.

ATLANTIC CITY—Meet the town’s newest celebrity chef, Danny Veltri.

The 25-year-old  Edgewater, Fla. resident won that distinction Thursday night as he was crowned Season 5 winner of “Hell’s Kitchen,” the FOX-TV culinary competition hosted by psycho-chef, Gordon Ramsey.

Veltri, along with his co-finalist, Paula DaSilva, were at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for a screening of the final episode which was taped there in March, 2008. His grand prize is a job running Fornelletto, a gourmet Italian room that is scheduled to open at Borgata in early summer. He’ll report to owner Stephen Kalt, who has operated restaurants at some of Las Vegas’ toniest casino-hotels.

Even though he's known about his victory for some 14 months, Veltri, whose Borgata deal is worth $250,000, choked up Thursday while addressing an audience of invited guests at the casino's Music Box theater just moments after the telecast ended.

"It's just so great," he said, fighting back tears. "It's just a great opportunity. It seems like the best thing that ever happened to me."

In a recent conference call with reporters Ramsay, whose relentlessly intimidating style of management is the show’s calling card, described Veltri and DaSilva as "the best two" finalists in the show's history. In a message taped especially for Borgata and shown after the broadcast, he said he picked Veltri because, "He grew more (during the span of the contest) than any chef I've ever seen." Ramsay couldn't be at Borgata because he's currently shooting a new season of "Kitchen Nightmares."

Veltri and DaSilva were joined at the Music Box by a group of vanquished Season 4 and 5 contestants, including Pine Hill, N.J.’s Matt Siegel, who participated in the most recent  competition. The event was emceed by Fox29 weather guy John Bolaris, who, at one point, got in the spirit of the event by describing the notoriously moody contestant, Lacey D'Angelo, as "a bitch."

In his post-show remarks, Veltri compared dealing with Ramsay to "trying to make your dad proud, but nothin's ever good enough. The whole time, you're vying for his freakin' attention, and you never get it." 

He added, however, he thinks Ramsay is "awesome."

One of the more baffling questions concerning the impending sale of Trump Marina to a New York-based developer has been: Why is the Trump Organization announcing a summer entertainment schedule for the bay side property when the sale is scheduled to close later this month?

Well, now we know why.

According to a source close to the negotiations, Coastal Marina LLC, which is slated to take possession of the Marina May 28, asked the Trump people to book this summer's entertainment so there will be something to lure visitors there during the casino's transition to a Margaritaville-themed complex. Trump Entertainment Resorts responded by booking, among other attractions, "Hypnosteria," which will be AyCee's first-ever, extended-run hypnosis presentation (it opens in early July).

Also set is the 10th annual "FakeFest," a weekend-long orgy of rock 'n' roll tribute bands taking place June 26-28.