One of the longest running shows in Las Vegas is Crazy Girls at the Riviera. I don't know how crazy they are, but they sure as hell are gorgeous, and that includes Lizzie Grantham, the Memphis native who moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12 with her parents and eight siblings.
Talking to her the other day, I found out that she began dance training in Memphis at age 8 and it "... wasn't until I arrived in Las Vegas that I got serious about dance. I learned a lot about choreography at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts where I attended high school and was a dance major."
Liz is trained in jazz, hip-hop, modern and ballet and is also taking lessons in Muay Thai kickboxing. This is her fourth year with Crazy Girls, where she is now the line captain. "I love Crazy Girls. This was my first topless revue but it doesn't matter. I don't even think about it. It's a great show, the hours are great and the people are great to work with. I was surprised that there are as many women as men who come to see Crazy Girls. In fact, it's mostly couples who come to see our show." As to her life away from Crazy Girls, Liz said, "I take a lot of dance classes and work out a lot at the gym. I go out a lot of nights for a drink-I like rumjungle, PURE, Rain and Mixx (some of Vegas' hottest clubs)." She also enjoys mountain biking, swimming, working out at the gym, tennis lessons, and snowboarding. So if any of you guys are thinking of asking her out, you better be in great shape.
Here's a little trivia for you on Liz: Her dog is a German shepherd mix. Her favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. The latest book she read was The Art of Happiness by the Dali Lama. Breakfast for her is coffee. Her last vacation was in Helsinki, Finland. She says she loves to travel and plans to travel all over the world. She loves donuts and Starbucks. And she has no plans to marry-at least not now.
Her motto? "Don't worry, be happy." And that's just what Lizzie Grantham is doing.
If you haven't seen Crazy Girls yet, it's a fun show and as I said at the start, the girls are gorgeous. Las Vegas has always been a town of change, so it's no surprise when it was announced that Danny Gans, one of Las Vegas' biggest stars, is leaving The Mirage and moving across the street to Wynn Las Vegas' new sister property, Encore. This won't happen until early next year when the singer/impressionist's eight-year contract with The Mirage runs out.
It will be a reunion between Gans and Steve Wynn, the man who built the Danny Gans Theatre in 2000, believing that Gans could become a major draw for his resort. He was right. Gans will perform in the Encore Theatre, the same room that now houses "Monty Python's Spamalot," which will, unfortunately, close July 13.
Since MGM Mirage bought Wynn's hotel-casinos in 2000, the relationship between Gans and his new bosses has been somewhat strained and in recent years, the writing's been on the wall that Gans would probably look for another venue. If you haven't been to his show, put it on your must-see list. Well worth the money.