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LAS VEGAS WALK OF STARS HONORS
“LEGENDS
IN CONCERT” FOUNDER JOHN STUART
As the creator/founder of “Legends In Concert”
and the acclaimed “Father” of the worldwide impersonation
empire, John Stuart has become a legend in his own time. Now
the noted producer, who has recreated many of the world’s
brightest stars on the stage, will be receiving his own star
on the Walk of Stars, in front of New York-New York on May
31st .
The actual
Walk of Stars ceremony will take place during the Celebrity
Impersonators Convention (May 29-31) at the Imperial Palace,
where “Legends In Concert,” Las Vegas’ longest
running independently produced show, is celebrating the entering
of its 24th year (and the nearing of its 5 millionth showgoer)
this month. On May 30, following a noon luncheon and showcase
of celebrity impersonators for talent buyers and the public,
Stuart will receive the star, along with a Lifetime Achievement
Award from the convention itself, in the Legends Showroom.
The latter will be presented by impersonator Kenny Kerr, who
will be hosting the convention, while the star will be presented
by the Walk of Stars executives. Interment of the star will
take place the next day at the New York-New York site.
Stuart
first brought “Legends In Concert” to the Imperial
Palace stage on May 5, 1983. Its immediate success opened
the door for him to be the first to produce like shows all
over the world, from Europe to Russia to South Africa. Many
of these shows are still playing today. The Atlantic City
production of “Legends In Concert,” which closed
at Bally’s in October 2005, was that city’s longest
running show. Although he sold his rights to the “Legends”
show in 2002, Stuart remains its creator/founder and retains
a non-competitive right to continue producing impersonation
shows globally.
In fact,
Stuart, in association with Dan Akyroyd, Judy Belushi.and
her husband, Victor Pisano, having formed Night Owl Productions,
is currently producing the “Blues Brothers Revival,”
which will play in several House of Blues venues across the
country simultaneously. First appearing in Chicago, the show
will open in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in September, followed
by debuts in House of Blues in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and
Orlando, Florida.
In association
with his son, Shane, Stuart is also producing “Heart
of the King,” a full-length documentary about how Elvis’
music and charismatic persona continues to impact the lives
of some special individuals, such as those who thrive on impersonating
“The King.” A two-and-half-year project in the
making, it is expected to be released in the early part of
2007.
Stuart
is also involved in a myriad of other ventures. He has recently
purchased Las Vegas’ first-ever ShowFloat, a 62-foot
float with a stage that will provide daily daytime and nighttime
moving entertainment up and down the Las Vegas Strip and which
will also be available for rental by groups for weddings,
parties and meetings. In other arenas, he is the executive
producer of the World Extreme Fighting matches being staged
at the Orleans Arena on a bi-monthly basis (next match is
June 10)and is building an entire equine community, comprised
of 30 estates and all sorts of horse amenities, around his
Legends Ranch.
In addition,
Stuart owns First Choice Ticketing and has five ticket booths
on the Las Vegas Strip, selling retail and discount tickets
for Las Vegas shows.
Another
aspect of his career that he is most excited about is the
fact that he has recently purchased, in association with Riptide
Entertainment LLC, the worldwide live stage musical rights
to Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” Stuart
is in the midst of creating two productions, one a live stage
show for casino audiences involving multimedia, real stars,
impersonators, music, memorabilia, special effects and audience
participation. The other is more of a book show for Broadway,
a musical based on “American Bandstand.” Stuart
hopes to open the live stage casino version in Las Vegas within
the next six months and is currently in negotiations with
various properties. He is also planning productions of the
show throughout the U.S.
For living
legend John Stuart, there is no time like the present.
The Las
Vegas Walk of Stars was developed in cooperation with Clark
County, which sanctioned four miles of sidewalk to the East
and West of Las Vegas Boulevard South between Sahara and Russell.
Similar to the “Palm Springs Walk of Stars,” located
along the sidewalks of Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs,
California, the Las Vegas project honors people of prominence
in a variety of fields including entertainment, sports, literary,
humanitarian, civic, military and pioneers. Each star is a
three feet square slab of polished granite weighing 180 lbs.
and inlaid with the recipient’s name and specialty.
For more information, visit www.lasvegaswalkofstars.com
"Every
act is a standing 'O'..." - L.A. TIMES
"One
of the premiere show producers in America" - Las
Vegas Sun
"As
usual, another hit show from master showman and producer Stuart"
- What's On
"John
Stuart is an amazing show producer with a keen eye for solid
entertainment values" - Las Vegas Review Journal
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