Last night there was a red-carpet opening for the new Wayne Newton show at Tropicana. I spoke to his former dance partner Cheryl Burke (pictured with Vanna White), who has kept in touch with Newton and stays at his house when she is in Vegas. "I've met the penguins and the dog and the monkey and the horses," she says. Asked if she would ever appear in a Vegas show, Burke replied in the affirmative, but then added: "As long as it is not topless."

Yet, his onstage charisma remains intact when telling old stories or playing a variety of instruments. He is Wayne Newton, the last of his kind. Newton, 67, has implied this may be his last run of shows, so if you want to see him take this opportunity. But don't expect anything beyond being able to say you saw Wayne Newton in Vegas. But, hey, that's still something, right?

Photos: Sarah Gerke