Ivan Pecel

What Happens in Vegas Soft Opening: 5/31 – 6/5/2010

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:27:29 +0000

Memorial Day Weekend we had the soft opening for our new show, “What Happens in Vegas” starring myself, Mike Rayburn, and Shimshi. The show is held in the newly named, “A-Theater” which was previously the “Debbie Reynolds” theater in the old Greek Isles Hotel right off the Las Vegas Strip. There are a lot of bugs to work out when opening a new show, so the first week we invited friends, family, and the hotel guests to watch us as we worked it all out. Any time you open a new show there is so much to do that it’s unfathomable. Marketing, ticket sales, sound, lights, etc. We have a great sound and light tech, Dave Bogue, who toured for a number of years as Recycled Percussions head guy, and we have a great producer, Josh Wainright, who is working himself into a coma trying to make this thing happen. Slowly but surely everything is coming together, literally putting the theater together from scratch as the last show that was in the theater, took EVERYTHING with them when they left.
The theater could be a great home for us though. It’s totally the “old school” Vegas style with the low, dark booths… Something you would expect a heap of mobsters to be sitting in. Good times. As anything in Vegas, this show is a gamble. We are all doing our best to make sure that it keeps on running and our “official” opening will be Aug 6th.
Another great thing about this show is that it allows each artist to continue traveling doing their own gigs. When I have to leave, somebody else will step in with us. When Shimshi was gone a few nights, my good buddy Aaron Radatz stepped in and was a great fit.
All in all, we are super excited about this show and can’t wait to see what the future brings and see truly, What Happens in Vegas…

MMASC Annual Conference: 5/27/10

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:27:58 +0000

My job definitely has it’s perks. This time, my wife and I got to spend 2 full days up in Santa Barbara, CA while I performed for the Municipal Management Association of Southern California’s annual conference. We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel right on the water in Santa Barbara. The weather was beautiful for 2 days! We laid by the pool and went hiking in the Santa Barbara mountains. On the way up, we stopped at the Jugglingstore.com warehouse, which is located in Santa Barbara, so I could drop off some of my Instructional DVD’s that they ordered. Aidan DeBradney gave us a tour of their place, very awesome. Great shop, great people.
The show was a lot of fun. I was the main entertainment for the evening… well… me and the open bar. Needless to say, the crowd was very rowdy but ready to have a good time. Thanks to my long time friend Jon Terwilliger for hooking up the gig for me. You’re a shining star in an otherwise dreary void.
Click HERE to check out the video from the show!
Stay Green Santa Barbara!

“Fast Track to Fame” Airs: 5/3/10

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:50:19 +0000

In late Feb, I filmed the very first episode of Speed TV’s new show, “Fast Track to Fame.” We filmed in Las Vegas all day long, and then the show didn’t air… They later filmed another Vegas show which was the first to air, then they went to Dallas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, etc… FINALLY, on May 3rd, my episode aired. I was VERY happy with how it turned out. I came in 3rd place, being the only non-musical act to reach the top of the leader boards. I have done a few shows like this (TV Talent Show) before, and this was one of the better experiences. Variety acts really aren’t taken serious these days nor are they given the credit they deserve. A lot of times, these shows will degrade the acts, or make comments about having “way to much time on your hands” or something like that. This show did none of that. All the acts were treated, and judged fairly. The judges all gave positive feedback and critiqued the acts when necessary. I had the chance to work with some old friends and meet some new ones! Murray Sawchuck, Shy Flowers, and Shaun Kama & The Kings of the Wild Frontier to name a few.
This was a great experience and this is one show that I would recommend other entertainers to be involved in!!!
Check out “Fast Track to Fame” on Speed TV! Check local listings for channel and showtime!

UNC Pembroke: 4/24/10

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:07:47 +0000

April 24th, I performed at the University of North Carolina Pembroke. College gigs are funny… Sometimes you get to perform in the huge theater, other times you’re in a coffee shop, sometimes out on the grass or an out door stage… This time, I was in the gym with a bunch of folding chairs set up. Living the dream!!!
Luckily, I got to perform with my good buddy Michael Kent! We were staying at the same hotel, so we were able to pal around a bit. This gig was hard on me for travel… I took the red-eye out of Vegas and got into NC at about 10 am… Then had to drive to the hotel, check in, eat, try and nap for an hour, then off to the gig for a 2:30 pm show. I can NEVER sleep on planes so I was exhausted. The show went well, I was done by 3:30, then Michael performed at 5:00. I stuck around for his show, we went and ate some Denny’s, had a well deserved beer at the Holiday Inn Bar, then off to bed to be up at 3:30 am to be to the airport by 5 for my 6:30 am flight back to Vegas. I was in NC for less than 24 hours. The check cleared.

Thailand: 4/10 – 4/19/10

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 17:41:48 +0000

For our 5 year anniversary, my wife Alissa and I decided to take a trip to Thailand. We did a 10 day private land tour with a company called Indochina. In all honesty, it was the GREATEST trip we have ever taken. We have been so many different places all around the world, and this trip was definitely at the top. The people were SO friendly, and it’s laughable how far the American Dollar goes over there. There money is called “Bat,” and it’s about 33 Bat to 1 American Dollar. To put it in perspective, a can of Red Bull here in the states is about 3 bucks… over there it was 10 Bat… which is the equivalent to about 33 cents. HA!!! We could honestly sell our house here, take our money, move to Thailand, and live the rest of our lives retired at 29 years old… We probably won’t do that… but it’s still a possibility.
We started the tour in Bangkok, then stayed at a floating hotel on the River Kwai. We moved around quite a bit, hitting a different city almost every day. Kahchanaburi, Ayuthaya, Sukhothai, and Chang Mai. We had a private tour van with 3 other people that traveled with us the entire time. We all got along very well and had a wonderful time.
Some of the highlights for us included: Floating down the River Kwai, riding an elephant, seeing a monkey drink a can of beer (no joke) and getting hour long full body massages for about 8 bucks.
You can check out all the pictures on my Facebook page: Album 1 – Album 2, or I filmed 3 different videos all with my I-Phone 3GS that you can check out here. Video 1 – Video 2 – Video 3
We would recommend this trip to everyone! If you are trying to plan a vacation and don’t know where you want to go, consider Thailand. You WILL NOT regret it!!!

Monarch of the Seas: 3/22 – 4/5/2010

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 16:22:28 +0000

I performed on Royal Caribbean’s “Monarch of the Seas” for 2 weeks from March 22nd until April 5th. Normally, 2 weeks on a ship isn’t that bad. Being an entertainer, you get used to being away from friends and family. This time was especially difficult for me though as I missed my birthday AND my 5 year anniversary!
Sometimes the ships can be lonely if there is nobody to hang out with and you catch yourself not speaking for 3 days or watching reruns of “Prison Break” for days on end. Luckily, I had a bunch of good buddies on this ship to help ease the pain of being away. I worked with two great comediansL Phil Palisoul and David Orion! Also, a great buddy, cruise director, and photographer Drew Devine was there. Band leader Anthony Rice, and Assistant Cruise Director Darren McCool and his wife Susan were out in full force. They knew it was my birthday, so they threw me an “Anchor Man” party in the bar! Note the T-Shirts that we are all wearing with sayings from Anchor Man on them.
All in all nothing is quite like being at home, but it is nice to have good friends when you are away!

Jewel of the Seas: 3/11 – 3/15

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:30:39 +0000

Started out this trip flying from Vegas to San Jose, Costa Rica and spending the night at a Ramada, which actually was very nice. They had a casino attached to it and right across the street was a huge mall when I ate subway before watching “Law Abiding Citizen” on my laptop.
The next day began the 3 hour cab ride from the hotel to the Jewel of the Seas which was docked in Puerto Limon. I was on the ride with three other guys who formed the group, “The Las Vegas Tenors,” Chris Coyne, Bobby Black, and Teddy Davey.
I was on the end of a 10 day cruise, so we only had one port left by the time I got on, Grand Cayman. Due to rough weather, we missed the port and ended up going to Key West, FL which was fine by me cause that’s one of my favorite places in the US and the only place where I have still been able to find “Andy Cap Hot Fries,” a delicious hot cheeto-type snack that is scrumptious and delectable. I had my show that night, so while I was out with the tenors and some other friends that we met, I was the only one “taking it easy…”
Shows went really well, had a good time on the ship.
Check out the video of the Tenors singing Van Morrison in a bar in Key West!!!

Hermosa Comedy and Magic Club: 3/3 – 3/6, 2010

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:27:52 +0000

I performed this past week back in good ol’ Los Angeles at the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club. It’s always a treat to have a gig back in LA. (where I’m originally from) Instead of staying at a hotel, I opted to stay with my mom and dad. They still live in the SAME house that I grew up in so it’s always great to go back there. My mom does laundry and makes me food and that makes me happy.
My wife, didn’t fly in until Fri evening because she was working the whole week, so we met up after the show on Fri.
Just want to say a BIG thank you to all my LA family and friends who came to the show… I think about 45 people throughout the week came to the show. It was really great to see everybody… Makes us really miss living in LA.
The shows and the crowds were great all week! I performed with and met some new friends: Kathleen Madigan, Lachlan Patterson, Neal Brennan, Rod Man, Danny Bhoy, and John Caparulo just to name a few.
Can’t wait to get back there. What a great time. If you live in, or are visiting the LA area, check out the Comedy and Magic Club. Great food, great entertainment, great people!!!

Radiance of the Seas: 2/19/10

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:35:39 +0000

Just got home from a quick 3-Day run on the Radiance of the Seas. Good times. I got to perform with some great people and some old friends. The guy who sang the theme song for the TV Show “Happy Days,” Bobby Arvon was there with his wife Judy. Nice people. I’ve known them for years. I got to hang a bit with Fallon Magic, Matthew and Mistia, and I got to work with a guy I’ve never worked with before Christopher Contillo. He’s an AMAZING concert pianist. Very, very talented guy. Found out my good friend and comedian Steve Bruner was getting on the ship they day I got off, so we met at the airport and hung for a while. Always good to see him.
All in all… very quick, easy and painless trip. Now, I’m going to Best Buy to get Johnny Cash’s “American VI: Ain’t No Grave” CD. That makes me glad.

Radiance of the Seas: 2/12/10

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:29:59 +0000

I’m sitting at the San Diego International airport flying back home to Vegas in a few hours. Just got off the Radiance of the Seas where I performed for 5 days. Traveled to a few places in Mexico: Acapulco, Ixtapa, and Manzinillo. Manzinillo looks like downtown Baghdad and smells like a bums foot, so I didn’t bother getting off the ship.
The Radiance is one of my favorite cruise ships to perform on. The theater is HUGE, great lights and sound, good people. The food is usually pretty good. They have this “build your own” pizza bar at night. I always look forward to that. So I go up for dinner the first night and they tell me they stopped doing that. My world crumbled. It’s the worst thing to happen to me in a long time.

Show wise, I got to perform with comedy legend and Las Vegas hall-of-famer Marty Allen and his wonderful wife Karon Kate. They are always a pleasure to work with… Marty, at almost 88 years old is a true pro. You can sit and listen to him tell stories about Elvis, the Rat Pack, Norm Crosby, etc for hours. Good guy. I also worked with impressionist Joey Van for the first time. I can honestly say that in all my years, he is by far the best impressionist I have seen. Such a nice guy as well. All in all, had a great time… back there on the 19th for another few days.