Latest news with #Voltaire
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Las Vegas Strip casino extends pop superstar's sold-out residency
The Las Vegas Strip is known for hosting spectacular shows in the Sphere Las Vegas, as well as many of its casino theaters. Sphere Las Vegas opened on Sept. 29, 2023, with one of rock's most popular bands, U2, performing a 40-show residency which closed on March 2, 2024. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter After jam band Phish stopped by for a quick, four-show engagement on April 18-21, 2014, another huge band, Eagles, launched their residency at Sphere on Sept. 20, 2024, and have scheduled a total of 44 shows so far through Nov. 8, 2025. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino cancels rock superstar's residency shows Eagles has not revealed when the band's residency will end, and the Sphere's management has said they can perform in the venue as long as they wish. Legendary Grateful Dead spinoff band Dead & Company closed its "Dead Forever Live at Sphere" residency after 48 shows at Sphere Las Vegas on May 17, 2025. The band currently holds the record for the most residency shows by a band at Sphere. Joining the lineup of superstar performers passing through Sphere Las Vegas are the venue's first country superstar performer Kenny Chesney, who signed for 15 shows that began May 22 and conclude June 21, 2025, unless extended. And in July and August, superstar 1990s boy band The Backstreet Boys scheduled its 21-show "Into the Millennium" residency at Sphere Las Vegas. Backstreet Boys, however, will not appear exclusively at Sphere Las Vegas during its Sin City residency at the venue. The legendary boy band has scheduled 21 "Into the Millenium" After Parties at The Venetian's 1,000-capacity Voltaire nightclub on the strip on July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, Aug. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24. Voltaire is considered one of the Strip's most intimate venues, having hosted several superstar singers' sold-out residencies. The Venetian's popular nightclub venue opened in November 2023 with global superstar Kylie Minogue's residency, which ended in May 2024 after 20 shows. Christina Aguilera opened her residency at Voltaire on Dec. 30-31, 2023, and continued performing shows in January through June and then in August 2024. R&B superstar Jason Derulo performed a 12-show residency from May through August 2024. Voltaire introduced a classic type of entertainment for a long residency, when the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Tease dazzled audiences beginning on Sept. 19, 2024, and extending her show until Oct. 11, 2025. And now, a superstar singer, whose career was derailed over two decades ago after a controversial performance on "Saturday Night Live," has sold out the first two shows of her Voltaire residency and added five more shows for her 2000s pop star Ashlee Simpson, who is now known as Ashlee Simpson Ross, sold out two shows at Voltaire scheduled on Aug. 29-30, 2025, according to the Voltaire website. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino brings back superstar 80s band residency However, a review of Voltaire's website on June 14 revealed that general admission, standing room only tickets were still available for Aug. 29. By popular demand, the "Pieces of Me" singer added five more shows on Sept. 19, 20, 24, 26, and 27, 2025. More Las Vegas: Las Vegas Strip Sphere signs another superstar band residencyLas Vegas Strip casino closes country superstar's residencyLas Vegas Strip casino signs global superstar singer to residency Most people have probably forgotten about the "Saturday Night Live" controversy, or were not even aware of it. Back in 2004, Ashlee Simpson appeared on "Saturday Night Live" to perform her songs "Pieces of Me" and "Autobiography," US Weekly remembered in a February story. She completed the first song without a problem, but when she began to sing the second song, "Autobiography," later in the show, prerecorded vocals of "Pieces of Me" began playing as the band was set to perform the second song. The mishap revealed that Simpson had lip-synched "Pieces of Me" and planned to lip-synch "Autobiography." But time heals wounds, and Simpson is back selling out shows in Vegas and booking more shows for her fans. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino signs global superstar for new residency The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
2 arrested and charged with murder in Seminole County shooting
Two people have been arrested and charged with murder in the Monday evening shooting at a home in unincorporated Altamonte Springs, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. The suspects, Tristin Tully Bennette, 18, and Natalia Precious Voltaire, 24, were arrested around 5 p.m. Tuesday during a traffic stop by Altamonte Springs Police officers in the East Altamonte area near Northlake Boulevard, according to a Wednesday news release from the Sheriff's Office. Multiple firearms and other evidence was recovered and the pair were questioned and arrested. Voltaire and Bennette were charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm and grand theft of a firearm. They were booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility without bond. Sheriff's deputies responded at 7:48 p.m. Monday to a report of a shooting at 470 Forest Lake Drive, the agency said. Upon arrival, deputies found 19-year-old Nicco Diamante Wong suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The agency's detectives determined the incident was not random and the suspects were known to Wong, the news release said. Based on witness statements and digital evidence, investigators identified Bennette and Voltaire as the suspects. Detectives learned the pair visited the victim's residence under the pretense of helping clean, the agency said. Once inside the house they attempted to steal firearms. During the confrontation, Voltaire shot Wong before fleeing with Bennette in a white Chevrolet Camaro. An alert was issued for the car which resulted in the traffic stop and arrests. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office at 407-665-6650 or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jessica Simpson Spotted Hyping Up Ashlee Simpson's Racy Photos Ahead of Celebration
Jessica Simpson Spotted Hyping Up Ashlee Simpson's Racy Photos Ahead of Celebration originally appeared on Parade. Jessica Simpson is her sister, Ashlee Simpson Ross', biggest fan. The singing sisters have a lot in common, having grown up in the music business. Despite both of them working on new projects lately, there seems to be no animosity or competitiveness between them. Instead, Jessica has become her little sister's biggest cheerleader as Ashlee promotes two 20th anniversary shows this summer in Las Vegas. She'll perform on two different nights at the Voltaire in the Venetian resort, two decades after the release of her album, I Am Me. In the latest photo, Ashlee can be seen showing off her flexibility while wearing a sheer black corseted one-piece with sheer leggings and platform stilettos. Her caption announces, "I'm ready." In the comment section, Jessica wrote, "Hotter than EVER! People have no idea what they are in for. Makes me so happy eeeeeek ❤️🔥." In another photo shared by the younger Simpson sister, she can be seen holding back damp hair with both hands, with her smoky eyes fixed on something in the distance. The photo is black and white, just like the latest, making it feel intense. This time, the caption said, "You keep me coming back for more. ✨" Again, Jessica was spotted in the comments. This time, she wrote, "I can see that beautiful fire in those eyes! It is GO time and I couldn't be more proud of you❣️✨💫🙌🏻." There are only three posts on Ashlee Simpson's Instagram, and the oldest one, posted nearly a week ago, announced her upcoming shows. Fans can buy tickets now and catch her performing on Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30, upcoming performance follows her big sister Jessica's comeback, which included an exciting return to the TV stage for the American Idol finale that left fans in awe. Following that performance, Jessica penned a very personal message to fans, proving that celebrities are human, too, and that she was very nervous to be on stage again. Jessica Simpson Spotted Hyping Up Ashlee Simpson's Racy Photos Ahead of Celebration first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
India Today
04-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- India Today
The real Casanova: The spy, alchemist and librarian behind the lover's legend
In 1755, Giacomo Casanova, locked away in the attic prison of Venice's Doge's Palace, stared at the wooden ceiling above him. Imprisoned for "public outrages against the holy religion" -- possibly linked to his dealings in occultism and freemasonry -- his future looked Piombi, named for its lead-covered roof, was infamous for its unbearable heat and isolation, and he was sentenced without trial to five years in the attic prison. But this was Casanova -- charming, clever, and impossibly hard to contain. He refused to sit the next 15 months, battling illness and despair, he quietly chipped away at his cell's roof with a smuggled iron bar. After months of sawing, hiding tools in a Bible, and teaming up with another inmate, Father Marino Balbi, on the night of October 31, 1756, he climbed out through the roof. He slipped into a hallway, broke into an office, and dressed as an official and full of confidence, he simply walked out the front daring escape became one of history's most legendary jailbreaks and is recounted in his Histoire de ma vie, and backed up by records from the Doge's the same man known for his flings also pulled off one of Europe's most unbelievable prison breaks. And that's just the beginning. advertisement EARLY LIFE OF A RUNAWAY PRIESTBorn in Venice on April 2, 1725, Casanova was the son of actors. Or possibly a Venetian nobleman -- he speculated in his memoirs but could never confirm. His father died when he was young, and he was sent off to study became a priest briefly as well, but let's just say temptation won. He abandoned the church for gambling, travelling, and chasing stories across even pursued law at the University of Padua but soon found the allure of adventure more compelling than legal studies. His life was a tapestry of diverse roles: soldier, violinist, gambler, spy, and even intelligence and charm opened doors to Europe's elite circles, where he engaged with some of the era's most prominent his own account, he had affairs with more than 120 women, but his memoirs are filled with more than bedroom tales. They reveal a man hungry for experience, status, and ENEMIES, AND CHESS WITH VOLTAIRECasanova's travels brought him into contact with luminaries of the Enlightenment. In Geneva, he visited Voltaire at the Chteau de Ferney. The two reportedly played chess, but it wasn't exactly a found the philosopher arrogant; Voltaire found him entertaining. Still, they debated everything from God to logic. Casanova might've preferred wine and women, but he could hold his own in a salon full of Enlightenment thinkers. DINNER WITH CATHERINE THE GREATCasanova's journeys took him as far as Russia, where he managed a brief audience with Catherine the Great in 1765. She was one of the most powerful rulers in Europe; he, a wandering intellectual with a scandalous to accounts from that time, they talked about censorship, politics, and the freedom of thought. Casanova respected her, and the feeling -- at least diplomatically -- was ELECTRICITY, AND A SHARED VIEW ON SEDUCTIONCasanova also met Benjamin Franklin, an esteemed physicist and one of the founding fathers of America, in Paris in 1783. They spoke about electricity, revolution, the burgeoning field of aeronautics, and yes, to Casanova's memoirs, he once told Franklin that 'seduction is a science.' Franklin didn't argue. The two admired each other's cleverness, though they walked very different SWORD AND A WOMAN IN WARSAWIn Warsaw, he got into a duel over a mistress. His opponent was a Polish noble, and the ensuing duel left Casanova with a slashed hand. Ever the romantic, he considered the injury a badge of love, claiming he "bled for love."The duel made it to the local gossip and court letters -- proof that Casanova, even when embarrassed, knew how to spin a good story. HENRIETTE: THE ONE WHO GOT AWAYDespite the countless lovers he wrote about, there was one who haunted him -- Henriette, a French noblewoman. Their time together was brief, just around three months, but left him with grace and without bitterness. And he never got over her real identity remains unconfirmed, many scholars believe she was based on a real French JUST A LOVER -- ALCHEMIST, INVENTOR, AND SPYBeyond his romantic endeavors, Casanova dabbled in alchemy, freemasonry, and worked briefly as a secret agent for the Venetian Inquisitors of State and attempted to sell a lottery system to the French government. His reports, coded and clever, are stored in Venetian archives. He even designed a steam-powered machine to raise canal Paris, he dabbled in alchemy, claimed to be a Rosicrucian, and ever the showman, he wowed a rich widow by pretending to speak to her dead husband. He used chemistry and a few party tricks to convince her it was real. She sued him later, but nothing came of it -- possibly due to his influential was sometimes as a nobleman, sometimes as a priest, and once even as a violinist.A MAN OBSESSED WITH HOW HE'D BE REMEMBEREDCasanova cared deeply about his reputation -- not just as a lover, but as a thinker. He did write letters to figures like Rousseau, d'Alembert, and Goethe, though not all of these exchanges developed into lasting wanted to be taken seriously. In many ways, he was. But the tales of his bedroom still overshadow his debates with royalty, his prison escape, and his late-life reflection. advertisementTHE LIBRARIAN OF BOHEMIAEventually, the drama wore thin. In his 60s, exiled from Venice, Casanova settled into a quiet job as a librarian at Castle Dux (in today's Czech Republic). Hired by Count Joseph Karl von Waldstein, he spent his final years result? A massive 12-volume memoir, Histoire de ma vie ('Story of My Life'), filled with stories of escape, passion, betrayal, and sharp observations about the people and politics of 18th-century Europe. It remains a vital historical 2010, the Bibliothque nationale de France acquired the original manuscript of Histoire de ma vie, which had long been held in private hands in Germany. Its authenticity was already well established among scholars. You can read parts of them today -- and they're just as wild and witty as you'd June 4, 1798, Giacomo Casanova passed away quietly in Castle Dux, at the age of may be forever stamped with the label of a legendary lover, but his life was anything but one-dimensional. From debating philosophers to breaking out of a fortress prison, he lived like a man in constant pursuit of greatest seduction wasn't of women -- it was of history itself. And somehow, it worked.
UPI
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Ashlee Simpson to perform two Las Vegas concerts Labor Day weekend
1 of 6 | Ashlee Simpson, seen with daughter Jagger Snow Ross at the 2019 premiere of "Frozen 2" in Los Angeles, will perform two Las Vegas shows at the end of August. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 3 (UPI) -- Ashlee Simpson will perform two shows on the Voltaire stage at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, the venue announced Tuesday. Simpson's concerts will take place Aug. 29 and 30 over Labor Day weekend. Simpson's new show is called "I Am Me." The set list will include "Pieces of Me," "La La" and "Boyfriend." The Voltaire seats 1,000. The show begins at 9 p.m. both nights. "We're working so hard to make this show feel personal and special," Simpson said in a statement. "I can't wait to share this experience and connect with the audience in such a perfect setting." Tickets start at $65 on the Voltaire website. Simpson is the younger sister of singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson. Her last release was the 2019 single "Phases" as Ashlee + Evan with her husband, Evan Ross, following their 2018 self-titled EP.
