Liberace Museum Closing

[vegasrocks]

I just heard that the Liberace Museum is closing sometime in October. They said the reason is simply that they aren't getting enough tourists to visit to keep it open.

In 1979 they had about 450,000 tourists, so far this year, 35,000. Thats a big drop in visitors.

They think location has a lot to do with it. It's located at a strip mall away from the Las Vegas strip. People just don't want to pay cab fare to get there.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/12/liberace.museum.vegas/story.1.jpg

The Liberace Foundation plans to put together a traveling exibit sometime in the future.

Items that they won't use for the exibit will be put into storage until a time when they hope they can reopen a museum.

[IluvVegas]

I hate to hear that the Liberace Museum is closing. This is one of the places of things to see that was on my list of things to do when I get back to Vegas.

Hopefully they will find a more suitable place to reopen this museum as I know that most people of my generation would be interested in seeing it.

The younger generations arent as aware of Liberace as we are, but I think that if it were closer to the main part of Vegas that more people would stop in out of curiosity if nothing else.

[vegasrocks]

It really stinks to think that so much memorabilia is going to placed in storage. You are right about the generation thing. Younger people are simply unaware. If the museum were on the strip, I don't think we'd be talking about storages and traveling exhibits.

[WhatHappensInVegas]

I think a traveling exhibit would be really cool, and may be the Smithsonian would be interested in some of the pieces for the American History Museum here in DC or elsewhere. You're right, though, the generational gap is so wide now and there aren't a lot of parallels to draw them in. It's weird to think you can be the highest paid entertainer for almost 20 years and then, 20 years after you die, some people never have heard of you.

Poor timing, really, as I've heard a rumor that Steven Soderbergh is set to make a movie about Liberace's life starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Filming was supposed to start this year...has anyone heard anything about this?

[IluvVegas]

No, I hadnt heard about the movie but I would be hoping that they would reopen a museum again. Liberace was one fantastic piano player and he had some of the most gorgeous outfits.

His cars were just as amazing. And to lose this part of our history to me would be like closing down Graceland.

[vegasrocks]

I had not heard about Steven Soderbergh's Liberace film so I looked it up.

I found out that it was put on the back burner for a movie that he has decided to do called the Contagion. It's about a deadly viral outbreak.

He is still planning the Liberace biopic but they won't start on it until sometime early 2011.

Without a doubt, one of the more intriguing biopic scripts that has been kicking around Hollywood in recent years has to be the story of Wladziu Valentino Liberace. A master showman, diamond-flashing pianist, somewhat-closeted public figure and Batman villain, he led one of the most interesting pop-culture lives of the 20th century. Now, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh is getting ready to make the project into a reality — and put Matt Damon and Michael Douglas into a hot tub together.

"Everybody is hopeful that there will be a full-on, love-wrestling match between these guys," the "Ocean's" filmmaker revealed to us recently when we caught up with him, discussing a soon-to-be-filmed gay love story depicting the five-year romance between Liberace (Douglas) and his more-than-30-years-younger companion Scott Thorson (Damon).

"That's not where my mind went," Soderbergh grinned. "But we have a hot-tub scene in there."

When we caught up with Damon last month, he said that he and Douglas were getting ready for some kissing scenes. "I saw Michael last night," Damon grinned. "He looks at me and goes, 'Get your Chapstick ready!' "

Liberace did some really amazing things and this biopic is going to be great I think.

Maybe this will bring some attention to who he was for the younger generations.

You can read more about it here.
Liberace Biopic (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1623338/20091007/liberace_1.jhtml)

[WhatHappensInVegas]

I had no idea that he was from the Midwest--Wisconsin, even. Who knew they exported more than just cheese, Brett Farve, and a unique accent?

(I'm originally from Iowa, so all mockery comes from a loving place a little west of the border).

[vegasrocks]

Lol whathappensinvegas!

There were several things that I learned about Liberace since this thread began. The fact that the museum is closing and a movie is to be made is bringing new facts about him to me so maybe it will do the same for others and they can relocate the musuem to a place where more visitors will be able to check it out.

It sure would be a shame to have his things packed away like unwanted goods.

[vegasrocks]

Welp, the Liberace Museum officially closed yesterday.

No officials made any announcements or statements. They just locked up after closing time and that was it. Kind of sad really.

Hundreds of visitors admired the feathered capes and bejeweled costumes of Liberace during its final hours Sunday, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

The move came as its finances decreased to the point that the attraction was in danger of draining the Liberace Foundation scholarship account.

The museum director, Tanya Combs said that closing the museum up was like losing a family member. She had been employed there for ten years.

Among the fans lining up to visit the attraction was Stephen McClelland, who says Liberace represented a fading era of over-the-top showmanship, showgirls and great costumes.