When you write about Las Vegas, as I do, you get used to hearing rumors about the next big thing. After all, this town was founded on the concept of "next big thing" and so everyone has one. Whether it's a theme hotel, a celebrity restaurant, or the world's tallest whatever, someone is claiming to be bringing it to Vegas.

The latest rampant set of rumors have surrounded possible upcoming Las Vegas shows -- you may have heard them. I thought I'd go through them one by one and tell you what is fact and what is fiction, plus a little about what I think of the overall idea, just in case you care (oh, just play along).

The Rumor: The next Cirque du Soleil production will be at the MGM Grand and will be a live action version of the Oscar nominated Chinese martial arts film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

The Facts: It is true the new Cirque show will be opening at MGM Grand sometime this spring, but an official theme has not been released yet. Although some sources indicate there will be the kind of flying, acrobatic martial arts seen in the movie, it will not be a retelling of the film on stage.

What I Say: If the martial arts aspect is included it could be just the thing needed to distinguish this Cirque production from the three others currently running in town. Even though Zumanity at New York-New York has been deemed "disappointing" by critics, Cirque continually surprises, so I'll never count them out.

The Rumor: The Mirage will be replacing the now closed Siegfried and Roy show with yet another Cirque du Soleil production, a musical stage version of The Beatles "Yellow Submarine."

The Facts: Cirque does have some sort of deal with Apple Corp., owners of The Beatles music catalogue, and discussions of a Cirque "Yellow Submarine" have been going on for awhile now. However, there is no done deal on this one yet and even if it does come to fruition it will most likely incorporate a lot of Beatles music and not just that seen in the animated movie.

What I Say: Eh. Save your hate mail, but I'm not a big Beatles fan. I know there are certainly enough of you out there to generate some interest but I think this would have to be something truly unique to work. Then again, remember what I said about Cirque.

The Rumor: The Mirage will be replacing the now closed Siegfried and Roy show -- or the Danny Gans show - with a permanent production of the Tony winning musical "Hairspray."

The Facts: All speculation but I've been hearing it a lot lately, so, I felt it was worth mentioning. The local gossip columns have been rife with stories that Danny Gans is unhappy with The Mirage about a lot of stuff, so, this one might be worth watching.

What I Say: I still don't think Vegas is the appropriate venue for a full-scale Broadway style production of any traditional show. I understand that "Mamma Mia!" is doing OK but that's about as far from a traditional Broadway musical as you can get and still call it a Broadway musical. Having said all that, "Hairspray" might just be light and frothy enough to fill the bill.

The Rumor: The Venetian will be replacing the now closed Guggenheim Museum with a showroom featuring a big-budget version of the musical "Phantom of the Opera."

The Facts: Not confirmed by anyone official yet but it has gotten enough press to make it seem like it has. It'll probably happen.

What I Say: Huge mistake. I know "Phantom" is a popular show but it isn't exactly what I'd call a light, frothy musical comedy. I think the tone, the style, and the attributes of the show (ie: the length) are completely wrong for Vegas. But what do I know?

The Rumor: The hit London musical "We Will Rock You," based on the music of rock super group Queen, will get a permanent production at Paris Las Vegas.

The Facts: Not official yet, but the rumor was reported in several outlets as a rumor, so, that seems to give it enough weight to make it believable. It'll probably happen by the end of the year.

What I Say: I don't know enough about the show to make a real judgment call on this one yet, but I'm worried that while ABBA's music is bubbly enough to support a lightweight musical like "Mamma Mia!" the same can't really be said of Queen's music, "Bohemian Rhapsody" not withstanding. If the musical is at all serious, I will have the same reservations as I do about "Phantom." I also think the folks at Paris Las Vegas should be concerned about bringing in another big budget musical that has not proven itself to American audiences. The debacle of "Notre Dame du Paris," the smash hit French musical that opened shortly after the hotel did would make me a little gun-shy about the whole thing.

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