Intermittent Sizzles : Viva Las Vegas Tends Toward the Mainstream, Except When Hot Bands Come to Call

Vegas-style “glam, glitter and cheese” doesn’t always materialize as promised at Viva Las Vegas, a newish gig with a casino conceit Saturday nights at the Red Lion Hotel.

Maxi’s Lounge provides some consistency of cheese with its B-class hotel-chain decor: early-’60s-vintage streamlined crystal chandeliers, dark floral-print carpet, gold railing galore and a brown Naugahyde-like bumper around the bar for resting sore elbows.

Glitter comes by way of go-go dancers sporting sequined skimpies, feathery wigs and shiny black patent-leather boots. Bumping and grinding stone-faced in front of tinsel curtains, they seem to have perfected that look of overworked casino-employee ennui. Emotions R Not Us.

Then, there always seems to be one older guy glued to the club’s blackjack table--participants play for prizes--though it’s hard to know if he’s addicted to the game or to the expert dealer with Elvira’s cleavage.

The glam freaks come out on a good night. High platform heels, pink boas, leopard prints and black leather abounds. All three dance floors (one main, two minis; we love this place for that) are packed; the roulette and craps tables stay busy with gamblers who bet play money.

All this usually happens when popular area bands show up as scheduled (which isn’t always the case). Tex-Twil (rockabilly-swing-bop), OO Soul (Latin-soul) and other crossover mavens have managed to pull good crowds and spice things up musically.

Other nights, the look and sound of things turns mainstream. DJ Roly (formerly of Disco 2000) keeps bodies on the floor but apparently only by spinning the likes of “Jungle Boogie,” “One Nature Under a Groove” and other tired-but-true disco oldies.

The consolation is plenty of room to dance, all the free popcorn you can eat and $2 draft beer all evening. And recently there was a Dennis Rodman look-alike among the otherwise tamely attired. At least I think he was only a look-alike.

* VIVA LAS VEGAS

* At Maxi’s Lounge, Red Lion Hotel, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

* (714) 540-7000 or (714) 490-7800.

* Every Saturday, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

* $10.