I am a total curmudgeon and they even got me. I think it was when Marie said I was cute. But that's probably a story for another time.

For those of you who have been living in a pop-culture free bubble for the last four decades or so, Donny and Marie Osmond are a brother and sister duo who rose to fame in the late '60s and early '70s as a part of, and later apart from, their Osmond Family singing group. Donny was the breakout star of the clan, a screaming teenybopper idol with hits like "Puppy Love" and "Go Away Little Girl."

In the mid-70s he teamed up with his younger sister Marie for a TV variety show (remember those?) and the hits kept coming as a duo with songs like "I'm Leaving it All Up to You."

For her part, Marie had her biggest solo hit with the country ballad "Paper Roses" in 1973.

But as the seventies faded so did the peak of their popularity, and to many "Donny and Marie" became synonymous with schmaltz and cheese (as in cheesy).

There were comebacks aplenty both in and out of showbiz. Donny toured for years with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and had at least one other big hit "Soldier of Love" in 1989. Marie had more country hits and developed a hugely popular line of dolls. They even reunited for a syndicated talk show a few years back.

But the reason that Donny and Marie are here in Vegas is because of a little show called "Dancing with the Stars." Oh, and Oprah.

Marie appeared on the show in late 2007 and generated lots of buzz over her performances and a rather dramatic post dance faint. Her popularity on the show got Oprah Winfrey's attention and the entire Osmond clan reunited for an episode.

And now the brother and sister duo are back on the stages of Las Vegas, performing regularly at The Flamingo.

The show mostly consists of covers of other people's songs, starting with some duets between the two of them backed by a solid band and some energetic dancers. Their teasing sibling interaction was always the core of their act and it is still charmingly in place after all these years. You can tell that these two have a genuine affection for one another that goes beyond the shtick.

Marie gets a solo spotlight for awhile followed by Donny on his own and then the pair reunite to quickly buzz through their greatest hits, some of which even they admit are not the pinnacle of musical creation in history.

That right there is what makes the whole thing so darned smile inducing. They know they became a bit of a pop-culture joke but they are in on it. They know they aren't the best singers or dancers but who cares? They're having good, clean fun and they invite you along for the hayride.

If you're looking to nitpick, some of their choices in cover tunes aren't terribly fitting with who they are as performers. Marie's version of the hard driving Eurythmics tune "Would I Lie To You" comes off as uncomfortable and not just because of the tight leather ensemble she wears during it. And despite Donny's hero-worship of Stevie Wonder, his medley of the man's tunes mostly served to prove that he's not Stevie Wonder.

But as stated, that's nitpicking and I don't want to go too much further in that direction because I think Donny and Marie's very devoted fans, many of whom were in attendance the day I saw the show, would probably come after me.

The production is filled with the kind of songs and laughs that one would believe used to be the forte of the Rat Pack. It's the kind of show Clint Holmes and Gladys Knight and even Toni Braxton, who had this very stage before the Osmonds, used to do.

But now the Vegas variety show belongs to Donny and Marie and we're happy to have them.

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The Cannery opened on the north side of town a few years ago and followed the blueprint almost to a T. Now, a sister property has opened on the east side of town, and it both follows that blueprint and throws it away at the same time.

The Eastside Cannery is located on Boulder Highway, one big block south of another local's favorite Sam's Town and near Arizona Charlie's and Boulder Station. For those of you unfamiliar with the neighborhood what you're going to want to do is take Flamingo (that's the street between Caesars and Bellagio) east about 6 miles and hang a right. In other words it's nowhere near the places most tourists want to go but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know about it, especially if you're one of those people who is always complaining about how expensive Vegas has gotten.

It's hard to miss the building. At 16 stories it's one of the tallest structures in that area of town and just to make sure you don't miss it they have added colored lights that cast patterns across the façade of the tower. If you fly into town you'll be able to see it since it's right off the main approach to McCarran International.

The original Cannery has a '40s theme (think Rosie the Riveter) but this one updates things by a couple of decades with a subtle '60s theme. This is mostly exhibited with a series of large paintings of iconic free-love era imagery such as a Volkswagen van and various go-go style beauties.

But that's as far as the theme goes, with most of the rest of the main casino floor done in a warm industrial feeling with exposed ductwork and brick everywhere. It's a cannery, after all. Note the can shaped door handles on your way inside.

There are plenty of games for those so inclined; varied denominations of slots and video poker plus table games of all stripe. Interesting to note that most of the machines are ultra-modern, with touch-screens and LCD displays. Even the standard reel-based machines have extra technological bells and whistles, so if all you're looking for is a classic slot machine you may not be in the right place.

Surrounding the casino is a bunch of restaurants and lounges, mostly low-cost budget affairs. There is no formal buffet but they do have something like it in the form of Sweet Lucy's, which is reviewed in our Dining section.

On the top floor is One-Six, a restaurant and lounge that offers some pretty great views of the surrounding Vegas valley, unblocked by neighboring tall buildings.

The standard rooms are generously sized and come with a sleekly modern design scheme, all clean lines and crisp linens. Big padded headboards loom over the pillow-top mattresses, which faces a 37" flat panel television over a big dresser. There's a nice sitting chair (suede in the room I saw) and a writing desk plus floor to ceiling windows offering more good views. Other amenities include high-speed Internet, an in-room refrigerator (not a mini-bar), iron and board, hairdryers, and more. The bathrooms are small compared to most modern Strip hotels but more than big enough to get done what you may need to get done in there.

Deluxe rooms are bigger and add a wet bar to go along with the extra floor space. They also feature significantly larger bathrooms with showers and Jacuzzi tubs alongside pocket doors that open into the main bedroom so you can luxuriate and see out the windows at the same time.

There is a decent sized pool area with plenty of chairs, a small stage for summertime entertainment, and a snack bar. But you do have to walk through the casino to get to the area so that's a definite demerit.

The turn from the local's casino norm here is that there really isn't a lot else going on at the hotel. There is no bowling alley or cheap food court or movie theaters, so your onsite entertainment options are fairly limited.

I had some issues with the specific staff members I was dealing with to tour the facility but everyone else in the normal customer service roles seemed very friendly and eager to make me feel at home. It's a nice change of pace from the often impersonal service you see on The Strip.

The room rates are the thing that should really get your attention. Standard rooms can get as low as $49 during the week and $69 on the weekend. And although you'll usually pay more than that it's not a lot more and so that means you're getting a very comfortable room in a very comfortable hotel for a fraction of the cost you'll pay on The Strip.

Yes, it's a drive to get here, which means you'll have to have a car at your disposal, but you can still come out way ahead. I've used this hypothetical situation in other hotel reviews on this site, but let's say you're staying for five nights and you get a rate of around $350 for those nights here at the Eastside Cannery. Throw in another $150 for a rental car and that puts you at $500 for your trouble. Or you can stay on The Strip, which will probably cost you at least $150 per night and pay for cabs everywhere you want to go - that's at least $800 right there. Think of what you can do with those three extra bills.

The Eastside Cannery is not the best local's hotel in town, nor is it the best value. But it is definitely worth knowing about, even if you aren't a local.

Highs:	Comfortable rooms, low costs
Lows:	Location and lack of things to do
Category	Rating	Comments
Location:	4	Far from The Strip but close to Boulder Hwy hotels.
Price:	8	You can get very inexpensive rates here.
Value:	7	For these prices? Great value!
Rooms:	8	Modern and comfortable.
Casino:	7	Also modern and comfortable.
Amenities:	8	Rooms are very well equipped.
Facilities:	5	Not as much to do here as hoped.
Service:	8	Mostly very friendly.
Fun:	6	Fun for gamblers, but not much else.
Bonus:	7	A nice addition to Vegas
Vegas4Visitors Rating:68

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