Dave Chappelle Is Alive and Well (and Playing Las Vegas) - New York Times

"IN a cavernous corner of Caesars Palace, flanked by six giant television screens broadcasting three horse races, two basketball games and a hockey match, a massive electronic board provides precise odds on the most doubtful propositions. A one-dollar bet, for example, would earn you $75 if the beleaguered New York Knicks should win the N.B.A. championship, and $200 if the lowly Green Bay Packers could somehow win the Super Bowl. And if you knew whom to ask, and promised to use the information for entertainment purposes only, you could obtain odds on an even more uncertain outcome: that Dave Chappelle would actually show up to his Nov. 19 gig as a headliner of the city's three-day Comedy Festival.He clearly had the support of the locals. 'I'd say it's a thousand to one in favor that he'll make it,' said the casino's chief line-maker, Chuck Esposito, two days beforehand. 'Dave is an overwhelming favorite. It's a lock.' Bob Crestani, the festival's chief executive officer, seemed just as certain. 'He's our anchor position,' Mr. Crestani said. 'He gets the punch line to end all punch lines.'"