Columnist Kate Maddox: Newton’s Shenandoah spared

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 | 9:12 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

The fire that ravaged Sunset Park on Sunday came perilously close to damaging Casa de Shenandoah, the compound of entertainer Wayne Newton. Not only is the sprawling property home to Newton and his family, it also houses his beloved pets -- which include wallabies, horses and a treasured flock of penguins.

Luckily the staff acted fast and got all of the animals safely away from the blaze. As for Newton's other prized possessions, most notably his collection of vintage Rolls Royces, they were safely driven from the garage to another part of the property, out of danger.

Newton was so concerned about the fire that he quickly decided to cancel a concert in New York scheduled for Monday night. Fire crews were still keeping an eye on things as of late Monday afternoon, and Newton wanted to be home in case the blaze flared up again.

In a statement, the entertainer said he was "extremely thankful" to the firefighters who put out the blaze, and he also said they should be "highly commended for the job they did."

As for more canceled tour dates, Newton seems to have gotten a needed break. Tonight had already been scheduled as a night off, so Mr. Las Vegas and his family will remain in town and depart for a show in Washington state Wednesday morning. After the tour, which ends Aug. 27, Newton will be taking a two-week vacation.

What will those wacky MTV'ers think of next? On Monday night they rolled tape on Rocketman, aka Eric Tolman Scott, as he launched himself from the top of the 192-foot Sahara Hotel marquee. The stunt will be a part of the music channel's new fall show, "Senseless Acts of Video."

Propelled by a one-man rocket booster system, Scott flew through the loop of the hotel's SPEED roller coaster and landed in front of the NASCAR Cafe.

OK, if you think that's dumb, let's try to think of something else. How's about we light a guy on fire and watch him hold out 'til he can't take it anymore and maybe, just maybe, he'll break a world record? A master plan.

Tonight, the Human Torch (notice how everyone gets a superhero moniker), aka Gary Edelen, will light himself on fire and try to break the world record for being aflame, which is 2 minutes, 6 seconds. The 52-year-old stunt master will attempt the full-body burn in a vacant area across the Strip from the Sahara about 8 p.m.

Alyssa Milano turned some heads at the Sting concert at the MGM on Saturday night. The star of "Charmed" was there to support her ex-hubby, Cinjun Tate, lead singer of Sting's opening act, Remy Zero.

Milano and Tate wed in 1999 and divorced 10 months later, but those who witnessed the pre- and post-show smooching suspect the couple have reconciled. However, Milano was later spotted dancing late into the night at Studio 54 with no Tate in sight.

The fate of the Motown Cafe at New York-New York is still up in the air. Rumors have persisted for the past two weeks that the themed restaurant is on the verge of closing for good.

The hotel won't comment, and neither will the owners, but insiders speculate that the place will soon shutter permanently, probably in the same fashion that New York-New York's cigar bar, Hamilton's, closed.

After some back-and-forth speculation, patrons and some employees at that swanky hangout were notified of the closing by a note taped to the door.