Columnist Kate Maddox: ‘Sweetheart’ deal for Las Vegas

Kate Maddox

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

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

Another big-budget flick is scheduled to make a shooting stopover in Las Vegas. In addition to the much-anticipated (and much-delayed) "Ocean's Eleven," "America's Sweethearts" will also set up shop in town for a little more than three weeks of shooting beginning in February.

The Hyatt at Lake Las Vegas will reportedly play host to the production's cast and crew.

The new film, co-written by and starring funnyman Billy Crystal, centers on a famous Hollywood couple played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack, whose sham marriage unravels during a lengthy press junket for their new movie.

Julia Roberts and Hank Azaria co-star as the couple's other love interests -- Roberts plays Zeta-Jones' sister.

What ensues is typical romantic comedy chaos, pitting husband against wife, sis against sis, blah, blah, blah. Although shooting has yet to begin, the movie has already made some headlines. The troubled-but-talented Robert Downey Jr. was slated to star, but his recent drug bust forced producers to recast his role and give the part to Azaria.

And due to "Sweethearts' " shooting schedule, Crystal has declined the hosting duties for March's Academy Awards ceremony.

This will be the third movie in less than a year that Roberts has shot on location in Las Vegas. In addition to "Ocean's Eleven" and "America's Sweethearts," Roberts co-starred with Brad Pitt in "The Mexican" a few months back.

I think I've cleared up the whole "Madonna at V Bar" issue. After a minimal amount of half-hearted sleuthing it's been determined that post-Billboards, the only shy, hat-wearing, sunglasses-sporting celeb sneaking through the back door at the trendy new club at the Venetian was singer Sheryl Crow.

So, yes, it was a songstress, but, no, not Madonna. To rest it goes.

Good news for the Aladdin's entertainment department. During sound checks and rehearsals for Saturday night's (amazingly unbelievable) Prince concert, the production manager for the hotel's Theatre for the Performing Arts received a huge compliment.

The artist formerly known as the Artist was so pleased with the theater's house audio system that he told his crew to leave its own equipment in the truck. Prince's head engineer said the Aladdin theater has the best-sounding audio system that he's ever worked with in North America and, possibly, the world.

And you thought those black-and-white shoes and red socks didn't make him cool. Sure, Danny Gans might not look like he's got his finger on the pulse of hip America, but at least he's trying to connect with a younger audience.

Gans has added some new voices to his impressionist extravaganza at the Mirage. He's mastered Macy Gray, Savage Garden and Creed (late of the Rio rooftop show).

Some critics have been pretty harsh about the overplayed old standards sung by various Strip impressionists (i.e. "Music of the Night," "Twelve Days of Christmas," anything by Johnny Mathis or Willie Nelson), so in an effort to be cool, Gans hasn't quite succeeded. But he's inching slightly ahead of the pack.