Columnist Kate Maddox: New ‘Spin’: Charlie Sheen in for Fox

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2000 | 8:39 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays only in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at kmaddox@vegas.com.

Martin Sheen, one of the presenters at Monday night's ESPY Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, let it slip backstage to the press that his son, Charlie, has just about wrapped up the deal for him to take over as the male lead on the popular ABC sitcom "Spin City" when Michael J. Fox leaves at the end of the season.

Sheen said that his son, who was one of a group of actors whose names were thrown in as possible replacements, was thrilled with the development and that when the two last spoke this past weekend, it looked like things were all set.

Sheen also said that the production of "Spin City" would be moved from New York, where Fox lives with his family, to Los Angeles.

Another high point of the ESPY's involved supermodel Tyra Banks, who apparently left her shirt back in her dressing room.

Banks, whose assets most of us have seen in the Victoria's Secret catalogs, boldly came onstage in what looked like her underwear. Her co-presenter, football great Joe Theismann, introduced himself as merely "the body standing next to Tyra Banks." Banks may have even distracted herself -- she flubbed the one line she had to deliver.

Actor Wesley Snipes and martial arts specialist/actor Sammo Hung turned out Saturday night for a performance by the Shaolin Monks at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theater.

Snipes, who recently lost his chance to play Shaft in the re-make of the '70s' film when pal Samuel L. Jackson snagged the role, has been a follower and student of martial arts for a number of years -- he even trained under a former Shaolin monk at one point.

Hung, who has either starred in, consulted on or directed dozens of martial arts movies, including Jackie Chan's "Mr. Nice Guy," and who currently stars on CBS' "Martial Law," drew huge applause from the packed house when his presence in the audience was announced.

Both Snipes and Hung retired to the party directly following the show at a penthouse suite at the MGM. The two actors had their pictures taken with the monks, who sat quietly on couches while the VIP guests mingled and stared, flashbulbs popping. It was a little disconcerting.

The Masters of Shaolin, who put on a fascinating show, will be at the MGM through Feb. 23.

Courteney Cox Arquette is in final negotiations to star in the upcoming Vegas-based feature "3,000 Miles to Graceland." Cox Arquette, who currently appears in the No. 1 movie in the country "Scream 3," will play the female lead opposite Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell.

The movie focuses on a gang of ex-cons who set out to pull off a major Vegas casino heist. Costner is the bad guy in the bunch and Russell, who will undoubtedly be impersonating Elvis for some parts of the movie, is the group's hero. Cox Arquette would step in as Russell's love interest. Filming starts this month.

Some behind-the-scenes sources at the Mirage are saying that things with "Miss Spectacular" -- the new musical scheduled to debut at the hotel within two years -- aren't going so well.

An insider says that Steve Wynn, who was so excited about the project in November that he reportedly played music and sang along to some of the show's songs at a Wall Street conference in New York, is unhappy with the way things are coming along with the musical and with the construction of its new 1,800-seat state-of-the-art theater.

Unconfirmed reports have it that plans for Tony Award-winning producer Jerry Herman's show about an Indiana girl striving to be a star are now set on the back burner. A Mirage Resorts spokesman was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

It's official. "The Rat Pack is Back" has signed with the Sahara. The David Cassidy/Don Reo-produced show is scheduled to open at the 500-seat Congo Room on March 25. Despite ongoing legal issues with the show and its former venue, the Desert Inn, the Sahara gladly opened its doors to the popular production.

Although final details have yet to be released, the original cast is scheduled to return, but whether Cassidy -- who occasionally took the stage in the Bobby Darin role -- will be able to perform is up in the air, considering his current obligations to his own show at the Rio.