Columnist Kate Maddox: Basinger, Baldwin auction off goodies

Kate Maddox

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2000 | 9:58 a.m.

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

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin were the celebrity hosts at a fund-raising dinner Thursday night at Spiedini's Ristorante at the Regent Las Vegas in Summerlin. Basinger and Baldwin were on hand to lend support to PAWS, the Performing Animal Welfare Society, which cares for neglected animals at its facility in Galt, Calif.

Basinger, who has been a champion of animal rights for years, and Baldwin, who eagerly supports his wife's causes, donated many items of movie memorabilia for the dinner's live auction. One of the highlights was a manual typewriter used on the set of Basinger's move "L.A. Confidential." It went for $7,500.

The couple also contributed movie posters -- one of which went for five grand -- and collectible items, such as football jackets given to the stars in appreciation for their guest appearances on "The Simpsons." The two Bart and family-decorated jackets went for a whopping $12,500 (it didn't hurt when Basinger got up to model hers during the bidding.)

I'm not too sure where this idea came from, but the Oscar-winning actress also donated a pair of her lacy white underwear and matching bra. After a little squeal of embarrassment when the bidding opened at $1,000, Basinger (who didn't model these) was thrilled when the undies were sold for $5,500.

After a specially prepared vegetarian dinner, the famous couple retired to a private room for dessert with four other guests, one of whom paid $7,500 for that pleasure. That was a bargain compared to the $25,000 one gentleman paid for the honor of dining with the acting duo in New York and joining them for a Knicks game.

Thanks to that kind of generosity, Pat Derby, the founder and one of the directors of PAWS, will now have an extra $200,000 to help build a fence around a new 2,300-acre property in California which will dramatically expand the land available to help care for the rescued animals.

Derby -- who was once a trainer at the San Diego Zoo -- and her crew rescue neglected animals from all over the country. PAWS will soon be responsible for Manfred and Tuffy, the two bears found near Las Vegas living in a dirty horse trailer. The bears, whose rescue last summer made news, will have the opportunity to live in a natural environment when they make the move to the California sanctuary in mid-March. PAWS is already home to a couple of rare African antelopes, found on property owned by the late Ted Binion in Pahrump.

Kevin Spacey is itching to star in an upcoming biopic about singer Bobby Darin. Liz Smith reports that Spacey, who is 40, is confident he can handle the role of the '50s teen singing sensation who passed away at the age of 37 in 1973. The movie, which is in the embryonic stages, will be directed by Barry Levinson.

This Thursday the Las Vegas Art Museum will hold a fund-raiser to mark the opening of "Dali's Millennium," which is the largest exhibition of Salvador Dali's works from private collectors ever assembled.

The event, which is scheduled to have some of Las Vegas' most famous and talented personalities and artists in attendance, will include some interesting entertainment for guests. The producers of the party have managed to put together what promises to be a refreshing example of whimsical performance art -- designed to imitate the surreal nature of Dali's greatest paintings.

Without revealing the specifics of the 15-minute show, Burt Lancon, one of the organizers, admitted that it will include a yoga-related contortionist who apparently has some mind-bending (unforgivable) flexibility. Also scheduled to "perform" are a singer and a local hairstylist, William Whatley, who cuts hair to music using a straight-edge razor.

Las Vegas might soon be the home of another insta-marriage game show. Unfortunately, being the marriage capital of the world has its cultural pitfalls and "Wed at First Sight" is probably going to be one of them.

The Universal Studios show, which is in the early stages of production and will be taped in Las Vegas, is similar to TV's old school "Dating Game," but with a twist. Contestants -- brides-to-be selected from an already established database of 2.5 million single women -- screen videos of potential mates and narrow the pool down to three lucky candidates. The winner is determined game show style -- through a series of questions and lighthearted competition. If all goes well, the couple walk down the aisle at the end of the show.