Columnist Kate Maddox: Monks prepare for Las Vegas show

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000 | 8:38 a.m.

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

The Shaolin monks have been a part of Chinese culture and tradition for more than 1,500 years -- working in peaceful, spiritual harmony to become some of the greatest martial arts masters in the world, all the while rarely leaving their secluded monastery.

Years pass, dynasties change, the Shaolin monks develop the worldwide martial art known as kung fu, TV shows are developed, a craze sweeps the country and still the monks retain their private and tranquil existence -- that is, until they discover that their home at the foot of holy Mount Songshan is in need of a serious face lift and the monastic lifestyle hasn't exactly procured them the pennies needed for building repairs. There's only one thing left for them to do in this dilemma: Head for Las Vegas and raise some cash.

The Shaolin monks will make their first trip to America next month to show off their incredible artistry and physical endurance, all in an effort to generate financial support to renovate their beloved monastery, which was built in 495 A.D.

The MGM Grand will play host to the spiritual icons Feb. 11-23. The show will include demonstrations of the monks' renowned ability to blend body and spirit in order to pull off some breathtaking stunts -- breaking bricks, wielding Chinese weapons, sitting on beds of nails, etc.

In order to make the trip, the monks had to seek special approval from the heads of the monastery. After some deliberation, the request was granted and now approximately 30 monks, ranging in age from 6 to 70, will be involved in the Vegas show. (Former members of the Shaolin troupe have made trips to the U.S. to perform in the past, but those members had already left the sect.) To mark this special venture, the mayor of the Chinese city that is home to the monastery will accompany the "real" monks on their trip to Las Vegas, where the quiet-living holy men will get their first taste of America.

Sylvester Stallone left quite an impression on one Las Vegas dancer when he was in town last week to shoot scenes for his upcoming movie, "Get Carter."

Andrea Guevara, one of the dancers in "Crazy Girls" at the Riviera hotel-casino, was moonlighting as an extra during a long day of shooting at the Venetian. Stallone immediately noticed the stunning dancer and, although she didn't have any speaking parts, gave her some "acting" lessons.

"He mainly encouraged me to 'get into it,' just be more expressive," Guevara said. "He told me to tilt my head a certain way and how to react to the camera." His helpful comments were the buzz among the extras -- during breaks, the other fill-in actors wanted to know what Sly had told her and what the two were talking about.

"He just made me feel really comfortable and he has a great sense of humor," Guevara continued. When Stallone, who has been married to model Jennifer Flavin since 1997, wasn't wowing her with his stellar personality, he was trying to get to know her a little better. The "Rocky" star was curious about her job, so Guevara invited him to see the show while he was in town. Unfortunately, the star couldn't fit "Crazy Girls" into his busy schedule, but he apparently found time to catch some other dancers around town -- Stallone sightings were reported at a handful of Las Vegas strip joints last week.

Guevara won't soon forget her 12-hour day with Stallone. She found him charming and kind and interested in what she had to say. She said that in her sideline career as an extra/model, Stallone was hands-down the coolest celebrity she's met to date.

Wayne Newton will arrive with full Vegas-headliner regalia this week when he throws the switch on the new sign at the Stardust hotel-casino. Newton plans to show up on Thursday at 6 p.m. in his $360,000 Rolls Royce, accompanied by a police motorcade. Nothing like a great photo-op to kick off a new show -- his run at the Stardust starts next Monday.

The new marquee, all 33,600 lights of it, now bears the name The Wayne Newton Theater and is said to be worth $2.5 million.