Columnist Kate Maddox: Peck, Muniz highlight VSDA confab

Kate Maddox

Friday, July 7, 2000 | 8:48 a.m.

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

The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) will hold its annual convention here this weekend, and among the scheduled events will be a lifetime achievement award presentation to Hollywood legend Gregory Peck. On the other end of the age spectrum, Frankie Muniz, the 14-year-old star of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," will receive the VSDA Rising Star of the Year award. Muniz, who has just snagged a role in a Martin Scorsese-produced pic starring Matt Dillon, Debbie Harry and Stephen Dorff, is the nerdy-looking acting prodigy who also made a name for himself in the family flick, "My Dog Skip."

Other prestigious Hollywood names in town for VSDA will be Amir Malin (Artisan Entertainment CEO), who will show a sneak preview of "Blair Witch 2" following his keynote address, and directors John Landis, John Waters and David Zucker, as well as "Entertainment Tonight" movie guru Leonard Maltin.

Insiders are speculating that the closing of "The Rat Pack is Back" at the Sahara hotel-casino won't be the final curtain for the tribute show. Although co-producer David Cassidy is on vacation this week, sources say that at least three major Strip properties are interested in bringing back "The Rat Pack" for its third incarnation.

Sources are also saying that cast members very much want to hang in there until the show finds a new home. The trouble wasn't ticket sales or lack of popularity. The trouble was magician Steve Wyrick.

Wyrick, whose scheduled show for the Sahara was originally slated to open back in February, has been the source of a couple of headaches for the hotel. Opening dates have had to be significantly postponed as special considerations for Wyrick's multimillion-dollar production were repeatedly being reworked. As things finally came to fruition -- an opening date has now been announced for sometime "in the next 60 days" -- ticket prices for the magic show landed in the very same ballpark as those of "The Rat Pack is Back." Loyal to Wyrick, who was drawing capacity crowds at the Lady Luck for two years, the Sahara had to cut something -- and the tribute show got the ax.

Singer Jimmy Hopper, who was commanding $38.50 a head at the Ra Showroom at the Luxor, can now be seen free of charge at the Fontana Bar in the Bellagio. Although the scuttlebutt surrounding the name of the Fontana was the source of some controversy -- Hopper is very sensitive about the use of the "L" word when associated with his rising star, "L" standing for Lounge, that is -- he's apparently content with performing in a bar.

Seems that the Fontana, which until Thursday was always referred to as "lounge," at least in this newspaper, has now dropped that surname, as per the hotel and Hopper's requests. Oh well. The point is, you can see the singing sensation for free -- at least for now. Sources hint that the no-cover-charge policy may soon be replaced by dollar signs.

Acting legend and beauty icon Sophia Loren made appearances at the Venetian hotel-casino's one-year anniversary celebration. However, Loren, who was the guest of honor at a six-course VIP dinner at the hotel on Sunday night, barely made it to anything at all. Loren was inconsolable over the death Saturday of her good friend and "Grumpier Old Men" co-star Walter Matthau (see Roger Ebert's story below, and Steve Bornfeld's column at left). The actress told friends at the dinner that Saturday was "one of the saddest days of my life."