Columnist Kate Maddox: Iglesias to ignite Aladdin opening

Kate Maddox

Friday, July 14, 2000 | 8:56 a.m.

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

Enrique Iglesias will be the opening act at the freshly redone Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Aug. 19. Iglesias -- rumored to be the No. 2 choice for an opener, Sting was No. 1 -- christens the 7,000-seat showroom, which was the only portion of the property saved in the 1998 implosion of the hotel.

A spokesperson added that the reconstructed room is the only one of its size in Vegas. That should be helpful in landing big-name acts that can't fill the mega-arenas but are too popular for smaller venues such as the Joint or House of Blues.

Asked why they approached Iglesias for the opener, the spokesman said the Latin star is just the type of "hip" and "cutting edge" performer they were looking for -- and the fact that his songs have been sitting in Billboard's Top 10 for most of the summer didn't hurt either.

The theater is still under construction, but the $20 million renovation is on schedule and there are no worries about raising the curtain on opening night.

OK, here's a trivia question for you old-timers: Who was the original Aladdin opening act back in 1976? (Look for the answer in Sunday's column.)

"Takin' It Uptown" star Clint Holmes will soon be featured on a brand new show on VH1. Holmes will be the focus of one episode of "Special Affects," a 13-week series that debuts this month on the music channel.

The show is devoted to learning what songs/shows/movies/celebs influenced or shaped certain entertainers' careers.

Holmes, the Harrah's headliner, told VH1 that the one song that had a profound effect on his career as well as his life was "Somewhere" from the musical "West Side Story."

"I remember going to see the show with my mother when I was about 11 or 12 years old," Holmes recalled. "At the time, I just completely related to it. I felt a connection to the lyrics and the message."

Holmes' background -- his mother was a white opera singer and his father was a black jazz musician -- was unique. He took the "West Side" storyline to heart: young people from different environments falling in love and struggling to find acceptance in a world with ethnic boundaries.

The Holmes segment of "Special Affects" is scheduled to air July 21.

It's been a bad week for Las Vegas residents and their vehicles. Last weekend Andre Agassi's rear-ender while traveling home alone on the way back from McCarran International Airport has him bedridden with back troubles and out of commission for the Davis Cup. (The shocker here was that one of tennis's most famous ace had to drive himself home from the airport after his Wimbledon trip. What? No family? No chauffeur? No Steffi? It was then that an office-mate reminded me that this is a guy who's often spotted at Weinerschnitzel. Enough said. And hold the letters -- I only meant that he's down-to-earth. I'm not knocking the dogs.)

And on Tuesday another Las Vegas local, comedian Jimmie "J.J." Walker, was cited for failure to stay in his lane after a minor accident in New Jersey. Apparently Walker took his eyes off the road while reaching for something in his car.

With retro-fashion making a comeback these days, it was only a matter of time before one major house took notice of "Old Vegas" style.

St. John's, the women's-wear label, will shoot its newest ad campaign at the Riviera. Scouts liked the look of the hotel's swanky old-school suites and casino. Look for the Riv in Vogue later this year.