Columnist Kate Maddox: Show looking for Fox-y guys

Kate Maddox

Sunday, June 18, 2000 | 11:37 a.m.

The folks at Fox appear to be getting back into the ring after getting knocked out by critics after the "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" debacle. A new Fox show, "World's Sexiest Bachelor," might be taped in Las Vegas. But unlike "Multimillionaire" -- in which Rick Rockwell chose Darva Conger as his bride for an ill-fated marriage -- ladies pick the winner in this show. Fox execs are hoping to land a Vegas venue for this latest bit of pop-culture voyeurism.

Fifty of the world's sexiest men (Rick Rockwell need not apply) will line up for a select group of women for a male beauty contest to determine which of the guys will bear the coveted title. It's pay-back time, boys, and if anyone at Fox still has his brain intact, he will try to get Conger on that judging panel.

The show is scheduled to tape in October and hit the airwaves in time for November sweeps.

Also hoping to find a home for taping in Las Vegas is "I Do, I Don't," a syndicated game show of sorts in which engaged couples answer a series of questions about their true love. The more correct answers, the more audience support. Couples should be worried about audience opinion -- at the end of the show, the crowd will vote on whether the two should marry or call it quits. This show, originally picked up by Fox, is now in the hands of the people who brought America "The People's Court."

Let me just say that on Friday, when an 8-foot surfboard showed up at my office, I had to take a moment. And sure, we all want attention, especially in this day and age of entertainment headliners, star-chef restaurants and gala parties, but people, a surfboard? The most confusing part of the gimmick is that nowhere on the thing does it specify what in the heck it's for. Now I've got to walk through the office bearing a surfboard, muttering, "I don't want to talk about it" to the stares of newsroom commandos.

So, amidst the publicity-seeking barrage of 3-D invitations, chocolate CDs, balloons, live lobsters (I still bear the scars), holograms, candy-grams and strip-o-grams (OK, not yet, but it's a thought) I say: Enough. We hear you. And for the sake of my office-mates and the corner of the building that is filled with my junk, let's just take a minute to remember the good old days of the plain invitation, the press release and the simple phone call.

By the way, the surfboard marks the arrival of a new attraction at Mandalay Bay. Sources there say it's something that Vegas has never seen the likes of before and that it's sure to "make a big splash." It's a shark aquarium with a "remarkably diverse collection of ocean predators."

When it comes to breaking into showbiz, it's all about timing. So the guys from Vegas boy band 4 NOW are putting the pedal to the metal, hoping to speed things up. On June 22 the boys will have yet another free concert at Planet Hollywood, where they'll also hawk their first CD -- which consists of just four songs, but for a band that's only been together for a couple of months, that's not bad.

An even bigger coup is opening for the hot R&B group Destiny's Child, a gig they landed just this week. Even though the boys had a rough debut at last week's "KLUC Summer Jam" -- the crowd tried to pummel them with water bottles -- they're ready and willing to play the Joint at the Hard Rock when Destiny's Child arrives on July 2.

Still hoping to catch a glimpse of Brad and Julia before they leave town? Try one of Wolfgang Puck's eateries for Roberts -- she and beau Benjamin Bratt have turned up at most of his Vegas spots. Bratt and head chef David Robins were childhood buddies. For Pitt and gal pal Jennifer Aniston, try the tables at Mandalay Bay. Although they're staying at the Four Seasons, the couple have frequented the casino almost every night.