Columnist Kate Maddox: EAT’M ready to greet ‘em again

Kate Maddox

Friday, March 3, 2000 | 9:24 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays, only in the La Vegas Sun. Reach her at kmaddox@vegas.com. To subscribe to the Sun, call 383-0400.

Musicians trying to hit the big time might be able to find some luck right here in Las Vegas in June. EAT'M -- Emerging Artists & Talent in Music -- will hold its third annual conference and showcase June 7-10 at the Rio hotel-casino, and the process of nailing down the hundreds of bands that have submitted demos has already begun.

EAT'M founder and Executive Director Lisa Tenner hopes that this year's crop of 200 bands will be as successful as some of last year's talent, many of whom were signed to major record labels.

The conference gives bands from all over the world the chance to schmooze with some of the music industry's heavy hitters. Past speakers at EAT'M include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ahmet Ertegun and co-founder of Atlantic Records and singing legend Smokey Robinson. This year's keynote speaker will be Jim Caparro, chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. Caparro's label has signed many of today's hottest chart-toppers including Jay Z, Hanson, Shania Twain and LL Cool J.

Sandy Murphy has been seen driving around town in a brand-new Mercedes. The car, allegedly a gift from her financial supporter, William Fuller, is just one of the lifestyle upgrades that Murphy has acquired over the past month thanks to her extremely generous friend.

Another movie is scheduled to shoot at the Riviera hotel-casino. The producers of "The Mexican" have dropped off a copy of the film's script to the folks at the hotel who are reviewing it in hopes that some of the scenes can be shot on location. The Riv is already on board "3,000 Miles to Graceland," which is scheduled to begin shooting this month.

Several other Strip hotels are rumored to be trying to attract producers of "The Mexican" for location shots. The movie, which will star Brad Pitt and the $20 million-a-picture "it" girl, Julia Roberts, is slated to start filming in June.

Although the Fox network made a big deal about all of the beautiful white wedding dresses that the potential brides each got to select for their appearance on "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire," it turns out that they weren't parting gifts. Even the winner (and I use that description carefully), Darva Conger, had to return her traditional wedding gown -- this according to her husband, Rick Rockwell. Rockwell stated on "Larry King Live" last week that all of the dresses, which were selected by the brides at a local dress shop, were "repo'd" almost immediately after the taping of the show ended.

Author P.J. O'Rourke takes Las Vegas for a test drive this month in Forbes magazine when he compares Venice with the the Venetian. In a witty monologue, O'Rourke serves up the highs and lows of the megaresort and its relationship to one of Italy's most famous cities.

O'Rourke points out some of the feats that Sheldon Adelson's piece de resistance has been able to pull off, including a "Grand Canal (that is) not only indoors, it's on the second floor," and, as he astutely notes, "the water in the Las Vegas Grand Canal is clean, chlorinated and shallow. And if you do fall in, so what? There are enough coins on the bottom to play the slots for hours." The man does have a point.

He also points out that Adelson managed to skip the authentic Venice's smell -- which O'Rourke concludes is a major high point -- and that the 10,000 or so pigeons (or "rats of the sky" as they are often described) that inhabit St. Mark's Square, have here been replaced by 50 trained white doves. That's another improvement on the original. Plus, our Grand Canal has a food court. Let's see the Italians try to pull that one off.

Overall, O'Rourke, after a lengthy list of pros and cons, concludes: "For a Venice that's on the wrong continent, in the middle of a dust bowl and built last year, the Venetian is surprisingly authentic."

A ringing endorsement.