Columnist Kate Maddox: Shania gets shorn in Las Vegas

Kate Maddox

Sunday, March 19, 2000 | 10 a.m.

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

Singer Shania Twain turned up here last week to vacation with her sister and she stopped in for a haircut at one of Vegas' high-end hotel salons.

The stylists, who are used to the veritable revolving door of famous folk popping in and out for pampering treatments, were discreet as usual. But one did mention to the star that he happened to be a fan of her music.

Twain, who didn't quite score high personality marks during her Vegas visit, mumbled thanks and then asked the hairdresser how he knew who she was. Ummm, Shania? I don't think we need our secret decoder ring for that one.

Last time I checked you were on all the charts, smothering VH-1 with videos and "Behind the Music" biographies, rounding out a divas concert and you happen to be the star of a major ad campaign for cosmetics. That's not exactly un-noticeable exposure.

The stylist wasn't quite as blunt, but he did nod to a nearby issue of Celebrity Hairstyles magazine. Twain was on the cover. Enough said.

Sources at various Strip hotels are spilling the beans about who's staying where during the Las Vegas filming of the star-packed "3,000 Miles to Graceland."

The movie's headliner, Kevin Costner, will be at the Mirage. Costner, who is rumored to have a current Las Vegas gal pal, is friendly with Steve Wynn -- whose daughter he once took on a date or two.

Co-star Christian Slater, who makes his first trip here as a married man -- he tied the knot with the mother of his baby son on Valentine's Day in Beverly Hills -- is also at the Mirage. Kevin Pollak and Kurt Russell have been spied at the Bellagio. And Courteney Cox-Arquette and hubby David Arquette are camped out at the swanky Four Seasons.

It's two weeks before opening night and Danny Gans' new show at the Mirage has already sold enough tickets to hit the $1 million mark.

Gans opens in a brand-new, state-of-the-art 1,260-seat theater at the Mirage on April 4. The show, which has been heavily promoted on billboards around town for months, has created quite a buzz and sales of tickets apparently took off at lightning speed. The box office opened on Feb. 1.

In case you're worried about getting in, Gans personally held back 300 tickets for opening week, at $67.50 plus tax, just for locals.

Just a reminder for those of you hoping to get your young mugs on MTV's radar, the "Real World" reunion show is still looking for 300 audience members. If you're between 16 and 25, show up at the Joint at the Hard Rock hotel-casino on Wednesday to take part in the "informal talk show format set inside a party-like atmosphere."

The obvious bonus here is that if chosen, you will have the opportunity to grill your least fave cast members. Remember bike messenger Puck from the "Real World" in San Francisco? How about Eric Nies, who parlayed his buff body shots from his time with the New York cast into a hosting gig on MTV's dance party show, "The Grind"? Now, who wouldn't want to take a crack or two at that career move?

If you want to pick on the kids, or if you can defy the odds and come up with some intelligent questions for the 28 former cast members, show up at the Joint no later than 5 p.m. and don't wear white or anything with logos.