Columnist Kate Maddox: Bon Jovi brothers share marital milestones

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, May 2, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

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

If Jon Bon Jovi has trouble remembering his wedding anniversary, now he can just ask his brother. Tony Bongiovi, brother of actor/rocker Jon, tied the knot here on Saturday at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. Now the brothers have the same anniversary -- Bon Jovi married his hometown sweetheart, Dorothea, at the Graceland Chapel back in 1989. After the ceremony family and friends partied at a private reception at Planet Hollywood.

Jon Bon Jovi is having lots of luck in Hollywood these days as well. The former glam-band frontman is one of the stars of the current box-office hit "U-571" and he'll be on the big screen again soon in "Pay It Forward," parts of which were filmed in Las Vegas.

Weeks before Steve Wynn's official announcement regarding the purchase of the Desert Inn he was already wrangling to get talent for his newest property. Wynn reportedly had a lengthy meeting with Tony Bennett after Bennett's last performance at Caesars Circus Maximus Showroom last month.

According to a member of Bennett's entourage, Wynn asked the singer how long he'd like to perform at the D.I., extending an open invitation for Bennett to headline at the hotel.

Comedian Ray Romano will get to test the new Danny Gans Theater at the Mirage later this month. The "Everybody Loves Raymond" star, who usually plays at the Desert Inn when in town, will perform for two consecutive weekends specifically to entertain some of the hotel's most treasured high rollers. A few tickets to the shows, which will start after Gans finishes up his performance, will be available to the public.

After weeks of rumors Strip insiders are saying that the days of the "Radio City Rockettes" are numbered. The buzz on the show hasn't been good for the past few months and now it seems that the hotel is looking for replacements. I hear there have already been meetings with representatives of potential new shows.

The Miss Hawaiian Tropic International contest drew the usual crowds this year -- even though there were only 55 contestants, almost half of what they had last year. The three-day event, which was held poolside (of course) at the Tropicana, consisted mainly of bikini-clad women representing countries all over the world for the, ahem, coveted title of Miss Hawaiian Tropic.

Some of the celebrities on hand to help with the judging included: Kevin Costner, Reggie Jackson, former "Saved By The Bell" star Mario Lopez, Alan Thicke, Jerry Tarkanian, Tropicana magician Rick Thomas and (no surprise here, folks) Robin Leach. The winner was Canadian brunette/Carmen Electra look-alike Mary EveDufualt.

An after-party at Studio 54 rounded out the festivities. If you missed it, don't worry: The E! Channel sent its "Wild On" crew to catch all of the excitement.