Columnist Kate Maddox: Holmes offers singer a home

Kate Maddox

Sunday, May 21, 2000 | 8:25 a.m.

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

Clint Holmes, the star of "Takin' It Uptown" at Harrah's hotel-casino, will share the stage with a special guest at his Monday and Tuesday night performances this week. Serena Henry will be filling in for Holmes' regular back-up star, Natalie Reiter.

Henry was a three-time winner at the world famous (and notoriously brutal) Apollo Theater talent competition and she has also performed as a guest vocalist for Gladys Knight -- including singing with her at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton.

Those are big accomplishments for any rising star, but when you consider that Henry is just 17 year old, it's even more impressive. Holmes took notice of Henry's talent after a performance at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts, where the young singer goes to school, along with Holmes' daughter.

Holmes is thrilled to give Henry her shot at the Strip this week: "One of the greatest things about having such a visible show is that it affords me the chance to give someone as talented as her the opportunity to shine."

Frank Marino, the star of "La Cage" at the Riviera, was up for a small role opposite Brad Pitt in "The Mexican," but it looks like he's going to take a pass. Marino, who recently signed a lengthy and lucrative contract extension with "La Cage," said that the movie people weren't willing to make the part "worth his while," so to speak.

The movie shoot would have left Marino little time to do his show and he felt he should be fairly compensated for the lost work -- after all, a Hollywood studio has piles of money, right? Well, wrong. Looking for bit players in a big-budget movie means bargain hunting by producers. These guys are paying somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million for Julia Roberts (which is her usual asking fee) and probably a little less for Pitt (who hasn't scored a hit in quite some time). They're going to want to look for a cheap back-up plan (no offense, Frank -- or is that a compliment?) when it comes to the smaller roles.

It also looks like location shots for "The Mexican" are falling through as well. The production team had just about cut a deal to shoot scenes at the Riviera when a last-minute date change had the hotel worried about losing money. The movie guys wanted to use the showroom, which was scheduled to be dark anyway, and when the timing was rearranged, the Hollywood people were again unwilling to compensate the hotel for money lost as a result of canceling the shows needed to accommodate them. The deal went down the tubes. The hotel wouldn't budge on the money issue, the movie people wouldn't budge on the dates.

Not that the Riv should worry about losing Hollywood business. Location scouts came through last week checking out possible shots for a new Vegas-based picture called "Seven Spells." Early word is that the movie is yet another casino heist flick.

Dennis Rodman is making a spectacle of himself at the already-crazed Cannes Film Festival this week. The Worm (and entourage, of course) has descended on the French Riviera to party and promote "Cutaway," an independent, low-budget movie starring Rodman. The former NBA hoopster and frequent Vegas visitor has been spotted dancing and drinking into the wee hours with at least three babes constantly by his side -- he's rumored to have taken up temporary residence at a private rented home outside city limits.

But by the time the festivities at Cannes come to a close, Rodman's hickeys had better be nothing but fond memories. He's scheduled to be the guest of honor at a birthday bash thrown by his on-again/off-again lady, Carmen Electra, on June 3. The poolside party at the Hard Rock will feature a well-known alternative rock band (to be named here later) and lots of Rodman's celebrity pals.