Columnist Kate Maddox: Carlin MGM-bound, by George

Kate Maddox

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2000 | 4:01 a.m.

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

George Carlin is moving on. After 11 years of performing on the big stage at Bally's, Carlin's jumping down-Strip to the MGM Grand. The pony-tailed comic will reportedly be doing his final show at Bally's on Wednesday, after a two-week stay. His Bally's deal had him shtick-ing there for 11 weeks this year.

A closing party in Carlin's dressing room has been planned for official send-off festivities. The Park Place property was sorry to see one of its long-term star talents sign up elsewhere, but a Bally's insider insists Carlin's departure was amicable.

A source close to Carlin said it was simply time for the comic to move along. The MGM deal will require Carlin to perform 14 weeks a year -- his inaugural gig is reportedly Jan. 18. Carlin will most likely take the stage at the MGM's Hollywood Theatre, but there is talk that Carlin will occasionally be in the EFX Grand Theatre.

A fairly A-list celebrity crowd is shaping up to make appearances at this year's CineVegas International Film Festival. The six-day movie extravaganza is scheduled to boast the likes of Nicolas Cage, Martin Landau, Sydney Pollack, Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Wayne Newton (well, what Vegas festival isn't complete without The Wayner?), Tony Curtis (who receives a lifetime achievement award,) Wilford Brimley and Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski.

A CineVegas awards ceremony will be hosted by Harrah's headliner Clint Holmes. Things appear to be running smoothly for the film festival this time around, and there are no signs of last year's bitter infighting. A thorough housecleaning of last year's Cine-Vegas board members seems to have been the way to go.

CineVegas kicks off at Paris Las Vegas on Nov. 28 and runs through Dec. 3.

Frank Marino says his life is an episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" waiting to happen. Marino, who stars in "La Cage" at the Riviera, recently added a new chapter to his somewhat complicated biography.

See if you can follow: Marino was given up for adoption at birth. His adoptive parents passed away before he was 10 years old. He was turned over to godparents who raised him. Seventeen years ago he finally learned he had been adopted and started a search for his birth family. He tracked down his mother and met her and her children. Shortly thereafter he learned his birth father had passed away four years ago, but that his father, too, had other children.

Got it so far?

So, this week Marino met his biological sister, who is just one month younger than her 37-year-old brother. She flew out from New York to get acquainted with her show boy/girl(?) kin. Marino made sure he met her out of costume, but on his sister's second night in town, he had her come to see "La Cage." Talk about a shocker. Marino said she took his act well and was very supportive of his, um, line of work.

For Marino, it was just another chance to meet one more member of a very extended family.

"For me, this kind of stuff seems so weird that doing drag is no big deal," he said. "I mean, compared to the craziness of my family, drag's normal, right?"

Despite working full time on "At the Copa" with co-star David Cassidy, Sheena Easton has found time to complete her 15th album. It's a campy, disco compilation appropriately titled "Fabulous."

Easton told Billboard magazine that she took on the project because it seemed like fun and was a good way to let go and be an all-out diva for a change. (Perhaps she was tired of letting Cassidy be the pro at that.)

"Fabulous" will be released in the U.K. this week and is expected to hit American shores early this spring.