Columnist Kate Maddox: Reality bites again on Fox

Kate Maddox

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2000 | 3:34 a.m.

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

Fox did it again on Friday. A two-hour special titled "Surprise Wedding" was taped at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. The reality-nightmare network -- apparently counting on America's short-term memory -- staged yet another quickie marriage show, but this time the stars were seven couples. The women were in on the "surprise," but their respective boyfriends were definitely left in the dark.

The guys were asked by their girlfriends to go on a special all-expenses-paid trip to Vegas and watch the ladies participate in a free televised makeover. But what the men didn't know was that their girlfriends had been made over into brides. Joke's on the men.

The seven women paraded out, post-fix-up and in full bridal regalia, and asked their beaus to join them on stage for a wedding.

Cute? Not really. Desperate? Yes, possibly. A ratings bonanza? I'm thinking Darva and Rick put the kibosh on America's excitement for this kind of thing.

I won't say if all of the men agreed to the on-the-spot nuptials, but I will say that there were plenty of gasps -- the kind other single men probably heard around the world.

Well, think of it this way: If things don't work out, I guess Fox could then offer the couples a shot at yet another new show, "I Want a Divorce."

The special is scheduled to air Thursday on Fox after an all-out promotion blitz. Fox had to keep "Surprise Wedding" a secret until after the taping, but now that the show is in the can (in more ways than one), look for commercials galore.

More tidbits are leaking out regarding Bellagio's planned nightclub venture. Construction is already under way in a lofty space atop Sam's American restaurant. In addition to a high-tech dance/club room on the second floor, there will also be a rooftop area, so those wanting to party under the stars in style will have the opportunity to do so. The design is still in the planning stages, but I hear that management now wants a team of "New York nightclub experts" to come in and run the place when it opens early next year.

The Beaux Arts Ball returns to MGM's Studio 54 tonight. The annual Halloween extravaganza boasts some of the freakiest costumes in town. This year judges for the 2 a.m. costume contest include Penn & Teller, David Cassidy, Clint Holmes, Sahara illusionist Steve Wyrick and singer/impressionist Bob Anderson. Ubiquitous presence Monti Rock III will also be on hand.

Tickets are still available for $20 and proceeds from the party will go to support Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN).

Nikolaj Vissokovsky, the former producer of the defunct "Nebulae: The LifeForce," will be one of the shady characters exposed in an upcoming book "Fistful of Dollars."

The author, John Brotherton, is a former Players International casino bigwig who worked for Vissokovsky at one of his nightclubs in Moscow. Brotherton alleges the Russian heavy was a leader in the Mafia who at one point kidnapped him when Brotherton reportedly uncovered some illegalities afoot at the club.

Vissokovsky was plagued by the Mafia rumors during his brief attempt to break into the Las Vegas showbiz scene. After extremely low ticket sales, poor reviews and financial disagreements with landlords at the Venetian Showroom, Vissokovsky unexpectedly split in August. When he walked away, his company allegedly left hefty IOUs all over town.

"Fistful of Dollars" is expected to hit bookstores in mid-November.

Got a letter from Kelly Culbertson this week with a cute story. Culbertson was dining with her boyfriend, Troy Center, at Bertolini's restaurant on West Sahara Avenue last Wednesday when he surprised her with a question. Mid-dinner Center got down on one knee and proposed to his honey, who immediately said yes. The couple finished up their meal in a fuzzy romantic haze and asked for the check, only to be informed that the bill had already been taken care of by the couple seated nearby. That generous twosome were none other than Susan Anton and her husband, Jeff Lester.

Culbertson and Center wanted to extend a special thank you to the actress and her husband for their kind gesture on that memorable evening. So there you go.