Columnist Kate Maddox: Easton, Hilton make a date

Kate Maddox

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 4:28 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column also appears in the Las Vegas Sun on Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach her at 259-2309 or kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

It's official. Sheena Easton opens at the Las Vegas Hilton's NightClub on June 5.

Easton is notoriously shy of the press and on most occasions, such as this one, will speak only through her longtime Los Angeles press agent Harriet Wasserman.

"Sheena's very excited to be returning to Las Vegas," Wasserman said. "She loves the Hilton and, more than that, she loves the idea of an intimate room."

However, more than one entertainment insider says the intimacy of the room won't be the problem.

"She might not have the star power to be a real ticket draw," explains one hotel source. "At least when she was with David (Cassidy, at the Rio) she could build on his fan base."

Another person close to the deal also has some doubts, saying, "It'll be interesting to see if she can pull it off."

Easton remains confident, as does the Hilton, that her standard hits ("Morning Train," "For Your Eyes Only," "Sugar Walls" -- OK, maybe not that last one) will sell seats. If that turns out to be the case, Easton has an option to extend her deal past the scheduled Sept. 2 closing date.

When Ricky Martin came to Vegas earlier this month for the opening of "Storm" he was reportedly ambushed by a crack team of CBS executives.

Seems the TV types were dead set on getting Martin to appear on the "new-and-improved, hipper" Miss Universe pageant. After offering only a "maybe," while in town, Martin has since agreed to perform on the show.

(Maybe it was the opportunity to meet Miss France in person. The poor thing had been accused of being a man. Swimsuit fittings determined that the male tales were just rumors.)

Either way, Martin will fly home to Puerto Rico on May 11 for the pageant's taping.

In other Martin news, oodles of gossips have confirmed that the singer was "visibly upset" over the opening production of "Storm."

Martin was more than a little chilly to producers after witnessing the Latin-theme debacle. "That's why he didn't stick around after the show," whispered one eyewitness. "He just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible." Mandalay Bay insists the singer simply had other commitments to attend and had to make a speedy getaway before the curtain fell.

Entertainment execs at the hotel are also getting nervous because word is out that Mandalay Bay Resort Group Chairman and CEO Mike Ensign is not pleased with the production. One insider even went so far as to say "Storm's" days are numbered.

"If it doesn't get any better," said the source, "it'll be over before the end of May."

Rita Rudner performed for VIPs and media types in New York-New York's new Cabaret Theatre on Wednesday. The comedian (whose show is hysterical, by the way) wasn't even unnerved by a front row filled with MGM MIRAGE heavy hitters -- Chairman Terri Lanni was front and center, as was New York-New York President Felix Rappaport.

But Rudner has gotten gutsy during her Vegas tenure. She will soon be appearing on "American Beauty"-esque billboards all over town, naked save for some strategically placed casino chips.

If you're interested in watching "Surprise Wedding II," and it's not a bad thing if you are, then tune into Fox (Channel 5) on May 10 when the marital mayhem is scheduled to air. The two-hour special was taped this month at Paris Las Vegas.