Columnist Kate Maddox: Will cuts make Oscar the grouch?

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001 | 8:31 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 259-2309 or kmaddox @lasvegassun.com.

If Mayor Oscar Goodman was even a little miffed that his "Rush Hour II" scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, he'll be mighty upset to learn his "Ocean's 11" face time probably won't make the silver screen, either.

Sources around town are saying "Ocean's 11" producer Jerry Weintraub has been subtly telling his Vegas pals that their faces in the movie's big fight scene didn't make it to the final edit. Siegfried & Roy, Danny Gans, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Bob Stupak, County Commissioner Dario Herrera, Angie Dickinson, Wayne Newton and, of course, the mayor, were all at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in April when the staged Lennox Lewis-Wladimir Klitschko bout took place. More than 2,000 local extras were also in attendance, as were "Ocean's 11" co-stars Julia Roberts and Andy Garcia.

Steven Soderbergh, the Academy Award-winning director who shot the scene, has also been hinting to friends that the heavyweight fight isn't going to be the celeb-packed portion he originally intended, according to a source who heard the news.

"Ocean's 11" is scheduled to be released in December.

Despite what will undoubtedly be a lengthy recuperation, the MGM Grand is still planning a post-show birthday bash for Rick Springfield on Aug. 23.

Springfield, who broke his arm and wrist and suffered bruises following a nasty onstage fall July 31, will turn 52. Although both the hotel and Springfield's manager, Ron Weisner, are not certain when the singer will return to "EFX Alive," a spokeswoman for the MGM says the celebration will take place. Following the show Springfield will be presented with a cake, the audience will receive champagne for a birthday toast, and members of his devoted fan club will be invited onstage to (omigod!) congratulate him in person.

I've got to say, it's refreshing to see celebrities act like idiots when they're out on the town in Las Vegas. There's something so phony about snooty stars demurely dancing in a roped-off VIP area with an entourage of come-near-him-and-die hangers-on. And that's why I gotta hand it to Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.

Late Saturday the actor and a party of 15 got seriously funky at V Bar inside the Venetian. In addition to dancing on the banquettes, Gooding climbed up on a wooden booth frame and did his own version of swinging from the chandeliers, somersaulting around the top and hanging from the rafters -- at one point he even broke a large piece of the table divider from its hinges.

Not that it stopped him.

Sporting bleached-blonde hair and a brightly colored Hawaiian-print shirt, the married Gooding flirted outrageously with female fans, cheered other patrons on the dance floor, downed tequila shots and was the loudest guy in a barful of loud guys.

In a strong show of Strip camraderie, almost every major star in Vegas is scheduled to turn up at Olio! on Aug. 19 to help raise money for the Entertainment Development Corporation and the third annual CineVegas film festival, which will be held in June.

Tom Jones, Siegfried & Roy, Clint Holmes, Wayne Newton, members of "O" and "Mystere," the cast of "The Rat Pack is Back," Lance Burton, Bill Acosta, the Scintas, the Amazing Johnathan, members of Blue Man Group, Penn & Teller and Rita Rudner are all expected to attend. I hear the musicians in the group are planning a party jam session as well.

Tickets to the event are available to the public for $135 each by calling (888) 675-VIVA.