Columnist Kate Maddox: Marino still a drag on Strip

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001 | 8:31 a.m.

When Goodman's office contacted Marino to tell him about his coup, the comedian said it was "the most exciting phone call of my entire life." The news was so special, in fact, Marino simply had to get a new dress for the occasion.

"It's a navy blue Bob Mackie," Marino said. "But the best part is the red, white and blue fur stole I had made to match." Go on, girl. "It's fake, of course, by Fabulous Furs."

And the outfit just wouldn't have been complete without a $5,000 star-shaped, red crystal Judith Leiber bag -- so Marino gilded his lily. (Come on, if you were Las Vegas' most famous drag queen and you were being honored by the city, you can't tell me you'd go conservative.)

Marino said that his key to the city means even more to him since his performance in Vegas' USO concert last month. "Let's be honest, I killed," Marino said of his routine. "I never felt so good onstage in my entire life."

If that whole congresswoman thing doesn't pan out, Las Vegas Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald may still have a chance at the spotlight. Tonight she headlines in "The Bells Are Ringing" at Sun City's Starbright Theatre. (OK, so it isn't Radio City.) The singing politician plans to perform a number of holiday favorites and patriotic music.

Boggs McDonald is aiming to be on the ballot come November, and right now she's pretty sure she's the only congressional hopeful performing live at a theater near you this election season.

The stories about Drai's after-hours troubles keep coming in. One source says numerous lawsuits have either been filed, settled, or are in the works against the club and/or members of its staff. Most stem from brutal attacks on patrons during peak club hours (normally 3-7 a.m.), in which the victims claim they were beaten for no reason and left without medical assistance. One of the people preparing for legal retribution against Drai's claims he had his teeth knocked out after a run-in with a group of club regulars.

Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone and James Caan are just some of the names pricey Los Angeles public relations firm BWR is throwing out for Friday's Stirling Club opening bash.

In a last-ditch effort to raise money for the Las Vegas Art Museum, I'm hearing LVAM President David Carver requested a minimum donation of $1,000 from each of the 50 board members.

However, there might be a silver lining somewhere on the horizon. The LVAM reportedly beat out both the Guggenheim Las Vegas and the Bellagio Gallery for the privilege of hosting a Smithsonian Institution exhibit starting in June. If, of course, the museum is able to stay open that long.

I don't think Rita Rudner's new tome, "Tickled Pink," could be considered the stuff of Oprah's book club, but Rudner managed the next best thing. People magazine reviewed the comedian's first novel this week, saying the book is filled with "snappy dialogue" and "sweet, likeable characters." A plug on the "Today" show added to the gigantic jump in sales and now the book, which was published last month, has gone into a second printing.