Columnist Kate Maddox: Club bigwig hits the big screen

Kate Maddox

Friday, Feb. 2, 2001 | 9:15 a.m.

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

Local nightclub impresario Mike Milner, director of operations for Studio 54 at the MGM Grand, is getting a taste of Hollywood this week. On Wednesday Milner and a pal showed up at a closed audition for "Rush Hour II," in the hopes of snagging small parts as security guards.

But after a brief and required interview with the film's director, Brett Ratner, Milner got an upgrade. What started out as a goof to spend the day with actors on a movie set turned into something a little more serious.

After their quick one-on-one chat, Milner says Ratner read him as more "casino boss" than "security officer." (Makes sense: Milner's the suave-looking, dark-suited guy you see minding the door at Studio 54 most nights.) So today's filming at the Desert Inn has Milner playing pit boss. No such luck for the buddy who went with him on the audition. He's still playing the security guard.

Meanwhile the stars of "Rush Hour II" held up traffic at the Forum Shops on Tuesday. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, reunited as unlikely police partners, get tossed around, beaten up and left with dirty duds in one scene, so they head over to the Versace boutique to get cleaned up. Can't see it? Well, throw in a snooty and sarcastic sales associate played by Jeremy Piven, and see if you can taste the Oscar.

Academy Award-winning or not, the film promises to be a money-maker like its predecessor. Chan and Tucker take the action to Hong Kong after the Vegas scenes wrap. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters in August.

In one of the faster switcheroos in the news business, John Overall has stepped in for KVVU Fox 5 news anchor Angelica Urquijo. Urquijo announced last Friday she was leaving the post, and by Wednesday Overall was already rewarming the seat. A former morning anchor at KVBC Channel 3, Overall left the Vegas in 1999 for stints in Little Rock, Ark., and Los Angeles.

Another former Channel 3 anchor, Rikki Cheese, was reportedly this close to getting Urquijo's gig. Insiders say Cheese is hungry to return to the local news scene -- her Channel 3 noncompete clause expires in March.

A few more disgruntled C2K employees have started talking about the tough times at the nightclub. Some are whispering that members of management, who were reportedly fired last Friday, were helping themselves to door profits.

One insider accuses two club bosses of holding up the (apparently unnecessary) line outside C2K in order to encourage tipping from eager patrons. Once escorted inside, the source says, customers were usually surprised to find the place practically empty, causing most to leave feeling ripped off.

And the female VIP staffers, who were touted at November's reopening as sophisticated, evening-gowned hostesses, have all allegedly been demoted to bartenders and cocktail waitresses, due to lack of business. Ouch.

After Siegfried's devastating month-long battle with the flu, it looks like things are finally up and running again. Siegfried (and partner, Roy) returned to work on Monday, although they were only scheduled to do five shows a week instead of usual eight.

The pair has also set a new date for their previously postponed press conference. On Feb. 26 Siegfried & Roy will reportedly announce their new lengthy (and lucrative) contract extension.