Columnist Kate Maddox: ‘Plaid’ lads on Strip search

Kate Maddox

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2001 | 11:35 a.m.

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

"Forever Plaid" is still looking for a home. The popular production, which departs the Flamingo Las Vegas on Feb. 28 after a six-year run, was initially anticipating a move to the Lady Luck downtown. But that deal fell through at the last minute.

After that deal didn't work out, producers tried to shop the show to New York-New York, which plans to turn a 400-seat multipurpose room into a functioning showroom in coming months. Talks to take "Plaid" there looked promising until a couple of weeks ago, when New York-New York's entertainment brass decided to go in "another direction."

Seems strange an A-list crowd pleaser like "Forever Plaid" can't catch a break on the Strip. Chip Lightman, moonlighting from his day job managing Danny Gans in order to help "Plaid," doesn't understand why the show can't seem to nail down a home.

"I'm not sure what it is," Lightman says. "But we still can't find the appropriate venue, and every place that looks promising somehow manages to fall through."

The House of Blues Foundation Room rolled out the piano on Saturday night in anticipation of a jamming late-night afterparty for Elton John and Billy Joel.

Handlers for the superstars specifically requested that a piano be placed in the private club's main lounge just in case either singer felt the urge to perform post-concert. Even though John has been accused of diva-like behavior over the years, he and Joel eschewed the more private dining room for the bash and instead booked the main room to party.

I'm hearing the Big League Challenge won't be coming back to Las Vegas next year due to this year's dismal attendance and a lack of support from locals. Last weekend's Challenge, which featured a dozen of Major League Baseball's biggest sluggers competing in a home-run hitting contest, was such a major disappointment that ESPN2 is reportedly reconsidering plans to air the matchups, scheduled for broadcast starting March 19.

Looks like the Aladdin has said "no" to hosting the upcoming Fox special, "Who Wants to Marry a Prince?" One insider said the nix had more to do with theater accommodation issues and less with ethical conundrums, but now "Who Wants to Marry a Prince?" is looking for a new place to hold its scheduled April taping.

The hotel has also reportedly cooled on hosting Fox's "Surprise Wedding II." After offering producers use of the Theatre for the Performing Arts for the first go 'round, this time the hotel isn't so sure.

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx seems to be getting over his split from wife and former "Baywatch" babe Donna D'Errico. The separation, announced this week, was a rock 'n' roll shocker considering the two recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary and the Jan. 2 birth of their second child. But just a few days ago, there was Sixx, in full '80s glam-rock garb, partying late-night at Spago with a bunch of rowdy cohorts and a frisky female date.

Sixx's lady friend managed to climb on top of the table, twice, and flash her dining companions. Finally, close to midnight, Sixx departed with his exhibitionist escort, but not before she got off one last parting shot at the entire dining room.

I figure the statute of limitations was fixing to expire and that's why my friend at the paper down the street took Friday to "break" the news that Caesars' Magical Empire would be closing and remodeled as a nightclub.

I don't usually do this kind of thing, but since I rightfully broke that story almost a year ago (March 10, 2000, to be exact) I just wanted to give the guy props for being on the ball, albeit a tad behind schedule.