Columnist Kate Maddox: Tiger Woods shouts out ‘IV!’

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2001 | 8:30 a.m.

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

Tiger Woods is bringing his Jam back to Las Vegas sooner than expected. On April 28 Woods' Tiger Jam IV will rock the Mandalay Bay Events Center just six months after the successful Tiger Jam III.

The third installment featured miniconcerts by Seal, LeAnn Rimes and Christina Aguilera. This year's scheduled performers are John "I dropped the Cougar" Mellencamp and Third Eye Blind.

I also hear two of the three Dixie Chicks might make an appearance to fiddle with Mellencamp's rock/country band. The concert promises to be a well-attended celebrity event, as it has been in the past.

So why is Woods coming back for IV so soon after III? Handlers for the golfer say his schedule this year is much heavier than last year's and that April will be the only time Woods is able to pencil in his charity Jam session.

Either way, Mellencamp's return to Las Vegas will please local fans. His two 1998 concerts at the Joint at the Hard Rock earned the "Jack and Diane" singer some of the best reviews of his lengthy career.

Tiger Jam IV will again raise money for the Tiger Woods Foundation and children's charities based in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Third Eye Blind performed at a private bash at the Hard Rock Hotel this weekend, and lead singer Stephan Jenkins may have gotten more than he bargained for post-show.

Jenkins, who famously dated (and recently broke up with) actress/stunner Charlize Theron, teased two strippers in the front row at the pricey Steve Madden soiree. During the last song Jenkins knelt onstage, pointed to the two buxom beauties', um, buxoms, and gave them a thumbs-up.

The rowdy crowd applauded the dames and the singer's up-front rock 'n' roll approach. Encouraged, Jenkins made an illicit proposal to the duo, seemingly forgetting that he was onstage and that the crowd, despite the absence of a microphone, could still understand the message by reading his lips. Oops.

I guess the ladies weren't offended by the offer. After the show, which was held in a luxe tent set up in the hotel's parking lot, the dancing divas were spotted slipping by security and entering Jenkins' private backstage area. He must not have minded -- they still hadn't left by the time the party ended. Ah, the life of the rock star.

By the by, the Madden bash, which was to thrown to kick off the popular shoemaker's men's line, ran the NYC-based designer somewhere in neighborhood of $350,000. Nice. Guess his shop at the Aladdin's Desert Passage is doing alright.

ShoWest hits the Strip next week. The convention, which targets movie-theater owners from around the country, distributes coveted awards to Hollywood stars at the closing gala scheduled for March 8 at the Paris Las Vegas.

This year's honorees include Sandra Bullock, Russell Crowe, Chris Rock, Haley Joel Osment, Nicolas Cage, Heath Ledger, Dame Judi Dench and Shannon Elizabeth. They have all been invited to the awards ceremony.

Hey, it might happen.

Last year Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, Annette Bening, Adam Sandler, Warren Beatty, Hilary Swank, George Lucas and Ving Rhames were all there in person to pick up or present awards.