Columnist Kate Maddox: ESPN guests are good sports

Kate Maddox

Friday, July 20, 2001 | 4:34 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column also appears Tuesdays and Fridays in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at 259-2309 or kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

ESPNZone was launched at New York-New York Thursday night. Sports stars, celebrities, hangers-on and VIPs tried out the theme restaurant's second-floor video games (the simulated boxing was a hands-down fave) and reclined Strip-side in the Zone's multi-TV screening room.

Jason Alexander, Michael Badalucco, Kimberly Williams and Michael Vartan were some of the Hollywood types milling around the packed party. And there were sports heavies there, too. Um, not so good at that part, but I did recognize gymnastics' first couple, Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci, and Olympic wrestling hero Rulon Gardner -- who, along with a very festive gang, stuck it out on the dance floor until midnight.

The rest of the crowd enjoyed the free games, free food, free candy table, free martini bar ... you get the point. Basically all the perks of a decent fete were tasted, sipped and spilled, in true opening-night, elbow-to-elbow fashion.

And let free be the key word here. If you're thinking ESPNZone would be the perfect place for Timmy's sweet 16th, your 20th wedding anniversary or a Super Bowl blowout, think again. Rumor is ESPNZone can be yours for an evening if you're willing to pay upward of $65,000 just for the space.

Siegfried & Roy reach a major milestone on Monday when they perform their 5,000th live show at the Mirage.

The "Magicians of the Century" also mark their 20,000 live performance worldwide and can count more than 20 million audience members who have attended their Las Vegas productions.

S&R will celebrate with a cast party post-show.

The race for Clark County district attorney will be a hot one. Current DA Stewart Bell announced in March he would not seek a third term, and it seems every lawyer in town wants to take a crack at becoming Las Vegas' top law enforcement official.

David Roger, who prosecuted Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, is quickly gaining support in some circles, and Assistant DA Michael Davidson is also said to be a front-runner. But don't count out former Judge Don Chairez, Chief Deputy District Attorney Abbi Silver (who has yet to formally announce, but who collegues insist will try for the post), attorney John Lukens, Gary Guymon (who helped prosecute Margaret Rudin) and -- the obligatory wild card -- Michael Amador.

Amador, the quirky attorney who represented Rudin, is said to be interested in the DA job, but some insiders are hoping the rumor is just that.

Well, I guess you mention the words "swingers' party inside a hotel" and the Gaming Control Board gets a little inquisitive.

I hear the restaurant that was hosting a couples'-only late-night rendezvous has canceled any future festivities after the Control Board began asking questions around the property.

Oops.

Not to worry. The party promoters, a local married couple who insist their parties are merely an opportunity for "fun and sexy people to meet and mingle without being harassed," will rise again. They say they will find another venue for their fun and sexy mingling, a nightspot that will be more receptive to their brand of socializing.

I'm not one to argue the finer points of couples'-only playtime, so I'll just take Mr. X at his word and wish him the best in future late-night endeavors -- oh, and the same to you, Mrs. X.