Columnist Kate Maddox: Uncovering Shadow’s naked truth

Kate Maddox

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 8:41 a.m.

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

Apparently the phrase "17 voluptuous young ladies who look good naked and take drink orders," which I used to describe the new concierges at Shadow, was enough to make the brass at Caesars Palace a little miffed at me. Well, miffed enough to offer a private tour of the swank bar, which opens to the public at 11 p.m. today. It was a hanky-panky check. And, yes, the ladies look good, but, no, they are not naked.

In fact, all of the dancers/hostesses, who wear tight bodysuits while shimmying behind the scrim screen, got to pick out "evening clothes" from the shops at the Forum, courtesy of Caesars. (Hotel Senior Vice President of Operations George Markantonis added, "Some of them have very good taste." Way to go, girls.)

Shadow itself is small and smack-dab in the middle of the casino action. But come 2003 when the Coliseum opens with Celine Dion as the headliner, the bar will be in a primo location. Fancy lighting, fancy sound system, fancy VIP booths -- you get the point.

Oh, and don't forget the flair. Amid last-minute construction debris and the chaos of rehearsing scrim screen honeys were a bevy of young men, all working on their flair. Flair bartending is, well, did you see "Cocktail" with Tom Cruise? They throw things, toss ice, spin bottles -- you get a show when you order your drink.

And these guys take it seriously. Flair expert Toby Ellis was hired by Caesars to train the bartenders. "I've been at this for 11 years," said Ellis, who finished in the top 10 at the World Bartender Championship this year.

Shadow will be a hit -- trust me. Between the flair-ing boys at the bar and the naked(esque) women behind the screen, the place will indeed be a see-and-be-seen kind of joint.

Poor John Popper. Like Abe Vigoda, Popper keeps coming up dead.

Following the Blues Traveler concert at the Mandalay Bay Beach last week, a rumor surfaced that the band's hard-partying lead singer had died of a post-show drug overdose. And this isn't the first time Popper has found himself the subject of death rumors. He's apparently offed himself more than once over the years, according to fansite gossip.

Not to fear, however. The Vegas buzz was another false alarm. Popper performed with Blues Traveler at their scheduled Saturday concert in Arizona.

Sylvester Stallone, Samuel L. Jackson, David Hasselhoff, and members of 'N Sync helped Planet Hollywood honcho Robert Earle celebrate his 50th birthday this week with two parties at the Aladdin. Tuesday night 80 of Earle's chums threw him a bash at the London Club, and on Wednesday the group dined at Commander's Palace. The festivities capped off a weeklong birthday stay in one of the hotel's plush high-roller suites.

Lions and tigers and ... German "Love Boat"? Oh, my.

Magicians of the Century Siegfried & Roy opened the doors of their private home and animal sanctuary for the cast and crew of "Traumschiff." The top-rated German production (its version of "Love Boat") has been filming its 20th anniversary episode in Las Vegas.

Highlights included Roy welcoming the characters to his back yard while riding atop his 53-year-old elephant, Gildah.

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