Columnist Kate Maddox: Scintas prove to be Rio deal

Kate Maddox

Friday, March 23, 2001 | 9:40 a.m.

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

The Scintas have officially jumped ship. The four-member comedic family affair is scheduled to open at the Rio's Copacabana Showroom on April 12. As rumored, the date will indeed require a super-quick turnaround from their current deal at the Las Vegas Hilton. The show's last night there is April 1. And, a week of previews are scheduled prior to the Rio opening. I guess all parties are feeling comfortable with the new digs.

The Scintas' deal with the Rio will be lengthy. A spokesman for the hotel said that it was hoping for a "permanent" situation contractually and that the Scintas will "definitely be long-term." Good news for the Rio, especially following the nasty demise of David Cassidy's "At the Copa" with Sheena Easton.

This step up the entertainment ladder is right on track for the Scintas. They'll work in a bigger room with better lighting, sound and staging. Frank Scinta added, "We will have the opportunity to do more material, some never before seen in Las Vegas."

And these troupers are already making a charitable gesture. Ticket proceeds from the April 9 preview performance will benefit City of Hope. Tickets will be in the $25 range, about 10 bucks off the regular price. Call City of Hope at 933-3704.

Speaking of Cassidy, the songster recently paid a visit to his pals at "The Rat Pack is Back," revising his role as Bobby Darin. Cassidy frequently performed as Darin in the show's early days at the Desert Inn. When he's not on the road -- Cassidy quit "At the Copa" to hit the concert circuit -- he'll sit in with the Rat Packers from time to time. The tribute show is scheduled to stick around the Sahara for another year.

Olio! owner John Tunney had a birthday blowout at his popular MGM eatery last week with hundreds of guests. In true birthday fashion, however, it was Tunney who turned out to be the center of attention. The pony-tailed proprietor was spotted making out inside the glass-walled wine cellar with one of his party guests, who just happened to be a much-talked-about executive of one of Vegas' premier entertainment corporations. Tunney recently put together a business deal with this person's company. (Some seal a deal with a handshake, others ...)

Alas, the very public lip lock was quickly interrupted when one of Olio's! scantily clad cocktail servers, visibly scorned, confronted her two-timin' boss. The juicy got juicier.

Tunney turned from one filly to the other, the entertainment exec walked away and the waitress had her turn. Birthday stress averted, guests got an excellent floor show. And Tunney? Well, I guess you could say he had his cake and ate it, too.

Former KTNV Channel 13 anchor Alyson McCarthy signed a voluntary resignation agreement with the station this week. McCarthy reached the agreement following a recent demotion. Cutbacks at Unlucky 13 have rendered at least a dozen employees jobless.

McCarthy is planning to return to the Las Vegas TV news market as soon as her noncompete clause expires. Luckily for her, that contract is "not as long as some," as she noted, and she's already looking around for another post. In the meantime. McCarthy's eager to spend quality time at home.

"I've got three little ones now," she explained. "I'm going to do the stay-at-home mommy thing for a little while. And I'm looking forward to it."