Columnist Kate Maddox: Celine faces titanic challenge

Kate Maddox

Friday, May 18, 2001 | 4:53 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.

Canadian crooner Celine Dion's new deal with Caesars Palace has some entertainment insiders scratching their heads. The puzzler isn't why Dion decided on Vegas for a comeback (well, it worked for Elvis.) The real question is how she plans to fill 4,000 seats 200 nights a year.

"It's virtually impossible that (Dion) will pack that place," scoffed one insider, who manages a popular Strip act. "There's just no way in a space that size."

Caesars' Colosseum-styled theater is scheduled to open in 2003.

Another source was skeptical about the production's ticket price, which will reportedly end up in the $100 range -- same neighborhood as "Siegfried & Roy" and " O."

"If (Caesars) goes with those kinds of numbers, they'll be shooting themselves in the foot," the source said. "America isn't ready to pay big bucks to hear the 'Titanic' song over and over again." I might have to agree with that one.

One insider is concerned that Park Place Entertainment Corp. is putting all of its entertainment hopes into the Dion deal. The source said Dion's concerts are a risky venture for a property that has been out of the big entertainment game since the demolition of Circus Maximus in September.

Are Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf the reigning king and queen of ... the doughnut business? Rumor has it the tennis twosome have quietly been bankrolling LaMar's Doughnuts.

Agassi and Graf have reportedly been playing the doughnut game since joining forces with Sunbelt Communications honcho Jim Rogers. Rogers, the father of Agassi's close childhood chum and manager, Perry Rogers, plans to open four local LaMar's franchises this summer, with four more expected before the end of the year.

One insider says Agassi and Graf are more than a bit shy about attaching their famous personas to a doughnut chain. Watching the dynamic duo munching glazed and powdered snacks doesn't exactly lend itself to a Nike endorsement, if you get my drift.

"Rogers is fronting it," the source said. "But Andre and Steffi are putting up most of the money."

The high-stakes poker game at the Regent Las Vegas has finally ended after more than three weeks of play.

The casual game started by wealthy friends and poker aficionados ballooned into one of the more stressful competitions in town, according to one Regent poker-room eyewitness.

In the end, no one would say who walked away with the biggest bundle, but the insider insisted that "a lot of money changed hands."

Hairstylist William Whatley, public relations guru David Kirvin and Wolfgang Puck Catering Director Kimberly Gora are just three of the 40 Under 40 influential business figures featured in this upcoming issue of In Business Las Vegas. This collection of ambitious and successful power brokers are part of a booming demographic of Vegas professionals who have hit it big before the ripe old age of 40.

There is a show on the Strip reportedly having trouble making rent. Audience numbers are low, cast members are being let go or jumping ship, showroom sharing is becoming difficult -- that sort of thing.

Producers have apparently come up with a way to combat the troubles, at least for now: They're handing out toothbrushes. Yes. Toothbrushes. A deal was worked out with a toothbrush manufacturer that promises $10,000 a month to the show if it helps with the promotional gimmick.

So if you catch this production and are handed a parting gift that has pretty much nothing to do with anything, you know why.