VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Is Dion taking Warholian approach?

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 | 9:21 a.m.

It is hardly what Andy Warhol had in mind when he said everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.

The rumor that has been ricocheting around the Strip is that when Celine Dion's show "A New Day" opens March 25 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, she will be onstage for only half the show and actually singing for a total of ... 15 minutes.

A spokesman for Caesars referred calls to Jennifer Dunne, a spokeswoman for DRAGONE, the production company run by Dion's husband and manager, Rene Angelil.

"In one form or another, every single number in the show will feature Celine," Dunne told VegasBeat.

Dunne estimated the show would be 100 minutes long, though she could not offer a specific amount of time Dion would be performing.

But the report of 15 minutes was "absurd," she said.

"The entire show is based on Celine and her music. It is a celebration of Celine Dion."

Dunne said that the song list is evolving, but that "the audience will be familiar with all of the songs."

Dunne added that Dion and the entire cast is now in Las Vegas.

"Everyone is in the building," Dunne said.

Dion's website, celinedion.com, describes the show as a "combination of live performance and state-of-the-art technology."

The website says the show is "for, with and about Celine Dion. It will be a subtle balance of concert, dance and theater and multimedia."

Dion is quoted as saying the show offers "a new stage experience to my devoted fans."

Meanwhile, a report published in a London newspaper said the show "is threatening to turn into a massive flop."

It quoted an unnamed ticket broker as saying that tickets aren't selling.

"Nonsense," Dunne countered. "We are selling over 10,000 tickets per week and are thrilled and gratified at the response we are getting."

Cup runneth away

Quick! Somebody call Encyclopedia Brown -- or search the local preschools. Someone stole all the Legos.

As reported in Tuesday's Sun, it seems that a replica of hockey's Stanley Cup, constructed from 6,000 Lego bricks, was reported missing after it had been on display at the big sporting goods show at the Sands Convention Center at The Venetian last week.

The Connecticut headquarters of the Danish toy company is offering a reward of Lego products and a stack of hockey tickets for its return.

The actual-sized model was one of two built and was on display to promote a new line of Lego NHL hockey sets.

League Commissioner Gary Bettman has the other model in his office.

The missing model was supposed to be exhibited in Florida at the NHL's upcoming All-Star game festivities this weekend.

"We're hoping to convince Bettman to let us borrow his personal cup so that others can also enjoy viewing it," Lego President Andrew Black said.

Bounce

Tony Butala -- the founder of the Lettermen -- is urging everybody to see "Catch Me If You Can," the new Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Butala and bandmates Darren Dowler and Donovan Tea are hoping that the film -- which features two of their songs, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and "The Way You Look Tonight" -- can give them a career bounce.

After the Lettermen's recent gig at The Orleans, Butala said the group was hoping to get the same type of push that the Righteous Brothers got when "Unchained Melody" was featured in "Ghost" -- and the song became a platinum seller.

Vintage gadget

Last year in collaboration with Microsoft, Andrew Bradbury, the wine director at Aureole at Mandalay Bay, came out with eWine Book, a hand-held computer winelist, necessary to keep track of the restaurant's 55,000-bottle collection.

On Thursday Bradbury and his gadget will be featured at a Hollywood dinner honoring DreamWorks SKG partner Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The futuristic-themed event, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and The Hollywood Reporter, will also celebrate movies and television shows that have used innovative technology.

Guests for the dinner and party at Charlie Palmer's Astra West at the Pacific Design Center: Katzenberg's partners David Geffen and Spielberg and more than 100 A-listers, including Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, DiCaprio and George Clooney.

Start the fire

More trouble for Billy Joel: His ex-wife Christie Brinkley is "alarmed" at his behavior.

Joel cracked up his $121,000 Mercedes Benz on Saturday night. According to the Associated Press, on Sunday Brinkley was spotted outside the Sag Harbor, N.Y., firehouse where the car was towed. She was taking photos of the wreck.

On Tuesday she told reporters: "The seat (their daughter) Alexa was sitting in only hours before this latest crash was completely decimated. I am worried about Billy, but like any mother would be, I am alarmed and concerned about my child's safety by this frightening pattern of accidents."

It wasn't the first time that Joel, 53, has been in a serious car accident. He escaped serious injury in a similar crash in East Hampton in 2002.

Joel spent time in an exclusive Connecticut rehab center last year. No summonses were issued as a result of his most recent crash, and Joel was not given a Breathalyzer test, which measures blood alcohol levels.

Joel has gigs with Elton John scheduled March 28 and March 29 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Joel's spokeswoman at Columbia Records, Claire Mercuri, did not immediately return calls inquiring about the possibility of the Vegas gigs being canceled.

VegasBits

Tickets to Dana Carvey's Paris Las Vegas shows Feb. 7 through Feb. 9 are on sale. One of Las Vegas' favorite singing impressionists, Stephen Sorrentino, opens for him ...

It is official. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman wants a second term. He filed for re-election Tuesday at the city clerk's office. A big $1,000 per person fund-raiser is scheduled for Feb. 6 at Le Cirque inside Bellagio ...

Comic-ventriloquist Ronn Lucas heads into his second year at The Rio this week. To mark the event, he's offering special discount $19.95 VIP tickets to his surprisingly contemporary afternoon show. Just to see him make his weird puppets come to life is worth the price of admission ...

Casting call: Joe Louis' niece, Kim Flowers, who is a prominent casting agent, is holding auditions this weekend for several major network kid projects, including a new Raven-Symone show on the Disney Channel. Bring the little ones to the John Robert Powers studio on West Charleston Boulevard on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. or Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ...

More casting calls: Auditions for MTV's "Spring Break: The Reality Movie" take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at ghostbar at the Palms. Only the young and beautiful need apply.