Friday, July 11, 2003 | 10:46 a.m.
Some crown jewels are coming to Las Vegas.
One of England's most famous private collections, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire's, will be the next show at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.
More than 250 treasures, amassed over five centuries, are in the show, including various crowns and tiaras, silver and porcelain, early photographs, Old Master paintings (da Vinci, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Durer, Rubens) and rare books and manuscripts.
"This is truly one of the most historically significant exhibitions ever to come to Las Vegas," gallery executive Matthew Hileman told VegasBeat.
Gallery President Andrea Bundonis and her fiance, Marc Glimcher -- the gallery's chairman -- are in Australia on vacation and were not available for comment Thursday.
"The Cavendish family has been collecting for 14 generations. There are artifacts here from everyone from Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth," Hileman said.
The family has a fascinating and fairly high-profile history; the Duke's brother, William Cavendish, was married to Kathleen Kennedy, the president's sister.
Among the things on display will be a rosary initialed by Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the Kniphausen Hawk.
Encrusted with red garnets, amethysts, emeralds and blue sapphires, the 17th-century pouring vessel is said to be the inspiration for Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon."
The show opens Sept. 13 (the current Andy Warhol exhibit ends Sept. 7), and the guest list for the opening party is already starting to come together.
Among those expected are Sir Christopher Meyer, the British ambassador to the United States, William S. Farish, the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, and leading British curator Nicolas Barker.
And, one source said, don't be surprised if Prince Charles shows up to see the exhibit before it ends in January.
Colorful
We almost didn't recognize Celine Dion when she performed live on the "Today" show Thursday.
She has dyed her hair platinum blonde, nearly white.
Dion also appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly."
Finally, the Oprah Winfrey show dedicated to Dion was rebroadcast Wednesday. Again, Caesars Palace reported a spike (please, Spike Lee, don't sue us for that) in calls requesting tickets.
Dion returns from her summer break Aug. 6.
If only ...
The best rumor we can't get anywhere with, but it is too good to leave alone, involves Michael Jordan, the Milwaukee Bucks and Las Vegas.
When Jordan was in negotiations recently to buy the NBA team, the hot rumor was that if he and reported investment partner Tiger Woods got it, Jordan wanted to move the team to Las Vegas.
On June 29, after confirming he had "detailed discussions" with Jordan, Bucks owner (and U.S. senator from Wisconsin) Herb Kohl said he was pulling the team off the sales block.
As VegasBeat reported months ago, NBA Commissioner David Stern had phone conversations with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman about placing a WNBA team here, so the concept of an NBA team coming is not as far-fetched as it may initially sound.
Most major sports leagues have a naive and outdated fear of placing a team in Vegas. Several minor league teams play here, including the 51s, the top farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers (though the parent club is not exactly thrilled with the accommodations at Cashman Field).
Jordan, of course, has been itching to own an NBA team again after his partnership with the Washington Wizards ended last year. Woods is a Vegas regular, having visited most recently this week, and his longtime coach, Butch Harmon, has a home here.
More HELP
Life goes on for the Kennedy clan despite the torrents of tabloid tales picking apart the marriages of Andrew Cuomo and Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
VegasBeat has learned Cuomo and his sister, Maria Cuomo Cole, might be coming to Vegas this month to announce a deal on a major housing development.
Cuomo's rise to political prominence started when he founded HELP USA (originally called H.E.L.P. -- Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged) in 1986.
HELP USA has an existing downtown development, Bonanza View apartments, a 75-unit transitional facility for homeless veterans.
Cuomo was in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet and later failed in a bid to win father Mario Cuomo's old job as New York's governor.
Convention, for $100
Our kind of gathering hits town this weekend -- the second annual Game Show Congress.
Among the folks attending some of the events at the Hampton Inn Tropicana on South Industrial Road are the biggest winners in game show history.
Winners like all-time, five-day "Jeopardy!" money champ Brian Weikle ($149,200), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's" biggest-ever winner, Kevin Olmstead ($2.2 million), the biggest female winner in game show history, Nancy Christy -- $1 million on "Millionaire" -- and David Legler, who won $1.8 million on "Twenty One" in 2000, will all participate in a pop-culture trivia contest, "Viva TRASH Vegas."
VegasBits
Doin' good: Garth Brooks and several pro hockey players will be at The Venetian on Saturday to play hockey with some kids who are recipients of largesse from Brooks' Touch 'Em All Foundation ...
Famous faces: Jenna Elfman and Kelly Lynch attended a Washington event Thursday where Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced legislation to end forced medication of children as a condition of attending some schools. The actresses are big supporters of the proposed Child Safety Medication Act ...
Spin out: Sasha Jackowich, the Guggenheim Hermitage public affairs manager who has done a deft job putting a positive spin on the closing this year of the Guggenheim Museum at The Venetian, is leaving. She starts later this month in a similar slot with Punte Homes/Del Webb ...
Newsmaker: Mary Bleier has joined the local Fox affiliate KVVU Channel 5 as an occasional reporter on its morning news show. The station is still interviewing male anchors to sit across from Cher Calvin, the talented but overworked solo anchor of the three-hour daily telecast ...
Birthday: Leon Spinks turns 50 today. His best day came in February 1978 in Las Vegas when he beat Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight title.
From Sun wires
Actor Robert Wagner is suing Sony Pictures Entertainment for half the profits from the "Charlie's Angels" movies, saying he played a role in the development deal for the 1970s TV show that inspired them.
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