VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Animation figures in Tussaud’s plans

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003 | 10:46 a.m.

Madame Tussaud's is no longer a museum.

"A museum is a boring old place where you can't touch anything. We're now too cool for that," Tussaud's Melissa Horacek said. "Our new name is Madame Tussaud's Interactive Attraction."

As we recently reported, the space at The Venetian is introducing a display Wednesday where visitors can putt with a wax Tiger Woods.

Horacek said that this month the museum is debuting a display of a lifelike Britney Spears, who dances around a pole along with real-life backup dancers. Museum, uh, Attraction visitors are going to be invited to dance as well.

Also scheduled to be exhibited is a shot-blocking Shaquille O'Neal.

"That one uses up a whole lot of wax," Horacek said.

Also coming this year: a blushing Jennifer Lopez model (Horacek said it is not clear yet if it will wear a wedding ring), an Elvis Presley "experience" with a talking King, and an "American Idol" diorama.

In that one, guests sing to a faux Simon Cowell, who will promptly berate you -- and then a Ryan Seacrest mannequin tells Cowell to cut it out.

Twist of fate

Talk about irony. The opening act for comedian Dennis Miller at his Paris Las Vegas gig Wednesday through Sunday is singing impressionist Steve Sorrentino, Elton John's former personal assistant and a noted Elton John impersonator.

As was reported Monday, the real John blasted Miller over the weekend for his brand of political humor after he did 20 minutes of stand-up at the Andre Agassi charity event.

At the end of the month Sorrentino headlines at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival at Stardust.

John sells

As we have been reporting, Elton John is coming to Vegas Oct. 21 to announce a 2004-05 engagement at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Elton's first Park Place gig, however, is a Nov. 15 concert at Atlantic City's 11,000-seat Boardwalk Hall.

Tickets went on sale Saturday; the show sold out in 26 minutes.

'X'-ed out

"X," the naughty revue which opened a year ago at the Aladdin to great fanfare and much national attention, is about to close.

Its showroom is being converted to accommodate a new act (an official announcement that magician Steve Wyrick is coming is expected to be made at a press conference today) and producers Angela Sampras and Bobby Boling have been given notice.

The last Aladdin date for "X" and "Society of Seven" -- which performs an early show in the same room -- is expected to be Oct. 19.

Sampras said the show has been a success and that they are in negotiations with four other properties interested in hosting the production.

Station change

As of midnight on Oct. 31, Nevada Public Radio will have two separate stations on the FM dial.

KNPR 89.5-FM will slide down the dial to 88.9 and become the only news and information station on the local FM band.

A programming addition of particular interest is a public-affairs program show hosted by Vegas news veteran Gwen Castaldi.

Also, KCNV 89.7-FM will be launched as a 24-hour classical music station, also the only one of its kind on area FM dials, according to station officials.

Good biz

The cover feature in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine includes its annual poll of the best cities to conduct a variety of business activities.

Las Vegas was named as the top city in the nation for Entrepreneurial Activity, top for Job Growth and placed 11th overall (but tops in the Western region) in the Best City category.

VegasBits

Meal: Before heading over to the Agassi benefit Saturday night, Anna Kournikova had dinner at Nobu (Hard Rock) with close personal friend Enrique Iglesias ...

Huddle: Celine Dion hosted Vera and Robert Goulet and Donna and Jack Wishna backstage after her Friday performance. Uber-dealmaker Wishna later hinted that Goulet and Dion may team together on a project in the near future ...

Singer: On Sunday night Sarah McLachlan performed several songs at Baby's at the Hard Rock Hotel as part of an Infinity Broadcasting event. The night before, she brought down the house at Agassi's "Grand Slam for Children" charity concert ...

Power players: Developer Don Soffer hosted a "Rock for the Cure" lunch at his Stirling Club the other day, with guests Susan Molasky, Sally Hopper, Lovee Arum, Beth Weinberger, Heather du Boef, Dawn Russi, Donna Epstein, Joann Sturm and Elizabeth An. The event was a prelude to a big Nov. 20 fund-raiser for the Nevada Cancer Institute ...

Filling in: Emmy Award-winning comic John Padon is filling in for "Skintight" star Tony D'Andrea as he recovers from recent eye surgery ...

New gig: Popular and personable Hard Rock Hotel marketing director Yale Rowe has left the building. He's off to a senior-level post at Paragon Gaming, based in Vegas, which has the Augustine casino in Coachella and some Canadian interests ...

Happy: Crooner Al Martino turns 76 today. He performs from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26 at the Suncoast Showroom, where he'll sing his hits such as "The Love Theme from 'The Godfather.' "

From Sun wires

Television's guiltiest pleasure, "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," is coming back for a second season.

MTV announced Monday that it has renewed the reality series, which follows pop singers Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson as they muddle through married life.

The series has made the 23-year-old Simpson infamous for her inability to do even the most basic housework and for her dippy-blonde moments, like the time she confused the tuna she was eating for chicken.

"Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?" she asked Lachey, 29, in the show's first episode. "I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken by the Sea.' "

The finale of the first season of "Newlyweds" is scheduled to air at 10:30 p.m. Oct. 21. New episodes will begin in 2004.

Also on Monday, MTV announced it was bringing back "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle," Snoop Dogg's variety show, for a second season next year.