Friday, July 16, 2004 | 10:44 a.m.
Calling all Elvi.
CBS is hosting a local casting call for Elvis Presley impersonators on Saturday. The winner gets to be on the hit show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" -- with scenes to be filmed on Monday.
The episode will be shown in September and will be the show's season premiere. It is a nonspeaking (and nonsinging) role.
"CSI" writer and Las Vegas local Dustin Abraham will be on hand to judge the auditions.
"CSI" creator -- and former Mirage tram driver -- Anthony Zuiker and show stars including William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall all arrive in town today for filming, and might also attend some of the casting call.
Anyone interested in appearing on the show must be dressed as Elvis, and producers will only see the first 100 hopefuls -- which raises the question: How many Elvis impersonators actually are there in Las Vegas?
The call starts at 10 a.m. at CBS Television City at the MGM Grand. The public is invited to watch the spectacle.
In other "CSI" news, according to the Hollywood Reporter, two supporting actors on the show, George Eads and Jorja Fox, have been let go amid a salary scuffle with the series' producers.
Eads and Fox, both of whom have been with the hit forensic drama since its debut in fall 2000, had approached the network about a salary increase for the coming season, sources said. CBS is said to have responded with what industry sources described as a modest take-it-or-leave-it offer of an increase.
Going national
There was euphoria on the set of "The Vegas Show" this morning.
News filtered down to cast and crew that the show had signed a national syndication deal.
"We'll have an official announcement sooner rather than later, but yes, a deal is in place," co-executive producer Rick Garson told us. "I am so proud of the entire team here because without everyone's hard work this never would have happened."
He would not comment on reports that the syndicator was MGM Television.
Garson said the national exposure would be a boon to Las Vegas as a destination city, and would also help in booking big-name guests.
"A national show is a whole different animal than a local one," Garson said.
It'll also be a boon for stars Sheena Easton and Brian McKnight, who will receive a percentage of syndication fees.
King them
In other Elvis news, three generations of Presleys speak out in the August issue of Vogue -- Priscilla Presley, daughter Lisa Marie and Lisa Marie's daughter, young fashion model Danielle Riley.
The best part of the interview is Lisa Marie's comment that she is relieved her teenage daughter didn't turn out like Nicky and Paris Hilton.
Talking about the celebutante sisters, Lisa Marie says: "Those two are the epitome of what my mother raised me not to be."
But Priscilla, 59, wasn't so quick to judge. "Some celebrities' children have done very well, and some are still struggling," she told the magazine. "It's a very difficult position to be in."
Riley, Lisa Marie's daughter from her marriage to Danny Keough (and who uses her middle name professionally), remains unfazed by the aura of her family name.
"My mom isn't famous to me. She's just my mom," Riley said.
Badge of honor
The best party name we've come across in ages: "Guns 'n Hoses."
Tonight and Saturday night, all cops and firefighters, and members of the military with appropriate ID, get into Bikini's at The Rio for free.
The party starts at 10 both nights.
Space cadets
Several celestial personalities are slated to attend the fifth annual "Return to the Moon" Conference this weekend at the Westin Casuarina hotel.
Among the announced conference attendees are Dr. George Mueller, known as "The Man Who Put Men on the Moon" for his role leading the Apollo program from 1963 to 1969; Capt. John Young, who walked on the moon during the Apollo 16 mission; and film director James Cameron ("Titanic," "Aliens," "The Abyss").
Cameron is among the leading innovators in film technology and is an avid space enthusiast.
VegasBits
Release: "Starsky & Hutch" movie co-stars Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra and Brande Roderick and director Todd Phillips were at Studio 54 (MGM Grand) Wednesday night for the film's DVD release party. Charles Barkley was at the club Tuesday night ...
Stars: Celebs are starting to locate Tangerine, the new Treasure Island day/nightclub. NFL star Warren Sapp, Palms owner George Maloof and McKnight all made the outdoor scene Wednesday night ...
Yards: Cleveland Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia was spotted at the VIP check-in desk at the Palms this morning ...
Sidekicks: Howard Stern show characters High Pitched Eric, King of All Blacks, Miss Howard Stern, Zolar, Rev. Bob Levy, Cabbie and Beetlejuice were partying at Coyote Ugly (New York-New York) Wednesday night. Most of them are living in a Henderson house this month as part of an Internet reality show ...
Party: Jay Mohr and Bryan Cranston ("Malcolm in the Middle") were at a Sundance Channel party at Lutece (Venetian) Wednesday night as part of the VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) convention ...
Ruff: Benji, the canine star of the upcoming DVD release "Benji: Off the Leash," made an appearance Thursday on the VSDA floor at the Sands Convention Center, posing for photos with his many two-legged fans ...
Win: Local resident Patrick Martin scored the $10,000 prize on Fox's "Gimme the Mike" talent competition at Sam's Town the other night. The judges were Frankie and Chrissi Scinta, Easton and Robin Leach ...
Select: VEGAS Magazine is having another one of its parties for the cool kids Sunday night. The invite-only soiree starts at FIX, the new Bellagio steak place that is all of a sudden the hardest reservation to get in town, and moves next door to Light ...
Winner: Emeril Lagasse is on the cover of the August edition of Wine Spectator, the magazine's annual awards issue. Inside, Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian is honored with the mag's coveted Grand Award for Wine Lists ...
Free: The first 50 people in line Saturday at noon when Coca Cola Tickets 2 Nite on the Strip opens will receive a free "The Grid" T-shirt from TNT to promote the new made-for-TV drama. The show runs for four consecutive Mondays starting next week. "The Grid" is about a terror cell operating on a global level and a team of American and British counter-terrorists who are tasked with stopping it. Juliana Margulies and Dylan McDermott star.
From Sun wires
Still haven't found what they're looking for: An unfinished copy of U2's upcoming CD disappeared while the Irish rock band was posing for the album cover in a studio outside Nice, France.
About 20 people who were at Tuesday's photo shoot were questioned by police, who said Thursday it was unclear whether the CD's disappearance was accidental or theft.
In a posting on U2's Web site, guitarist The Edge said: "A large slice of two years' work lifted via a piece of round plastic. It doesn't seem credible but that's what's just happened to us ... and it was my CD."
According to the Web site, the band recently completed much of the new album in Dublin and have been involved in post-production work in France.
The CD is scheduled for release this fall.
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