Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 4:38 a.m.
Toward the end of the star-packed "Las Vegas Salutes the Spirit of America" event, magicians Siegfried & Roy will honor the servicemen and women in a ceremony that will reportedly include a spectacular illusion.
The sold-out benefit concert will also have one of the largest finale numbers in Las Vegas history. I can't reveal the details, but more than 300 performers (including a 100-person choir) plan to close the monumental event with a bang.
Celine Dion won't have to worry about Las Vegas traffic when she starts her run at Caesars Palace in 2003. Dion, a true diva, will forgo the limo and commute via chopper. The singer is scheduled to perform 200 nights a year at the hotel's 4,000-seat gigantadome coliseum, and has reportedly received approval to fly from her palatial estate at Lake Las Vegas to the Strip in a private helicopter.
Residents at the posh community are allowed to use the development's landing pad for a fee, according to an insider who works at Lake Las Vegas. Dion's hubby, Rene Angelil, should also fancy the arrangement. Angelil is a fixture at Caesars' gaming tables.
Congratulations to Britney Spears, who this week graduated from diva-in-training courses and joined the ranks of such grande dames as Dion. While in New York celebrating the release of her new album "Britney," Spears, her boyfriend Justin Timberlake and a group of bodyguards demanded attention at B Bar, a popular celebrity club/restaurant that, trust me, doesn't service anyone with a smile -- much less snooty teeny-boppers. As the New York tabs reported, after finally getting drinks (ahem, she's 19) and partying for a few hours, Brit & Co. pulled one of the oldest tricks in the book: the Dine and Dash. Luckily a waiter had the good fortune to chase down the popster's car and knock on the window, demanding payment.
Spears has a habit of trying to get away with such shenanigans. Last December she took off without tipping her server at Gordon Biersch and she's tried unsuccessfully to get into Vegas clubs that don't allow underage partying. Note to waitstaffs all over town: Beware of Britney's bullying next weekend, when her concert tour stops at MGM Grand. And be sure to wear good running shoes. Just in case.
Things are shaky behind the scenes at "Storm" again. Cast members, who were recently asked to sign contracts forbidding them to talk to the press, were shocked to see Andrew Lloyd Webber touring the stage area recently with his personal scenery designer in tow. Webber was describing just how he wanted his "new show" to look and wondering aloud how it would fit into the space. Rumor has it Webber is making a deal to replace the Latin spectacular with his "Phantom of the Opera."
Another backstage "Storm" mole says the cast has also heard buzz about producers bringing a star in to spice up the show, and letting the current singers go. Numerous cast members are searching for new jobs -- one recently landed a gig at Coyote Ugly and two others are bailing for a musical production in Los Angeles.
Mandalay Bay spokesman Gordon Absher said, "Everything's fine at 'Storm.' We just had contract renewals," and he added that "Storm" is "slated to play at Mandalay Bay for the foreseeable future."
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