Plenty of magical moments on way

Criss Angel already is trying to grab attention for a Luxor show that doesn't open until September, but rival magicians aren't sitting quietly on the sidelines.

• Las Vegas stars will take over the Big Apple -- or at least add to their frequent flier miles -- for "magic week" on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Lance Burton, Mac King, Dirk Arthur, Steve Wyrick and Penn & Teller are said to be booked each night (in the listed order) the week of May 5.

• "Celebracadabra" on VH1 fuses the D-list celebrities of "The Surreal Life" with a magician's version of "The Apprentice" starting Sunday. The climactic episodes were taped in October at Wyrick's theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

• Disgruntled former employees of Siegfried and Roy try to stir up trouble in "The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy," a book that was slated for May 19 publication but appears to be already for sale on Amazon.com.

Magicians were told Letterman's week of magic won't be treated as facetiously as previous weeks celebrating ventriloquists and impressionists, though the host's participation in illusions isn't guaranteed. The acts were told to plan on doing their usual act unless Dave decides he wants to get onboard.

A preview copy of Sunday's "Celebracadabra" debut finds it to be bottom-shelf reality fluff: Campy comedian Ant conspiring against Carnie Wilson? The horrors.

VH1 doesn't even seem to care much about the suspense of weekly eliminations; press materials accompanying the screener give away the names of the final two celebrity contestants (I won't spill them in case you want to watch the dumb thing).

Frequent Las Vegas performer Jeff McBride is a snickered-at judge on the first episode. The series doesn't move from Hollywood's Magic Castle nightclub to Wyrick's theater until the seventh and eighth episodes of the nine-part series.

Publicity materials accompanying the Siegfried & Roy book promise "a salacious look" at the duo, including "stories about brow-beaten showgirls and disgruntled employees," "accounts of alcohol and drug abuse" and "the secret disposal of dead animals."

We'll likely write more about this down the road, but the first impression is that it's more dry and cautious than the teasing publicity copy promises. Three authors are credited: the duo's former security chief Jim Mydlach, his son Louis Mydlach and Jimmy Lavery, former boyfriend of Siegfried and Roy's leading lady, Lynette Chappell.

But the book is written in the third person and "as told to" writer Henrietta Tiefenthaler pulled a lot of it from public record and prior accounts, including Review-Journal writings by me and columnist Norm Clarke.

Louis Mydlach sued Siegfried Fischbacher for wrongful dismissal in November 2005, but quickly withdrew the litigation. He said the publicity alone drew sufficient attention to his concerns about Roy Horn's quality of medical care after his near-fatal tiger bite in 2003.

An investor who says he financed early efforts to help the Mydlachs get a book deal now has distanced himself after a falling out with the authors. ...

Seems like only yesterday the unmistakable singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett was checking out the press preview of the "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit for The Venetian's new branch of the Guggenheim museum. In fact, it was a bright moment in the bleak days after Sept. 11, 2001.

That's a long time in Vegas dog years, and museum-quality art didn't turn out to be a lasting component of the 21st-century Strip. The first part of the Guggenheim space fell to make way for "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular." Now comes word that the remaining Guggenheim Hermitage space will close May 11. If there's a bright side to the news, admission is free to the 37-piece "Modern Masters" exhibit from now until the closing date. ...

Finally, here's proof that if Broadway musicals haven't all been home runs here, it's not for lack of talent. Jill Paice, who opened "Mamma Mia!" at Mandalay Bay as daughter Sophie, debuted this week as Scarlett O'Hara in Trevor Nunn's British musical version of "Gone With the Wind."

Sierra Boggess, who opened "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" as Christine, is now "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway. And now comes the news that John Tartaglia, who reprised the Broadway roles he created (and puppeted) in "Avenue Q" at Wynn Las Vegas, joins the cast of the Broadway adaptation of "Shrek" as Pinocchio in November.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 702-383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.