Kevin Sorbo attends Celine Dion's show. Bette Midler could be headlining in Vegas. Cuba Gooding Jr. at Gladys Knight's finale.

Bette Midler's headliner deal in Las Vegas, hinted at in this space in August, is looking like a done deal, according to insiders.

After initial contact with Caesars Palace this summer, her reps have been in talks with Wynn Las Vegas, which is certain to raise eyebrows in light of reports of "Avenue Q" and "Le Reve" being under-achievers at the box office.

If Midler ends up at Wynn, it would mean a shift back to headliner acts for Steve Wynn, who has shown a recent penchant for Broadway productions, along with the Cirque-like "Le Reve."

"We've been in talks," a Wynn representative said Saturday.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Jet, the Light Group's next club on the local scene, has booked Kid Rock to host the New Year's Eve opening at The Mirage. He will count down to the new year and perform a live deejay set. ...

That was a nasty show-ending crash the other night at "Splash," the long-running variety show at the Riviera. A member of Bela Tabak's "Riders of the Thunderdome" was hospitalized after setting off a five-motorcycle chain reaction inside the metal mesh sphere known as the Globe of Death. The good news: He's OK, and the act is back in the show. ...

Responding to my item that indicated U2 stayed at Wynn because the MGM Grand Mansion's policy requires guests to gamble at a certain level, Jenn Michael, MGM Mirage spokeswoman, said by e-mail, "There was no discussion of any kind with U2 members -- or any artists -- requiring them to gamble."...

Ivan Kane's sizzling Forty Deuce burlesque franchise is going places. Kane, who has Hollywood and Mandalay Bay hot spots, is opening club No. 3 in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter early next year and has narrowed down his New York City site to three possible locations. Two sites are in the Meatpacking District and the other is in Chelsea. A number of celebrities are involved in the New York club, he said.

SIGHTINGS

Backstage after Gladys Knight's finale Saturday at the Flamingo Las Vegas (760 shows over a four-year run): Smokey Robinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Deborah Harry, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Clint Holmes and Earl Turner. ... Paris Hilton, dancing on the stripper pole at Light (Bellagio) after dinner at Fix on Friday. Later, she was dancing onstage at Tao (The Venetian). She was with boyfriend Stavros Niarchos. Also at Tao: MSNBC's Dan Abrams and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, at separate tables. ... Birthday girl Kelly Osbourne, checking out Simon Kitchen & Bar (Hard Rock Hotel), the Beauty Bar and Body English (Hard Rock Hotel) on Friday night. ... Kevin Sorbo and Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey's right-hand gal, at Celine Dion's "A New Day" (Caesars Palace) on Friday. ... At Tangerine (Treasure Island) on Friday: Rachel Hunter; Sean Stewart, Rod Stewart's son; and boxer Vinnie Pazienza. ... Ken Kercheval, who played Cliff Barnes, archenemy to Larry Hagman's J.R. on "Dallas," shooting a public service commercial for the Arthritis Foundation at Sunset Park on Saturday. ... Siegfried Fischbacher, ordering white sausages for takeout at the Hofbrauhaus. ... Mat Hoffman, gold medal BMX bike winner of the X Games, spending two hours with ailing kids Saturday at the grand opening of the expansion of Sunrise Children's Hospital.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Your father, his idea of culture is an undershirt with sleeves." -- Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) of "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.