‘Mamma Mia!’ time moves fast

"Mamma Mia!" marks its fifth year at Mandalay Bay with an anniversary performance Feb. 14. We don't know where the years went so quickly, but here's an update on where some of the Vegas alums ended up:

Local favorite Tina Walsh (the original Donna) is getting set to take the stage as Madam Drury in Las Vegas' other hit Broadway musical, "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular," at The Venetian next month.

Nick Cokas, who played the original Sam, made headlines this week when he married "American Idol" star Katharine McPhee.

Jill Paice, the original Sophie, will be playing Scarlet O'Hara in the much-anticipated musical production of "Gone with the Wind" in London.

Karole Foreman, the original Tanya, is acting in Southern California and recently performed in Clint Holmes' musical "Just Another Man" workshop at UNLV.

And coming full circle: Victor Wallace, who played the original Sky, has returned to the show as a much older Sam. He has gone from the role of the young husband-to-be to one of the three potential dads

"Mamma Mia!" was set to close in August 2008 but has been extended to January. And "Mamma Mia! The Movie" comes out this summer with a cast that includes Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

BACK IN THE HEADLINES

The jailing of former Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees early Wednesday was the latest in a series of missteps in little more than a year.

Scandal ended her brief reign in December 2006 after photos surfaced on the Internet of her at age 17 kissing other women and exposing herself.

Her hard partying resulted in her being rushed to a Las Vegas hospital last year for treatment for alcohol poisoning.

KVBC-TV, Channel 3 reported at the time of Rees' dethroning that photographs of her appeared on the MySpace page of Tiffany Masters, who according to the station promotes "legitimate escort services" called "Vegas Arm Charms" and "VIP Eye Candy."

KVBC entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs reported Wednesday night that the Miss Universe organization, which oversees Miss USA, began an investigation into Rees shortly after she won the state title for "behavior not befitting a beauty queen."

Rees, 23, was booked on several charges Wednesday including resisting an officer after she became physically aggressive, according to a Metro report. She was released from jail after about 12 hours.

She said she had a tooth chipped during the scuffle after being pulled over about 3 a.m. not far from where she lives in the southwest valley.

Rees, who grew up in Florida, dated Palms owner George Maloof throughout 2007, but they broke up around Thanksgiving, according to friends.

Maloof said by telephone Wednesday that he was not aware of the incident until noon and added, "I don't really know anything about this."

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Check out Cher on ABC's "Good Morning America" today for her announcement of her three-year deal with Caesars Palace. She'll be on the air about 8:30 a.m. with news that her show premieres May 6. Cher, 61, told USA Today that she overcame a debilitating bout of Epstein-Barr virus that "really takes the life out of you."

SIGHTINGS

Actor Eddie Murphy, with a lady friend and other friends at Moon nightclub (Palms) on Tuesday night. Also at Moon: Sarah Larson, the former N9NE Group cocktail server who has been dating actor George Clooney. She has been busy as a local model. Last week, she modeled clothing from Tory Burch and Barneys at the Palazzo for the spring fashion issue of Luxury Las Vegas magazine (a publication of the Review-Journal). Tabloid reports have been circulating for several weeks that she has moved in with Clooney. That has not happened yet, according to a source in Cincinnati, where Clooney grew up. Also at Moon: music mogul Suge Knight, former boxing champion Mike Tyson, New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, and rappers Birdman and Lil' Wayne. ... Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, at Louis's Las Vegas (Town Square) on Tuesday for a taste of the Southern flavors of his youth.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Well, it's all over now ... Hillary (Clinton) can remove the duct tape from Bill's mouth." -- David Letterman

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.