Nicolas Cage looks to sing and dance

Nicolas Cage wouldn't mind stepping away from his usual tough-guy roles and taking a shot as a song-and-dance man.

"I do want to try a musical at some point ... (maybe) a version of one of the great musicals, 'Guys and Dolls' or 'Oklahoma!' " he said by phone Saturday.

During his 30-year acting career, he's only had a singing role once in 60-some films. That was in "Wild at Heart," when he channeled Elvis while courting Laura Dern's character. Cage sang "Love Me Tender" and "Love Me."

Actors crave such challenges, and Cage, who turns 49 in January, would welcome it.

"I consider myself very much a student still," he said. "And I'm always looking to grow in some ways, so that would stretch my abilities hopefully, and I would learn something."

Two years after "Wild at Heart," Cage co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in "Honeymoon in Vegas" and won an Oscar in 1995 for his portrayal of a Hollywood screenwriter who drinks himself to death in "Leaving Las Vegas."

Going full circle, Cage, wife Alice and son Kal-El moved to Las Vegas from Los Angeles this year.

"I came here largely because of The Meadows School," he said, "which I learned quite a bit about and felt it was an outstanding school and that it would be good for my son."

Cage has embraced the community, much like the late Tony Curtis, who lent his star power to numerous charities and nonprofits.

Among them: the upcoming Marine Corps Toys for Tots event at the LVH on Dec. 1.

Because of a conflict - he's wrapping up "Joe" in Texas - he won't be able to attend, but Cage will be involved in a surprise, according to close friend/event organizer L.J. Harniss of Cadillac of Las Vegas.

Contrary to reports, Cage said he is not in "Kick-Ass 2" or "The Expendables 3." Sylvester Stallone this month announced that Cage would be joining the lineup of action heroes.

BEST EMAIL OF WEEK

Over the years, I've received dozens of survivor accounts near the anniversary of the Nov. 21, 1980, MGM Grand fire that left more than 80 dead and hundreds injured.

This one, which arrived among my email Friday, came from John Seibel, who did not include his hometown. Seibel recalls the humanitarian response that day from a different perspective.

"As a young physician with a new practice, I was in Las Vegas for a medical conference at the time of the MGM fire.

"I wanted to treat my wife to a nice place and go to the MGM. She refused as it was too expensive, and we stayed at the Barbary Coast instead.

"The morning of the MGM fire, a security guard who knew that I was a physician asked me to see a person who had just gotten out of the fire.

"The Barbary Coast had cleared out their Keno Lounge, and they were bringing people in from the fire.

"I was joined by a pediatrician from Phoenix who had been in the MGM, a PA (physician's assistant) from Pittsburgh who had also been in the fire and a nurse who was so energetic I never got a chance to talk to her.

"We screened people all morning long to determine if they needed to go to the Convention Center or the hospital. No one outside of Vegas expected much from the city at that time.

"I could not believe how well-prepared Las Vegas was for a disaster of this proportion. Very few cities in the country were prepared for disasters - especially if they had never experienced a disaster.

"In the Barbary Coast, when we needed oxygen, the security guards brought it to us immediately.

"When they ran low, they brought oxygen from the other casinos, and shortly after that, someone from an oxygen supply was there with more bottles.

"If someone needed to go to the hospital, an ambulance crew was there within two minutes - there were ambulances lined up outside ready to take patients.

"When people had to go to the Convention Center, there were buses lined up outside to take them there.

"Doctors and nurses were waiting for patients at the hospital. When the first people arrived at the Convention Center they had food, clothes and cots ready for them.

"I told my wife that this was a city that I would like to live in some day.

"Four years ago we bought a house here and we will retire here when I fully stop working.

"The PA from Pittsburgh had to go to the hospital later in the day as he had burned his feet in the fire and had smoke inhalation. But, it did not keep him from seeing patients at the Barbary Coast."

THE PUNCH LINE

"Those big guys on the other team kept trying to knock us down." - From David Letterman's Top Ten Dallas Cowboys Excuses

Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke. His weekly segment, "Norm Clarke's Vegas," airs during the "Morning Blend" on KTNV-TV, Channel 13 every Thursday.