OFF TO A SHAKY START

Miss Nevada USA Veronica Grabowski isn't scoring points with the Miss USA organization.

Two developments surfaced last week that raised eyebrows.

Grabowski gave little notice early last week when she canceled out of an appearance that was to promote the Miss USA event during a morning show at KVVU-TV, Channel 5, after the station had promoted her appearance. Miss Texas ended up handling the duties.

Then organizers caught wind of an e-mail invitation, that featured Grabowski and her boyfriend/magician Criss Angel as celebrity co-hosts of the evening's festivities Friday at LAX nightclub at Luxor. With the Miss USA pageant scheduled for Planet Hollywood Resort, some organizers considered it bad form to have a contestant host a party at a hotel other than the host site, especially if Grabowski were among the top finishers.

It is not clear whether Grabowski, a veteran of Texas pageants before competing in the Nevada competition, was asked to cancel the LAX appearance, but a new e-vite was issued a few days later with Angel the only person featured on it.

A TWISTED TALE

The fur is flying again at KVBC-TV, Channel 3, in a dispute over meteorologist John Fredericks' pup.

Fredericks issued a statement Friday saying it was the NBC affiliate's decision, not his, to remove L.J. from the air back in March.

The young lab, who appeared with Fredericks during the weather reports, "was removed from the broadcast by (KVBC) pending the resolution of contractual terms for L.J."

Fredericks has reportedly been seeking a separate deal for the 9-month-old dog, a replacement for his longtime on-air sidekick Jordan, who died last summer. The station wants exclusive and total rights for L.J.'s image, sources said.

In his statement, Fredericks said that he wanted "his loyal viewers to know that L.J. is both happy and in good health" and that he "wants nothing more than for L.J. to return to the broadcast, and believes that the contractual issues resulting in the current situation will soon be resolved."

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons had the fashion police buzzing at the Miss USA preliminaries Saturday at Planet Hollywood Resort. She walked on stage in what appeared to be khaki kulats and flats at an event that called for something more fashion forward, like cocktail attire. It got worse from there: During her proclamation, she mispronounced the name of Miss USA President Paula Shugart as "Sugar" and said "commiserate" instead of "commemorate."...

John O'Hurley, the lead in "Spamalot" (Wynn), is doing double duty for the next seven weeks. Starting Tuesday, he's hosting "The Secret Talents of Celebrities" on CBS. He'll fly back and forth to Hollywood almost daily until the May 22 grand finale. He's not a fan of reality TV ("it's mostly social voyeurism"), but this show "celebrates talent, like 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'American Idol.'" he said. You'll see country star Clint Black doing stand-up comedy, Olympic skater Sasha Cohen performing a contortion act with the Shanghai Circus and George Takei of "Star Trek" performing as a country singer. "It's going to be a logistical nightmare," O'Hurley said, "because it's a live show, and we have to reset the stage after every act. It's like a NASCAR pit crew."

SIGHTINGS

Soccer icon David Beckham, his wife, Victoria, and their three sons, at Dirk Arthur's "Extreme Magic" lion and tiger show at the Tropicana on Sunday. Their 9-year-old son, Brooklyn, came on stage and helped as a magician. Afterward, they went backstage, where the boys met Jody, a Siberian tiger; Tillie, a 6-month-old baby Liger (half lion and half tiger); and viewed Keller, a baby snow tiger.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Do you have any friends who can play center, power forward, point guard or shooting guard?" -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Questions On The New York Knicks Job Application

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