LAS VEGAS — Leave it to Robert Downey Jr. to turn Sherlock Holmes into a wisecracking action hero who ends up handcuffed naked to a bed.

Downey offered a sneak peek yesterday at "Sherlock Holmes," his take on the cerebral detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Theater owners attending their annual ShoWest convention got to see Downey's Holmes in a bruising boxing match, diving from a tall building into London's Thames River and trading barbs with roommate Dr. Watson (Jude Law), who complains about the detective's slovenliness and nocturnal violin playing.

The Warner Bros. film is directed by Guy Ritchie and hits theaters on Christmas Day.

MARTIN OFF TO OPRY WITH BANJO STYLINGS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Steve Martin is coming to the Grand Ole Opry, and he's bringing his banjo.

The comedian, actor, author, playwright and musician will make his debut on the long-running country music program May 30.

An Opry spokeswoman says Martin will perform songs from his first musical album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo. Performing with him will be friends Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Stuart Duncan, Tim O'Brien and John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Martin, who's been playing banjo since he was 17, wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the new album.

JIMI HENDRIX'S HOME NOW WOOD STOCK

RENTON, Wash. — The childhood home where rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix is said to have first discovered music has been dismantled after eight years of preservation efforts failed.

Owner Pete Sikov told the Seattle Times for a story published yesterday that parts have been saved and may be sold later.

"Can you imagine a guitar made out of wood from Jimi's house? Who wouldn't want that?" said Sikov, a 54-year-old Seattle real estate investor.

The house is where Hendrix first picked up an 'ukulele that had one string and figured out how to strum the theme song from the TV detective show "Peter Gunn," said Leon Hendrix, the late musician's younger brother.

Hendrix choked to death on his own vomit in 1970 at age 27 in London after taking sleeping pills and alcohol.

NEESON FINISHES FILM AFTER WIFE'S DEATH

TORONTO — Liam Neeson has completed work on "Chloe," the film he was shooting when wife Natasha Richardson died after falling on a beginners' slope at a Canadian ski resort.

The actor quietly slipped into Toronto for a couple of days last week to complete work on the thriller, also starring Julianne Moore.

Richardson died March 18 after falling and hitting her head during a ski lesson at Quebec's Mont Tremblant two days earlier.

A publicist for the film said Neeson completed his scenes Friday, and the shoot wrapped Saturday.