But the classic rock band plays Luxor on Friday and Saturday, taking up two nights in a theater that almost surely would have gone to a country act in the past.

It’s part of a slow change that finds many casinos mixing country with other genres or sitting out this year’s rodeo altogether. What had become almost a parallel country festival in the early ’90s has filtered down to acts with a direct appeal to rodeo fans.

More from The Las Vegas Review Journal here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-30-Thu-2006/living/11084343.html

The first 5,000 jolly joggers will receive a five-piece Santa suit complete with hat, belt and beard and a gift bag. Participants may choose from the 5K Fun Run/Walk or the Kris Kringle Jingle one-mile stroll for the casual walker or jogger (I’m in this group). Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, with the event beginning at 8 a.m. Registration fees are $45 prior to Dec. 9, and $75 on race day. Head Santa and Honorary Chairman Mayor Oscar Goodman will serve as the official Santa starter for the event.

The current world record for the Largest Santa Gathering was set in December 2004 with 4,260 participants at the Newtown and District Dial-A-Ride Santa Run in the U.K. Opportunity Village expects at least 5,000 participants for its Great Santa Run. For more information on the Great Santa Run and Kris Kringle Jingle, call 702-259-3741 or visit www.opportunityvillage.org.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lenny/2006/1122.html

The changes are subtle in some places, dramatic in others. The casino has been completely redone with new ceilings, carpeting, wall treatments, lighting, gaming tables, and slot machines. It’s a huge departure from the old look and feel and brings it more in line with Strip style amenities, complete with wooden casings on the slots just like at Bellagio or Wynn Las Vegas.

There are several new restaurants from corporate owner Landry’s plus some new bars and lounges and an all new buffet (reviewed in this week’s column as well).

The lobby has gotten a sprucing up as have most of the public areas and the spa has gotten a complete makeover. Rooms are being renovated as well although that project is ongoing.

Most dramatic is the new pool area. What used to be a fairly pedestrian splash around is now a lush outdoor wonderland, complete with cabanas, a pool bar, and a giant aquarium that you can literally slide through from the second floor down into the pool (a water tube carries you through the middle of it).

The rooms you most likely will be staying in are very similar to the rooms in the older tower, which are to say lovely. It’s sort of W inspired; modern without being too over the top with fluffy white duvets, sleek furnishings, flat screen televisions, and Jacuzzi tubs standard in every room.

At the top of the tower is the new Playboy Club with a gaming salon, restaurant, and high-energy nightclub called Moon.

The pool area has also gotten a revamp with a multi-level deck featuring a sandy beach area, lots of cabanas, a bar with gaming tables, and even a suspended pool with a glass bottom.

More changes are on the way here through 2007 including a new poker room, two additional restaurants including Tides Oyster Bar and Salt Lick BBQ, and a Center Bar concept similar to the ones at Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock Resort.
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm

Presley’s wedding band is expected to sell for $100,000 to $150,000. Elvis unveiled the ring on Monday, May 1, 1967, the day he wed Priscilla in a ceremony that celebrated one of the most famous marriages of the 20th century

Other pieces of memorabilia on display include: jewelry worn by Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like It Hot,” Charlton Heston’s costume from “Ben Hur,” Mike Myers’s blue velvet jacket worn in “Austin Powers,” a variety of John Wayne costumes, Lone Ranger costume, Keanu Reeves’ head bust from “The Matrix” and much more.

The entire collection will be auctioned off on Dec. 14 and 15 by Joseph Maddalena and his internationally-renowned Profiles in History, the number one company in the world for live and simultaneous Internet memorabilia auctions.

The Flamingo is extending “Toni Braxton: Revealed” through August 2007. The six-time Grammy award-winning artist Toni Braxton opened her full-scale musical production with dancers and costumes in August 2006. Tickets are $69, $89 and $109; call 702-733-3333 or 800-221-7299. Show time is 7:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday.

Braxton has an impressive catalog of five albums in contemporary music and collectively she has sold more than 40 million copies, including her best-selling “Ultimate Collection.” Braxton has also taken Broadway by storm with starring roles in the musicals “Beauty & The Beast” and “Aida,” and made her film debut in “Kingdom Come.”

The Palms has unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art, concert theater that is currently under construction and aptly named The Pearl. The new venue expected to open next spring will comfortably tuck into its intimate setting all of the high-end amenities you would find in larger venues. With special scalable curtains, The Pearl’s capacity can easily adjust to accommodate from 1,100 to 2,400 guests. In addition, the floor will allow for seated concert viewing or general admission standing room audiences. With no seating obstructions, the farthest seat from the stage will be a mere 120 feet away, allowing performers to personally connect with the entire audience. Two 14-foot by 16-foot video screens will be located on each side of the stage for close up looks at the on-stage action with additional plasma screens located throughout the concourse areas.

The Pearl will have three levels of seating with beverage stations and restroom facilities located on each level and feature 18 private and semi-private sky boxes with exclusive bars and restrooms and many including personal lounges.

The new concert facility will be hard wired to The Studio at The Palms, allowing artists to create a cost-effective live album with efficiency and without additional venue set-up. Additionally the facility is designed to host live television programs, sporting events and award shows.

Back of house amenities will be just as impressive featuring four dressing rooms; Wi-Fi technology throughout the backstage area; a green room; production offices; pre- and post- show event facilities perfect for parties, artist meet and greets and other special activities; private access to an outside entry, as well as entrance ways from The Studio at The Palms and the Fantasy Tower. Backstage will boast a separate disconnect for satellite and television production trucks as well as a two truck loading dock for easy movement of equipment.

Afternoon headlining comedian and magician Mac King has paired with well-known toy maker Fundex to create a series of magic tricks based on his nationally syndicated comic strip. In time for the holidays, Mac King’s Magic in a Minute™ is a line of 11 easy magic tricks available at large toy retailers and specialty toy stores around the country. For information, call 800-486-9787.

Mac King’s Magic In A Minute™ features Mac King and his sidekick Lewis, a cute comical monkey, demonstrating each of the magic tricks. The tricks, designed as a creative tool for learning the art of entertaining with magic in a fun and humorous way, are available under three series titles and price points: The Befuddling Series $5.99; The Flabbergasting $7.99; and Colossal $14.99.

Each trick comes with a comic book explaining each trick, a trading card that lists an additional trick with common items from around the house as props, and a secret code that can be used to access another trick inside the Vault-O-Magic at magicinaminute.com. This Web site features Mac King in QuickTime videos performing each of the tricks in the series.

There aren’t a whole lot of restaurants with fabulous views of the valley, but a new American fare restaurant in Henderson located at 76 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway has an outstanding one. STEAK is separated into three sections. The dining area features one window-wall with the view. The burnt red and mustard interior is upscale with a contemporary flair accented by dark wood floors and innovative amber-toned lighting. The middle section is a bar and lounge area where guests can dine on a variety of tapas.

With a focus on fine wine, STEAK offers 28 wines by the glass as well as 80 bottled beers. The connecting gourmet wine market sells specialty cheese and items such as olive and truffle oils and chocolate. The shop will feature wine-tasting events in the future.

STEAK is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., call 702-56-STEAK (7-8325).

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant located on the Las Vegas Strip at the Fashion Show Mall on the street level facing Wynn Las Vegas recently celebrated its second anniversary. The 4,500-square-foot eatery, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., features a traditional sushi bar adjacent to the table dining area, as well as a separate, full cocktail bar and lounge with Asian inspired spirits. Happy hour food and beverage specials are offered Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. RA opened its first spot in Old Town Scottsdale in October 1997 and now there are 11 locations.

The Gift of Lights outdoor drive-through holiday light display at Sunset Park located a few miles from the Strip is enjoying its sixth season. The first year, The Gift of Lights had more than 50 displays with approximately 1 million lights, and this year, the event has more than 300 displays and approximately 8 million lights. Gift of Lights will run through Jan. 1 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday - Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Nightly admission is $12 per vehicle.

MonteLago Village and Lake Las Vegas Resort is once again featuring a floating ice skating rink in the middle of the desert. In its third year, the Rockefeller Center-sized rink is now open through Jan. 15. The rink, which floats on the 320-acre Lake Las Vegas, near the shores of MonteLago Village, is open to 60 skaters at a time. Cost is $12 per person for an all-day pass. For information, call 866-399-2753.

Herbst Gaming has struck an agreement with MGM Mirage to purchase the three casinos in Primm on the Nevada-California border off Interstate 15 for $400 million. The deal includes Whiskey Pete’s, Primm Valley and Buffalo Bill’s, along with three gasoline station-convenience stores and a mini-market located on the California side of the border that sells state lottery tickets. Primm is positioned about 35 miles south of Las Vegas. Herbst Gaming began in 1987 as an offshoot of the family business, Terrible Herbst Oil Co., which operates more than 80 all-inclusive service stations in Nevada, California and Arizona.

The 2007 Chippendales Calendar features some the sexy men from the flagship Chippendales’ production at the Rio and from the five international touring companies. The world’s most recognized brand name in ladies entertainment, the Chippendales perform in over 25 countries, 800 cities and for more than 2 million women each year. Chippendales was established in 1978 and the first calendar debuted in 1981. The 2007 Chippendales Calendar is available exclusively at Chippendales.com and in the Chippendales Boutique at the Rio for a limited time beginning this month, prior to its worldwide retail release.
http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/brett/index.htm

In May 1998, the music hall legend quietly disappeared from Las Vegas stages after struggling through a stint that came right after the death of close family friend Frank Sinatra. She was overweight and fragile in her stage presence; her voice was shot.

October’s comeback at the Luxor — where she returns this weekend — was too long in the making, but worth the wait. Minnelli is 26 pounds lighter, she told the crowd, and showed off some dance steps to prove it. And her 60-year-old voice is impressively close to its old form, given that it’s laid bare for all to hear in front of a modest 12-piece band, with no buffering string section or backup singers. She even performed an a capella encore, “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

More Here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-24-Fri-2006/weekly/10893243.html

In late 1992, a similar white tent behind The Mirage heralded the arrival of Cirque du Soleil and its first Las Vegas effort, “Nouvelle Experience.” Unless you have been able to resist every Cirque since, the elaborate, 2,000-seat structure housing the Cirque-like “Cavalia” in the Rio’s north parking lot no longer has the same ability to surprise. And yet, perhaps miraculously, the show inside proves we still haven’t hit the outer limits of Cirque du Saturation.

“Cavalia” is staged outside the company by a fellow Canadian, early Cirque collaborator Normand Latourelle. Its celebration of horse and humans expands the vision of a previous big-top attraction, Cheval Theatre, which also was created by a Cirque veteran (Gilles Ste-Croix) to answer the question of what might have been had Cirque not famously ruled out the use of animals.

More Here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-24-Fri-2006/weekly/10957097.html