Comedian Ray Romano, star of the television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," will headline in the Danny Gans Theatre Jan. 17-19 and March 14 and 15. Tickets are $70 plus tax, call 702-792-7777.

The eccentric comic magician, The Amazing Johnathan, whose show downtown at the Golden Nugget was a huge success for a year-and-a-half, will be opening at the Flamingo Las Vegas center Strip on Jan. 18. The larger 700-seat showroom will allow the bizarre comic and his wacky blonde assistant, Psychic Tanya, to add new material with the same impulsive, bizarre humor and abrasive wit.

Performances will be at 10 p.m. nightly except Thursday. Tickets will be $50 for seating on the main floor and $40 for balcony seating, plus taxes and fees, call 1-800-221-7299 or 702-733-3333.

Disney on Ice will be presenting "Toy Story 2" at the Thomas and Mack, Jan. 15-19. Tickets for the family show range from $11 to $40 for the front row, call 702-739-FANS.

Next weekend on Saturday, Jan. 11, the "Comedy Night of Superstars" will present a trio of funnymen_Kevin Nealon, George Wallace and John Pinette. Call 702-785-5000 for tickets.

"Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace has been a mainstay since it opened in 1983. The show stays fresh because the tribute impersonators are rotated and they sing in their own voices. Plus there are the added ingredients of a live band and dancers. Tickets are $39.95 for adults with tax, tip and two drinks included and $24.95 for children 12 and under, call 1-888-777-7664 or 702-794-3261. Show times are 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. nightly except Sunday.

Last week, "Blues Brothers" portrayers Dan Meisner as Jake and Joe Messina as Elwood returned to the show.

Beginning Jan. 6, Stacey Whitton will add her tribute to Shania Twain to the cast and perform the superstar's top hits. Whitton comes from a musical family of eight and has been entertaining audiences since age seven when she was a featured vocalist for the New Penny Singers. At age 11, she discovered the saxophone and began a ten-year career playing in the Early Birds Quintet. For years, she has been traveling and appearing across the country in "Legends" road shows.

On Jan. 20, Heidi Thompson will inject her portrayal of Cher complete with the star's infamous tattoos. Thompson has been residing in Las Vegas for almost 20 years and "Cher-ing" her gift with "Legends" audiences.

Legendary music maker Paul Anka, whose music transcends five decades, is booked at the MGM Grand's 740-seat Hollywood Theatre, Jan. 27-Feb. 5. His musical compositions are internationally known and have been recorded by the greatest names in the entertainment industry. Show tickets are $70 inclusive, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

The party at the Las Vegas Hilton Center on Jan. 26 will begin at 2 p.m. For $45 plus tax and handling fee, guests may enjoy the game on giant television screens and partake in unlimited drinks and a buffet. Bacardi and Miller Girls will add to the festivities. The $249 package includes the Super Bowl event and hotel accommodations for three days and two nights, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

The Sahara will host a Super Bowl XXXVII VIP Party in the Golden Room with stadium food, big screen televisions and satellite betting. Tickets are $50 inclusive, call 1-800-634-6645, ext. 2628 or 702-737-2628.

The Imperial Palace will host a public Super Bowl Party in the Royal Hall. The $50 admission price includes large screen TV viewing, free draft beer, a buffet, a commemorative T-shirt, door prizes and drawings. Tickets must be purchased by credit card and all seating will be assigned, call 1-800-351-7400.

The Imperial Palace will also hold its annual free pre-game broadcast live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Grand Salon at the Auto Collection. It will feature Coach Harvey Hyde with special guests FOX Sports Football Analyst Craig Fertig and former NFL quarterback Scott Tinsley.

The Castaways at 2800 Fremont Street will be holding a "Super Bowl Sunday Countdown to Kick-Off!" promotion with 37 hours of prizes. Random hourly drawings for football memorabilia will be held from 9 a.m. to midnight on Jan. 24 and 25 and until kick-off on Jan. 26, for visitors qualifying by playing slots, bingo and table games.

Craftsteak, the steakhouse at the MGM Grand, is featuring a daily Market Menu, which includes your choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for $39. Dishes at Craftsteak feature high-quality meats from small-family farms, ingredients from artisanal producers and day-boat fisherman. Craftsteak is open nightly from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., call 702-891-7318 for reservations.

David Osborne was the featured pianist in Caesars' famed Palace Court restaurant until it closed, and now he performs Wednesday through Sunday inside Caf‚ Lago. Having sold more than one million records nationwide, his latest CD, "David Osborne Plays a Tribute to Frank Sinatra," marks number 17 for him.

Osborne is a Steinway featured artist who has performed at the White House and throughout the country for former presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. For additional information on Osborne and his albums, visit North Star Music.

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William G. Bennett, owner of the Sahara Hotel and Casino, died at age 78 right before Christmas. He purchased the Sahara in 1995 after spending 20 years as chairman of Circus Circus Enterprises. In 1974, he and his partner Bill Pennington purchased Circus Circus and revolutionized the industry by increasing the role of slot machines and providing quality food, lodging and entertainment with a premium on value.

At the end of December, the Peppermill Inn Restaurant located across the street from the Stardust celebrated its 30th anniversary. When the family eatery opened, Circus Circus, also across the street, was brand new.

Today the Peppermill has 120 employees; however, it looks the same. The d‚cor has huge silk cherry trees and mirrored ceilings. The romantic lounge is famous for its water-filled fire pit and area couch-like seating.

The World Magic Seminar will be held at the Riviera, Jan. 12-15. One component of the conference is an invitational competition with eight to ten magicians vying for a prize. There will also be a roast for the first time with the Amazing Jonathan being the target for roasters Johnny Thompson, Billy McComb, Kerry Pollack, Jon Stetson, Rich Bloch, Mike Caveny, Psychic Tanya and host Glenn Farrington.

NBC'S "Fear Factor" is visiting Las Vegas to tape a 90-miniute special scheduled to air in March. This is the first time the hit show has been on the road outside Southern California and it's the first time an audience will be ale to witness one of the show's stunts.

Scheduled today, Jan. 5, at the Fremont Street Experience, crowds will be able to witness a stunt involving the giant canopy.

Other "Fear Factor" stunts will take place on the Strip. One will be in a Mandalay Bay high-roller suite and another will feature the Luxor's 36-story pyramid's slippery wall outside being scaled.

The contestant who survives the challenge will win the $50,000 prize. The twist is they will also have to place a $25,000 blackjack bet out of the prize money at the end of the show.

An Animal Planet cable special will be devoted to Silverton magician Dirk Arthur and his big cats.

The Learning Channel's popular "Trading Spaces" show is planning its first live prime-time telecast in the middle of the month.

Last month, "I Love Lucy Slots" were introduced at Bally's Las Vegas and other Park Place properties. This year the games will become more widely distributed throughout the state.

The "I Love Lucy Slots" are available in a spinning reel and a video slot version, with both sharing the same MegaJackpots Instant Winner award that starts at $300,000. Furthermore, players will be able to play a nickel, quarter or dollar machine, all on the same progressive link.

The 12-line nickel "I Love Lucy Video Slots" feature a bonus round built upon one of the most hilarious sitcom episodes of all time: the scene with Lucy and Ethel as chocolate factory workers. Using actual video clips from the show, players' bonus points depend on Lucy snatching chocolates from the ever-faster conveyer belt.

Holiday Inn Express broke ground earlier last month on a 139-room, $5.5 million hotel at 5760 Polaris Ave., adding to the hotel's fast-growing brand of limited-service properties. The 69,000-square-foot hotel is scheduled to open next September. It's the third development for Holiday Inn Express in Las Vegas.

With 163 major events scheduled for 2003, Las Vegas is ranked as the top trade-show city in the United States and Canada by "Tradeshow Week" magazine. The city's closest competitor in the trade-show industry is New York City, which has 141 events scheduled for this year.

Las Vegas is also expected to draw more conventioneers with the opening of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center this month.

The Little Church of the West is a small brown, free-standing wedding chapel that was built in 1942 as part of the Last Frontier when the only other building on the Strip was the EL Rancho. Today it is the only Strip building on the National Register of Historic Places.

The tiny church has had a history of moving. In 1954 when the Last Frontier was demolished, the chapel first moved to the south side of the New Frontier where the Fashion Show mall now stands.

The next move in 1978 took it further south to the old Hacienda, which is now where the Mandalay Bay and Lluxor stand. In 1996, it moved to its present site on the eastern side of the Strip across form Russell Road.

Cowboy movie star Roy Rogers sang at the very first wedding at the chapel in May 1943, when a tank commander friend of his was the groom.

The first celebrities to tie the knot in the chapel at 4 a.m. on July 4, 1943, were Betty Grable and Harry James. Other stars who followed with their vows have been Angelina Jolie, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Sanders, Dudley Moore, David Cassidy, Judy Garland, Cindy Crawford and Mickey Rooney. Also, at the end of the movie "Viva Las Vegas," Elvis and Ann-Margret were married in the chapel.

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