Balladeer Engelbert Humperdinck, pop diva Sheena Easton, The Smothers Brothers comedy team, and The Fab Four - "The Ultimate Tribute to the Beatles" are on this year's roster to grace the Las Vegas Hilton's showroom stage with multiple engagements. Tickets for all the shows are $30 and $40 plus tax, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

Humperdinck, whose career has spanned over 35 years, has sold over 130 million albums and had 64 Gold and 23 Platinum albums. His dates are Jan. 14-Feb. 2, April 8-27 and July 15-Aug. 3.

Easton will perform her Top 40 hits such as "For Your Eyes Only" and "U Got the Look," Feb. 4-23, June 3-July 13 and Sept. 23-Oct. 26.

The British invasion will be back when The Fab Four perform The Beatles greatest hits. The foursome, who have perfected more than 200 Beatles songs along with recreating their look and sound, have captivated audiences worldwide. The group's dates are Feb. 25-April 6, Aug. 5-24, Sept. 16-21, Nov. 25-30 and Dec. 16-21.

The Smothers Brothers, Tom and Dick, who first appeared on national television in 1961, will present their irresistible humor, May 6-June 1, Aug. 26-Sept. 14 and Oct. 28-Nov. 16. The brothers have perfected their roles with straight man Dick being the calm and reasonable one and Tom playing the silly jokester. No show is complete without Tom doing his "Yo-Yo Man" routine.

The soulful jazz sounds of premier multiple Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn and acclaimed keyboard Joe Sample will present concerts in the Le Theatre des Arts at Paris Las Vegas on Jan. 17 and 18. Tickets are $65 with tax included.

Comedian / actor / TV host Jay Mohr will take center stage at Paris, Jan. 23-25. Mohr first became a household name during his two-year stint on "Saturday Night Live." Now he's the host of his own weekly ESPN late night sports variety show "Mohr Sports."

On the acting front, he played a hotshot sports agent in the hit movie "Jerry Maguire," starring Tom Cruise. He also co-starred in "Picture Perfect" opposite Jennifer Aniston, "Pay It Forward" with Kevin Spacey, and "Simone" with Al Pacino. Tickets are $50 with tax included, call 1-877-374-7469 or 702-946-4567.

The `40s-themed Cannery located in North Las Vegas right off Interstate 15 at exit Craig and Losee Roads opened on Jan. 3. The 201-room Cannery is visible to I-15 motorists because of its signature 120-foot-tall smokestack with the neon word "casino" on it. It is the first $100-million-plus property to open in over a year since Green Valley Ranch entered the scene in December 2001.

The next two casinos slated to open are the Tuscany off the Strip on East Flamingo and the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas. Also, the first phase of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club time-share project is expected to open by the end of this month with 295-units. It's located on the Strip between Circus Circus and the Sahara hotels.

The Cannery has an industrial theme. The building resembles a 1940's factory with the outer structure featuring aged brick and exposed pilasters. Inside, the place boasts six eating outlets and three bars. The upscale Waverly's Steak House stands out with its dark wood and jumbo oversized still life paintings. It's reminiscent of a typical 40's style plant manager's wood-paneled office and seats 125.

A key innovative component to the Cannery is The Club, a 6,700-square-foot indoor, and over 20,000-square-foot outdoor, entertainment and exhibit venue and pool area. A set of custom-built 25-foot by 60-foot glass doors open to create an open-air amphitheater / festival site. The Club will showcase concerts, exhibits, parties and various types of outdoor festivals beginning this month with the Coca-Cola Football Experience. The football party is taking place beginning at 4 p.m. each Thursday through Sunday until Super Bowl Sunday on Jan. 26.

Country music entertainer, George Strait, with special guest Tammy Cochran, is set for a one-night engagement on Jan. 24 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets are $35, $55 and $75, call 702-632-7580.

Since Strait's debut album "Strait Country" in 1981, he has sold more than 57 million albums. He holds the honor as the only solo artist with the most No. 1 hit singles totaling 49. In 1995, Strait released a four-disc box set, "Strait Out Of The Box," which became one of the five best selling box sets in popular music history. Last year, he released his 28th album, "The Road Less Traveled."

Cochran released her self-titled debut album in May 0f 2001. Her second release, "Life Happened" was out last October.

International recording superstar Shakira will follow Strait with a concert on Jan. 25. Tickets range from $35 to $100.

Shakira wrote her first song at age eight and signed her first recording contract at age 13. She gained widespread popularity with her early releases in Latin America, Brazil and Spain. In 2001, Shakira released her English language debut album "Laundry Service," which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

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Platinum-selling gospel crossover-stars Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin will deliver a message of unity when they appear in the musical "Hopeville" at the Aladdin Theater on Jan. 25. Tickets are $35, $45 and $50, call 702-785-5000.

"Hopeville" is a make-believe city where three friends are raised together. The production features singing, dancing and some choreography. Franklin's vision is for people to see Christian entertainment outside the box.

Adams loves all categories of music. She won Grammy Awards for her albums "The Experience" in 2001 and "Mountain High Valley Low" in 1999. In 1993, she won several Stellar Awards (the highest honor in gospel music) for her album "Save the World."

McClurkin's 1996 self-titled debut album won him a Grammy, two Stellar Awards and a Dove Award nomination for his hits "Stand" and "Speak to My Heart." In 2001, he won another Dove Award for "We Fall Down."

Adams and McClurkin appeared on Franklin's recent album, "The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin." His self-titled debut album "Kirk Franklin & The Family" in 1993 spent 100 weeks at the top of "Billboard" magazine's gospel charts and crossed over to the R&B chart to become the first gospel album selling more than a million copies. He wrote and produced the soundtrack for the film "Kingdom Come" and his "Nu Nation Project" in 1998 sold more than two million units.

The Flamingo Las Vegas has a new African penguin chick born to parents Norton, 10, and Sweet Pea, 4, bringing the resort's number to 13. African penguins live to an average life expectancy of 25 years and are a "threatened" species, which is one step away from the "endangered" rating. The habitat is open to the public free of charge. Narrated penguin feedings and presentations are at 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his band Big Bop Nouveau will perform two concerts at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. in the La Cage Theater at the Riviera on Tuesday, Jan. 21. General admission is $20 plus taxes, call 702-794-9433.

Ferguson, who is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, soloed with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra at age 13. By the age of 16, he was performing in Canada with the touring bands such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Woody Herman. In 1949, he moved to the United States and joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

After living overseas through the `60s and recording his hit version of "MacArthur Park," he returned to the United States in 1974. When his recording of "Gonna Fly Now," the theme from the motion picture, "Rocky" reached the top-ten on the pop charts and his album "Conquistador" turned gold, Ferguson was in high demand.

Actor / comedian Howie Mandel, known for his role in the award-winning NBC drama "St. Elsewhere," will take center stage at the MGM Grand's 740-seat Hollywood Theatre, Feb. 13-19, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

Mandel's career has encompassed virtually every area of show biz including television, film and stage. He recently starred in "Crown Heights," a film based on a true story about racial tension between Hasidic Jews and African-Americans, and it will debut on Showtime this Spring. In the movie, he plays a serious role as a Jewish youth leader attempting to unit both groups.

The Stardust will be throwing an All-American Super Bowl Party in the Stardust Pavilion on Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. The $50 admission will include six giant screens for viewing, free beer, wine and soft drinks, free stadium food and betting stations. The party's hosts will be Tom Mack, Los Angeles Rams / Pro Football Hall of Fame; Cliff Harris, Dallas Cowboys / 1978 Super Bowl Championship Team; and Vince Ferragamo, Los Angeles Rams / Nebraska University All-American.

The Imperial Palace's Tequila Joe's has introduced Ciclon, the official energy drink of the Dallas Cowboys, as part of the drink menu. Ciclon is suppose to strengthen heart contractions, increase endurance, stimulate metabolism, increase heart stoke volume, and improve performance. A variety of Ciclon Energy Drink mixers are being offered including "Ciclon' Drunken Monkey," "Ciclon' Category 5" and "Ciclon' on the Beach" for $9.50.

The soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas resort will also open an exhibit, "Diamonds & The Power of Love" on Valentine's Day. The exhibit will include rings dating back to the early 8th century as well as showcase jewelry from the world's finest diamond houses. The highlight of the display will be a reproduction of the first engagement ring, a 15th century diamond bestowed upon Mary of Burgundy from Archduke Maximilian of Austria.

The eight-man band Chicago will return to the showroom at the Stardust for a four-night engagement, Jan. 15-18. Tickets are $59.95 plus tax, call 702-617-5577.

Chicago has recorded 17 consecutive hit albums surpassing the 122 million mark in total record sales. The Chicago foursome that founded the ensemble in 1967 is still going strong. They pioneered the concept of a rock band with a dominant horn section. The group's debut recording was released in 1969 and included the first of many hit singles, "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?"

The opening of the $650 million monorail project currently under construction between Bally's and the Sahara hotel-casinos is planned for January 2004. Meanwhile, a revised extension of a monorail spur route will place a station above the Las Vegas Strip between the Riviera and the Stardust hotel-casinos. The $100 million spur extension will run eight-tenths of a mile off the 3.6-mile private monorail being built.

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