Funnyman Don Rickles has been a mainstay on Las Vegas Strip marquees for nearly four decades and his amazing success in the resort city will continue at the Stardust where he has signed an exclusive two-year deal. The comedian's first engagement in the resort's Wayne Newton Theater will take place Feb. 2-3. Singer-impressionist Bob Anderson will be the opening act for Rickles' initial engagement. For tickets, call 702-732-6325.

Wayne Newton, who appears at the Stardust 40 weeks a year, was instrumental in formulating the agreement with Rickles. Coincidentally, both legends received their first significant exposure in Las Vegas and have reigned as two of the city's foremost entertainment attractions since the 1960s. Rickles has headlined at Las Vegas resorts every year for 36 consecutive years.

"Forever Plaid" that called Bugsy's Theater at the Flamingo home and played to sell out audiences for several years is moving to a new residence at the 400-seat showroom at the Lady Luck downtown. The arrival of The Second City comedy troupe at the Flamingo started the chain reaction of switching showrooms because comedy/magician Fielding West's gig that was suppose to run through June at the Lady Luck is being cut short to make room for "Forever Plaid."

Coast Resorts Inc. is proceeding with a $100 million expansion of the four-year-old Orleans located less than two miles west of the Strip on Tropicana Ave. The two-year project will include a 9,000-seat event arena, a 620-room hotel tower, a 2,600-space parking garage and 40,000 more square feet of casino space.

Other elements to the expansion will include the addition of six movie theaters to the Orleans cinema complex. With 18 screens and 4,900 seats, the complex will become the largest in Southern Nevada.

Plans also call for two new restaurants and Brendan's Irish Pub. One 370-seat eatery will be Italian and operated by the renowned restaurateur Gustav Mauler who currently owns Spiedini and Oxo at the Regent Las Vegas. The second restaurant named Koto will be Chinese and Japanese and seat 140 people.

Coast Resorts Inc. intends to forge ahead with $25 million in expansion and renovation activity at two of its other properties, the Gold Coast and the new Suncoast.

The Gold Coast across the street from the Rio will add some new convention space, expand the buffet and completely update the Flamingo Road resort's look. The new Suncoast that opened last September in the northwest area of the valley will add 216 rooms this year in the existing building shell.

The MGM Mirage is delaying plans to develop a Strip resort catering to "Generation X" at the 55-acre Boardwalk Casino-Holiday Inn site.

Celebrating 18 years in comedy, "Grace Under Fire" sitcom star and executive producer Brett Butler will return to her stand-up roots to perform two special shows at the Riviera's Top of the Riv ballroom on March 2 and 3. From Montgomery, Alabama, the People's Choice award winner will remind fans through humor about her abusive relationships, her battles with life's demons and the unpredictable tabloids.

Butler is also the author of The New York Times bestseller "Knee Deep In Paradise." She is currently developing a new series for ABC. Tickets for her two shows are $29.50 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

"Kisses on Ice" starring Olympic skating star Katarina Witt has a scheduled performance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, March 10. For ticket information, call 702-632-7580.

The 9th Annual ESPY Awards, which will air live on ESPN on Monday, Feb. 12, starting at 9 p.m. EST, will begin for the first time ever with a live one-hour red carpet pre-show beginning at 8 p.m. An all-star lineup of celebrities will join returning host Samuel L. Jackson at the MGM Grand. The ESPY Awards, presented annually for Excellence in Sports Performance, cover 34 categories, highlighted by 14 awards.

Philips Supper House is the legendary restaurant built in 1979, a couple miles off the Strip on W. Sahara Ave. with a highly visible facade of a Victorian House. The dining house, a Las Vegas icon, recently underwent a complete interior refurbishing featuring an entirely new posh lounge, video poker bar, redecorated private and main dining rooms with warm hues, bright-light fixtures, and original artwork.

Philips has launched a new dining experience with a casual Sunday Brunch being served weekly from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All entrees range in price from $5.95 to $13.95. Dinner hours begins at 4 p.m. with a "twilight dinner" special running until 6 p.m., followed by regular dinner hours to 10 p.m. on weeknights. There's late night dining on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 702-873-5222 for information.

The all new Sam's Town Live! showroom at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway at Flamingo is lining up a wide selection of top-notch headliners. Some of the upcoming acts are Little Richard Feb. 3-4, George Jones Feb. 9-10, the Neville Brothers Feb. 16-17, Sammy Kershaw Feb. 23, Travis Tritt March 1-3, Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle March 8-9, Little Anthony & the Imperials and The Spinners March 10 and Jerry Lee Lewis March 23-24. The entertainment hotline is 702-450-8300 or 1-888-464-2468.

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The decision in their first meeting last Aug. 12 was close enough to warrant a rematch between Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield and John "The Quiet Man" Ruiz on March 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Holyfield will put his World Boxing Association heavyweight title on the line for a live SET (Showtime Event Televisions) Pay Per View showdown at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Tickets range from $50 up to $750, call 1-877-632-7400.

Reigning 140-pound champions Sharmba Mitchell and Kostya Tszyu will face each other in a super lightweight title-unification match set for Feb. 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center that can be seen on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT. These two fighters are considered two of the most talented and flashy world champions in the lower weight division. Tickets range from $25 up to $350.

Erykah Badu will headline at The Joint in the Hard Rock on March 14. Tickets are $40 and $50, call Ticketmaster at 702-693-5000. Jeff Beck is booked into the room even sooner on Feb. 25. Tickets are $50 and $67.

Popular rock `n roll artist Eddie Money will take over the showroom at the Orleans, Feb. 8-11. Money is celebrating his 20 years as a recording artist with a new album and home video. The album entitled, "Shakin' With The Money Man," features new live versions of ten of his previous hits as well as four new studio performances of a dozen chart-breaking hits. Tickets are $29.95, $34.95 and $39.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

The funky sound of Tower of Power will perform at the new Suncoast on Feb. 10 and 11. Tickets are $29.95, $34.95 and $39.95 plus tax, call 702-636-7075.

Tower of Power began in the San Francisco Bay Area as a group of soul devotees called the Motowns. Next the group won over rock impresario Bill Graham and earned a coveted spot on the Fillmore Auditorium roster and shared bills with superstar headlining acts.

In the 90's the group caught on with R&B lovers in Japan and Europe. The horn section became a regular fixture of David Letterman's Late Night Show. To celebrate the launch of the band's fourth decade of touring and recording, Rhino Records assembled "What Is Hip?" the first retrospective of the band, tracing Tower of Power from its earliest days.

One of the longest-running shows on the Las Vegas Strip, "Splash" recently received its 13th "Show of the Year" award since its debut at the Riviera in 1985. The show's most recent award is "Best Production Show of the Year" in the annual Tourist Top Choice Entertainment Awards for 2000.

One of the nicest getaway places less than an hour's drive from the Strip is the Mount Charleston Lodge tucked away on a mountain top in a national forest. Winter means snow and cold temperatures that create a perfect atmosphere for the lodge's 24-hour lounge with an open fireplace.

The drink of choice is hot chocolate with a huge crest of whipped cream. In the winter, the lodge serves 3,000 cups of steamy cocoa every weekend and utilizes some 24 cases of the sweet topping.

The second most requested hot beverage at the Mount Charleston Lodge is the famous Mt. Charleston Coffee made with brandy, scotch liqueur, vanilla milk and coffee, topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and a cherry. Other hot chocolate beverage choices are the Girl Scout Cookie, Butterfinger, Swiss Hot Chocolate, German Chocolate and Irish 49. The historic lodge is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For information, call 1-800-955-1314 or 702-872-5408.

Versatile performer James Stephens III will headline The Improv at Harrah's, Feb. 27-March 4. Stephens is a comedian, actor, impressionist and musician accomplished in five musical instruments. His eclectic catalogue of musical voices range from Louis Armstrong to Elvis. Many television appearances have brought him to the show biz forefront. He'll be joined at The Improv by fellow comedians Nick Griffin and opener Robert Kelly. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana has one of Boston's finest comedian Don Gavin providing the laughs, Jan. 29-Feb. 4. A former high school teacher, Gavin has headlined in comedy clubs across the country with major names like Prince, Jay Leno, Robin Williams, etc. Gavin is a straight-ahead, no gimmick, blue-collar comic with material that comes from simple observations about everyday occurrences.

Gavin is appearing with fellow headliners Joe Mulligan and Mike Stankiewicz. Tickets are $17.50 per person with tax, gratuity and two drinks included. For reservations, call 702-739-2714.

The Las Vegas Antique Bottles and Collectibles Club will host the 36th annual Collectibles Show and Sale Feb. 23 and 24 in the Pavilion at the Tropicana. Early bird hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Feb. 23, with admission set at $15. Regular show hours on Feb. 24 will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a $5 admission fee.

Lawry's The Prime Rib has planned a J. Wine Company Dinner for Thursday, Feb. 8. Tickets are $85, call 702-893-2223.

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