Teen pop queen Britney Spears, age 16, has a performing date coming up at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday, Aug. 4. Her tour promotes songs on her Jive Records self-titled debut album.

Performing since early childhood, Spears auditioned for the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club" series at age eight and was deemed too young. Her talent was too obvious to dismiss so she was sent to New York City for performing arts schooling until she joined the "Mickey Mouse Club" at age 11.

Tickets to see Spears are $35, $55 and $75, call Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000 or go online at www.ticketmaster.com.

The new NASCAR Cafe, located inside the Sahara Resort with a main entrance on the corner of Sahara and Las Vegas Blvd., opened with major fanfare on March 2, right before the NASCAR Winston Cup race weekend. Conveniently the major drivers were on hand to inaugurate the race themed restaurant and entertainment complex and to sign their names on the wall.

The main dining area, located on the upper level, overlooks the world's largest stock car, "Carzilla," which serves as the centerpiece to the bar below. Authentic NASCAR stock cars line the perimeter of the upper dining area and will interact with Carzilla in a short show that will take place hourly. Carzilla weights more than three tons and measures 34 feet long and 12 feet wide. It's twice the size of a typical race car and mounted on a hydraulic platform. Every hour it will rise to the second level, start its engine, blow smoke and turn on its lights.

The NASCAR Cafe is open daily. The Infield Dining is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The Carzilla Bar's hours are 10 a.m. to midnight and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For information call 702-734-7223 or visit www.nascarcafelasvegas.com.

Unique to this NASCAR Cafe, which is the fifth one to open in the United States, will be Las Vegas' fastest roller coaster, "SPEED - The Ride." When it opens in April, the roller coaster will be a 45-second ride experience exceeding 70 mph. SPEED was developed with LIM (Linear Induction Motor) technology, a state-of-the-art attractions capability that will enable the coaster to quickly reach high speeds though magnetic force.

SPEED will begin inside the NASCAR Cafe and with a high-speed launch propel passengers along the Las Vegas Strip. Riders will travel through an underground tunnel 15 feet below the surf, and then encounter a loop, straightaway, highs peed turns, and travel through the Sahara Marquee. The return trip to the starting point is all done backwards over the same route. Good Luck!

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has given the Las Vegas Hilton a Four Diamond rating for the 24th consecutive year - longest in Las Vegas History.

AAA rates a total of about 26,500 properties each year, and only three percent earn Four Diamond status. Las Vegas now has more Four Diamond guest rooms than any other city in America with 17,205. Former leader Chicago has 15,000.

The Four Seasons resort inside Mandalay Bay has added an eatery, meeting space, a jeweler and kosher kitchen since its opening and is about to start on expanding its pool area. The $1 million expansion of the pool deck will extend its perimeter 40 feet and add 20 cabanas, 100 lounge chairs and a kids' pool. Completion is scheduled for May.

Last November, Charlie Palmer Steak took over the space that had housed the Four Season's own restaurant, the First Floor Grill and the Club Bar. This is the first independent restaurant to ever open inside a Four Season property. This is Palmer's second Las Vegas restaurant and he owns five others in New York City.

Four Seasons also replaced its Lobby Lounge with 3,000 square feet in two new meeting rooms, which opened last month. Its total meeting space is now about 29,000 square feet.

Another change was adding David Webb Jeweler on the first floor where a 24-hour business center had been. The business center moved to the second floor nearer the bulk of the meeting space.

The other expansion last month was opening Las Vegas' first kosher kitchen outside a synagogue. Kosher kitchens are set up so foods are prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.

MGM Grand Hotel/Casino and Park Place Entertainment have signed five-year lease agreements with McCarran International Airport that will allow the properties to open registration desks at the airport. Guests will be able to check into the hotel, purchase show tickets and take advantage of other services. MGM Grand plans to open its express registration desk in April. According to McCarran, this the first time that such a service has been offered at a U.S. airport.

Lorna Luft will bring her concert entitled, "Songs My Mother Taught Me - A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland" to the Crystal Showroom at The Desert Inn, March 22-26 and March 29-April 2. She has kicked off a brand new chapter of her career with this multimedia concept show encompassing a 15-piece orchestra, slides, video clips and Garland's classic musical arrangements.

Luft has conquered Broadway, the international concert and theater stages, major motion pictures and television. Recently she had fun with two cameo roles in "My Giant" with Billy Crystal, and as herself in the movie "Studio 54."

Another facet to Luft's career is author. Last year, her best selling autobiography "Me and My Shadows," posted a nine-week stay on The New York Times bestseller list. The book was later made into a two-part miniseries and aired on ABC Television Network.

Tickets for Luft's 9 p.m. tribute shows are $35 plus tax and gratuity, call 800-634-6909.

Sam's Town on Boulder Highway has closed the Western Emporium retail store to make room for a property expansion.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Olivia Newton-John will do two rare 9 p.m. performances at the Las Vegas Hilton on March 31 and April 1. Tickets are $65 and $75, call 800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

Newton-John has remained a superstar throughout an incredible career spanning over 25 years. She has sold an estimated 50 million records worldwide, produced five No. 1 pop hits including "Magic" and "(Let's Get) Physical," and 15 Top 10 singles, eight of which have been certified gol and two platinum. She's received many music awards including a 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for penning the song "This Is Our Moment" that was used in the daytime drama "As The World Turns."

Having been on both the country and pop music charts, Newton-John left country behind when she wore black leather in the movie "Grease" in 1978. The "Grease" soundtrack album has sold, to date, more than 10 million copies making it the best-selling movie soundtrack in history.

Newton-John released two albums in the early 1990s: "Back to Basics" and "Gaia," and then took time off for family and battling breast cancer. She came back energized in 1998 with her 17th album release "Back With A Heart."

Blues guitarist Robben Ford will perform at The Orleans, March 17-19. His earliest noted work led him from the blues to jazz and then to a series of concerts and recordings with the legendary Joni Mitchell and later, former Beattle George Harrison.

Ford's career as a sought-after session guitarist has found him recording and performing with a spectrum of artists that includes: Bo Dylan, Rickie Lee Jones, David Sanborn, Bonnie Raitt and Jimmy Witherspoon. He went on to form a group for his first solo recording, "The Inside Story" in1979 and the band later went on to record as the Yellowjackets. "Supernatural" is his more recent release.

Tickets to see Ford are $24.95, $29.95 and $34.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

St. Patrick's Day weekend will be celebrated at Fremont Street and Fitzgeralds Casino and Holiday Inn downtown. Free live concerts will take place at The Fremont Street Experience on two stages from 6 to 11 p.m. March 17 and from noon to 11 p.m. March 18. Featured performers will include Brother, Kinship, Clumsy Lovers, Bur, Shaking Tree and Bagpipes Johnston.

Additionally, The Fremont Street Experience will deliver nightly light shows at 6:30, 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. The Highlander Pipes and Drums, a 15-member bag pipe corps, will begin marching at the conclusion of each light show and parade down the mall to Fitzgeralds where they will perform at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Elvis impersonator Michael Kennedy will also do shows on Fitzgeralds stage March 17-19.

Fitzgeralds will highlight food specials including corned beef and cabbage, Irish Stew and $8.99 all-you-can-eat prime rib. The featured drink of the week will be a 12-ounce green draft beer for $1 at all inside and outside bars.

Green carnations will be sold from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day of the celebration to raise money for the Ronald McDonald's house of Las Vegas. A free drawing entry will be given with each carnation purchased. The prizes are a pair of Southwest Airline tickets and a three-day two-night stay at a Holiday Inn near Disney World in Orlando and a diamond tennis bracelet from The Tower of Jewels in the March 19 drawing.

Peter Murphy is launching his first tour in five years and will appear at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay on Sunday, April 2. He developed a devout following from his days as Bauhaus front man and will be joined on tour by former band mate Kevin Haskins on drums and other key musicians from noteworthy groups.

Murphy is touring in support of his new Beggars Banquet release "Wild Birds," which is an album collection of hand-picked songs that he recorded from 1985-1995. Tickets to see Murphy are $18 and $28, call 702-632-7600.

Country star Billy Ray Cyrus will headline at 7 and 9 p.m. on Friday on March 24 at Sunset Station's Club Madrid on Boulder Highway. He's best known for his song "Achy Breaky Heart" from his debut album. Line dancing became synonymous with this tune.

In 1998, Cyrus released "Shot Full of Love." Tickets are $20, $27.50 and $32.50 for his shows, call 702-547-7777.

World Championship Kickboxing will make its debut at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m. The event highlights a major sports weekend at the MGM Grand which include two boxing title fights on Saturday evening March 18, as well as the opportunity for sports fans to watch the NBA Basketball Championships first and second rounds in the Race and Sports Book.

The Kickboxing tickets range from $20 to $100, call TicketMaster at 702-474-4000 or visit ticketmaster.com.

The historic Mount Charleston Lodge located at the top of snow capped Mt. Charleston will celebrate St. Patrick's Day, March 17-19, with corned beef and cabbage served for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Another offering at the Mount Charleston Lodge is a Cabin & Dinner Special for Two that will run through April with weekends and holidays excluded. You can stay in one of 23 romantic cabins with a fireplace, double whirlpool and private outdoor deck, and have dinner for two for $150 per night, call 800-955-1314 or 702-872-5408.

Last week some meal prices increased at the MGM Grand. The MGM Grand Buffet changed the brunch price from $8.95 to $9.50 and dinner price from $12.95 to $13.95. Prices for children ages 4 to 12 are $5.95 for brunch and $7.95 for dinner.

The Hollywood Brown Derby's exclusive Sunday Champagne Brunch from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with unlimited champagne and an upscale menu of more than 50 items went from $32.50 to $37.50 per person. This restaurant is a reproduction of Hollywood's popular hangout throughout the golden years. The Old World Lounge has a mahogany bar and walls covered by portraits and caricatures of stars. For this restaurant, celebrities coined the phrase, "Meet me at the Derby."

CONTINUE ON TO...:
>THIS WEEK'S LAUGHLIN SEGMENT
>LAST WEEK'S LAS VEGAS SEGMENT
>VEGAS VIEWS FULL ARCHIVES
>Return to "Heard Around Town"
>Return to Las Vegas Leisure Guide