Country superstar Tim McGraw and The Dancehall Doctors will headline a two-hour show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, May 10. Tickets are $35, $55 and $85, call TicketMaster 702-474-4000.

Last November, McGraw released his eighth record "Tim McGraw & The Dancehall Doctor," which sold 602,000 copies in its debut week and includes the hit singles "She's My Kind Of Rain" and "Red Ragtop." McGraw, whose 1964 debut multi-platinum album "Not A Moment Too Soon" sold more than 6 million copies has produced 19 number one singles, 6 multi-platinum albums and total sales of more than 25 million albums.

In 2001, McGraw took home the coveted Entertainer of the Year award from the Country Music Association. He is among only five other male entertainers (Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Ronnie Milsap, Garth Brooks and George Strait) who have won the coveted Country Music Association Album of the Year for two consecutive years.

Impressionist entertainer Andre-Philippe Gagnon with his 300-plus voices has returned to Le Theatre des Arts inside Paris Las Vegas doing extended select mid-week engagements including April 7-10, 13, 28-30, May 4-8, 11-14, 19-22, 27-29, etc. Tickets are $49 and $60 with tax included, call 877-374-7469 or 702-946-4567.

As one of the world's most recognized impersonators, Canadian Gagnon's career got a jump start at the 1985 international Just for Laugh's Festival with a subsequent appearance on "The Tonight Show." He has since toured as the opening act for Grammy Award-winning singer and friend, Celine Dion, and was selected "Best Newcomer of the Year" during a previous two-year run in Las Vegas.

From Puccini to Motown, "Three Mo' Tenors," features the soul-reaching African-American trio of tenors Victor Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon, and Thomas Young. They will make their Las Vegas debut on April 4, at the 7,000-seat Aladdin Theatre. Tickets are $45 and $55, call 702-785-5000.

The trio will take the audience on a musical journey through the worlds of opera, Broadway, jazz, blues, soul, spiritual and gospel. Each artist has an endless list of impressive credits.

Emmy award winning comedian Louie Anderson will return to the Orleans Showroom, April 10-13. Tickets are $34.95, $44.95 and $54.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

Anderson shares the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of 11 children in Minnesota. He made his national television debut on "The Tonight Show" in 1964 with Johnny Carson.

The monorail that operated about three-quarters of a mile between the MGM Grand and Bally's for the last seven years is officially closed down while the system is expanded to cover a four-mile route tying the Strip properties together, from Tropicana to Sahara Avenues. The $650 million privately funded project is due to begin carrying passengers next January. The new blue and white custom built cars with padded seats encircling the interior and poles for standing riders will travel the route at an average of 25 mph, with a top speed on straightaways of 45 mph.

When comedian Jackie Mason does his Hollywood Theater engagement at the MGM Grand, April 3-9, he will have comedy ventroliquist Michele LaFong do the opening honors. They met several yeas ago when hey were both cast on a national Mercedes Benz commercial.

LaFong's comedy act is based on real life experiences with original characters like boyfriend Paco, a flashy, smooth-talking, Latin "Stud-puppet." Her offbeat ventriloquism also includes some of the original puppets given to her by the legendary Senor Wences after he had seen her perform.

The musical group, The Platters featuring Monroe Powell are making their debut tonight in the Le Bistro Theatre at the Riviera for an indefinite engagement. Known for songs such as "Only You," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," "The Great Pretender" and "My Prayer," the group achieved 16 Gold records. Tickets are $39.95 plus tax, call 702-794-9433.

In April, downtown Las Vegas can look forward to the opening of the two-story, 12,800-square-foot Ice House Lounge located at 650 S. Main Street, not far from the city's original ice house. The new $5 million stand alone restaurant lounge will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner 24 hours a day with average lunch prices at $7 and dinner at $12.50.

The first floor of the venue will seat 180 with 30 at the bar and have an outdoor patio with a fireplace. Two communal tables will seat additional patrons. The second floor located up a floating staircase will have a separate lounge area for overflow seating or as space for private events, parties, etc. The upper level also has an outdoor patio that can seat 100 to 150.

The property features more than $50,000 in HDTV Plasma Screen televisions with 13 42-inch screens and one 110-inch high definition projection screen for the upstairs lounge. More than $250,000 was spent on the TVs and sound system.

The former headwriter for "The Howard Stern Show," Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling will perform two adult-oriented shows on April 4, 5 and 6. He'll be joined by two fellow funnymen, Darryl Joyce making his Riviera debut and Wally Wang. Tickets for the 8 and 10 p.m. shows are $17.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

Besides Stern's show, Martling's list of his own accomplishments include two dozen comedy recordings, four stand-up comedy videos, his own "Off Hour Rockers, Inc." production company, and movie credits in Stern's "Private Parts" and "Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen." As an author, his best sellers are "Just Another Dirty Joke Book," "Raunchy Riddles" and "More Raunchy Riddles."

The one and only Howard Stern will return to Las Vegas, April 22-23, to do his syndicated radio show. He'll be staying at the Hard Rock Hotel.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Caesars Palace will play host to the 5th annual Michael Douglas & Friends celebrity golf weekend, May 14-16. The charity event, benefiting the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), will be played at the 400-acre, Rees Jones designed Cascata golf club in Boulder City, NV. This is the first time that the public is invited to Cascata, a golf facility exclusively for guests of Park Place Entertainment resorts.

Tournament host and founder, Michael Douglas has been highly successful in attracting some of Hollywood's finest to play in this annual tournament which has raised in excess of $1.5 for MPTF. The event will feature 12 stars from motion pictures and television in a 9-hole scramble. In addition to the action on the links, the weekend festivities will also include a special concert in the Garden of the Gods by a top-name entertainer (TBA), a special performance of "A New Day..." featuring Celine Dion, several charity auctions and celebrity receptions.

A limited number of gallery tickets, $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 - 18 (plus tax and ticket-handling fee), are on sale, call Ticketmaster 702-474-4000.

As a special treat, the gallery will also be able to watch a golf clinic given by the world's greatest coaches including Butch Harman, David Ledbetter and Jim McLean.

The Michael Douglas & Friends tournament will be a two-hour ABC Sports special televised on Sunday, July 20, following the British Open.

Entertainer Jay White, who performs "America's Neil Diamond Tribute" in the Le Bistro Theatre, recently celebrated his one year anniversary at the Riviera. White has been portraying Diamond, who in interviews has called him his "favorite tribute performer," for 20 years. One time this columnist watched White with impersonator Rich Little, and he too gave accolades to White's performance. Tickets are $29.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

A Houston developer is planning to begin construction in September on an 18-story, 65-unit upscale condominium tower on Desert Inn Road in back of the old Debbie Reynolds Hotel, now the Greek Isles, overlooking the golf course at Steve Wynn's Le Reve. The estimated cost of the project is $35 to $40 million with a November 2004 completion date. The high-rise will offer art deco luxury lofts and flats starting at $400,000 and going up to $1.7 million for 4,500-square-foot penthouse suites.

The 1920s style Metropolis will have a glass exterior with precast concrete accents, 20-foot loft ceilings, 8 to 9 inches of concrete between floors, detailed balcony railings and double-paned thermo windows. The average size suite is 2,500 square feet and will be a finished product, providing custom options.

Music legend Hank Thompson, who was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989, will bring his seven decades of music to Club Madrid in the off-Strip Sunset Station on April 4. Tickets are $17.50, $24.50 and $28.50 plus tax, call 702-547-5300.

Thompson, known as the "King of Western Swing," blends big band bravura with fiddle and steel guitar. He's sold more than 60 million recordings and recorded in each of the seven decades since making "Whoa, Sailor" in 1946.

Boniface, with an uncanny resemblance, brings his Prince tribute back to Las Vegas performing in "Legends In Concert" at the Imperial Palace. He has been portraying Prince since 1978.

Boniface, who is originally from New Orleans, moved to Hollywood at age 18 and soon landed appearances in several music videos, including Weird Al Yankovich's "Eat It" and Midnight Star's "No Parking On The Dance Floor."

Boniface joins an ever-changing "Legends" cast, which currently includes re-creations of Jerry Lee Lewis, Shania Twain, Temptations, Cher and Elvis Presley. The "Legends" performers use their own looks and voices while being backed by a live on-stage orchestra and dancers. Tickets are $39.95 with tax, tip and two drinks included and $24.95 for children 12 and under, call 888-777-7664 or 702-794-3261.

The new Pier 1 Imports Summerlin store located off the Strip at 8945 W. Charleston opened earlier this month. It is the 1,000th Pier 1 in the home furnishing and accessory chain and the fifth one in Las Vegas, where three more outlets are expected to open by the summer of 2004.

The new Pier 1 is also the largest store in the chain measuring more than twice the size of a regular store. Pier 1 started 40 years ago as a single store in San Mateo, Calif. and the first store in Las Vegas opened 32 years ago.

The upcoming NBC reality series "Second Chance: America's Most Talented Senior" recently held auditions in the Ra nightclub at the Luxor for those 50 and older. The nationwide search involves auditions being held in ten cities. More than 200 showed up in Las Vegas.

The second annual Tour de Summerlin will take place next Saturday, April 5, and offer 12-, 37- and 62-mile rides. Last year, the event attracted 500 participants.

The tiered registration fees are $25 for the 12-mile jaunt and $45 for the other two rides.

The start and finish for the event will be at Summerlin Centre Community Park. You can register at the park on Friday, April 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. and on April 5, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Celebrity chef Michael Mina of Aqua and Nobhill fame is planning a third Las Vegas restaurant, a seafood spot at the MGM Grand yet to be named.

Jacques Van Staden, the chef who opened Neiman Marcus' Mariposa at the Fashion Show mall last December and former chef at the London Club at the Aladdin, has been named executive chef at Alize located at the top of the Palms resort.

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