The annual Mandalay Bay Beach outdoor series at the hotel's wave-pool beach will feature Styx on May 18 and the Robert Cray Band on May 31. Tickets for Cray's show are $25 in advance and $28.50 on the day of the show. For tickets, call 702-632-7580.

The Cray show is one of more than a dozen being lined up for the beach venue. Some of the headliners include Guess Who on June 28, Meatloaf on July 4, Cheap Trick on July 5, Heart on Aug. 2, David Sanborn on Aug. 3, Lynyrd Skynyrd on Aug. 10 and Foreigner on Aug. 31.

The popular comedian and actor Pauly Shore will headline New York-New York's Broadway Theater, May 24-26. Shore starred in MTV's "Totally Pauly" and the HBO television special "Pauly Does Dallas" as well as in feature films such as "Encino Man," "Son in Law," "In the Army Now" and "Biodome."

Shore recently wrapped up his directorial debut film after four years of developing, writing and producing. The independent feature film "You'll Never Wiez in this Town Again," signed by Dimension Films, is a semi-autobiographical dark comedy that Shore also stars in.

Tickets for Shore's show are $39.95 and $29.95 plus service charges, call 1-800-693-6763 or 702-740-6815.

Comedian George Carlin will bring his off-the-wall jokes to the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theater from Thursday, July 4 through Wednesday, July 17. Tickets are $60 inclusive, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

Carlin, known as one of America's keenest social critics, uses razor sharp humor to point out hypocrisy in people's action and words.

A new entry into the comedy club competition in town is Sandy Hackett's Comedy Club at the Greek Isles. The show is being performed seven nights a week at 9 p.m. with Hackett as the constant comic. He is joined by a second comedian, with a different co-star who starts each Monday. Straight-man Steve Rossi is scheduled to appear with Hackett starting April 29.

Tickets are $13.95. For a dollar more $14.95, a steak-and shrimp dinner in Yanni's restaurant before or after the show can be added.

"Grace Under Fire" sitcom star Brett Butler will once again take over the Top Of The Riv Ballroom on Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4.

From Montgomery, Alabama, the People's Choice award winner will remind fans of 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 delevoping a new series for ABC. Tickets are $29.50 each plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

Neonopolis downtown will open on May 2 with a 14-screen movie theater and other entertainment venues. Two of the movie theaters will showcase independent films. In the center of the building is an atrium with a 100-foot tower featuring 18 historic signs from all over the country.

Many of the signs are from the 1940s and '50s. The only representation from the Las Vegas Neon Museum is the 5th Street Liquors sign. The oldest sign is a 1925 vertical one from the Strand theater in Shreveport, La. Another sign is the big red "Hunt's" car and it has a bullet hole.

Buzio's at the Rio has launched the "Shipwrecked" Champagne Brunch for seafood lovers on Sundays from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. The lavish brunch is $49.99 per person.

Buzio's was named "Best Seafood in the Desert" by Zagat Survey, as well as one of Las Vegas' top 50 restaurants by "Casino Player" magazine.

Checked out Dr. Scott's Hypn-O-larious show that takes place every Monday night from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Le Bistro Theatre. The comic hypnotist puts on a fun, non-threatening show with audience participants undergoing hypnosis. The participants are really the winners because they leave the show more relaxed than they can imagine after doing outrageous things on stage. Tickets are $11.95 and well worth the experience.

Don Rickles will be headlining at the Stardust for a four-night gig, May 2-5. Vocalist Shawn King, and wife of CNN talk show host Larry King, will be opening for him and making her Las Vegas a showroom debut.

Rickles is in his second year as a Stardust headliner has reaffirmed his box office draw. He's still stalking the stage like a panther and hilariously pouncing on everyone in sight.

King, perhaps best known as the host of USA Cable Network's long-running entertainment news show "Hollywood Insider," has been a show business professional since childhood. She is the daughter of a record company executive and a Hollywood studio singer. She signed her first recording contact at age 11 and was chosen to be one of the guest artists on the 2002 Winter Olympics commemorative CD.

The 2002 playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings will return to Las Vegas for "Frozen Fury 6" to host their final National Hockey League pre-season game against the 2001 Stanley Cup Champions Colorado Avalanche Saturday, Oct. 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets range from $20 to $150 and are available now by calling 1-888-KINGS-LA (888-546-4752).

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You can't miss 27-year-old Matt Kenney on the cover of the May issue of "Playgirl" magazine. Playgirl's readers have named him Man of the Year and he posed nude for an 11-page, full-color photo spread. Kenney is performing with the Chippendales troupe at the Rio.

To maintain his amazing chiseled physique, Kenny works out about 1 1/2 hours a day, five days a week. He is a native of Pittsburgh.

In November 2000, a friend encouraged Kenney to send a photo to "Playgirl." He did and within days, he was on his way to New York to do a photo shoot. After the photos ran last June, he thought nothing more of it until three months ago, when "Playgirl" notified him that his was Man of the Year.

HBO cameras have followed the cast of the new "Showgirls" at the Rio show around constantly from the auditions through to opening night filming a one-hour documentary. "To Be A Showgirl" will air this fall.

EAT'M, which stands for Emerging Artists & Technology in Music," is a conference and showcase for talent. It will take place this year, May 29-31, 2002. Check out details on the conference by visiting www.eat-m.com.

More names have been added to the lineup of "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" concert. The Dixie Chicks and Shakira will join Mary J. Blige, Cher and Celine Dion. The show will air live from the MGM Grand at 6 p.m. on May 23. Tickets are $40, $100 and $150, call Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000.

Saxophonist Greg Piccolo is scheduled to perform free at 8 p.m. on May 2 at Boulder Station, 4111 Boulder Highway. Piccolo is touring in support of his new album, "Homage," which is his first release since "Red Lights" in 1997.

"Homage" is a tribute album honoring tenor sax heroes whose work Piccolo studied for more than 30 years.

Piccolo's prior work includes participation on more than 50 albums plus three previous solo recordings, "Heavy Juice," "Acid Blue" and "Red Lights."

"EFX Alive" starring Rick Springfield at the MGM Grand has eliminated the 10:30 p.m. show on Saturday night. The show schedule is one show at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Bally's Steakhouse has been named the Best Steakhouse in Las Vegas by John Mariani in the May issue of "Town & Country" currently on the newsstands. It is being included as one of America's Ten Best Steak Houses.

The topless revue "Crazy Girls" at the Riviera will celebrate its 15th anniversary in September. Always evolving, the newest act in the show is Joe Trammel aka "The Man of a Thousand Faces." He has the dubious distinction of being the first man to perform in the show.

Over its history, "Crazy Girls" has seen about record 100 performers come and go.

The famous World Series of Poker events at Binion's Horseshoe downtown is running through May 14. World Series entry fees range from $1,000 to $10,000.

The mega-event has added two new contests to its lineup this year. One is called H.O.R.S.E. It is a rotation game offering alternate rounds of hold'em, Omaha hi-lo, razz, seven-card stud and seven-card stud hi-lo.

The other new contest will be a match play tournament. Only past event champions will be allowed to enter, with competitors pitted against each other in head-to-head matches until a champion surfaces.

The event's final tourney is the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold'em, a five-day battle for a first prize of at least $1.5 million and the title of "world champion."

Another change this year is that tournament contestants only pay an event buy-in, rather than paying both a buy-in and an entry fee. This year gamblers will pay the event buy-in, but Binion's will take a six percent cut out of each event's prize pool.

Hilton Hotels Corp. has resumed construction of its third time-share project in Las Vegas. The new project is located on 10 acres on the corner of the Las Vegas Strip and Sahara Avenue near Circus Circus. It is scheduled for completion in January 2004.

The $111 million first phase of a four-phase project will consist of 295 units and go up to 1,523 units.

The new hours for the nightclub Light at Bellagio are Thursday and Sunday from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. Admission is $20 per person, call 702-693-8300 for information.

Las Vegas has its first home built and decorated by looking everything up through the Internet. The Bob Villa Dot Com Dream Home is located in the elite Spanish Hills.

The Stirling Club is a $40 million private facility. It is considered the centerpiece of the new Turnberry Place four-tower luxury living development on Paradise. It provides valet and concierge services. Upstairs it offers casual and fine dining, dancing and entertainment, while fitness and relaxation opportunities await members downstairs.

All of the Stirling Club's 600 members can frequent a piano bar and nightclub, which is art deco in style and highlighted by copper and leather lined walls.

Members are made up of Turnberry Place residents and non-residents. The sales office for Turnberry Place is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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