Celine Dion was in town recently to participate in the "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" concert at the MGM Grand. The 34-year-old superstar took time out to meet reporters and discuss the $95 million, 4,000-seat Colosseum being built at Caesars Palace to house her new show that will open March 25, 2003. Arena designers are touting the fact that even with balconies the most distant seat will be only 120 feet from the 120-foot-wide stage.

Dion's new production show teams her with "O" and "Mystere" co-creator Franco Dragone and 70 dancers and musicians. Cast rehearsals will begin June 24 in Belgium at the site of Dragone's headquarters.

Dion will perform 100 shows a year for three years. Performances will be at 8:30 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets for her show are on sale now and run from $87.50 to $150 with special VIP packages set at $200. This will be the Strip's most expensive show.

It was when Dion saw Cirque du Soleil's "O" two years ago that her perspective and vision changed. She wanted to be a part of a show like that after taking two years off for maternity leave.

The Colosseum will be available for other performances and events the remainder of the year when Dion's new production show is dark.

A renovation project at Fitzgeralds hotel-casino downtown will result in the removal of a landmark icon. Mr. O'Lucky, a giant statue of 34-foot leprechaun that adorns the front of the property's main entrance, will be removed to expose the rainbow facade. Plans call for Mr. O'Lucky to be reassembled and placed on display at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas.

Other changes at Fitzgeralds includes a 32-seat outdoor dining area situated under the Fremont Street Experience canopy that is currently under construction, and new carpeting and wallpaper throughout the hotel and casino.

Funnyman Jeff Foxworthy, and fellow comedian Ron White, will make a special appearance at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater June 6-8 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $55 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

Best known for his "redneck" comedy, Foxworthy is a multi-faceted entertainer with accomplishments as a recording artist, actor, author and radio host.

Foxworthy has sold more than 12 million albums, making his the largest-selling comedy recording artist in history. He's been nominated for a Grammy award four times, most recently in 2000.

As an actor, his sitcom, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," ran for two seasons on NBC. He's also done an HBO special and two Showtime programs.

The author side of his persona has written 11 best-selling books and sold more than five million copies. He's written about everything from the phenomenon of the redneck to his favorite family recipes.

In 1999, Foxworthy took his humor to the airwaves with "The Foxworthy Countdown," a weekly syndicated three-hour radio show, carried in more than 180 markets across the United States. The show features Top 20 hits and interviews with country stars.

After a highly successful engagement in May, Frank Sinatra Jr. and his 36-piece orchestra will return to the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, Aug. 15-21, with his tribute show "Sinatra Sings Sinatra." The show features his father's musical arrangements and a number of musicians who backed Sinatra Sr., including pianist-conductor Bill Miller, who was with him for 51 years. Tickets are $47.70 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

Mandalay Resort Group will resume construction this fall of a retail mall linking the company's Mandalay Bay and Luxor resorts. The new version will be scaled back from the original project. With 33 shops and restaurants, the project will provide the largest retail offering at the far south end of the Strip. Luxury retailers Louis Vuitton and Fendi have already signed letters of intent. Completion of the mall is planned for the Fall of 2003.

Mandalay Bay is scheduled to open a $235 million, 1.8-million-square-foot convention center in January behind the South Seas-themed mega-resort.

Another Mandalay construction project will begin in September when the company breaks ground on a $200 to $225 million, 1,122-room, 41-story all-suite tower. Completion is expected in October 2003. The average room size will be 750-square-feet, making them the largest rooms of any of the all-suite projects on the Strip.

A spa, fitness center, business center, restaurant and lounge are also planned in the new Mandalay tower.

This year's 33rd World Series of Poker held at Binion's Horseshoe downtown is over, but once again it was a huge success and set records. The 34 events garnered 7,323 entries and paid out $19.6 million in cash prizes to top finishers.

More changes are happening at Caesars Palace. The restaurant 808 is now open for dinner seven days a week, and the Palatium has discontinued its Emperors Feast dinner.

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The Heavyweight World Championship match between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson will be shown live on Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit Television inside the MGM Grand's Studio 54 nightclub on Saturday, June 8. Tickets are $60 plus a $2 handling fee, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. The event's first telecast bout will begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Park Place Entertainment Corp. recently announced that a new restaurant, sidewalk cafe and nightclub will debut at Paris Las Vegas in March and that another attraction is under way at the Flamingo with details to follow.

The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay has lined up some awesome talent beginning with Teddy Pendergrass on June 21. Tickets are $40, $50 and $60. B.B. King and the Fabulous Thunderbirds are scheduled on Aug. 7. Tickets are $90, $100 and $125. And the country gal, Dolly Parton will bounce into the place on Aug. 10 with tickets going for $30, $40 and $50. For tickets, call 702-632-7600.

The "Unsinkable Molly Brown," better known as Debbie Reynolds is scheduled to perform at The Orleans June 5-9. Singer Neil Sedaka will follow and take center stage June 12-16.

On Thursday, June 6 at 3 p.m., Nathan's Famous Las Vegas Hot Dog Eating Championship regional qualifying contest will take place on the Brooklyn Bridge at New York-New York. Anyone 18 years of age or older is eligible to compete. The winner will get an all-expense paid trip and earn the right to represent the United States at the 87th Annual International Hot Dog Eating Championship on July 4, in Coney Island, New York.

Last year on July 4, Takeru Kobayashi of Japan ate 50 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes, smashing the previous world record and winning the coveted Mustard Yellow International Belt, the World Cup of competitive eating. The Belt has been held by a Japanese competitor for four of the past five years. For more information, visit www.NathansFamous.com.

Singer-songwriter-producer John Mellencamp will perform in concert, along with a special guest to be announced, at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Aug. 8. Tickets are priced at $45, $65 and $85, call 702-474-4000.

Mellencamp's latest release, "Cuttin' Heads" on Columbia Records, features a current single "Peaceful World," which is a duet with India Arie. His 25-year career includes 17 albums.

The popular Canadian rock band The Guess Who will perform on June 28 at 9 p.m. at Mandalay Beach. Tickets are $30 in advance and $32.50 the day of the show. For information, call 702-632-7580.

The Guess Who rocketed to stardom in 1970 with the single "American Woman." Most recently, some of the band's most notable hits have been featured in such blockbuster movies as "The Spy Who Shagged Me," "American Beauty," and "Almost Famous."

The Mandalay Beach Stage is set in an 11-acre beach environment. Concert-goers are invited to bring their blankets and sit on the beach or wade into the surf and listen to the music from the resort's 1.6 million gallon wavepool.

The adult revue "Splash," which debuted at the Riviera in 1985, will celebrate 17 years at the resort on June 21. On Thursday, July 4, the 7:30 p.m. performance of "Splash" will be closed to the public because the show has been sold out to a private group. The 825 to 885-seat showroom is available for group business, as are most theatrical venues in Las Vegas.

The 12th Annual Epicurean Affair is scheduled for June 19 at the Garden of the Gods pool complex at Caesars Palace. This gala dining extravaganza with more than 70 restaurants participating is part of the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show. Special dishes from numerous top local restaurants, plus wines and spirits will be showcased. The event is open to the public at $100 per person or $850 for a package of 10 in advance. Call 702-878-2313 or 878-9272 for tickets, or visit (website closed). The price at the door is $125 per person.

Nine films will make their world premiere at the newly revamped CineVegas International Film Festival that will run June 7-15 at the Palms' Brenden Theatres. "Sunshine State," which stars Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Timothy Hutton and Mary Steenburgen will open the festival. "Run Ronnie Run!" from the creators of HBO's "Mr. Show," is the closing-night attraction.

CineVegas' new director of programming has been a Sundance Film Festival programmer. Other debuting movies star David Arquette, Penelope Cruz, Rick Schroder, Rod Steiger, Sigourney Weaver and John Ritter to name a few. For more information on CineVegas and a list of the movies and events visit www.cinevegas.com.

The Amazing Kreskin, who appeared on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" 88 times, is performing at the Silverton off I-15 through June 9. The mentalist's latest prediction is a major UFO sighting will take place in the Nevada desert by the end of June. This claim is detailed on the "Predictions" part of his amazingkreskin.com Web site - with a $50,000 check.

Kreskin's shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $14.25 and $17.55, call 702-263-7777.

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