The developers of Lake Las Vegas have unveiled plans to build a $500 million Mediterranean-themed hotel-casino, commercial and residential complex called "The Village at MonteLago."

The 50-acre resort will include a 350-room Ritz-Carlton, a 40,000-square-foot casino, 820 luxury condominiums, 125,000 square feet of upscale retail space with restaurants and 50,000 square feet of office space. Construction should begin by year's end, with completion expected in 2002.

Unique for Ritz-Carlton is a residential component, the luxury operator will manage 80 condominiums that will be offered to the public. The owners of the condos will have all the benefits and services of Ritz-Carlton at their disposal. Also, this will be the second Ritz Carlton to offer gaming.

The elaborate village will also include beaches, lake side walkways, harbored boat dock and water taxis.

Steve Wynn has announced that he will close his newly acquired Desert Inn on Sept. 30. However, he intends on keeping the golf course open for a year, and hosting a major tournament later this year.

Wynn's plans for the Desert Inn's 218-acre parcel include two new 3000-room hotels. The first tower will be 59 stories. It will feature large rooms, gardens and courtyards. Look for the name of the resort to change.

The conceptual plans call for lots of light and gardens and no theme. The property's restaurants will sit along the bank of a 30-acre lake in the back that will be four times larger than the one Wynn built in front to the Bellagio.

The new Shark Reef attraction at Mandalay Bay will be highlighted in next week's column. The $40 million underwater experience has a 1.3 million gallon aquarium as the focal point. There are 75 species of marine life exhibited with near future plans to host 100 species.

Shark Reef is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. It costs $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 12 and under.

The Rio is looking to open yet another showroom by the pool area that will accommodate 950 people. The show that's suppose to anchor the room is "De La Guarda." It originated in Argentina and has two distinctly different elements. There is no dialogue between cast members and the audience "stands" tightly together during the show. No sitting through a show is truly a different concept.

By popular demand, KISS will return to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Wednesday night, Aug. 2. Ted Nugent will open the show. Tickets are priced at $85, $65 and $45, call Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. The web site for KISS is www.kissonline.com.

Have read that eclectic singer Jimmy Hopper, who recently did a six-week stint at the Luxor's nightclub RA, will pop up at the Bellagio's Fontana Lounge beginning July 4. He's worth checking out.

The Luxor recently installed a new system of reflectors in the beam of light at the top of the pyramid. The old reflective system operated at a 77% reflective capacity, which would allow an astronaut to read a newspaper in the Luxor's light ten miles into space. The computer designed, curved mirrors installed last month reflect up to 94% of the light emitted from 39 modified, high-tech Xenon beams, making Luxor's light the most powerful in the world.

The new reflectors allow fewer lamps to produce more candlepower and reduce operation costs from $135.48 and hour to $51.53 per hour. Luxor's light is one of only two things that can be seen from outer space. The other visible landmark is the Great Wall of China.

The World Trade Center near the Las Vegas Convention Center at 910 E. Desert Inn Road, will be auctioned on Sept. 14. It was owned by the late Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul. The replacement value of the property which includes a 310-room hotel, an office building and warehouse, is more than $30 million.

The liquidation includes a second auction of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art and gift shop inventories.

Grammy award-winning R&B singer, Gladys Knight will headline at The Desert Inn July 20-23. Tickets are $55 for the 9 p.m. shows in the Crystal Showroom, call 800-634-6909, 702-733-4566, or visit www.thedesertinn.com for more information.

In 1998, Georgia-born Knight celebrated her 50th anniversary of sharing her incredible voice with the world. By the time she was 16, Gladys Knight & The Pips had debuted their first album. Four decades of hits followed on several record labels including Motown, Buddah, Columbia and MCA. Ten songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts, five became Top 20 pop hits, three were awarded Grammys - two in 1973 - "Midnight Train To Georgia" and "Neither One of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)." In all, there were 36 albums.

In 1989, Knight and The Pips split to pursue different career paths. As a solo artist, Knight released her first alum, "Good Woman," in 1991. The title song marked her emergence as a songwriter.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Vocal impressionist Bob Anderson will be singing in his own voice when he performs as the guest star for the Las Vegas Philharmonic's Fourth of July event at Hills Park in Summerlin.

Meanwhile, Anderson is performing his own show with impressions at the Stardust Conference Center through July 15, followed by two more scheduled engagements - July 26-Aug. 5 and Aug. 21-Sept. 15. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 and 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Music icon Chaka Khan will headline at Caesars Palace July 7-9, along with comedian Gordie Brown. Tickets are $50 and $55 with tax included plus a $3 handling fee, call 800-445-4544 or 702-731-7333.

Grammy Award winner Khan is an avid film fan who has recorded more than 15 soundtracks. Her duets with Ray Charles on "I'll Be Good To You" and Stevie Winwood on "Higher Love," (a No. 1 pop hit) were both Grammy winners.

Canadian-born comedian Brown, who stars as Mr. Jones on FOX TV's hour-long weekly drama series "Twice in a Lifetime," began his career as a political cartoonist. His co-workers entered him in an industry talent competition, where he won first place. He moved to Las Vegas hoping to open shows for his fellow Canadians Paul Anka and Rich Little, and more than accomplished his goal opening for more stars such as Jay Leno, Louis Anderson, Barry Manilow and Jerry Seinfeld.

Well-known standup king Max Alexander headlines the Improv Comedy Club at Harrah's, July 25-30. Audiences often feel like they have rediscovered an old friend when they see Alexander. He's familiar to many through his wide variety of acting roles including parts in the films "Punchline" and ""Roxanne," and on television in "The Practice," "Pearl" and "Matlock." He's also showcased his comedic skills on a number to television specials and on national commercials including Federal Express. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

Bellagio will host the K-1 2000 USA Championships, which are two full contact, single elimination, martial arts-style kickboxing tournaments on Saturday, Aug. 5, in the Grand Ballroom. Eight North American champion kickboxers will compete for the title and honor of advancing to the K-1 World Championships later this year in Japan. Tickets are $30, $50, $100, $150 and $250, call 702-693-7722 or 888-488-7111.

The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don, will perform at The Orleans Showroom, July 12-16. Tickets are $34.95, $39.95 and $44.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

The Everly Brothers grew up in a musical family in Kentucky. They moved to Tennessee in 1953, first Knoxville and then Nashville, and suffered repeated rejections until 1957, when they signed with Cadence Records. Their first song "Bye, By Love" sold over two million records and stayed in the top 10 for six weeks.

In June '57, they made their first appearance as regulars on the Grand Ole Opry. They brought more than their innovative acoustic guitar rhythm and vocal blends to the old Ryman Auditorium when they became the first act to use drums.

In 1970, the brothers had their own highly rated TV show "Johnny Cash Presents the Everly Brothers," and it gave them an opportunity to bring their father out of retirement to perform before a national audience. In January 1986, Don and Phil were two of the original inductees into the Rock `N' Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rhythm of Love tour, part of the summer BET on Jazz Series at Sunset Station's outdoor amphitheater, will feature jazz and R&B favorites Gerald Albright, Will Downing, Chante Moore and Phil Perry on Friday, July 7. Tickets are $20, $25 and $30, call 702-547-777 or visit tickets.com.

Albright is one of today's most successful jazz artists with his releases "Live at Birdland West," "Giving Myself to You," and "Live to Love" having sold well over a million records. He's done years of extensive road and studio work with major artists such as Anita Baker, The Temptations, Olivia Newton-John, Whitney Houston, etc.

R&B balladeer Downing has produced four highly-acclaimed albums including his most recent release, "Love's the Place to Be." The album features a stellar cast including Stevie Wonder playing harmonica on a track entitled, "That's All."

Chanteuse Moore has released three albums since 1992. Her most recent one, "The Moment is Mine," is an 11-song compilation that chronicles her observations about love, affection and commitment.

An East St. Louis, IL native, Perry joined the soul group, The Montclairs, in the 1970s, and recorded the hits "Make Up for Lost Time" and "Dreamin' Out of Season." His solo career began in 1991, with the release of "Heart of the Man."

Toucan Harry's restaurant has been permanently closed at the Stardust.

Impressionist Danny Gans is on vacation July 7-9, and his showroom will be dark. There won't be any guest artist shows.

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