Pop-music and pop-culture legend Cher is set to perform Aug. 9 and 10 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tickets are $39.95, $75.25 and $150.25.

Cher's latest CD release, "Living Proof," spawned a top-5 dance track, "A Song for the Lonely." She has announced that this will be her last tour and it will conclude Sept. 15 in Minneapolis.

Veteran country artist Dolly Parton will be hitting the road for the first time in a decade when she kicks off a 13-city club tour on July 10 in New York. She will be stopping at the House of Blues in Las Vegas on Aug. 10.

The tour will be getting underway just two days after the release of her latest Sugar Hill Records album, "Halos & Horns." The bluegrass set is her third for the independent label, following last year's "Little Sparrow" and 1999's "The Grass Is Blue."

"Halos & Horns" and the tour feature Parton's new band, Blue-Nique, which includes four members of her former back up group, the Mighty Fine Band.

Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Burt Reynolds will headline at The Orleans Showroom, July 11-14. The actor will use his storytelling skills to invite audiences into his life through words.

Reynolds has enjoyed an auspicious career as an actor and director in feature films, television and stage productions. Some of his biggest hits have been the hit television series "Evening Shade" and movies "Boogie Nights," "Deliverance," "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing," "Semi-Tough," "Hooper" "The Longest Yard," "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Sharky's Machine."

Recently, Reynolds starred in the feature film "Driven," with Sylvester Stallone. He just completed filming "Time Of The Wolf" for release later this year. The four-hour mini-series "Johnson County War" is scheduled for release later this year.

His autobiography, "My Life" reached the New York Times Best Seller List just after publication. Tickets to his show at The Orleans are $39.95, $49.95 and $59.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

Stephen Sorrentino has settled his "Voices In My Head" show in the Le Bistro Theatre at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. He's taken over a 10 p.m. slot, Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $29.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

Sorrentino is an accomplished actor, comedian, impersonator and musician. He blends his talents into a combination Las Vegas stage show and classic television variety hour. He's known as the world's best Elton John impersonator and packs his show with at least 20 dead-on musical impressions ranging from Jerry Lewis and Joe Cocker to Pavarotti and Ozzy Osbourne.

Sorrentino's show features a couple showgirls and a live rock band. As an accomplished musician, he displays his ability to play guitar, saxophone, piano and flute during the show. His actor side is revealed when Sorrentino's alter-ego trailer-park character, Travis Travis, a redneck game show host, brings audience members on stage to compete in the "Dead Trivia" game show. This show never has a dull moment and it moves at break-neck speed.

"George Washington: A National Treasure," featuring the most famous painting of the father of our country, is on display at the Las Vegas Art Museum through Oct. 27. Gilbert Stuart painted the 8-by-5-foot portrait from life in 1796 during the last year of Washington's presidency. The work is considered an American treasure.

The portrait's tour was launched in February in Houston and will continue through 2004, stopping in eight cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and New York City. The tour is taking place during the gallery's renovation in Washington, D.C.

Admission to the Las Vegas Art Museum is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for children under age 12. For information, call 702-360-8000. The museum is located about 30 minutes from the Strip at 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

The Righteous Brothers will return to the Las Vegas Hilton Theater, July 9-Aug. 4 with Mondays dark. This is one duo that continues to transport audiences back in time to the good old days of rock 'n' roll. Tickets are $35, $45 and $55 for their 9 p.m. shows.

Patti LaBelle will light up the Paris Theater Des Arts July 18-21. Tickets are $65 for her 9 p.m. shows.

The theatrical concert "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" in The Showroom at The Venetian is closing. It's a shame because it was a wonderful tribute show to Stevie Wonder's marvelous music.

Crystal "Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue" Gayle will perform in concert on July 13, at Sam's Town Live! Tickets start from $24.95, call Tickets.com at 1-888-464-2468. It's been awhile since she has performed in town.

Lena Prima, daughter of Louie Prima, will join John Earl & The Boogie Man Band on July 12 and 13 at the Santa Fe Station's Memphis Championship Barbecue Lounge. The Santa Fe is about 30 minutes from the Strip.

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Larry Taylor has been emceeing ballroom dance sessions at the Gold Coast Showroom every Tuesday for the past 15 years. He started his ballroom dance session with recorded music in June 1987, six months after the Gold Coast opened. Taylor provides any kind of music on Tuesdays and Sundays. Admission is now $7.50 per person, which includes an hour of dance lessons and two drinks.

The remaining dates for the Hawaiian Tropics Western Regional Beauty Pageant Semi-final Competitions being held poolside at Bally's are July 20, 27, Aug. 3, 10 and 17. The Regional Finals will be on Aug. 31. To attend any of the 7:30 p.m. competitions, the cost is $25, which includes two drinks. For information, call 1-877-374-7469.

Mark Sweet, the "happy hypnotist" will headline at the Riviera Comedy Club for seven evenings beginning on Monday, July 15. Sweet is a comedian, magician and actor whose clever style has earned him television appearances on such shows as "It's Gary Shandling's Show," "The Today Show" and as M.C. on the revised versions of CBS' "House Party."

Sweet is presently celebrating his 23rd year as a representative for General Motors. He also gained nationwide recognition for his incarnation as Willy Wonka for the confection company Willy Wonka Brands. Recently, Sweet was chosen to portray Dr. Pepper for that company's 100th anniversary celebration.

Funnyman "Ted," who has been an "on air radio personality" in Los Angeles since 1989, will join Sweet. Tickets are $17.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

The second joint venture between Chelsea Property Group and Simon Property Group, owner and operator of the Forum Shops at Caesars, will be a $90-milion, 430,000-square-foot outlet mall in downtown Las Vegas. Construction on Las Vegas Premium Outlets is expected to begin this month, with completion scheduled for the fall of 2003.

Chelsea and Simon first built Orlando Premium Outlets in Florida and while they are declining to disclose tenants yet, some of the stores in the Florida mall include Versace, Donna Karan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger.

The inaugural SCORE Henderson's Terrible 250 off-road race is scheduled for July 10-14 in Henderson, which is 20 minutes southeast of the Strip. Close to 200 entries are anticipated and expected to feature 24 Pro and five sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

The race on July 13 will be a five-lap open desert race run over a challenging 50.22-mile coarse. The start-finish line will be the only designated spectator area.

The race-week schedule will include a charity event, an off-road trade show, three concerts, a fireworks show and a pit crew challenge. Those interested in the ancillary events can call Charlene Ham at the Henderson Convention and Visitors Bureau, 702-565-5197. For information on the race, call 818-225-8402 or visit www.score-international.com.

MGM Mirage executives are considering a $275 to $300 million expansion of its Bellagio resort. The project under discussion would be the addition of a 1,000-suite hotel tower and conference center to be completed by 2004. The Bellagio opened in 1998 for $1.6 billion and it is the MGM Mirage's most profitable property.

The Kingston Trio is one of the few groups today that have survived the many changes in the music world. The Original Kingston Trio was formed in 1957, while the three guys were attending college in the San Francisco area. Bob Shane, a founding member, is still with the group. They are booked off the Strip in the Suncoast Showroom, July 13-14. Tickets are $29.95, $34.95 and $39.95 plus tax, call 702-636-7075.

The release of "Tom Dooley" in 1958 began the "folk music revival" and set the stage for Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary and the entire protest music movement of the 60s. "Billboard" magazine published the Most Popular Albums between 1956 and 1994. The Kingston Trio with "At Large," "Sold Out" and "Here We Go Again," were among five artists having placed three or more albums in the Top 100.

Beginning in late September, hundreds of hand-painted, Fiberglass bovines will be decorating parks, sidewalks and storefronts across the valley. The event is sponsored by CowParade, a for-profit company based in West Hartford, Conn. The Las Vegas display follows similar exhibits in New York, Chicago, Houston and other large cities.

After three months on display, the cows are auctioned off through Sotheby's and over the Internet, with part of the proceeds going to charity, in this case the Andre Agassi Foundation.

The Tommy Alvarado Quartet, featuring vocalist Kathy La Mar, are playing at Paris Las Vegas' Napoleon's Lounge through July 15. Alvarado, who is a saxophonist, percussionist, keyboardist and vocalist, has performed with some of the best, including Joe Cocker and Frankie Valli. He usually can be heard at the Blue Note on Sunday nights, where he hosts the club's weekly jam sessions.

Piero's Trattoria off Flamingo at 325 Hughes Center Drive will begin featuring late-night entertainment each Thursday on July 11. Christy Coffey and Her Swingin' Cats will headline from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. For information, call 702-892-9955.

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