A new Southern style saloon patterned after the $60 million hit film "Coyote Ugly" will open at New York-New York in mid-October. The movie was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films, also the producer of "Pearl Harbor," and based on the legendary bar that originated in New York City and remained popular for more than ten years.

The Coyote Ugly bar is in a prime location overlooking the casino in the space that was formerly occupied by Hamilton's cigar bar. It is situated off the bridge at the main entry of the resort where foot traffic converges from the MGM Grand.

This month, Jennifer Worthington, associate producer of the movie and co-owner of the bar, will begin a nationwide talent search for the hottest female bartenders. Each night when the bar opens, sexy, sassy Coyote Ugly bartenders will ascend atop the bar and perform a bold show filled with stunts ranging from fire-blowing to body shots, clogging and choreographed dance numbers - all the while inviting customers to interact.

Coyote Ugly also plans to host themed and major sporting events as well as live bands on a regular basis.

The September 16 opening of the two Guggenheim art museums at The Venetian has been postponed until Oct. 7. Museum officials say the complicated construction and logistics of opening two museums has caused the delay. The inaugural exhibitions will be "Masterpieces and Master Collectors" at the Hermitage Guggenheim Museum and "The Art of the Motorcycle" at the Guggenheim Las Vegas.

Due to illness, Stevie Nicks sold out concert that was suppose to happen last weekend at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts has been postponed. The concert will instead be held on Oct. 6. In addition, Nicks is adding a concert at the Aladdin on Oct. 5, call the Aladdin box office 702-785-5000 or TicketMaster at 702-474-4000.

Andre Agassi's sixth Grand Slam for Children benefit concert will be held on Sept. 29 at the MGM Grand Arena. The show will star Elton John, Don Henley, Brian McKnight and Tim McGraw, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano and model Rachel Hunter. Tickets are $40, $65 and $85, call TicketMaster, 702-474-4000.

Additionally, world-renowned artist Loppo Martinez will produce the commemorative artwork for the event that will be titled "Waiting for the Children."

Free tickets for "Ed McMahon's Next Big Star," a new PAX network series, are available by calling 1-866-746-9849, Ext. 639. The next tapings are at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sept. 7-9, 21-23 and 28-30, in the theater inside the MGM Grand's now-closed theme park. There's a six-ticket maximum order per show.

A new restaurant called Kahunaville has opened at Treasure Island in the spot that was formerly an expansive children's arcade. It's located about 60 feet from the Cirque du Soleil Theatre where "Mystere" plays. The 20,000-square-foot, 500-seat, tropical-themed restaurant is the first independently operated restaurant at the hotel.

The cost to build the restaurant, which is the Adventure Dining Inc. chain's eighth one, is about $5 million. Kahunaville serves regional cuisine including fish and steaks.

The company's chief executive officer and founder describes the d‚cor as "tropical pop." The colors are bright with hand-painted table and bar tops, lush tropical gardens and Kahunaville's signature dancing waterfalls, which cost $100,000 to install.

Comedy giant Don Rickles and songstress Lorna Luft will be headlining back-to-back engagements at the Stardust, Sept. 6-9 and 12-15.

Rickles has performed in Las Vegas during every one of the past six decades. This year he kicked off an exclusive two-year contract at the Stardust with sold-out engagements in February and May. He continues his trademark style, which is stalking the stage like a panther and verbally pouncing on members of his orchestra, the showroom staff and the audience.

Luft, who is Judy Garland's daughter, will reprise much of the material she introduced on her acclaimed concert tour, "Songs My Mother Taught Me." Her autobiography, "Me And My Shadow, A Family Memoir," remained on the New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and the TV movie version of the book, which aired on ABC in February, is nominated for 13 Emmy Awards.

Wayne Newton, who headlines the Stardust 40 weeks a year, will return Sept. 16.

The silent Steve Wynn has filed for a permit to use 53 acres of land for the construction of a 514-foot, 2,455-room resort. The plans filed show the resort, where the Desert Inn is being torn down, will have a 45-story tower covered in gold glass and a four-acre lake on the corner of the Strip and Sands Avenue.

In addition, plans call for a 120,000-square-foot casino, 132,000-square-foot convention center, 70,000 square feet of retail shops, two showrooms seating 2,000 and 1,500 people, a 3-acre swimming pool and spa, 15 restaurants, the Desert Inn's 18-hole golf course and a 1,366-space perking garage.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Singer Andrea Bocelli will perform on Dec. 29, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets range from $50 up to $400, call 702-632-7580.

Crooner Paul Anka will return to the Las Vegas Strip when he headlines in the Siegfried & Roy Theatre at The Mirage, Sept. 13-24, with dark nights on Sept. 16, 19 and 23. Tickets are $60, call 702-792-7777.

The George L. Sturman Art Museum will open to the public from 7 p.m. to 10 pm. in the Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas on Sept. 12. It will mark Downtown's first fine art museum with a permanent collection for viewing of visual arts and sculpture.

The museum is located in the Arts Factory at 107 E. Charleston Blvd. On Sept. 15, regular museum hours will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with a $5 donation at the door.

The George L. Sturman Fine Art Museum houses contemporary artwork from many famous artists such as Alexander Calder, Salvador Dali, Willem De Kooning, Robert De Niro and Henri Matisse, among only a few. In addition, an extensive collection of African art, animation cels and comic strip art, American art, Master Drawings and Paintings are also on display. Sturman began collecting art in the 1940s and the entire collection spans the period of 1940s to 1980s.

Three of the Coast Resorts Inc. hotel-casinos are expanding, the Suncoast, the Gold Coast and the Orleans.

The Summerlin-area Suncoast hotel-casino, which cost $200 million to build and opened in mid-September 2000, has been so successful that it is undergoing an $11 million expansion. The resort is doubling its room inventory and will have 428 rooms early next year when the addition is completed. Just recently, 167 additional rooms were opened to the public.

The Gold Coast on W. Flamingo Road is expanding and remodeling. It has launched a $30 million second-phase expansion of the property that will include a 2,000-car parking garage, a 10,000-square-foot expansion of convention space, and 30,000 more square feet of casino space.

The Orelans on W. Tropicana Ave. will have an expansion costing about $130 million. The project will include an events arena, a 620-room hotel tower, a 2,600- space parking garage, two more restaurants and a bar, and 40,000 square feet of additional casino space.

The arena will have seating ranging from 7,500 for sporting events to 9,500 for events like concerts and boxing matches. The arena should open in early 2003.

Air Vegas Airlines, which operates Grand Canyon air tours from the Henderson Executive Airport will add two 19-seat planes to its existing fleet of nine 15-passenger Beechcraft C-99 twin-engine planes next year. The 30-year-old company will add two twin-engine De Havilland Twin Otter Vistaliners with enlarged windows for sightseeing.

Starting Oct. 3, singer Earl Turner, who is appearing in the Rio Bamba Cabaret through Sept. 2, will move into the Copa Cabana Showroom. He'll do 8 p.m. shows on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

The Las Vegas Bowl will move its game to Christmas Day starting this year so that it can be broadcast nationally by ABC-TV. The bowl game will kick off at 12:30 p.m.

Alliance Gaming Corp. will release a line of slot machines featuring American music icon Ray Charles. By year's end, three video slot machines will be introduced. The game titles are: "Ray Charles' America the Beautiful," "What'd I Pay," and "Ray's Jukebox."

At Charles request, the slots will come with options allowing the visually impaired to fully experience the games. The slots will feature Braille labeling and audio-assist features.

The Harley-Davidson Cafe is offering outdoor dining on its patio this summer, with a view of the Strip and mister-cooling. Hours are 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. For information, call 702-740-4555.

Pinot Brasserie at The Venetian now serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. daily.

Nectar has opened at the Bellagio with an American menu and Chef John Schenk, formerly of the Monkey Bar and Clementine in New York. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. nightly. Raw-bar service begins at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, call 702-693-7223 for information.

Artist and author Dorothy Rice has captured Las Vegas in 250 original watercolors featured in a new 192-page hardcover book coming out in September. "Las Vegas With Love" highlights prominent citizens like Mayor Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, the Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas-style weddings, nearby communities and attractions including Mt. Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

Rice will be autographing her books during a dessert reception at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 6 at Temple Beth Sholom, located at 10700 Havenwood Lane, call 702-804-1333 for information.

"Las Vegas With Love" can be ordered by calling Glen House Comunications at 866-548-3530.

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