The 455-room Palms hotel and casino currently under construction across the street from the Gold Coast and Rio is now slated to open on Nov. 15, a month earlier than expected. Fireworks will be a component of the opening night events.

Ventriloquist Ronn Lucas is appearing at the Rio in a 3 p.m. afternoon show daily except Monday through Oct. 7. The 75-minute show features Lucas combining stand-up comedy, improvisation, audience interaction and phenomenal voice manipulation. Tickets are $19.95, call 702-777-7776.

Lucas had made multiple visits to "The Tonight Show," appeared on Broadway and made television guest appearances on "Night Court" and "L.A. Law."

Harrah's has been signing its headlining talent to long term contracts beginning with the hotel's main showroom evening star, Clint Holmes. He debuted at the property in January 2000, and has signed a multi-million dollar contract extension until January 2006.

Holmes delivers a musical feast for the senses with a well-rounded blend of song-and-dance jams. He is accompanied by a 12-piece band with a five-piece horn section under the musical direction of Bill Fayne, whose credits include more than 50 musical theater productions, operas and television shows. Tickets are $49.95 plus tax, call 1-800-392-9002.

The other talent is comic magician Mac King who delivers his quirky humor, visual gags and sleight-of-hand during the afternoons in the Comedy Cabaret on the second floor at Harrah's. King also started "The Mac King Comedy Magic Show" in January 2000 and is extending his contract until 2006.

King recently added a finale to his show that is a good-natured spoof of Siegfried and Roy. It involves the mysterious appearance of a "white tiger." His signature routine is the "Cloak of Invisibility," where he puts on an ordinary yellow rain coat that according to King possesses "extraordinary" powers to render him invisible.

King has made numerous television appearances and he has the distinction of being the only performer to have appeared on all five of NBC's "World's Greatest Magic" shows. Tickets for his afternoon shows are $14.95 plus tax, call 1-800-392-9002.

Word is Gladys Knight will start performing at the Flamingo in January with comic George Wallace as her opening act.

"Storm" at Mandalay Bay will be adding a ninth show to its weekly schedule next month.

Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant located in The Forum Shops at Caesars, made its debut on the Las Vegas scene nine years ago. Early next month, Spago will close for a $1 million renovation.

David Clayton-Thomas and his famous Blood, Sweat and Tears will headline in the Royale Pavilion at the Riviera on Sept. 28 and 29. Clayton-Thomas has returned to the studio and completed his first solo album in a decade. Recorded live at Ornette Coleman's Harlem studio, he produced "Blue Plate Special" himself. Tickets for his Riviera performances are $38 plus tax and fees, call 702-794-9280.

World-renowned artist Stephen Keene has brought his unique painting process, "The Miracle Half Mile," to The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. Patrons are treated to Keene painting 50 creations - simultaneously - in a highly interactive stage performance in the center of St. Mark's Square. The exhibition, in addition to the other free entertainment in the themed mall, is open free to the public from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily except for Wednesday.

Keene's artwork materials consist of acrylic and plywood. While performing, he will paint up to 50 replicas of the same picture at the same time. He does this by going down the line of paintings, duplicating the same brush stroke on each piece of plywood. Consequently no two pictures are exactly alike. These paintings, along with the paintings on display, are available for purchase starting at $5 a piece. To date, he has sold more than 90,000 of these unusually produced pieces of art.

In 1993, Keene developed his "art making machine" method of painting and his story has been featured in major newspapers and magazines.

Beginning on Oct. 26, Studio 54 at the MGM Grand will become a haunted house for a four-day Halloween bash. On Oct. 26 and 27, Studio 54 will take on a spooky d‚cor and be encouraging guests to visit the club dressed in their favorite, most creative Halloween costume.

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, the regularly scheduled EDEN, "Erotically Delicious Entertainers Night," will be replaced by a spectacularly spooky, "Halloween EDEN," featuring aerial activities by acrobats, bungee chord aerialists, trapeze and walking on walls artists. Ghouls, ghosts and goblins will boogie down to the turntable hot sounds.

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On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Studio 54 will host "Nightmare on 54th Street." There will be a variety of choreographed entertainment features performed by the Studio 54 in-house dancers. The prizes for the most outrageous, original costumes will total more than $5400.

Studio 54 is open to adults 21 and older, Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 10 p.m. There is a $20 cover charge for men and admission for ladies is complimentary.

A special benefit concert for Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Bobby Kintzel, who was badly injured on duty, will be held at the Orleans on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. Some of the entertainers who have committed to perform include Rita Rudner, Bobby Rydell, Bob Anderson, Clint Holmes, Frankie Avalon and The Lettermen. The show is $24.95, call 702-365-7075 for information.

This is a reminder that "Ed McMahon's Next Big Star" live audience show will return to the MGM Grand's theater inside the old theme park Sept. 21-23 and Sept. 28-30. Shows will tape at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. To be a part of the audience, call the local hotline number 702-891-5673 to make your reservations for "Next Big Star" tickets.

Tres Jazz at Paris closed recently. Ortanique, a Miami-based restaurant with the original eatery located on the Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Fla. will replace it early next month. The name Ortanique is for a fruit that's a natural cross between and orange and a tangerine and it's native to Jamaica.

"Alexander Calder: The Art of Invention" will be on display at The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art from Oct. 6-Feb. 3, 2002. Considered the greatest American sculptor of the 20th century, Calder's work represents the epitome of American art's progressive spirit and its unlimited possibilities. The exhibit includes pieces rarely seen publicly and consists of work from 1926 to 1976 including mobiles, stabiles, toys, jewelry and household objects.

The gallery is open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the last admission sold at 10:30 p.m. Admission is $12 per person and the audio tour is included, call 1-888-488-7111.

The Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson will begin construction in October for an expansion that will include a 90,000-square-foot Galyan's sporting goods store and 40,000 square feet of retail space. Completion is expected in October 2002. The 891,000-square-foot Galleria mall opened in 1996.

Siegfried and Roy are always hosting celebrities to their sold out show at The Mirage. Most recently Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the former titan of the basketball court, visited the Magicians of the Century and "Titan," a 12-week-old Siberian White Tiger. Another recent backstage visitor was Linda Gray who played Sue Ellen Ewing on the former hit series "Dallas."

The Reserve Hotel & Casino in Henderson is moving away from its African-themed d‚cor and will become Fiesta Henderson with a grand opening in November and a new look.

Four members of the Thunderbirds, the Air Force's Aerial Demonstration Squadron stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, are currently featured on 30 million collectors' boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger. Many people don't realize that the Thunderbirds are stationed in North Las Vegas and that two days a week, the public can visit their museum located on the Nellis Air Force Base.

Paloma Picasso's jeweled masterpieces are on display at Tiffany & Co. at Bellagio through Sept. 23. The presentation is a glimpse of Picasso's 22 years as a designer with Tiffany & Co. Included in the exhibit is an oval fancy mandarin garnet set in 18-karat gold. The ring retails for $6,500. Paloma is the famous doughtier of abstract artist Pablo Picasso and a talent in her own right.

A high-rise mixed-use complex, comprised of a hotel, condominiums, office space and a retail center is being proposed for the current site of the La Concha Motel on the Strip. The 5.5-acre site is located between the Riviera and the closed Silver City casino.

The complex's tallest building would be a 645-foot, 45-story tower, with 148 condominium units and 28,000 square feet of office space. Also planned is a 520-foot, 38-story, 384-room hotel tower, with 27,000 square feet of meeting and public space and 12,400 square feet in office support areas. The final component would be a 104,000-square-foot shopping center.

The keno lounge on the third floor of the Imperial Palace has new promotions. By paying as low as 40 cents a game for 10 consecutive games on the "Imperial Palace Special," you have a chance to win up to $17,500 for a perfect pick. Or try a shot at 10-for-10 on the 80-cent pay for five consecutive games and cash out a jackpot of $35,000.

At the Imperial Palace, you get a free game when you play 21 consecutive games of keno. Through Dec. 29, you can get 22 consecutive games of keno for the price of 21 and have 365 days from the date of your wager to collect your winnings. For tickets played for 10 to 20 games, players have 24 hours to collect winners. Tickets played for less than 10 games must be collected immediately after the last game called. By betting 50 or more consecutive games at one time, with a $50 minimum bet, players get a free T-shirt.

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