*NSYNC, the five-member all male vocal group from Orlando, Fla., will take the stage with their "No Strings Attached" tour at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday, Nov. 24. The group's "No Strings Attached" album is certified nine times platinum.

In less than three years, *NSYNC have obtained global stardom. Their self-titled 1998 debut album sold over ten million copies and yielded four number one singles. The group has toured non-stop, doing more than 300 concerts in the last year. Tickets are priced at $49.75, $65 and $100, plus applicable service charges, call TicketMaster at 702-474-4000.

Recently took in the free short 20-minute afternoon "Birdman of Las Vegas" demonstration show at the Tropicana and highly recommend it for both its entertainment and educational value. Famous trainer Joe Krathwohl presents an unprecedented lineup of rare and rescued birds from all over the world. His act includes amazing feats with eagles, parrots, cockatoos and macaws that demonstrate the birds' intelligence and free-flying abilities. Showtimes are daily except Thursday at 11 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. in the Tropics Lounge.

Bill Engvall will headline at the Stardust on Oct. 28, and the talented all-girl vocal groups that altered the course of rock and roll music will follow, Nov. 2-4, in the Wayne Newton Theater.

The "Legendary Ladies of Rock `n Roll" will star Martha Reeves and her trio, The Vandellas, Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of The Shirelles, The Crystals and The Shangri-Las. Tickets are $19.95 per person, with tax, tip and one beverage included, call 702-732-6325.

Martha Reeves was originally a secretary at Motown who later became a backup singer for Marvin Gaye. Eventually when Motown Records made her a featured artist, she and her trio responded with "Heatwave," and ultimately the signature song that became a rock anthem, "Dancing In The Street."

Shirley Alston Reeves founded The Shirelles with three high school classmates in Passaic, New Jersey. In 1960, they were signed as the first artists for a new label, Scepter Records. Their all-time best-selling single was "Soldier Boy."

The Crystals were high school students in Brooklyn, New York. "He's A Rebel" and their two songs "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" have become rock standards.

The Shangri-Las also began their singing careers as New York City high school students. Their "Leader Of The Pack," known for the roaring motorcycle on the soundtrack, became the #1 song in America.

Last month, Cafe Lago (Cafe by the Lake) opened at Caesars Palace and officially took the place of the old Cafe Roma coffee shop. The new 24-hour dining experience offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch buffets as well as a full menu of options. The 70-foot buffet is at the back of the dining room.

Cafe Lago is a totally different casual dining experience with live entertainment as the centerpiece of the dining room. David Osborne, formerly at the Palace Court lounge, and other featured pianists play in the evenings and on weekend afternoons.

The atmosphere is a contemporary Italian Lake setting overlooking the Garden of the Gods pool complex. Natural light plays a major factor with the 13-foot-high glass window wall. Two water walls and a waterfall flank the restaurant's dramatic entrance which is decorated with blue mosaic tile that also accents the entire room. The upper-level seating area boasts oversized chariot-style booths, and the lower seating level includes large, half round booths. The aquatically themed dining room seats 500 and there's additional seasonal setting for 100 on a poolside terrace. For information, call 702-731-7731.

The MGM Grand recently completed an $85 million Grand Tower room remodel of 4,200 guestrooms. The newly completed tower redesign is part of an ongoing $750 million master plan at the resort that began in May 1996.

The renovated, art deco-themed rooms were designed to replicate an MGM Studios' bungalow, taking guests back to the "Golden Age of Hollywood." The 446-square-foot deluxe rooms have two schemes named after the two most famous MGM stars of the `30s and `40s: Clark Gable and Jean Harlow.

The Gable scheme features dark woods, textured wall coverings and massive, masculine furnishings. The Harlow scheme features blonde woods, platinum metallic accents and a curvilinear chaise lounge and desk. The artwork in the rooms depict studio shots of classic MGM stars, the famous MGM lion and glamour shots of more recent MGM stars, adorned in `40s attire.

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) will be back in Las Vegas Oct. 26-29, to compete in the $1.5 million PBR Bud Light Cup World Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center. On Oct. 25, all 45 participants will "saddle up" to the blackjack tables at Boulder Station from 6 to 9 p.m., for the fifth annual charity blackjack tournament to benefit injured cowboys and their families.

During the tournament, the public is invited to an autograph session with the participants. The Railhead at Boulder Station will feature the Southern country band Confederate Railroad on Friday, Oct. 27. Tickets are $15, $20, $25 and $30, plus tax, call 702-432-7575.

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Halloween is lurking just around the corner and some resorts are getting into the "spirit" of the night. Boulder Station will celebrate with "Kiss of Death: The Ultimate Halloween Party," on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the newly remodeled and expanded Railhead. Kiss tribute band Hotter Than Hell will be featured at the creepy gala from 9 to 10:30 p.m. A $200 cash prize will be awarded to costume-clad partygoers who win in the following categories: "Most Creative," "Best Couple," "Best Celebrity/Rock Star" and "Sexiest." Tickets are $10, call 702-432-7777.

The 34th Annual "Beaux Arts Ball" benefiting AIDS will be held at the MGM Grand's Studio 54 nightclub on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, call 702-382-2326 or $20 at the door.

This event is known for its legendary costume contest with trophies and cash going to the following categories: "Best Group," "Best Drag," "Best Couple," "Best Male," "Best Female" "Best Celerity Look-Alike" and "Best of Beaux Arts 2000." Many Las Vegas entertainers enter the contest and others participate as judges. The "Spirit of the Ball" award will go to impersonator Jimmy Emerson of the "La Cage" impersonator show at the Riviera for his good deeds.

There are about seven haunted houses operating all around the city along with numerous adult-oriented Halloween events including the fifth annual Las Vegas Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball at the Tropicana on Oct. 28, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is $40 in advance, call 1-888-464-2468, or $50 at the door.

Lawry's Prime Rib restaurant will present a mystery dinner theater event with a Halloween twist at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. "Murder at Caf‚ Noir" will be a comic musical tribute to the Bogart movies of the 1940's. Tickets are $65 which includes dinner, call 702-893-2223.

Another restaurant, WB Stage 16 at the Venetian will host "Imagine: The Masquerade Ball" on Oct. 27, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The ball is not a costume party, but a "high-fashion affair" intended to accentuate your mask. A dress code will be enforced. There will be live music, performance art and an exhibit of fetish and bondage art. Admission is $20 and that includes desserts throughout the night, call 702-414-1000.

International tennis teams from the United States, Spain, Belgium and the Czech Republic will face off in four days of intense team competition at the 2000 Fed Cup Final being held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Nov. 21-25.

Fresh off their gold medal performances at the Olympic Summer Games in Australia, Venus and Serena Williams are expected to head the U.S. Team with Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Billie Jean King also participating. Tickets for individual sessions are on sale and range from $15 to $75, while series seats go from $60 to $300, call 1-877-632-7400.

Pudgy! "The Queen of Tease," often considered a cross between Totie Fields and Don Rickles, will take center stage at The Improv Comedy Club at Harrah's, Oct. 31-Nov. 5. Tickets for her 8 and 10 p.m. shows are $24.95.

Born Beverly Wines on the West Side of Chicago, Pudgy! found her first forum for her witty banter when she was a beautician. She practiced her original "tease" with the patrons, thus her title "The Queen of Tease." Developing an allergy to beauty parlor chemicals caused Pudgy! To find a new career so she became a singing waitress. Her act evolved into a one-woman musical comedy show, and national nightclub and television appearances followed.

Lenny Clarke, the comedy cop with the sarcastic sense of humor, will headline the Riviera Comedy Club, Oct. 30- Nov. 5. He is best known for his role as "Hampton," the lovable policeman on "The John Larroquette Show." Television comedy fans remember him as the host of FOX's "Sunday Comics" and he starred in his own sitcom entitled "Lenny." Tickets are $15.25 pus taxes, call 702-794-9433.

The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don, will move into The Orleans Showroom, Oct. 25-29. Tickets are $34.95, $39.95 and $44.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075.

The brothers were raised in a musical family and in the atmosphere of the coal mining towns of Kentucky. In 1953, the family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee and worked on WROL radio performing two shows a day. When the money ran out, their dad Ike got in touch with Chet Atkins in Nashville, and he had Kitty Wells record one of Don's songs, "Thou Shalt Not Steal."

After repeated rejections by record executives, the Everly Brothers signed with Cadence Records and released "Bye, Bye Love," which sold over two million records and stayed in the top 10 for six months.

In June 1957, they made their first appearance as regulars on the Grand Ole Opry. They introduced more than their innovative acoustic guitar rhythm and vocal blends to the stage of the old Ryman Auditorium, by being the first act to use drums. To this day, they are given credit for introducing and developing the use of drums in Nashville.

In January 1986, the brothers were two of the original inductees into the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame.

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