It is official now, Celine Dion's new innovative international extravaganza that will open on March 25, 2003, in a brand new $95 million, 4,000-seat Colosseum theatre at Caesars Palace is being called "A New Day."

The dramatic logo accompanying the title has a horizontal mouth with lips formed by the suggestion of a heartbeat pulse and vibrating vocal chords. The toothpick-like vertical line up the middle has a slender female silhouette emerging high above what could be the Vegas lights or energy vibrations.

The spectacle that is currently in rehearsal in Belgium with 60 global cast members is being described as a subtle balance of concert, dance, theater and multimedia in which the audience is transformed to a virtual world. Each song is expected to evoke a different visual experience, a universe of its own. Dion is suppose to be on stage throughout the entire 90-minute production.

"A New Day" will feature the largest indoor LED screen in North America, an enormous 120-foot wide by 44-foot high proscenium arch - one of the largest in the world, a half acre stage, and 4,000 seats in a three-tired showroom.

The Colosseum is giving The Strip a vibrant new Roman-style landmark rising upward 120 feet. The new showroom with an entrance from inside is attached to Caesars Palace casino.

While the show's name "A New Day" seems significant because of the Sony Music superstar's No. 1 release last March, "A New Day Has Come," which has sold well over eight million copies in less than seven months, it also has meaning for Caesars Palace. The show and new spectacular venue along with other new dining and entertainment attractions will reintroduce the 80-acre, 1966 resort back into its original prominence on The Strip. It seems to be "a new day" all around!

Tickets for "A New Day" are already on sale, visit www.celinedion.com.

Earlier this month, Jillian's, which currently has successful operations in 38 cities, opened a 41,000-square-foot, two-story interactive entertainment center at Neonopolis downtown.

Jillian's has 12 "hi-life" bowling lanes, a video arcade with over 100 of the latest electronic simulation games, nine billiard tables and private billiard lounge, two upscale bars, 11 large screen TVs, the Video Cafe with American cuisine, plus music and dancing.

In addition to Jillian's, a new clothing store called Z and Z Apparel will open around December. Z and Z will offer women's and men's clothing as well as accessories, including leather apparel and handbags.

The "Spirit of America" is a new patriotic exhibit at Madame Tussaud's Celebrity Encounter at the Venetian. The $2 million "rope-less" display celebrates the American spirit and encourages visitors to take photos with the lifelike wax characters. It is the first new exhibit since the museum opened in July 1999.

Some of the wax portraits include Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy and Bush, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, actor John Wayne complete with cowboy regalia, and the first astronauts to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Princess Diana is part of the showing because it was felt that she demonstrated all of the things that fit the American ideal. Her figure was made from a sitting she did three months before her death and her dress is authentic.

Admission is $14.95 for adults, $12 for seniors and $9.95 for children 3-12.

The Four Seasons will be going all out for the Christmas holiday by creating the city's first Teddy Bear Holiday Wonderland with hundreds of bears filling the Presidential Suite from Dec. 14-24. The suite will be open to the public for free from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The fabulous toy store, FAO Schwarz, and interior designer Charles Gruwell will create the fantasy land featuring teddy bears including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, Shlepp and the five-foot Orson The Bear. The bears will be portrayed enjoying all areas of the suite including caroling around the grand piano, lounging in the master bedroom wearing terry bathrobes, relaxing in the Jacuzzi tub, working out on the treadmill, and decorating gingerbread cookies in the kitchen.

How perfect when you figure that 2002 has marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Teddy Bear when President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid environmentalist, spared a bear cub on a trip.

Russ Merlin, who has performed in 51 countries across five continents, is performing in two different Las Vegas shows nightly. He's in the new production "V-The Ultimate Variety Show" in The Showroom At the Venetian, and also in the sexy boutique show "Showgirls of Magic" at the San Remo.

Merlin has done command performances for the Queen of England and Sultan of Brunei and shared the stage with such notable personalities as Bob Hope, Rod Stewart and Lou Rawls. He utilizes visual comedy, sleight of hand, and one-of-a-kind audience participation stunts.

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Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam will feature five young comedians at the Las Vegas Hilton at 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 2. Tickets are $25, $35 and $45 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

Comedian Rudy Rush is hosting the long running "It's Showtime at the Apollo" musical/variety series and has landed commercials for Champion Sportswear, ESPN and 7-Up. Tony Roberts has starred in a series of Burger King commercials and made recurring appearances on BET's "Comicview."

Pierre had a role in the movie, "How to be a Player," opened for headliners such as Patti LaBelle and New Edition, and been awarded "Best Stand-Up" performance by BET. Chris Thomas is a man of many voices, who has performed on his own radio show and comedy clubs across the nation. He's opened for Natalie Cole and Aretha Franklin.

Last but not least, there's D.J. Ant Love, who has opened for other DJ headliners.

An erotic, adult showcase is opening at the Aladdin on Friday, Nov. 1. It's called "X" giving Las Vegas its third show with an alphabet letter title. The other two are "O," the Cirque du Soleil show at Bellagio that started the one letter show title's in town, and the new variety act show "V" at the Venetian.

"X" will feature August 1999 Playboy Playmate Rebecca Scott and a new "X-mate" every month. Tickets will be $44.95 inclusive, call 702-785-5000.

"Spirit of the Dance," which opened Aug. 19 in the Golden Nugget's 400-seat Theatre Ballroom, has already been extended through March 7, 2003. The show is taking a one-week hiatus from Nov. 4-10, in order to renovate the room to improve the sight lines for viewing the high energy dancing.

The Concord is a new 7,050-yard course at Sun City Anthem designed by renowned golf course architect Greg Nash and PGA Hall-of-Famer Billy Casper. The 23,000-square-foot clubhouse features a state-of-the-art golf shop, three first-class banquet rooms, a subterranean 165 golf cart storage area and a casual American restaurant and sports bar.

Country superstar Clay Walker will perform at Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nev. on Saturday, Dec. 28. Tickets are $35 and $49.50 plus a $2 service charge, call Ticketmaster 702-474-4000 or 1-800-FUN-STOP.

Walker's seventh and latest album, "Say No More" was released in March 2001. Hailing from Texas, he went national in 1993 with his first No. 1 single, "What's It To You," and is now probably best known for his "The Chain Of Love" hit in 2000.

Recently, Clay signed a new record deal with RCA and hopes to have a new album out by early 2003. He's also been debuting the fight song for the NFL's new team the Houston Texans.

In November, "Be A Chef At Home" cooking classes, including tastings and demonstrations, will be held upstairs in the Chinois restaurant at the Forum Shops. Dates and host chefs are Nov. 4, Chinois chef Joseph Bennett; Nov. 11, Trattoria del Lupo chef Mark Ferguson; Nov. 18, Postrio chef John LaGrone; and Nov. 25, a Spago holiday special with chef David Robins and pastry chef Christophe Ithurritze.

The fee is $45 per class, or $150 for all four cooking classes, call Madeline Benito at 702-369-0360.

Commander's Palace in the Desert Passage mall is offering a special Creole dinner from 5:45 to 7 p.m. before any event at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. The set menu is priced at $33 inclusive and includes three courses.

Readers of "Conde Nast Traveler" in the United Kingdom travel extensively worldwide and ranked Bellagio as the best hotel in the Americas and the Caribbean and the Venetian No. 15.

Primm Valley Resorts will be celebrating Veteran's Day with a free fireworks display at 7:15 on Saturday, Nov. 9. Primm is located 35 miles south of Las Vegas on Interstate 15.

The mega-hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" recently filmed its seventh episode titled "Fight Night," which is a segment focusing on a boxing match, around town with some shots at the Palms and the Venetian.

The Learning Channel's, "A Wedding Story," was back in Las Vegas shooting an Egyptian-themed ceremony. What better city to film unusual tie-the-knot adventures!

A new MTV dating show called "Tail-Daters" filmed at the Flamingo's Baywatch Caf‚ and pool.

Halloween has the Freakling Bros., now in their 11th season, promoting three haunted houses around town through Nov. 2. Each freestanding structure and show costs more than $100,000 to build. The three shows are the Dungeon, the Mortuary, and the Black Box, which is in the Sunset Station parking lot in Henderson. Tickets are $8 for this nighttime entertainment.

The TV series called "Push, Nevada," in which a mild-mannered IRS agent searches for a missing $1 million in a strange town, was canceled after seven episodes instead of the intended 13. "Push" wasn't just a TV show. It also involved a complex interactive game with the viewers having a chance of winning the stolen loot.

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