The Maloof family, who created the successful locals-oriented Fiesta Hotel Casino in North Las Vegas, recently broke ground on their new $265 million resort project called the Palms. The new property scheduled to open Dec. 12, 2001, is located on a 32-acre site on Flamingo Rd. across the street from the Gold Coast and Rio casinos. The Fiesta is being purchased by Stations Casinos.

The Palms will stand out with a 42-story tower holding 470 oversized guestrooms and suites with views of the Strip. It will have a 95,000-square-foot casino, six restaurants, a cutting edge bar, the only off-Strip IMAX theater, a 14 theater Cineplex, an arcade, a 10,000-square-foot banquet and conference facility, and a 1,200-seat multi-use entertainment venue.

Restauranteurs signed up for the Palms include Raymond Visan, creator of the Buddha Bar at Paris Las Vegas; Andre Rochat, a Las Vegas French restaurant operator; Garduno's Mexican Restaurant, which operates a popular restaurant at the Fiesta; Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff, creators of Nine - The Steakhouse in Chicago; and Dennis Berkowitz. The French restaurant and bar will be located on the top floor of the tower.

The Palms swimming pool courtyard will be richly landscaped and lined with bamboo cabanas, various restaurants with outdoor dining terraces and a pool-side bar. There will also be a three-story, 18,000-square-foot spa and salon.

"Titanic: The Exhibition" at the Rio closed Oct. 31. There are rumors that Johnny Depp's West Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room, may make the Rio its second location. The Viper on Sunset Boulevard presents major concert acts.

The Rio's new Samba Theatre will feature some headliners. Stand-up comedian David Spade will perform on Nov. 24 & 25, followed by a triple-header of "Saturday Night Live" alumni: Norm McDonald, Jon Lovitz and Victoria Jackson on Dec. 8 & 9.

Kenny Loggins will open Sam's Town Live, the new 1,050-seat showroom at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway, Nov. 24 & 25, with Boyz II Men following Nov. 26.

The Motown Cafe, after three years, has closed its doors at New York-New York. The 700-seat, 33,000-square-foot restaurant that featured statues of Motown singers and videos on large screens, opened in January 1997.

The replacement venue that will open in the summer of 2001 will be Disney's ESPN Zone, a themed sports restaurant and entertainment experience. There are ESPN Zone eateries in New York, Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C. with one slated to open at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. early next year.

A mile from the Strip, the popular Mediterranean Caf‚ & Market located at 4147 S. Maryland Parkway has expanded its 14-year dining establishment to include Las Vegas' first Hookah Lounge. The owner's goal is to Americanize the tea houses of the Middle East.

It took the Hookah Lounge proprietor two and a half years to accumulate the new establishment's phenomenal decor that adds greatly to the overall parlor experience.

Antiques and pieces from Greece, Iran, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria adorn the 40-seat parlor that is warm with shades of red, brown and blue. Wall lamp scones, candelabras, incense burners, mid-eastern percussion and string instruments, crystals, seductive oil paintings, Algerian wood tables with mother of pearl inlay, and custom velvet drapes are among the decor.

The Hookah Lounge's main attraction is its ornately designed, oversized water pipes. Patrons choose from over 16 varieties of flavored tobacco including floral or fruit flavored, and after dinner blends and receive individually wrapped, snap-on pipe tips to share the experience. Rounds of flavored tobaccos that last for about 20 to 30 minutes are $15 each and $12 for the second round.

The Hookah Lounge is also a bar serving an assortment of wines, drinks, coffees and an extensive list of 50 loose teas. It is open from 5 p.m. to early morning hours to accommodate the latel night crowd Tuesday through Saturday. For information, call 702-731-6030.

Country music's new superstar, Lee Ann Womack will make her Las Vegas Strip headliner debut at the Stardust, Nov. 9-11. She has earned national notoriety with a million-selling album, a Top Ten music video and a triumphant night at the recent Country Music Awards, where "I Hope You Dance" was named Best Single and Best Song of the Year.

The Texas-born, singer-composer signed with Decca Records in 1996. The following year, she won the American Music Award for Favorite New Country Artist, the Academy of Country Music trophy for Top New Female Vocalist and the TNN/Music City News prize for Female Star of Tomorrow.

Tickets to see Womack are $29.95 per person, including tax, tip and one beverage, call 702-732-6325. Wayne Newton, who appears at the Stardust 40 weeks a year, will return on Nov. 20.

The 2000 Billboard Music Awards will return to the MGM Grand on Tuesday, Dec. 5, and honor this year's No. 1 artists, albums and songs determined by the record buying audience and radio airplay statistics. Artists scheduled to perform are Creed, Faith Hill, Ricky Martin, *NSYNC, and Sisqo. The show will be televised on FOX. Tickets are $40, $75 and $100, call TicketMaster at 702-474-4000.

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Magician Lance Burton, who stars in his own show at the Monte Carlo Resort, recently did some appearances for Wendy's "Three-Hour Challenge" on ABC's "Wide World of Sports," which will air Dec. 23 & 24.

The Lance Burton Variety Club Golf Classic was rained out and has been rescheduled for Dec. 4, at DragonRidge Golf Course. For information, call 702-383-8466. Burton's final shows at Monte Carlo before Christmas will be on Dec. 2, and he'll resume his normal schedule on Dec. 26.

The leading robotic sports show will hold its weekend-long competition at the All-American Sports Park, Nov. 17-19. The event will be taped for the second season of "BattleBots," to begin airing on Comedy Central, Tuesday, Dec. 12.

"BattleBots" features homemade remote-controlled metallic robots in a variety of weight classes that fight to the "death" in the "BattleBox," a 48' x 48' Thunderdome-like arena constructed of shatter-proof glass rising nearly 20 feet. The "BattleBox" features traps, bumpers, sledgehammers and surprise pop-up weapons such as tungsten-tipped buzz saws and spikes that emerge from the floor, providing additional hazards for the battling robots.

The battle will begin on Friday, Nov. 17 and continue with two sessions on Nov. 18 and 19. Tickets can be purchased on the Web through www.BattleBots.com or by calling TicketWeb at 510-704-4448 ext. 1.

A jumpsuit valued at $139,000 and worn by Elvis Presley is on display in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana for two months. Known as the "Peacock" jumpsuit, Elvis wore it in 1974 & 1975. He was pictured wearing it on the album cover, "Promise Land."

Motown will come to town, Nov. 16-18, when the Temptations and the Four Tops take the stage in the Hilton Theater. Tickets are $50, $60 and $70, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

The Temptations were the premier musical group of the 1960s with such hits as "My Girl" and "Just My Imagination." They've been awarded multiple Grammys and are considered by Billboard to be one of the top musical groups in rock `n roll history.

The Four Tops with hits like "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'" and "Reach Out, I'll Be There" have established millions of fans over the past 44 years.

The Righteous Brothers are appearing at The Orleans through Nov. 12. This year on Sept. 22, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield were inducted into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana. This famous duo who are not brothers have had a knack for choosing timeless songs. The return of "Unchained Melody" to the charts some 25 years after they recorded it is nothing short of amazing.

Tickets to see the Righteous Brothers are $44.95, $49.95 and $54.95 plus tax, call 702-365-7075. Jerry Lewis will return with a 30-piece orchestra, Nov. 16-19.

Red Buttons, the reigning master of the "Hollywood Celebrity Roasts" will perform at the new Suncoast Showroom, Nov. 17-19.

Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on the lower east side of Manhattan. His name change came at age 16, when orchestra leader Dinty Moore saw Red's red hair along with the 48 brass buttons on his Ryan's Tavern bellhop suit. He dubbed the blue-eyed, freckle faced teenager - Red Buttons.

Buttons had his own CBS hit television show in 1952. In 1958, he won the Golden Globe and Best Supporting Actor Award for the movie "Sayonara." He went on to have an impressive film career.

More recently, Buttons has written and recorded a children's album of poems on the Golden Record label entitled, "Poems For My Daughter and Other Little People, Love Daddy."

Tickets to see Red Buttons are $24.95, $27.95 and $30.95 plus tax, call 702-636-7075.

Maryellen Hooper, a winner of the annual American Comedy Awards "Best Female Stand-Up" title, will be the featured headliner at Harrah's Improv Comedy Club, Nov. 14-19. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

Hooper is known for her quick wit, quirky facial expressions and interesting brand of physical humor. Her persona has been described as "_if Lucille Ball and Dick Van Dyke had a baby girl," to which Hooper wryly replies "that's because I have red hair and trip over ottomans."

"Crazy Girls: Las Vegas Sexiest Topless Revue" at the Riviera will host the 6th Annual special COMDEX show. "Crazy Girls Special COMDEX Edition" will feature a guest appearance by adult magazine and film star Midori during the week of Las Vegas' largest annual convention, Nov. 11-15.

Midori has been a hair model for Vidal Sassoon and a fashion model for Elle. Her fame as an adult performer began in 1996 and she has performed in over 65 adult feature films. Midori stands out with her 34DDs and 22-inch waist.

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