The topping off ceremony was recently held at the Stratosphere for the $65 million, 24-story tower that is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2001. When the tower opens it will incude 1,002 guest rooms with 100 being suites complete with spa tubs dispersed throughout the floors. There will be a laundry room for guest convenience.

Other major tower amenities will include: a 67,000-square-foot swimming pool and recreation area located on the sixth floor with a snack bar, full-cocktail bar, private cabanas and a large hot tub; a 350-seat coffee shop; gift shop; bus terminal with access from the North side of the property; and a new valet entrance.

Prince will star at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Dec. 9. Tickets are $55, $85 and $135, call 702-474-4000.

The second annual Lady Liberty's Holiday Ice Spectacular at New York-New York will return Nov. 24-Dec. 26. The free 15-minute ice shows will run daily at noon, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 p.m. The 48 x 37-foot ice surface will be located at the base of the Statue of Liberty on the corner of the busy Las Vegas Blvd. and Tropicana intersection.

The professional ice skating production will highlight holiday music and feature 10 skaters, including a championship pair team, a male and a female soloist, and the Lady Liberty Ice Ensemble. The show is a taste of a true New York tradition, the holiday ice festivities held at Rockefeller Center.

Susan Anton will be appearing in the Broadway Showroom at the Stratosphere, Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Tickets for any of her five performances are $19.50, call 702-380-7711.

Anton began her career on Broadway in the play "Hurlyburly," directed by Mike Nichols. She went on to perform in a variety of Broadway shows and most recently toured the United States in the "Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" with the Rockettes.

M&M's chocolate candies only retail center with one-of-a-kind logo merchandise is a 26,000 square foot, four story monument to chocolate located at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. The store at the Showcase Mall opens daily at 9 a.m. For more information, call 702-736-7611.

Each floor has a theme. Located on the first floor is a "movie set" featuring the M&M's spokescandies. A $12 souvenir photo opportunity exists with the characters on the newsstand set from the "Switch" television commercial. This floor also includes Ethel M Chocolates and M&M's merchandise.

The second 8,500 square foot floor has more than 3,000 M&M's Brand items for sale. The back wall is M&M's COLORWORKS, a kaleidoscope of 21 brilliantly colored M&M's Milk Chocolate and Peanut Chocolate candies offering a do-it-yourself selection opportunity.

The third floor has the 3-D movie, "I Lost My `M' in Las Vegas!," featuring the misadventures of spokescharacters, Red and Yellow, as they search for Red's lost `M' in their first feature film. Movie tickets are sold from an old-fashioned Marquee Movie Ticket Window, call 702-736-7611 for showtimes.

The "M&M's Racing Team retail store occupies the fourth floor along with Red's Pit Stop Caf‚ featuring ice cream and baked desserts. M&M's sponsors the No. 36 race car for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and an authentic race car, team driving uniform and helmet are on display.

New outstanding restaurants have opened up at the new Desert Passage shopping center adjacent to the Aladdin Resort.

One new Desert Passage eatery is Josef's Brasserie offering an informal ambiance of a true Parisian brasserie serving authentic French fare. The decor features French mirrors, a faux antique tin ceiling, ornate iron and glass chandeliers, a cherry-wood bar and murals on the walls.

An oyster bar serves lobster, shrimp, mussels, scallops and fresh oysters. A charcuterie table in the middle of the dining room features marinated artichokes, mushrooms a la Greque, celery remoulard, roasted beets and endive, dry pork sausage, country pate, garlic sausage and an assortment of olives for $4 per portion.

There's also a separate private dining room and patio dining. Josef's is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Dress is casual and no reservations are necessary.

Anasazi of Santa Fe featuring Southwestern cuisine is another new restaurant at Desert Passage. The original Anasazi restaurant opened in Santa Fe, NM, in 1991, and for the past nine years has received a four-star rating from the California State Automobile Association.

In decor, Anasazi has a Southwestern, American Indian theme. The entrance area is designed similar to a "kiva," a circular room modeled after an underground area where American Indians held religious ceremonies.

Past the kiva, the restaurant features a main dining room called the Courtyard, with a wood-burning oven and show kitchen, seating 120 people; the Gallery, a dividable, adobe-style private dining room accommodates up to 90 people; the Red Room, a small dining room handles up to 14 patrons; and the Wine Room, holds up to six people. There's also a bar and lounge, which seats 60, and a patio dining area.

Anasazi is open for lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and for dinner 5:30-10:30 p.m. The menu is served at all times at the bar, which is open 11 a.m.-midnight. Reservations are not required.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN Zone sports bar is planned to open next summer at New York-New York in the space recently vacated by the themed Motown restaurant. The 33,000-square-foot, two-story complex will be the seventh in the chain.

The complex will feature three separate elements - "The Studio Grill," an American grill restaurant serving diners amid replicas of ESPN studio broadcasting sets; "The Screening Room," a huge television viewing area for watching sporting events and dining; and "The Sports Arena," a 10,000-square-foot area filled with interactive sports games.

There's jazz at the Lake Las Vegas Resort now every Thursday, Friday and Sunday. On Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m., local jazz artists are performing on the terraces of La Chandele, which is located inside the Reflection Bay Golf & Beach Club. A special selection of happy hour "Jazzitizer" hours d'oeuvres, martini and wine specials are featured as well as a special "Jazz on the Rocks" drink.

On Sundays, the band returns during Champagne Brunch from 10 am. to 2:30 p.m. For information, call 702-568-7383.

Blues legend B.B. King, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a top-selling recording artist, will headline at the Stardust in the Wayne Newton Theater, Nov. 16-18. Tickets are $49.95 including tax, tip and one beverage, call 702-732-6325.

King notched his first hit record, "Three O'clock Blues," in 1950. His current album with Eric Clapton, "Riding With The King," has remained on the Billboard Magazine Top Ten chart most of this year and was recently certified platinum. At age 75, King is in the midst of a 40-city tour of North America.

The singer-guitarist has earned unprecedented honors. He received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award after earning six Grammy Awards and 16 nominations. He's a member of the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. He was recently named Blues Artist of the Year in "Downbeat" Magazine's Readers' Poll and Critics' Poll.

Chicago will perform at Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, NV on Dec. 29. Tickets are $50, $75 and $100, call 702-386-7867. Primm is located 40 minutes outside Las Vegas at the California/Nevada border off I-15.

The Four Seasons will unveil the second annual cancer fundraising Holiday Village from Nov. 24 through the New Year. Pastry Chef Jean Luc Daul and his team have created this year's Village featuring 20 gingerbread real estate properties "for sale." A lot can be purchased from $250-$750 and your name and company name will be showcased on the displayed property. The highlight is a working 7-foot carousel on sale for $2,500. All houses/lots are built to last and may be taken home by owners on Jan. 4.

Throughout the holiday season, the Four Seasons will feature elegant Afternoon High Teas from 2-5 p.m. in the comfortable setting of The Verandah with a pianist providing music. Full teas cost $21 and include homemade scones, finger sandwiches and sweets.

Kevin James, star of the hit CBS comedy "The King of Queens," will bring his stand-up talent to the Las Vegas Hilton stage during Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24-25. Tickets are $35 and $45, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

James became a household name working with his friend and fellow comic Ray Romano on CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond." From his reoccurring role, James signed a development deal with NBC to create his own show. When NBC didn't order the pilot, CBS snapped it up.

Sam's Town will be hosting dream men from the daytime soaps on Nov. 25 and 26. During two 75 minute shows, they will share all of their stories and secrets, as they field questions from the live audience. The men in question will be Matt Cedeno from "Days of Our Lives," Joshua Morrow from "Young And The Restless," and Billy Warlock from "General Hospital." Tickets are $20, call 1-888-464-2468.

The Great Craft Festival will be held at Cashman Center in the downtown area at 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Nov. 17-19. The event will highlight 250 juried art and craft designers from ten western states. Admission is $6, $5 for seniors, and $2 for ages 6-16.

Jerry Lewis has a 20-year contract to perform at the Orleans Showroom where he'll be headlining with a 30-piece orchestra, Nov. 16-19. Tickets are $49.95, $59.95 and $69.95, call 702-365-7075.

Lewis is preparing to launch another feature film project entitled, "Truffles." The film might star Robin Williams and is scheduled to initially be filmed in Paris. Lewis will act as Executive Producer and may film a few weeks of the movie in Las Vegas. Lewis will also take on the role of Executive Producer on two other remakes of Lewis' films, "The Errand Boy" and "The Bellboy."

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