by Jackie Brett Send Me E-mail

Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, will be performing his well-known hits, as well as selections from his new album “No Pier Pressure” during a special 8 p.m. concert on Dec. 12 at The Venetian. The concert will be held in the Venetian Theatre and taped for a national music special scheduled to air next year on Public Television and AXS TV. Wilson's new album is scheduled to be released early next year on Capitol Records.

Also appearing with Wilson will be a variety of special guests who performed with him on the new album including: fellow Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine; former Beach Boys member Blondie Chaplin; Sebu Simonian, one-half of the indie-pop duo Capital Cities; Nate Ruess, lead vocalist of the Grammy™-Award winning group Fun; and Mark Isham, jazz trumpeter and composer. Additional guests will be named in the near future.

‘CELEBRITY IDOLS’ WILL OPEN AT SIN CITY THEATER

Billy Hufsey, who became a household name in the TV show “Fame,” will open his new show “Celebrity Idols from Movies and Music” this week at Planet Hollywood's Sin City Theater. The nightly except Wednesday 7 p.m. show will be a nonstop journey with musical numbers, 50 costume changes and eight dancers. Hufsey has a new book out “Living the Dream,” and a new song “The Lover in Me.” This song-and-dance man has also been an undefeated Golden Gloves boxer and has a black belt in karate. Tickets are $59.95 and VIP $79.95.

JEFF ‘BIG DADDY’ WAYNE AT THE RIVIERA COMEDY CLUB

Radio listeners following comedy channels on Sirius/XM, Slacker, Pandora's Box, and such have heard of Jeff “Big Daddy” Wayne. He will be headlining the Riviera Comedy Club inside the Riviera Nov. 17-23 at 8:30 p.m. with Derek Richard. Tickets are $29.99.

The seasoned veteran of comedy clubs, concerts, luxury cruise ships, and television is perhaps best known for his one-man show, “Big Daddy's Barbeque,” (Grilling Food, Sex and Marriage), which had its Las Vegas premiere a couple of months ago in the Starbright Theater in Summerlin. Wayne followed the one-man show, “Defending the Caveman,” for three years on the Improv Comedy Circuit, with his special “Barbeque” show.

‘LEGENDS IN CONCERT’ SCHEDULES ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOW

“Legends in Concert,” Las Vegas' longest-running live tribute show at the Flamingo, will debut its holiday show on Sunday, Nov. 30. Guests will enjoy holiday tunes such as “Santa Baby” and “Blue Christmas” performed by tribute artists highlighting Bobby Darin, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and Elvis. For a very merry finale, the full cast will perform “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and the Legends band will perform a tribute to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's “Christmas Eve in Sarajevo” (“Carol of the Bells”). The show's holiday schedule will include 11 shows a week with 4:00, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. shows available.

‘RAIDING THE ROCK VAULT’ DEBUTS AT THE NEW TROPICANA

“Raiding the Rock Vault” celebrated its debut at The New Tropicana on Friday, Nov. 7 with a star-studded red carpet event and kick-off party. The show that pays homage to rock's greatest hits from the '60s, '70s and '80s moved from the Westgate, which was the LVH.

“Raiding the Rock Vault” was named Reader's Choice Best of Las Vegas 2014 by the “Las Vegas Review-Journal” and has consistently been ranked the No. 1 Performance in Las Vegas on TripAdvisor. The show is performed Friday-Wednesday at 9 p.m. with tickets ranging from $59-$99.

The show's all-star lineup includes: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Howard Leese - guitar (Heart); Robin McAuley - lead vocals (MSG, Survivor); Doug Aldrich - Guitar (Whitesnake, Dio); Paul Shortino - lead vocals (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot); Jay Schellen - drums (Badfinger, Asia); Andrew Freeman - lead vocals and guitars (Lynch Mob, The Offspring); Michael T. Ross - keyboards (Lita Ford, Hardline); Hugh McDonald - bass (Bon Jovi); and outstanding female vocalists Carol-Lyn Liddle (Masters of Rock) and Stephanie Calvert (Starship).

HIP-HOP ARTIST COMMON WILL HAVE LIVE SHOW AT DRAI'S NIGHTCLUB

For the first time on a Friday night, Drai's Nightclub at The Cromwell will seamlessly transition its usual nightlife experience into a live music venue with multi-Grammy Award winning lyricist Common taking the stage Nov. 21.

Following DJ Brisk's opening set, the Chicago-raised rapper plans to perform a full-length concert and dance party. The event will occur on the opening night of Common's new tour, “Nobody's Smiling,” named after his tenth studio album released earlier this year. Tickets can be purchased on Drai's website.

‘MERRY CHRISTMAS LAS VEGAS’ WILL FILM BEFORE LIVE AUDIENCE

The 29^th annual “Merry Christmas Las Vegas” fundraising live show will take place in the Railhead at Boulder Station on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. and be taped for television before a live audience. The holiday-themed program will be hosted by the show's creator Tony Sacca and feature Zowie Bowie, master marionettist Anthony Rais, Greg Austin & Second Wind, songstress Anne Martinez, The Cardinale Brothers: Thre3 Cards, KC Twins: Kristin & Corey, Las Vegas Young Entertainers and the Michael T Orchestra. The performance is open to the public for a $25 donation to benefit The Youth Foundation for the Performing Arts and can be purchased by calling 702-364-8669 or paying at the door. Reservations recommended.

Over the past 29 years, Sacca has accumulated a series of holiday television specials that include such stars as Charo, David Brenner, Gordie Brown, Lance Burton and his identical twin brother Robert Sacca and many more stars. Television shows will air for six weeks and be syndicated and air locally and nationally in more than 75 markets.

CHATEAU NIGHTCLUB & ROOFTOP AT PARIS OFFERS NEW YEAR'S PARTY

Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop at Paris will ring in the New Year with an open bar package, fireworks and night of celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 31. Partygoers will be able to enjoy all three floors of the nightclub, which will each host their own unique bash. The 15,000-square-foot, indoor Main Room will offer an EDM fan's paradise, complete with the latest beats and flashing strobe lights. The DJ on The Deck, Chateau's party terrace, will play the best throwback hits from decades past as clubgoers take in panoramic views of the Strip and the annual firework show.

Underneath the iconic Eiffel Tower replica on the club's Rooftop, Top 40 hits will play as the clock strikes midnight. General admission is $99 with a three-hour premium bar package included. VIP packages with bottle start at $500.

MIX 94.1 PRESENTS SHOW WITH TRAIN AND SPECIAL GUESTS

Mix 94.1 kicks off the holiday season with the third annual Mark & Mercedes' “Not So Silent Night at The Joint at Hard Rock” on Friday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. The all-star lineup features Train with special guests Better Than Ezra, Matt Nathanson and Andy Grammer. Tickets start at $39.50.

Hailing from San Francisco, Train is a three-time Grammy Award-winning band that broke into mainstream success with its self-titled debut album in 1998. Train released its seventh studio album titled “Bulletproof Picasso in September.” The album features singles “Angel in Blue Jeans” and “Cadillac Cadillac.”

Better Than Ezra recently released its eighth album “All Together Now.” Nathanson in addition to his platinum-selling song “Come On Get Higher” has been featured on television shows such as “Scrubs,” “Vampire Diaries,” “NCIS” and more. Grammer's mega-hit “Keep Your Head Up” from his self-titled debut album shot him to fame in 2011 and in August, he released his second album “Magazines and Novels.”

CITY OF HENDERSON HOSTS INAUGURAL JINGLE BELL RUN

Henderson will hold the inaugural Jingle Bell Run on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. at Pecos Legacy Park, 150 Pecos Rd. Early registration is $12 - $20 for the 5K run and $6 or $20 for a family of four for the family fun walk. Use activity code 644080 to register at http://www.cityofhenderson.com/parks .

Participants will receive jingle bells to tie on their wrists and are encouraged to wear holiday-themed costumes. Winners of the ugliest sweater and cutest elf contest each will receive a free one-month fitness pass. Visits with Santa take place after the run at Pecos Legacy Park. For more information, call 702-267-4050.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

The Ethel M Chocolate factory is all aglow once again with its 21^st annual Holiday Cactus Garden featuring more than 500,000 lights covering 300 different plant species at the candy factory's Botanical Garden, located at 2 Cactus Garden Drive. It takes about six weeks to install the three-acre garden display and this year more than 40 percent of the lights adorning the garden are energy-efficient LED lights. This seasonal attraction in Henderson is a free holiday tradition open to the public through Jan. 1 from 5-10 pm. nightly. Visits from Santa are 5-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday until Dec. 25, and local choirs perform from 6-8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.

Glittering Lights is an annual holiday drive-through event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway featuring more than 500 animated and sparkling displays and more than 2 million lights over a 2.5-mile LED course. The experience is enhanced by Glittering Lights having its own radio station so guests can listen to nonstop holiday hits. This event that attracts around 150,000 each year runs Sunday-Thursday 5:30-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. through Jan. 4. Admission is $20 per vehicle.

Goodwill of Southern Nevada offers discounted entry coupons at their stores or drop off locations with a donation of clothing or household items. Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) receives a monetary portion from each purchased ticket and there is a Boy Scout Hot Cocoa booth. As a community project, branches of the United Methodist Church bring a living nativity to Glittering Lights Thursday, Friday and Saturdays beginning Dec. 4 and there are all sorts of special nights so visit glitteringlightslasvegas.com to learn more.

The annual tree lighting ceremony for the winter wonderland display at Mystic Falls Park inside Sam's Town is set for Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 5:45 p.m. Each year, the pioneer-themed Mystic Falls Park Light and Water Show gets into the holiday spirit just before Thanksgiving with the time-honored tradition of decking the Gambling Hall since 1994.

The festive décor includes fan favorites such as lighted sculpture polar bears, indoor snow and mountains of poinsettias. Sam's Town will be hosting the 15-minute laser light spectacular hourly throughout the holiday season, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. From Nov. 28 to Dec. 23, Cowboy Santa will appear Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8:30 p.m.

Another annual tradition is Sam's Town's Cell Phones for Soldiers Program running through Nov. 27. Sam's Town is collecting used cell phones, chargers and other accessories at the B Connected Club. Each donated phone provides an hour of talk time to soldiers stationed abroad and all donating participants receive a two-for-one coupon for Sam's Town's Firelight Buffet. To date, the nonprofit organization has distributed more than 2.5 million prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

The Neon Museum Boneyard's collection of more than 150 vintage neon signs will be illuminated with a special, holiday-inspired palette of lights - red, green, gold, blue and white from Nov. 28, through Thursday, Jan. 1. All night tour visitors of the Neon Boneyard will experience the seasonal lighting and see the recently restored and electrified Jerry's Nugget and Liberace Museum signs. Night tours are $25 general and $22 with different discounts, visit www.neonmuseum.org.

Families will enjoy the second “December to Remember” holiday ornament-making event taking place Saturday, Dec. 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Boneyard Park. Hot chocolate and caroling by Las Vegas Academy choir will follow from 5 to 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Award-winning comedian Matt Kazam has announced Military Appreciation Tuesdays. Now through Nov. 10, 2015, all active and retired military members with a valid military ID will receive two tickets to his show “40 Is Not The New 20” at the Riviera. Kazam is a 25-year comedy veteran now performing a really funny 70-minute, one-man stand-up comedy production exploring how much the world has changed in the past 40-plus years. Tickets are $40.

Guess you don't think about the now adult children of Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Louis Prima, Mel Torme performing professionally or making a living at it. Recently at the M Resort, the “Next Generation” concert with a powerful 10-piece band and featuring for the first time ever together Ricci Martin, Lorna Luft, Lena Prima and Steve March-Torme delighted an audience. The show was emceed by Anthony Lewis and envisioned by executive producer and singer Patty Ascher.

Stand-up comedian, Darren Carter will headline at the Laugh Factory inside the New Tropicana this week, Nov. 17-23, and unleash a captivating flurry of impersonations, observations and off-the-wall social commentary. Carter will share the stage with Steve Simeone and host Mickey Joseph. Tickets are at $34.95 and $44.95 for the 8:30 and 10:30 performances.

After being spotted by hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg for his dead-on impersonations of the rapper, Carter has performed multiple times at Dogg's annual family reunion. Carter appeared in the blockbuster “Be Cool” with John Travolta and he can be seen on “Chelsea Lately” on E! and “Comics Without Borders” on Showtime. In 2008, he released his comedy album “Shady Side,” which is now available on iTunes.

This fall marked Simeone's Comedy Central debut on Gabriel Iglesias' “Stand-Up Revolution” as well as the release of his eagerly anticipated CD “Remember This for When You Get Sad,” a compilation of some of his most-loved material.

Sirio Ristorante at ARIA will close Dec. 6. Details of a new addition to the ARIA culinary family will be announced in the coming months.

The newest hotel-casino in Las Vegas SLS, which opened Aug. 23, is already scaling back. It's been announced The Buffet at SLS is closing until early next year. Almost all the food outlets' hours have been cut back like 800 Degrees, Cleo and Katsuya going from daily service to just five days a week.

The Culture Club show originally scheduled for Nov. 22 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort is being postponed due to a polyp found in Boy George's throat. They hope to be able to reschedule next year.

John Acosta's Bee Gees Gold will perform at The Grand Ballroom at the JW Marriott on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Herman's Hermits will do two shows on Nov. 29 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, $25 and $50. Tickets will be available at the Casino Cage.

Santa's arrival with Mrs. Claus will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28 at Tivoli Village and Market LV boutiques. That day there will be free cotton candy, photos with Santa, live holiday music, holiday train rides and free arts and crafts for kids.

All of the Las Vegas Valley's Sammy's Woodfired Pizza & Grill locations and Sammy's Restaurant & Bar in Henderson are donating 10 percent of proceeds to Make-A-Wish from every Kid's Meal sold during the holiday season from now through Wednesday, Dec. 31.

The musical “Million Dollar Quartet” at Harrah's and “Jersey Boys” at Paris will have special holiday performance schedules Dec. 22-Jan. 4, 2015, and both will be closed Jan. 5-11. “Jersey Boys” will also be dark Dec.16-21.

TREVI Italian Restaurant inside The Forum Shops at Caesars is offering a festive holiday cocktail, the Happy Hollytini, and a specialty eggnog gelato through December.

This weekend Distill - A Local Bar in Summerlin opened a new brunch service with weekend extended brunch hours from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The belief is “Brunch without booze is just a sad breakfast!”

Girls on the Run (GOTR) is holding celebratory 5K Run and Walk at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Kellogg-Zaher Sports Complex. More than half of the 15 GOTR teams are from at-risk areas. Race registration is open to the public, visit http://www.girlsontherunlv.org

For the second year, Distill, Elixir and Remedy's are calling upon locals to donate new and unwrapped kids' toys at any of their five locations through Friday, Dec. 5. Toys collected will benefit the kids sponsored by the Casa Foundation, whose mission is to help abused and neglected young kids who are now in the Clark County foster care system. Toys will be given away at the organization's Angel Tree Winter Celebration on Dec. 12.

In addition, Remedy's at St. Rose and Distill in Summerlin will host fundraising parties on Saturday, Dec. 6 with a “backyard barbeque” and proceeds going directly to the foundation.