The 51-year-old rocker Rick Springfield is settling into his new role as the Las Vegas headliner in "EFX" at the MGM Grand. Each time a new superstar takes over, the show gets an overhaul and takes on a new direction.

For its latest reincarnation, the show has become "EFX Alive," honoring the Australia-born Springfield's latest album, "The Greatest Hits_Alive," which was released last Tuesday when he ironically opened in the show.

Springfield penned a pair of songs for the show. "Rhythm of the Beat" is a new opening song and "Forever" is in the scene depicting the legendary magician Harry Houdini and his wife Bess. The singer has also tossed one of his hits, 1983's "Human Touch," into the show's song lineup.

Another change Springfield wanted in "EFX Alive" was to have his character be threaded throughout the show rather than go on and off stage acting more like an emcee. The musical performer, who has signed a year contract, isn't new to a theatrical production show since he performed on Broadway in 1999 in the musical "Smokey Joe's Caf‚."

This is actually Springfield's third time being asked to star in "EFX." He was approached to take over the lead when Michael Crawford departed. At the time; however, he was starring in the syndicated private detective series "High Tide," which ran from 1994-'97.

The second time he was asked, he had just released "Karma," and was getting ready to tour. This last time when he was contacted, he had been on the road touring for two-and-a-half years and was ready for the break.

Engelbert Humperdinck will finish up a week's engagement at the MGM Grand in the 650-seat Hollywood Theatre on Feb. 7. The legendary singer's current CD, "The Dance Album," is his first album in the dance genre. Released by dance label Interhit Records, the album features newly recorded dance versions of six of Humperdinck's greatest hits along with five original tunes.

Humperdinck is best known as a romantic balladeer, but he has gained hip credibility in recent years for his recording "Lesbian Seagull," which appeared on the soundtrack for the 1996 movie, "Beavis and Butthead Do America." Tickets for his MGM shows are $51.50 inclusive, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

The ninth annual "Number One Fool Contest" hosted by The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana will take place every Wednesday night between Feb. 7 and March 28. To participate, you need to deliver a VHS or cassette tape with five minutes of "tasteful" comedy to The Comedy Stop on the hotel's mezzanine level between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily.

If you're selected you compete on a Wednesday night. The weekly winners perform in the finals on Sunday, April Fool's Day, when celebrity judges select the top funny person. The grand prize winner will be crowned "Las Vegas' Number One Fool," receive $1,000 in cash and have the opportunity to perform on stage at The Comedy Stop on a Saturday night. For more information, call 702-739-2714.

Jerry Lewis had to cancel his January dates at the Orleans because of back surgery. He's doing well and will perform at the Orleans, March 22-25. Siegfried and Roy had to cancel many shows last month due to Siegfried's nasty bout with the flu.

Frank Marino, who performs as Joan Rivers in "An Evening at La Cage" at the Riviera, was featured recently on "Celebrity Homes & Hideaways." The nationally syndicated lifestyle television series by Hearst Entertainment visited Marino's Las Vegas home and completely redid it.

"They made a nice house into a premiere home," Marino quipped. "I invited them back when my castle is ready in a couple of years. It will be a 12,000-square-foot home with a movie theater and ballroom.

Marino shared the hour-long episode, which will rerun a few times, with Elizabeth Taylor, Donna Mills and Ivana Trump.

Welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley will battle WBC's No. 1 contender Shannan Taylor in the ring at Caesars Palace on March 10. Mosley, selected as the WBC's Fighter of the Year for 2000, will defend his WBC welterweight crown in the 2,800-seat 4th floor level ballroom in the Palace Tower. The bout will be televised on HBO's World Championship Boxing at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Tickets are $100, $200 and $300 plus a $3 ticket-handling fee, call 1-800-634-6698 or 702-731-7865.

It's been interesting watching to see if a planned production show called "Lumiere" starring Carmen Electra of "Baywatch" television fame gets off the ground at the Aladdin. The theatrical show will have a vague story line about a girl who is an angel, loses her wings and wins them back in the end.

Electra, while best known for her short lived marriage to Dennis Rodman, is looking forward to surprising people that she's multi-talented and has been dancing since she was five. This new show will housed out of a showroom/nightclub expected to be called The Vortex.

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Comedian Pablo Francisco along with two fellow comedians will headline Budd Friedman's Improv Comedy Club at Harrah's, March 6-11. Francisco has been a regular cast member on FOX's "Mad TV." He's also been the national spokesman for Churches Chicken and appeared in a pre-movie commercial for Coca Cola, which has been shown in more than 3,500 theaters. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

A new hotel-casino project geared towards corporate visitors has commenced building at 255 E. Flamingo, just east of Bally's and the Strip. Tuscany Suites has begun the first of two building phases.

Phase one will include 716 suites, which are slated for completion this summer. Phase II, which begins construction in April, will add 306 hotel rooms upon its completion in mid-December. When finished, the Tuscany property will also feature a 30,000-square-foot casino, a gourmet restaurant, buffet, 24-hour coffee shop and meeting rooms.

Ventriloquist Dan Horn and his "cast of several," often referred to as his "mannequin Americans," are appearing at the award-winning Riviera Comedy Club this week, Feb. 5-11. Horn's dummies can be politically incorrect and they can carry on two, three or even four conversations simultaneously. Two other comedians round out the bill. Tickets are $16.95 plus tax and fees. Show-dinner combination packages are also available, call 702-794-9433, or click on www.theriviera.com.

Two Las Vegas restaurants have won the Mobil Travel Guide's coveted five-star ratings for the second year. They are Picasso at Bellagio and Renoir at the Mirage, which last year became the first Las Vegas restaurants to win the highest honor.

For more than 40 years the Mobil Travel Guide's rating system of one to five stars has been regarded as one of the most reliable sources for recommending to travelers the best restaurants, motels and resorts in more than 3,000 towns and cities in the United States and Canada. This year 16 restaurants in the Untied States and one in Canada got five-star awards.

Mobil four-star Las Vegas restaurants for this year are Aqua and Le Cirque in the Bellagio and Napa at the Rio.

In the hotel category the four-star winners are Bellagio, Caesars Palace and the Four Seasons.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has unleashed a new $41 million advertising campaign promoting the emotions people associate with the city - excitement, adventure, liberation and escape.

One television spot called "The Mud Flap Girls" has animated chrome silhouettes of girls commonly seen on the mud flaps of 18-wheelers come to life and walk from one truck to another. The truck they jump onto pulls away revealing a sign on the back that reads, "Vegas or Bust."

A second television spot called "Parka Man" features a resourceful cold-weather cabin dweller thumbing through a photo album with pictures of him pasted over Las Vegas Scenes. "Desert Drive" shows the belongings of a businessman such as a briefcase, cell phone and clothing strewn along a lonesome highway leading to Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has also unveiled a new logo with each letter in "VEGAS" being spelled out on separate chips.

Auditions are being held for the sixth annual Passion Play of Las Vegas, "He's Alive!" production. The show will be appearing for the fourth consecutive year in the Riviera's Grande Ballroom from April 9 to 14 at 7 p.m. each evening.

The Mount Charleston Lodge is offering a special Valentine's Day package from Feb. 9-18, that includes a romantic log cabin, gourmet dinner for two, champagne and a dozen roses. The package starts at $305, call 1-800-955-1314 or visit www.mtcharlestonldoge.com. The lodge is situated on a snow-capped mountain in a national forest about a 50-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.

Many folks would be surprised to know that the Downtown Henderson Farmers' Market is held weekly in the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St., from 4-8 p.m. Henderson is located about a 20-minute drive from the Strip. For information, call 702-565-2181.

Don't forget to check out the free outdoor attractions on the Strip. The Dragon Battle at the Excalibur is a staged fight between a fire-breathing dragon and Merlin the Magician. It takes place every hour on the hour from dusk to midnight daily, weather permitting. The location is in the moat at the Excalibur. For information, call 702-597-7777.

The Fountains at Bellagio create a choreographed water show with fountains spanning more than 1,000 feet and soaring as high as 240 feet in the air. Performances take place every half-hour from 3-8 p.m., Mondays-Fridays, and noon -8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. After 8 p.m., shows are every 15 minutes until midnight. For information, call 702-693-7111.

At Treasure Island you can witness a live eight-minute Pirate Battle at Buccaneer Bay. These shows takes place every 90 minutes from 4-10 p.m. daily and until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting. For information, call 702-894-7111.

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