Alicia Keys, the artist "Rolling Stone" named "Artist of the Year," will headline at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 8, with Glenn Lewis doing the opening honors. Tickets re $35.50 and $55.50, call 702-474-4000.

The acclaimed singer / songwriter who produced and arranged her entire debut album "Songs In A Minor," which was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA late last year, has had a stellar year. With six American Music Award nominations in both the Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B categories, Keys was named this year's winner for Favorite New Artist in both the Pop and Rock & Roll Music category and Soul R&B category. She has also been nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. The Grammy Awards will air on Feb. 27 on CBS.

Grammy Award nominee, Mary J. Blige will perform her sultry sounds at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on March 1, while on her "No Drama Tour." Tickets are $30, $40 and $60, call 702-474-4000.

Blige's fifth studio release, "No More Drama," is a passionate and purposeful exploration of the heart, soul and body. Her 1999 platinum plus smash "Mary" album was Grammy nominated. She is also well recognized for her charity work.

Comedian / ventriloquist Willie Tyler and his wooden sidekick Lester will headline the Riviera Comedy Club this week, Feb. 25-March 3.

Tyler began performing in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 10. It was a ventriloquist course he saw advertised in "Popular Mechanics Magazine" that started him on his show business career. His wooden puppet Lester was manufactured in a suburban area called Gross Point Woods.

Tyler and Lester have traveled all 50 states working the circuit and have worked with top stars including, Sinatra, Bennett, Lou Rawls, Dolly Parton, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, etc.

Gary Bednob, known as the "Turban Cowboy," will deliver his barrage of improbable Bangladesh jokes, along with one of Boston's most beloved comics Jim Dunn. They will round out the package at the Rivera Comedy Club at 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $17.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

Barbecue lovers have a new outlet as the Memphis Championship Barbecue restaurant has opened its third local restaurant in the Santa Fe Station in northwest Las Vegas. This time, founder Mike Mills has added a blues lounge with local blues group John Earl and the Boogie Man Band performing every Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Mills pit skill helped him recently win the Spirit of Barbecue Restaurant Award from the "National Barbecue News," the largest publication "devoted entirely to the art of barbecue."

Rita Rudner, who is a resident headliner of her own show at New York-New York, will be a part of the Academy Awards for the second year in a row. Last year, she was hired to provide joke material for host Steve Martin. This year, she's joining the creative team surrounding host Whoopi Goldberg. She'll take off March 24 to attend the Oscars and come up with last-minute material with a team that will include Carrie Fisher, Carol Leifer and Bruce Vilanch.

Next Friday, March 1, singer Tony Tillman will celebrate the life and music of Sammy Davis, Jr. at the Boulder Station with an 8 p.m. show "Tony Tillman Sings Strictly Sammy." Tickets are $14.95 plus tax, call 702-432-7575.

The new Palms has met with success by introducing a weekly Wednesday night Hawaiian Buffet. The $15.99 feast has a big selection of island foods including dim sum, duck, chicken, sticky orange spare ribs, oxtail stew, salmon, haupia, a fresh firm coconut pudding dessert, and much more. The Fantasy Market Buffet dinner hours are 4-10 p.m.

Saxophonist Rocky Gordon and The Killer Groove Band perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays at the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant for the venue's new Oasis Sunday Jazz Brunch, sponsored by KOAS 105.7 FM.

After successful cow events have been held in New York, Houston, Chicago, Kansas City and New Jersey, Cow Parade 2002 Las Vegas will take over the Southern Nevada valley, Sept 1-Nov. 24. After the viewing period, the decorated artsy bovine will be auctioned.

Sotheby's will come to town for a black tie livestock sale where about 70 cows will be auctioned off. The rest will be auctioned off on the Internet. The designated charity will be the United Way of Southern Nevada.

Cow parade Las Vegas organizer Tom Carroll estimates there will be at least 300 cows on public display. Each cow will weight in at 100 pounds. The outdoor cows will be attached to a 350-pound cement base to prevent theft or cow tipping.

Carroll says the cow puns are endless. His favorite is a cow with a paper bag over half of its body being called "Cow Hide."

Construction is going to resume on the nation's fourth-largest convention center at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay. The $235 million, 1.8 million-square-foot convention center project will be on track to open by January.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Polo Towers owner, Stephen Cloobeck has announced plans to build a $240 million time-share complex across the street from the Aladdin on Harmon Avenue. The 30-story, 850-unit French-themed timeshare will be called The Chateau. Construction is slated to begin in 2004 and plans are to build it in four phases, each with more than 200 units and taking 14 months to build.

Single-bedroom Chateau units are slated to average about 900 square feet and be priced about $18,000 for a one week interval. The Chateau will not have gaming.

Timeshare as an industry has grown in the last ten years because the products have become more diverse. At the end of last year, there were three million timeshare owners in the United States and five million worldwide.

Several cast members from the "Folies Bergere" at the Tropicana made television appearances as contestants on the popular game show, "Wheel of Fortune." Four showgirls from the world-renown production were involved in the January tapings of the game show and walked away with cash when it was on location in Las Vegas.

Traci Ault, the new lead female singer in the "Folies Bergere," auditioned with her husband for Wheel of Fortune "Sweethearts Week." She received a callback, but her husband did not. Ault appeared on Feb. 18 and walked way with $2,300.

Showgirls Janu Tornell and Kirsten Wollner participated in the taping for "Best Friends Week." The two of them solved one puzzle and came in second place with a grand total of $6,800 in winnings, which they split. Their show airs Feb. 27.

Dancer Chelly Franken and former Folies cast member Kim Cartwright also appeared during "Best Friends Week," on March 1. The girls solved two puzzles and ended up in third place. They each took home $2,300 in prize money.

On Feb. 22, headliner Rick Springfield celebrated the 3,000th performance of "EFX Alive" at the MGM Grand where the show debuted in 1995.

Actor and award winning artist, Billy Dee Williams has his artwork featured as the opening exhibit at the newly opened Markman Gallery in the Rio's Masquerade Village. His latest work includes his "Heart"-themed paintings and will be on display through March 30.

"Splash" at the Riviera has been featuring incredible specialty acts for the past 16 and a half years. "The Richard Brothers," a juggling trio, are celebrating their fifth year in the variety show, with an all-new presentation of their talents.

Performing together since they were nine, seven and five respectively, Ricardo, Manuel and David, were born into a family of Mexican circus performers ranging from trapeze artists and clown to dancers and jugglers. As a result, the boys began training at a young age.

Each brother has his own specialty. David juggles boxes, Manuel throws hats, and Ricardo catches flying neck rings. Their recently revised routines include and all-new take on three-way juggling performed to the international hit song "Arrasando," performed by Mexican singer and actress Thalia.

Show times for "Splash" are 7:30 and 10:30 p.m., Saturday through Thursday. Tickets start at $51.50 plus taxes, call 702-794-9433.

Comedian Greg Giraldo along with two fellow funny men will perform at the Improv Comedy Club at Harrah's this week, Feb. 26-March 3. Show times are 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

Giraldo graduated at the top of his class from the Harvard Law School and moved to New York City where he worked for a prestigious law firm. In 1995, entertaining won out when Giraldo performed his original, innovative and energetic stand-up routine at the Montreal Comedy Festival, where he was discovered. ABC asked him to help create and star in the sitcom "Common Law."

More comedy is emanating from Bob Kephart's Comedy Stop at the Tropicana. Kevin Knox is leading the trio of laugh makers there through March 10. Knox appears regularly at The Comedy Connection, a Boston area comedy club and other clubs across the country. Tickets are $17.50 per person with tax, gratuity and two drinks included, call 702-739-2714.

No Doubt will pop into the Hard Rock Hotel on March 30. Tickets are $33, call 702-474-4000.

Club Rio is an adult nightclub operating Wednesday through Saturday at the Rio from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Platinum Wednesdays feature resident DJ Art spinning top 40's, dance, R&B and Hip-Hop. Thursdays are Latin La-Beat-Oh Nights and the first Friday of the month is the taping of the national television dance-music show "Thump!"

"It's A Grind" Coffee Franchise, LLC has announced that its first area development agreement outside of California is to open 27 "It's A Grind" coffee houses around Las Vegas.

Despite a downturn in the tourism industry following the events of Sept. 11, Las Vegas welcomed more than 35 million visitors in 2001. The number of people attending meetings or conventions in Las Vegas topped four million for the year.

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