Robin Williams, one of the most gifted and talented comedians and actors of our time, will bring his "Robin Williams Live" tour to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, April 27. Tickets are $50, $100 and $200 plus applicable service charges, call 702-474-4000.

Williams began his career as a stand-up comic and first captured the attention of television audiences with his guest-starring role as Mork on the hit sitcom "Happy Days." The result was stardom on the now-legendary series "Mork and Mindy."

Williams entered the feature film industry in 1980 when he debuted in Robert Altman's "Popeye." From there, he went on to star in hits including "The World According to Garp," and to earn Academy Award nominations for "Good Morning Vietnam," "Dead Poets Society" and "The Fisher King." He won the 1997 Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Dr. Sean McGuire in "Good Will Hunting."

The Rio has introduced late night adult entertainment for women by booking "Chippendales The Show" for an indefinite run in the Masquerade Showroom. Twelve physically perfect male dancers entertain with a series of 11 disarmingly sexy routines.

Through March 14, performances are nightly, except March 5, at 9 p.m. because the Scintas are dark. Beginning March 15, "Chippendales The Show" will perform 10:30 p.m. shows nightly except Thursdays when the show is at 9 p.m. and Saturdays when it is dark. Tickets are $34.95 plus tax, call 702-777-7776.

Chippendales is a brand name widely recognized for its sexy, yet tasteful entertainment for women. Their history began in 1979 when the gorgeous dancers became all the rage in Los Angeles, and then traveled to New York, where it has been a mainstay on the club circuit for decades.

Chicago, the innovative eight-man band that has successfully fused jazz, rock and blues music for the past 35 years, will play back-to-back engagements at the Stardust in March. They will perform in the resort's Wayne Newton Theater, March 14-17 and 21-24.

Chicago has recorded 26 consecutive hit albums and surpassed the 120 million mark in total record sales. The foursome that founded the ensemble and pioneered the concept of a rock band with a dominant horn section in 1967 is still going strong.

The group's first recording, released in 1969, was an ambitious double album with original songs. It was an immediate hit that remained on sales charts for more than two years and included the first of many hit singles, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"

Tickets to Chicago are $59.95 per person, plus tax, call 702-732-6325.

Wayne Newton, who appears at the Stardust 40 weeks a year, will return March 25.

The Stratosphere has scheduled the return of the legendary Beach Boys to the Outdoor Events Center on April 14 and 15. For information, call 1-800-99-TOWER.

On April 27, the Stratosphere will present the six-fight "Bring On The Pain" boxing event. The main event will feature the return of two-time world featherweight champion Kevin "The Flushing Flash" Kelley, who now resides in Las Vegas.

In addition to the Kelley main event, there will be a full undercard featuring a professional women's bout and four prizefights with top contenders. Kelley's opponent and the rest of the undercard will be announced soon.

Tickets are $58 for Ringside seats, $36 for Premium seats and $24 for Plaza seats. The Outdoor Events Center configuration for boxing events features 2,850 seats. For tickets, call 702-383-7711.

The Salt Lake City Olympic experience will be available in Las Vegas when the 2002 "Champions on Ice" tour stops at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday, Aug. 3. The list of skating talent is incredible and will include: Sarah Hughes, Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldredge, Tim Goebel, Michael Weiss, Sasha Cohen and Nicole Bobek from the United States.

Other award winning names include: Elvis Stojko and Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz - Canada, Evgeni Plushenko, Alexei Yagudin and Irina Slutskaya - Russia, Surya Bonaly and Marina Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat - France, and Victor Petrenko - Urkraine. For a complete list of performers, visit Web site www.championsonice.com. To purchase tickets, call 702-474-4000.

The French are known for champagne and now Paris Las Vegas has a bar that celebrates the drink. The Champagne Bar located inside Napoleons offers over 100 champagnes and sparkling wines by the bottle and by the glass.

To complement the champagnes or cocktails, The Champagne Bar also serves a light fare menu of appetizers and hors d'oeuvres from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The Champagne Bar wants to start another trend in Las Vegas. Every night at midnight, Napoleons will be sending off the day and welcoming the new one with a complimentary champagne toast. The Champagne Bar remains open until 2 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

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The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Shop Las Vegas have announced a cooperative arrangement with the American Automobile Association (AAA). Members of AAA, who present their membership card to the concierge at any of six participating Las Vegas area shopping venues will receive a book containing special offers and discounts for a variety of retailers.

Las Vegas offers 25 million square feet of shopping space. The participating malls are: The Boulevard Mall, Desert Passage at the Aladdin Resort Casino, Fashion Outlets Las Vegas Mall in Primm, NV, The Fashion Show, Galleria at Sunset and the Showcase Mall.

Don Rickles with his no-holds-barred style will perform a four-night engagement, March 7-10, at the Stardust with international singer Peggy March. Rickles is entering his second year as a Stardust headliner.

March has maintained a strong following in the United States, Europe and Asia since debuting at the age of 15 as "Little Peggy March" with the nation's best-selling single, "I Will Follow Him," which enjoyed a revival three decades later in the motion picture "Sister Act." As a teenager, she recorded the song in French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and German.

The Excalibur's Minstrel Lounge will be closing for a makeover, which is going to make it more open to the casino.

The Las Vegas Hilton will host the first ever $1 Million Blackjack Tournament starting in April with over $1.2 million in total prize money paid to winners, including a grand prize of $1 million.

The 13-month tournament, which is expected to draw contestants from around the country, will consist of 12 preliminary rounds and a final round. Each of the 12 monthly preliminary rounds will send players to the final round of play in March 2003.

Entry into the monthly preliminary tournaments is $1,000 and includes accommodations for two nights at the Hilton, a souvenir $1 Million Blackjack shirt and the chance to win $1 million.

Each month, 16 players will advance to the 2003 finals. In addition to the 192 tournament finalists, eight players will be chosen from a wild card drawing that will take place on April 8, 2003. All contestants who enter the monthly preliminary tournament will be eligible for the wild card drawing.

The tournament format for the monthly preliminary rounds and the final tournament will consist of four rounds, a semi-final round and final round. The first round will consist of 200 players with four sessions. Winners will advance to round two with two sessions. Round three and the semi-finals will have one session each. For more information, call 1-800-457-3307.

Nevada's filmmaking business has topped the $1 billion mark. Last year was the third consecutive year of record setting film production. Television accounted for 57 percent of last year's total, or more than $76 million.

Occasionally groups buy-out shows in Las Vegas. When the MAGIC show was in town in February, one conventioneer was enthralled with Marlene Ricci's talent at the Riviera's Le Bistro Theatre and he bought out one of her shows for his company. Also during the MAGIC convention on Feb. 20, a group bought out the 10:30 p.m. performance of "Splash" at the hotel.

On March 7, magician Steve Wyrick's early show at the Sahara is sold out and a 10 p.m. show has been added.

The Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz Festival will return to Hills Park, 9002 Hillpointe Road, on April 27 and feature vocalist Randy Crawford, trumpeter Rick Braun, keyboardist Brian Culbertson, vocalist/pianist Joe McBride, guitarist Joyce Cooling and saxophonist Michael Lington. Tickets are $53 and $60 at the door. Tickets for kids ages 11-18 are $10 and 11 and under get in free. For information, call 1-800-969-8432.

Las Vegas keeps moving up a notch as a renown-dining mecca. After intense lobbying, Wine Institute of Las Vegas founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz has been officially sanctioned to charter a chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in Las Vegas. There are only 55 chapters worldwide and only 4,500 members.

Not all the food awards reside with Strip eateries and chefs. Sunset Station's Capri Ristorante was the recipient of the International Press Association's first Five Fleur di Lis award of 2002. Capri Ristorante Chef Blas Flores received the association's coveted President's Award for his masterful culinary creations. IPA, 3,500 members strong, adopted the fleur di lis emblem as "the highest recognition a restaurant can receive."

The latest dinner theater offering from Lawry's the Prime Rib is "Death With Father." The show, billed as a combination of Irish humor and mystery, is set in Our Lady of Almost Lost Changes Orphanage, which is facing foreclosure and a takeover by developers who want to turn it into condos. The event is set for March 17 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $17 with Lawry's prime-rib dinner included. Call Nancy Marcellus at 702-893-2223 for information.

The Forum Shops at Caesars ranks among the most profitable malls in the United States based on sales per square foot. Mall owner Simon Property Group Inc. also owns the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

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