On the Las Vegas entertainment scene, the "Main Event" theatrical revue featuring British performer Stephen Triffitt as Sinatra and Las Vegas impressionist Bob Anderson in the Rat-Pack-related roles will open at the Venetian on April 28.

Meanwhile, Charo will close her "Bravo" revue at the Venetian on April 18. Word is she'll be moving her show over to the Congo Room at the Sahara, where she was a main headliner for many years when Del Webb owned the resort.

Phyllis Diller's May 3 through 5 engagement at the Suncoast, located about a 20-minute drive from the Strip, will be the stand-up comedienne's showbiz farewell.

Downtown Las Vegas will host the inaugural Las Vegas Stampede, Sept. 19-22, featuring chuck wagon races on 61 acres of land west of the Fremont Street Experience and the Plaza hotel/casino.

Chuck wagon racing has a 52-year history of competition through the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA), based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Las Vegas event is expected to draw 24 chuck wagon teams requiring the use of about 300 horses, and have spectators filling 10,000 temporary grandstand seats.

Races begin with outriggers loading a stove and tent poles into the back of a chuck wagon, followed by riding a figure-eight pattern around two barrels before entering a five-eighths-mile oval dirt track that must be run counterclockwise.

The comic talents of George Lopez will be featured when he headlines at Paris over Cinco de Mayo weekend, May 3-5. Tickets are $45 plus a handling fee, call 1-877-374-7469.

Beginning next February, Lopez will star in a new half-hour comedy series, "George Lopez," for Warner Bros. Television and the ABC Television Network. The show's executive producers including actress Sandra Bullock are all from "The Drew Carey Show."

Lopez maintains an active schedule as a stand-up comedian. Until recently, he hosted his own radio show in Los Angeles, where he was the first Latino to headline the keystone morning radio slot on an English-language station. His new CD, "Right Now Right Now," is currently in release on Oglio Records/Warner Bros.

Lopez has appeared on over 70 television programs and his dramatic role in the feature "Bread and Roses," earned kudos. Additionally, he has had recurring roles in the Nickelodeon series "The Brothers Garcia" and Showtime's "Resurrection Boulevard," and he is featured in HBO's dramatic original movie, "Real Women Have Curves," which is currently being shown at Sundance and will air later this year.

The Sinatra music legacy continues in Las Vegas when Frank Sinatra Jr. and his 36-piece orchestra perform "Sinatra Sings Sinatra" at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theater, May 8-15.

The concert features songs Frank Sinatra sang in over 40 years of performing in Las Vegas as well as some members of his orchestra including long-time musical director and accompanist, Bill Miller. Many of Sinatra's Vegas shows were witnessed first hand by his son.

After many years touring with his own Big Band and working as his father's musical director, Sinatra Jr. recorded "As I Remember It" for Angel Records in 1996. The CD celebrated the singer, composers, arrangers and musicians "who helped to define the man and his music." Throughout the late 1990s, Sinatra Jr. and his orchestra successfully toured the country performing both "As I Remember It" and a multi-city tour of Gershwin music.

Tickets for "Sintara Sings Sinatra" are $47.50 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.

The Fremont Street Experience will host its sixth annual Mardi Gras Celebration, April 19-20. There will be plenty of free entertainment at the two-day event. For information, call 702-678-5777.

Steve Rossi, the singing half of the world famous comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, is meeting fans and signing autographs every Monday in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rossi has been performing since he was six years old and he appeared in the classic films, "Going My Way," with Bing Crosby and "The Jolson Story."

Rossi teamed up with funnyman Marty Allen in 1957. The two immediately became comedy guest stars on such shows as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Tonight Show" to name a few. Rossi is currently touring the country with comedian Sandy Hackett, who is the son of laugh-maker Buddy Hackett.

Effective Monday, April 8 through Oct. 27, the Buccaneer Bay Sea Battle free outdoor show attraction at Treasure Island can be seen daily from 5:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. every 90 minutes. The show will be dark April 16-18. For more information, call 702-894-7111.

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One of Russia's top three dance ensembles, the Tchaikovsky Perm Ballet Theatre will make a limited appearance in Las Vegas on April 16 and 17 when they perform Prokofiev's "Cinderella" at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The troupe consists of 125 dancers and performers accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. The ballet company first performed in 1926 and has toured the world garnering accolades and honors. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performances are $35 for adults and $20 for children under 13, call Ticketmaster for information 702-474-4000.

The next Casino Legends Hall of Fame induction ceremony will honor Trini Lopez, Vikki Carr, Mayor Oscar Goodman, Charo, and The Characters. Pat Cooper will be hosting the ceremony that will be held on Friday, April 12, at 1 p.m. The public is invited free to fill the Tiffany Showroom on a first-come, first-severed basis and witness this event that honors individuals whose accomplishments have made a significant impact on the gaming and entertainment industries in Las Vegas.

Formed in 1953 in Philadelphia, The Characters became an infamous Las Vegas lounge act consisting of brothers Carmen and Freddie (The Champ) Baccari, Charles "Blackie" Hunt and Johnny Ricco. They were booked into the Sahara Hotel in 1955, and were one of the groups credited with starting what is now known as Las Vegas' "Historic Lounge Era." The Characters performed in Las Vegas a minimum of six months a year for 17 years.

The former Brown Derby restaurant on the Studio Walk at the MGM Grand will open in May as Craftsteak. Chef/owner Tom Colicchio has the esteemed Gramercy Tavern and the red-hot Craft in New York.

Congratulations to The Second City at the Flamingo, where the improvisation show is starting its second year as a mainstay on the Strip.

Celebrating 19 years in comedy, "Grace Under Fire" sitcom star Brett Butler will once again take over the famous Top of The Riv Ballroom on Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4. Tickets are $29.50 plus tax and fee. For reservations and to learn about VIP seating, call 702-794-9433.

From Montgomery, Alabama, the People's Choice award winner will remind fans of her abusive relationships, her battles with life's demons and the unpredictable tabloids. Butler is also the author of the "The New York Times" bestseller "Knee Deep in Paradise" and currently developing a new series for ABC.

Comedian/actress Pam Stone, who is six feet tall, will headline with two fellow comedians at The Improv Comedy Club at Harrah's, April 30-May 5. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax.

Many people were first exposed to Stone's comedic skills through her work on the hit ABC television show "Coach," where she played the women's basketball coach, Judy Watkins.

Stone's comedy is a sophisticated blend of insights and satire; delivering punch lines with a twist. She won an American Comedy Award for "Best Female Standup Comic" in 1993, after being nominated five years in a row.

The Shaquille O'Neal "All-Star Comedy Roast II" charity event will be held at the MGM Grand's EFX Theatre on Friday, June 28. The event hosted by the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Center will feature a roast of World Champion Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith.

The Shaquille O'Neal's "All-Star Comedy Roast II" will consist of three special fundraising events hosted by the MGM Grand. The evening will begin with a private "All-Star Reception" at the Olio! restaurant and be followed by the "All-Star Roast" in the EFX Theatre. The "All-Star Post-Party" will be held at the Studio 54 nightclub.

Tickets are priced at $50 and $100, which includes admission to the roast event and "All-Star Post-Party." For information, call 1-800-929-1111 or 702-891-1111.

The alternative rock sounds of Incubus and special guest Hoobastank will be highlighted on Sunday, April 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets are $25 for an intimate half-arena performance.

High school friends formed the California based funk metal collaboration of Incubus in 1991. In 1997, their fourth release was "S.C.I.E.N.C.E." and Incubus headlined on the 1998 Family Values tour. The band's next effort, "Make Yourself," reached the top 40 charts and achieved gold status. Their most recent release is "Morning View."

Construction is beginning on a 10,500-square foot event center that will be adjacent to the 320-room Hampton Inn Tropicana Hotel, which opened in 1999. The $2.5 million Southwest Event Center is expected to be complete in September. The center will have video-conferencing equipment, Internet access, a catering kitchen, a 1,800-square foot reception area and an outdoor patio.

A three-day food and wine extravaganza, Bon Appetit Wine & Spirits Focus, will take place at Bellagio, April 19-21. Friday's fundraising opening event, The Grand Tasting, from 8 to 11 p.m. will feature 45 celebrated Las Vegas chefs and restaurants and at least 100 wineries and spirits producers. For tickets and information, call 1-888-343-6287 or (34-FOCUS).

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