The 38th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be held on Wednesday, May 21, in the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center. The event will be televised live on CBS and for the first time in the show's history, it will be moving out of Los Angeles to its new home in Las Vegas. Reserved tickets start at $100, call 702-632-7580.

Live performances are scheduled by Brooks & Dunn, who will be performing at the new Orleans Arena on May 25, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Martina McBride and Willie Nelson. Chesney will open the broadcast with his hit single "Big Star." Keith and Nelson will perform their duet "Beer For My Horses." Ten-time ACM winner Reba McEntire will return to host the show

Toby Keith leads the nominations with a total of eight. Alan Jackson received six nominations; Kenny Chesney and Trick Pony each collected five; Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks and Willie Nelson received three nominations each.

During the telecast, George Strait will receive the prestigious Special Achievement Award for achieving 50 No.1 hits. Also, the winner of the second annual The Home Depot Humanitarian Award will be announced. The nominees are Brooks & Dunn, Lonestar and Wynonna.

Queen Latifah, hot off her scene stealing role in the Oscar winning film "Chicago," will be hosting the sixth annual "VH1 Divas Duets" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 22. The show will star Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Jewel and many more. Tickets are $60, $125 and $175, call 702-474-4000.

VH1 Classic will present "Classic Rock's Main Event," starring three outstanding bands: Journey, REO Speedwagon and Styx, at the Aladdin Theater on May 10. Tickets are$55, $75 and $95, call 702-785-5000.

Journey's legacy has spanned nearly 30 years with 18 U.S. album releases. Their DVD "Live in Vegas" went gold.

REO Speedwagon, the band that started out in a rented Chevy station wagon and had their first record in 1971, has produced 17 albums including the 10 million seller, "Hi Infidelity."

Styx has been carrying the rock 'n' roll torch worldwide for more than 30 yeas. The band has performed at two of the last three Super Bowls.

The international dance production, "Spirit of the Dance" at the Golden Nugget downtown on Fremont Street has been extended through the end of December 2003. There are now six award-winning "Spirit of the Dance" troupes touring the world and more than 20 million people have seen it.

The Las Vegas show performs nightly at 7:30 p.m. in the resort's legendary 400-seat Theatre Ballroom. Tickets are $45 inclusive, call 866-946-5336 or 702-386-8100. "Spirit of the Dance," the winner of nine Global Awards, will be dark May 11-June 8. During the hiatus, entertainer Martin Nievera, hailed as the "Concert King of the Philippines," will perform.

Comedian Kevin James will perform his stand-up act in the Danny Gans Theatre on May 24-25. Tickets for the 10:30 p.m. shows are $66 inclusive, call 702- 792-7777.

James stars on the hit CBS series "The King of Queens," now in its fifth season. He recently appeared in a one-hour comedy special for Comedy Central called "Sweat the Small Stuff" and served as host for the "People's Choice Awards." "Entertainment Weekly" also chose him as one of "The 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment." His big show biz break was a recurring role on the CBS comedy series "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur Bradley Ogden has opened his first dining experience outside of California with his signature farm fresh regional American cuisine. It is the ninth and only namesake restaurant to come from Chef Ogden, who is also the co-owner of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group. This is his first eatery in which his son Bryan joins him in the kitchen as senior chef tournant.

The sophisticated Bradley Ogden restaurant is located in Caesars Palace and situated directly across from the new 4,000-seat Colosseum where Celine Dion's show "A New Day" is playing.

The 160-seat restaurant is divided into three distinct dining rooms, each accentuated with the inviting elements of water, warm woods, and an earthy color palette. There is a 22-seat bar, a private chefs table for 12, a 40-seat lounge for more casual dining, and patio seating facing the new showroom. Bradley Ogden is modern with simple and rustic touches. Oil paintings from two California Bay Area artists adorn the walls.

The eatery is open daily for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and for dinner at 5 p.m., call 702-731-7731.

Jay White, who has been performing his Neil Diamond tribute for 20 years and at the Riviera's Le Bistro Theater for the past year, recently won the award for "2002 Outstanding Performance - Concert Stage" at The Reel Awards held at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. The real Neil Diamond has called White his "Favorite tribute performer" and met with him backstage for a chat this past December.

What an event to see! The public did double-takes as about 100 of the world's best celerity impersonators strutted down the red carpet. Las Vegan Rich Little received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony and other celebs like Debbie Reynolds, Ruta Lee, Erin Gray, and game show host Monty Hall were present.

Tickets to see White at the Riviera are $39.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

The incredible impersonator Stephen Sorrentino, whose Elton John is right on the money, will be opening for Dennis Miller when the former "Saturday Night Live" star headlines at Paris, April 25-27. Sorrentino has his own show called "Voices in My Head" that highlights many celebrities and he's been getting opening gigs with other super stars like Patti LaBelle.

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The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) will return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena with the Summer Finals Rodeo beginning Thursday, June 12 through Saturday, June 14. Tickets are $25, $40 and $100 plus service charges, call Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000.

The Summer Finals Rodeo is the championship event of the PRCA's "Winter" series which includes 10 PRCA-sanctioned rodeos. Only the top 10 contestants, who earned points by placing at the 10 qualifying rodeos on the current ProRodeo Tour series, will qualify for the Summer Finals Rodeo at the MGM.

All PRCA rodeo events, including the Summer Finals Rodeo which will air on June 29, are televised on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN).

"Showgirls," the late-night adult show at the Rio, has three statuesque singing beauties celebrating the greatest girl groups of our time. Andrea Wagner, Tamula Browning and Julie Serene, take audiences through years of pop music history, from the Andrew Sisters to the Supremes, from Aretha Franklin to Destiny's Child.

Wagner, formally trained in tap and jazz, graduated Cum Laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre and has been headlining on cruise lines. She was formerly a featured performer with K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and worked with members of the Platters.

Browning has been a featured entertainer on Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Lines, among others. She toured the United States as part of the national tour of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story."

Miller has had classical training in theatre, choir and dance, developed her acting skills and performed improvisational sketch comedy. She's had character roles in theater productions of "Guys and Dolls" and "42nd Street," and appeared in movies such as "Mars Attacks," "Fools Rush In," and "Jack of Hearts."

"Showgirls" also displays a myriad of costumes, while weaving the glamorous tale of showgirls through history beginning at the turn of the last century, and dancing by award-winning choreographer Mistinguett, who was recently named to the Broadway Round Table Choreographer's Hall of Fame, along with Bob Fosse.

"Showgirls" is performed in the Rio's Samba Theater nightly except Tuesday at 11 p.m. Tickets are $39.95 plus tax, call 702-777-7776.

The Travel Channel's "World Poker Tour," which has World Series of Poker winners such as Chris "Jesus" Ferguson providing color commentary during poker tournaments, premiered recently. Earlier this month, "Lucky," starring "My Big Fat Greek Wedding's" John Corbett as fictional compulsive gambler Michael "Lucky" Linkletter, debuted on the FX Channel. Finally, an NBC pilot, tentatively titled "Las Vegas" with James Caan playing a member of a casino security team has been taping around town.

Earlier this month, Edward Rhoades of Ramsey, N.J. won $1 million in the Las Vegas Hilton's first "Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament." The event consisting of 200 finalists was narrowed down to seven players, four of which were "wild card" entrants. Participants have been qualifying for the past 12 months.

Guests and residents of Lake Las Vegas now have the option to take sailing lessons on the 320-acre private lake located 35-minutes from The Strip. The San Diego Sailing Academy has recently opened a campus offering ASA/US SAILING certified professional sailing instruction and certification. For iformation, call 702-245-6533.

Joey Bistro & Bar, located on the ninth floor of the Carriage House on Harmon Avenue east of the Strip, has expanded its lounge entertainment. Randy Martin is now doing a tribute to Dean Martin from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Happy-hour specials accompany Martin's performances.

Spiedini and OXO, Gustav Mauler's signature restaurants in the JW Marriott in Summerlin, are now offering alfresco dining in their patio areas; weather permitting and by request. The sister dining outlets are situated directly across from one another in the Palms Tower.

Spiedini, open daily from 5 -10 p.m., specializes in Italian regional cuisine, call 702-869-8500. OXO features a steak and seafood menu. Wednesday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m., call 702-869-2335.

The Imperial Palace is packaging the "Tropical Vanilla Sugar Glow" special this spring at The Spa located on the fourth floor. By immersing yourself in a super sweet blend of tropical vanilla, coconut, certified organic raw brown sugar from Paraguay and Hawaiian macadamia oil, the botanically derived emollient system will leave your skin silky smooth and moisturized and ready for a tanning treatment. The $62 value is $50 through June 12, and it includes a complimentary tanning session, call 702-794-3242.

Along with all the regular activities, men according to spa Directors at mega-resorts including Treasure Island, The Mirage, MGM Grand, Bellagio and New York-New York are putting a trip to the spa on their to do list. In addition to the traditional massage, they are also getting manicures, pedicures and cleansing treatments that cater to men's skin.

Prices start at $35 for spa services, which includes full use of the facilities. You need to contact the individual properties for reservations: The Mirage 800- 456-4564; Treasure Island, 800-955-4777; New York-New York, 800-693-6763; Bellagio, 888- 987-7111; or the MGM Grand, 800- 929-1111.

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