Sheena Easton will be moving her act on July 3, from the 330-seat NightClub at the Las Vegas Hilton into the Hilton Theater. The showroom will be reconfigured to seat 745 viewers for her 8 p.m. shows. With thousands of advanced tickets sold, the ticket prices will stay at $45 and be general admission.

Easton will be the showroom's anchor act. When entertainers like Olivia Newton-John or Hall & Oates get booked, they'll perform on weekends in a later slot following Easton. The 12-week anchor act starting this winter will be The Righteous Brothers.

The Russ Morgan Orchestra, celebrating its 66th year in the dance band business, will appear in the Stardust's 25,000-square-foot ballroom on July 14. Dancing will begin at 7 p.m. and admission is $15.

Russ Morgan issued the first downbeat in 1935 and led his band for the next 34 years until his death in 1969. His son Jack, who like his father is a trombonist, took the helm and has remained in charge ever since.

The band has had a long list of hits including five million-selling Gold Records like "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" and "Forever And Ever." In 1965, the band accepted an eight-week engagement at the old Dunes Hotel and wound up staying for 12 years.

The Stardust's series of big band concerts is now in its sixth year. Ray Anthony and his Big Swing Band will appear at the Stardust on Sept. 22, followed by Les Brown's Band of Renown, featuring Les Brown, Jr., on Oct. 13.

Multi-talented headliner, Clint Holmes will debut his live concert via pay per view from Harrah's Las Vegas on Saturday, July 7 at 9 p.m. EDT. Fans in more than 1700 markets nationwide will get the rare opportunity to see Holmes perform with his 12-piece band in a prerecorded live concert, mastered in high definition. Fans should call their local cable operators for details. Cost will be about $14.95.

Bally's recently completed renovating its popular Big Kitchen Buffet. The total redesign brings a colorful, festive atmosphere to an airy and open dining area, while enhancing the view of the famous Las Vegas Strip's "Four-Corners." The ambience includes potbellied stoves, marble counter tops and brass accented railings.

The Big Kitchen remodel includes exhibition-style stations that allow patrons to watch a team of chef's prepare a wide variety of traditional American, Italian and Chinese menu items.

Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet is located in the South Tower on the mezzanine level. Open daily, the prices are $10.95 for breakfast, $12.95 for lunch and $17.95 for brunch and dinner. Children's prices are available, call 702-967-4930 for information.

Mandalay Resort Group is back on track with plans to develop a retail center between its Mandalay Bay and Luxor resorts. Management is claiming the project will cost between $75 and $100 million and should be fully leased and open to the public by late 2002. Construction is anticipated to start this summer on a destination retail outlet with a high-fashion theme.

The area south of Tropicana that includes the Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, and about 70 acres of undeveloped land south of Mandalay Bay is beginning to be referred to as the "Mandalay Mile."

The resorts under big name company umbrellas are vying for "brand loyalty" by consolidating their slot club efforts into a multi-casino slot club card.

Mandalay Bay Resort Group have begun introducing the unified slot club card at the Excalibur and plan to bring each of their other Strip properties on-line each month through September. Mandalay operates five Strip casinos - Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo and Circus Circus.

Once the system is in place, players at any one of the five casinos will be able to earn points on their card at all five properties, and redeem their points immediately at any property.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas, owner of Harrah's and the Rio, linked together all of its casinos nationwide over a year ago with its "Total Rewards" card. Park Place Entertainment Corp and MGM MIRAGE aren't too far behind.

Singers who influenced classic rock and soul music from 1955 - 1975 will appear together at the Stardust in the Wayne Newton Theater, July 11-15. The Miracles, Sonny Turner (former lead singer for the Platters) and the Coasters, featuring Carl Gardner make up the booking. Tickets are $27.95 per person, with tax, tip and one beverage included, call 702-72-6325.

The Miracles until 1971 included Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Smokey Robinson. The group recorded 27 Top 40 singles including "Shop Around" and "Tears Of A Clown." Turner took over as the Platters' lead singer in 1960. His repertoire includes "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "My Prayer. Gardner reorganized a Los Angeles-based group called the Robins into the Coasters. The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame group is known for novelty tunes like "Charlie Brown," "Yakey Yak," "Along Came Jones," "Poison Ivy" and "Young Blood."

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The non-gaming Maxim hotel could close as early as Aug. 12. The 795-room hotel at Flamingo Road and Koval Lane across from Bally's is 24 years old. Currently the hotel is charging $39 for rooms on weeknights and $59 on the weekends. It's always sad to see a property close.

Nightclubs are becoming an "in thing" in Las Vegas. Light is a new one on the drawing boards at Bellagio. The 9,000-square-foot club will be located above the sports book with an entrance near the north valet area. It will be a sister club to one of New York's hot spots.

Victor Drai will be opening a new nightclub called Lotus in The Venetian this fall. It is also a trendy New York club. Drai has had success with his Drai's Afterhours at the Barbary Coast.

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is offering a Summer Spa Package through Aug. 30. Package prices include overnight accommodations with a complimentary one-category upgrade, and your choice of a 50-minute massage or facial treatment per day, including gratuity. Prices are from $225 (superior) to $430 (one-bedroom suite) Sunday through Thursday and $355 to $560 on Friday and Saturday. Package price is based on double occupancy and subject to availability.

Launched in March, The Spa is a $1.8 million expansion of the original facility to three times its size with the following amenities included: 16 elegantly appointed treatment rooms, a Hydrotone Thermal Capsule, a Relaxation Room, Larger Eucalyptus steam rooms, and men's and women's locker room reflecting a club-like setting.

The Spa at Four Seasons is open day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Treatments are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Spa is open to non-hotel guests Monday through Thursday and includes complimentary use of the fitness center and hotel pool with any 50-minute treatment. A current offer is an introductory gift of a Four Seasons Bathrobe with any spa purchase of $300 or more per person per day.

Frank Marino, star of "An Evening At La Cage"at the Riviera, has just inked a $100,000 deal with Donna Salyers Fabulous Furs. The contract came about after a "La Cage" fan showed Fabulous Furs owner, Donna Salyers, a PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Anti-Fur ad Marino did in 1999. He posed naked as his character Joan Rivers, with the slogan "I'd rather go naked than wear fur!"

Marino will be wearing faux_fake fur and Salyers' new slogan for her furs will be, "Sometimes it's better for a woman to fake it!"

A live electronic stage performance by international nightclub favorite Darude will take place at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand on Friday, July 6 at approximately 1 a.m. There's a $20 cover charge for men and admission is complimentary for the ladies. For information, call 702-891-7254.

Darude is known for his unique music styles including hard house, trance and nu engery. He is currently No. 7 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music chart with "Feel the Beat" and No. 12 on Hot Dance Music singles sales with 'Sandstorm." He is the first Finnish artist ever to reach top 3 position on UK's single chart with the title track of his CD, "Sandstorm."

This week Greg Morton is headlining The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana, July 2-8, with fellow comedians Scott Angrave and Mitchell Walters. Tickets are $17.50 per person with tax, gratuity and two drinks included, call 702-739-2714.

Morton is a 32-year-old New York stand-up comic. He's been hailed as the "young hyper Bill Cosby" and described as having "an animated presence." He's a graduate in animation. His credits include voice over artist for well-known cartoon characters, head animator for "Scoobie Doo" and "The New Flintstones" and director of four of today's popular cartoons.

The Castaways (formerly the Showboat) will celebrate Independence Day with a distinctly "island" flair. Appearing in concert at the Castaways in the Acapulco Ballroom on Wednesday, July 4 will be popular Hawaiian recording artist Sean Na'auao and his group the "Poi Pounders." Na'auao is the winner of numerous entertainment awards, including Hawaii's "Island Contemporary Album of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for the tune "Kapilina" from his latest hit CD, "Neutralize It."

Na'auao's special guest will be Kana'e and Hawaiian "shock jock," "Bill Van Osdol from the island's number one radio station, will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

From July 5-7, the Castaways will host a national hula competition. Amateur dance clubs from across the country will gather for a three-day competition in three categories: solo hula, ancient hula and modern hula. Tickets are $15 each day at the door.

Veteran female impersonator Kenny Kerr has reopened "The Kenny Kerr Show" inside Addison's Lounge at the Regent Las Vegas northwest of downtown and The Strip. The show runs Friday-Monday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.95 with one drink included. This time around, Kerr is performing with a three-piece band and focusing more on his comedy.

The 7th anniversary of Jazz on the Strip at the Riviera will take place on Monday, July 9 from 9 p.m. to midnight. The lineup for the special occasion will be Billy Berry's Tribute to Duke Ellington, the Jimmy Wilkins Big Band, the Don Menza & Joe Lano Quintet and Kitty Margolis. Cost is a two-drink minimum.

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