The Light Group, a Las Vegas hospitality and lifestyle development organization, has added Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant & Bar to its culinary portfolio. The new modern high-end eatery overlooking the resort's lake with the fountain show is opening July 18 at Bellagio, just steps away from The Light Group's Caramel Bar & Lounge, FIX Restaurant & Bar and nightclub The Bank. Yellowtail offers an extensive Japanese menu of fresh, ingredient-driven cuisine for both the sushi novice and connoisseur. Seasonal fish and ingredients flown in daily from the finest markets and purveyors around the world are being showcased in sushi, sashimi, tempura and hand rolls.

Designed by the world-renowned Rockwell Group of New York City, Yellowtail's elegant wood and stone decor fosters a vibrant atmosphere. The restaurant's signature design element, a 25-by-13-foot, wall-mounted installation at the entrance, has been created by using bronze metal scales that resemble the dorsal side of the eponymous fish. The dining room offers a cozy setting with screens composed of woven twigs set inside antique brass frames.

Yellowtail offers a hand-selected extensive sake collection, encompassing several different types from the classic to the avant-garde. Large bottles of sake and souchu are displayed at the 18-seat bar.

Yellowtail offers a 180-seat dining room, 30-seat intimate lounge, and 30-seat private dining room. It is open daily at 5 p.m. For information or call 702-730-3900.

BODIES... The Exhibition is moving to the Luxor after a wonderful two-year run at the Tropicana and will open its doors there on Aug. 2. Bodies will be the first to debut in the Premier Exhibition's new 36,800-square-foot center at the Luxor.

Described as a "life-changing experience," BODIES... The Exhibition showcases more than 260 full body, organ and partial body specimens. These real human bodies have been meticulously dissected, preserved through an innovative process called polymer preservation and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems.

Ticket prices are $31 for adults, $29 for seniors, $23 for children 12 and under, and $28 for Nevada residents and Luxor hotel guests. The Exhibition will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For information and tickets, call 800-557-7428.

Hall & Oates will headline at the Hard Rock on Friday, Aug. 15. Tickets start at $49.50. After more than 40 years of knowing each other, Daryl Hall and John Oates are still very much at the height of their powers making their own kind of soul. Hall & Oates have toured consistently around the world and they've continued to record both together and separately with impressive results including Hall's third solo album, Soul Alone.

Most recently, Hall & Oates saluted their deep soul roots with 2004's Our Kind Of Soul - an album that found them recording inventive re-workings of some of their favorite soul classics like the Spinners' I'll Be Around and the Four Tops' Standing in the Shadows of Love, as well as three new originals with a decidedly classic soul feel. In 2004, Hall & Oates' body of work was inducted together into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

The Tropicana has introduced its new pool party concept, Mint Mondays, with food, the signature cocktail Effen Black Mint, live bands and dancing every Monday from noon to 11 p.m. A DJ blasts tunes from noon until 7 p.m. and a live band performs on the poolside stage from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All bands are published artists and the DJ wraps up the evening.

A similar version of the pool party can be experienced every Friday and Saturday throughout the summer, call 702-739-2222 for information. All three weekly pool events held in a beautiful tropical oasis are open to the public and offer free admission.

During the weekend of July 25-27, Migration '08 will take place at the pool at Hooters Casino Hotel located one block off the Strip. Admission is $50 and that includes admission to all events on Friday night, all-day and night Saturday and Sunday. All party-goers will also receive a ticket for a cheeseburger "in paradise," a drink and raffle tickets for prizes and a silent auction.

Live bands will be playing all weekend. The lineup will include Jim Morris and The Big Bamboo Band, Stars on The Water, Bob Karwin, Jim Hoehn, Jimmy and The Parrots, Tommy Rocker and Conched Out, James "Sunny Jim" White, John Frinzi, and Coral Reefer Madness.

Caught a screening of the delightful, uplifting, happy movie MAMMA MIA! and was surprised to see a quick dream segment highlighting Las Vegas. Nice touch! The play MAMMA MIA! at Mandalay Bay set yet another benchmark for Broadway musicals in Las Vegas when it celebrated its fifth anniversary at the resort on Feb. 13, 2008. Due to popular demand MAMMA MIA!, which was previously scheduled to end in August after more than 2,300 performances, will now play through Jan. 4, 2009. Surely the movie hype is helping.

At the Hard Rock on Sept. 12, Billy Idol will be performing tracks from his latest album The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself. His new career-spanning CD gathers together the music that Idol has taken to stages all around the world, as well as two brand new songs. Idol really smashed through with his 1984 double platinum album, Rebel Yell. Tickets start at $59.50.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

This Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 29 - 31, the Las Vegas Showgirl Invitational Bowling Tournament will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary (1983 - 2008) at the Gold Coast Bowling Center. More than 400 gay bowlers from across the United States are expected to compete this year. This bowling tournament began 25 years ago with the serious purpose of raising money and awareness of the threat posed by HIV / AIDS. To participate, register online at www.lvshowgirl.net.

Pure Nightclub inside Caesars Palace will host a 21st birthday bash for 90210's alluring actress AnnaLynne McCord on Friday, July 25

Andre Agassi's annual Grand Slam for Children fundraiser will be held on Oct. 11 at a new venue. After 12 of the events have been held at the MGM Grand Garden that seats 7,000 people, it will move to a smaller room at Wynn. It will be a more exclusive event since only tables will be sold.

Bette Midler with her The Showgirl Must Go On spectacular at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace will return on Oct. 9 after this weekend's performances end on July 20. One night during this current visit, approximately 400 Midler fans got a real treat when the Divine Miss M decided to hold a surprise book signing after her show. Bette made the announcement to her audience and she was greeted to a massive line on The Colosseum steps. From about 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., Midler signed autographs for customers who purchased her book The Adventures of Baby Divine and her new greatest hits CD Jackpot .

Eric Burdon and The Animals and Rare Earth will perform at The Club inside the Cannery in North Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 13. Tickets start at $11.95, call 702- 617-5585 or 866-287-4643.

Eric Burdon's tenure with The Animals made him one of the seminal figures of the 1960's British Invasion. Some of Burdon's hits include House of the Rising Sun, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, and We Gotta Get Out of This Place. Burdon and The Animals were inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Formed in Detroit in 1967, Rare Earth was the first white act signed to the legendary Motown Records label. Their heady mix of rock, soul, funk and pop melodies clicked with both the critics and the audience who appreciated the bands excellent musicianship and electric live show. Rare Earth's hits include Get Ready, (I Born to Wander and I Just Want to Celebrate.

Following a performance for a packed house during Memorial Day, hip hop legend DJ Premier will return to Blush Boutique Nightclub at Wynn for two scheduled dates this summer on Tuesday, July 22 and Sunday, Aug. 31.

DJ Premier is acclaimed as one of the most respected and successful hip hop producers of all time, crafting classic recordings for such legends as Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Nas.

Known to many as a member of the renowned group, Gang Starr, DJ Premier recently added a new title to his repertoire - record label founder. Year Round Incorporated was developed from Premier's love of music and his desire to restore skills, soul and integrity to hip hop.

Veteran comedian / actor Marty Rackham will headline the Riviera Comedy Club with Marty Pollio and Fritz Nothnagel beginning Monday, July 28 for seven nights. Show times for the Riviera Comedy Club are 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $24.99, call 702-794-9433.

Rackham has had a successful career in television and in stand-up comedy. His acting credits have included appearances on NBC's L.A. Law, Lady Boss, and Seinfeld, ABC's Civil Wars, Murder One, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote and CBS's Murphy Brown, Bless This House, and Raven. He also appeared in cable television comedy specials including Caroline's Comedy Hour and Comedy on the Road.

Pollio is a mime, acrobat and juggler, and stand-up comic. He's opened for Ray Charles, Doc Severenson, Muddy Waters, Billy Crystal, Spyro Gyra, and Laura Brannigan. He's also appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and been featured in the movies The Godfather, Punchline and Far Out Man. This will be the first appearance for Nothnagel.

The legendary Chubby Checker will visit the Rampart Casino in the northwest part of the valley for a one-night engagement Sunday, Aug. 3. The performance will be held in the Grand Ballroom at the adjoining JW Marriott starting at 4 p.m. Tickets are $40 with a complimentary meal at the Rampart Buffet included.

When he was a small boy, Checker vowed to someday enter show business. In 1959, he recorded The Twist, and in the summer of 1960 it became a No. 1 hit. Record industry history was made when The Twist re-entered the charts and by January of 1962, it was back in the No. 1 position. No other record before or since has accomplished that feat. Some of his other hits include The Fly, Loddy Lo and The Hucklebuck.

Checker is the only artist to have five albums in the top 12 and the only artist to have nine double-sided hits. He was the first artist to have a platinum record.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will hold its annual Walk to Cure Diabetes on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Rock the Walk musical event, a prelude to the walk, will be held on Friday, Sept. 26, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Springs Preserve Amphitheatre. Open seating starts at a $25 donation and includes a barbeque dinner catered by Wolfgang Puck and family entertainment including Christy Molasky & The Music Junkies, call 702-732-4795.

More than 4,000 walkers are expected this year and walks are held in more than 200 cities worldwide. Nationally, nearly 500,000 people walked to cure diabetes last year and collectively raised more than $93 million.

CONTINUE ON TO...:
>THIS WEEK'S LAUGHLIN SEGMENT
>LAST WEEK'S LAS VEGAS SEGMENT
>VEGAS VIEWS FULL ARCHIVES
>Return to "Heard Around Town"
>Return to Las Vegas Leisure Guide