On Saturday, Sept. 1, "Bela Tabak's Riders of the Thunderdome" in "Splash" at the Riviera will present an encore performance of their world record-setting stunt: five motorcycles racing at 40-plus miles-per-hour within a 14' 3" diameter cage of metal mesh. The stunt was first performed over the Fourth of July weekend last year.

Tabak's riders have been in "Splash" since it debuted at the Riviera in 1985. Originally, the show's motorcycle-stunt routine consisted of two motorcycles inside an 18-foot diameter ball of metal mesh. A third bike was added in the late 1980s. Today, the routine has four riders inside the globe.

The bikes they ride are custom-built and cannot be categorized as either dirt or street bikes. The riders propel the bikes and pull several G's.

The current globe is the seventh for Tabak's team. It is fashioned from four tons of steel, machine-rolled and then hand-assembled by the riders into a perfect sphere.

On July 23, Siegfried and Roy celebrated their 5,000th live performance at The Mirage. The "Magicians of the Century" also marked their 20,000th live performance worldwide. The duo's camaraderie and performance with their Magical White Lions and Royal White Tigers has evolved over 20 years and become the entertainers' trademark. They have established conversation programs on three continents to perpetuate both exotic species. Their shows sell out every night.

Rascal, the first second-generation dolphin born on May 15, at the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is now available for the public to see. Racal weighed approximately 25 pounds at birth and was two feet long. Her mother is Picabo, born at the habitat on March 14, 1994.

"The Rat Pack is Back!" at the Sahara, also on July 23, celebrated their 500th show in the 550-seat Congo Room at the hotel. The show celebrates Frank's birthday as it was on stage in 1961 with his buddies_Dean, Sammy and Joey.

Three of America's great rock n' roll acts will appear together at the Riviera's Royale Pavilion on Aug. 10 and 11, when Bobby Vee's Rock n' Roll Party returns this year with special guests Tommy Roe and The Original Tymes. Tickets are $35 plus applicable taxes and fees, call 702-794-9280.

Vee began his professional music career in 1959. In June of that year, he recorded a song he wrote entitled "Susie Baby." His next couple of songs barely inched their way into the national charts and his future was in doubt. All of a sudden, "Devil Or Angel" caught on and became the foundation for a string of hit records reaching the nation's top 20 throughout the entire 1960's era. Included in Vee's list of top ten gold records are "Take Good Care Of My Baby," "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes," "Run To Him" and "Rubber Ball."

In addition to his domestic hits, Vee collected seven top records in England. In 1963, he shared the charts for 44 weeks side-by-side with The Beatles.

The Atlanta born singer/songwriter Tommy Roe took up the guitar at the early age of 13 and within one year penned and released the 1962 smash hit "Shiela" for ABC records. Within a few months, Roe would tour England with none other than The Beatles as his opening act. In 1969, his hit "Dizzy" remained number one in the country for four consecutive weeks.

The Tymes created the hit "So Much In Love" their first time out. It became the classic that was the first record to replace The Beatles in the Number One slot on the British charts. "So Much In Love" went to Number One on "Billboard" in June of 1963, and is currently Number 38 on "Billboard's All Time Record List."

Other Tymes' hits include "Wonderful, Wonderful," "Somewhere" and "You Little Trustmaker." Three of the four members of The Tymes are original members.

ESPN Zone at New York-New York had a grand opening on July 19 with plenty of sports stars in attendance. The new sports themed two-story restaurant was formerly Motown Caf‚. The second level is devoted to video games and the two simulated boxing games got a lot of action by men and women at the opening. The oversized front row recliner seats in the downstairs multi-TV screening room were never without occupants. We all wish the new restaurant experience the best of success. The company's association with ESPN will surely help promote and publicize ESPN Zone, which is an advantage most themed restaurants don't have.

Las Vegas entertainer and television personality Tony Sacca will perform a one night concert, "Listen To My Heart," at Club Madrid in Sunset Station in Henderson on Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. Funnyman Robert Allen will open the show. Sacca's show will also feature Michael T's 10-piece Swing Orchestra and Passion, three gals who sing and dance. Tickets are $17,95, call 1-888-464-2468.

Sacca is the host of "Entertainment Las Vegas Style," a weekly television show that reaches more than 200 markets nationwide and focuses on Las Vegas entertainment. Sacca has been entertaining audiences since the age of nine when he and his twin brother formed a band in their hometown of Philadelphia.

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The owner of the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel at 1205 Las Vegas Blvd. South and former singer in the "Folies Bergere" show for 12 years, Ron De Car recently remodeled a portion of an old hotel located behind his chapel into a themed bed and breakfast with 32 rooms. Listen to what some of the themes are.

The Blue Hawaii room was the first themed room and is one of the most popular. It has a coconut scent, murals of a beach hut, Elvis Presley on the walls, and a bamboo shade serving as a closet door.

The Gothic room is designed to harbor a feeling of creepiness with headstone headboards and a bathtub painted to look like a coffin.

The intergalactic room was designed with "Star Trek" fans in mind. It has galaxy murals, a spaceship bed, and a captain's chair replacing an ordinary toilet.

The gangster room shows a street scene in Chicago, including a mural of Al Capone's bar. The closet is painted to look like an elevator complete with the image of a bound and gagged bellboy inside. The bathroom mirrors look like bank teller cages and a safe under the sink helps complete the illusion of being in a Chicago bank. Fake blood and a body outline on the black bedspread add to this room's sensationalism.

The Elvis and Priscilla room has a custom-made pink Cadillac bed. The bedroom is painted to look like Graceland and has a wet bar. The bathoom is fashioned after the Sun recording studio where Elvis first recorded.

Each room has a VCR stocked with movies that match the room's theme. Rooms are running from $75 to $175 per night.

Other theme rooms include the Egyptian room, Camelot room and disco room. Rooms under construction include the cupid room and an Austin Powers room.

The diner is where guests help themselves to a free breakfast of coffee, juice and pastries. Decorated in authentic '50s memorabilia with old signs, an old-fashion soda fountain, and a beehive beauty salon hair dryer, the diner has one connection to the present, a computer with Internet service available for guests who want to surf the Web or check their e-mail.

The $1.6 billion, 3,000-room Bellagio has been ranked the fourth-best hotel in the world by readers of "Travel & Leisure," a major travel magazine. Four more Las Vegas hotels placed in the top 100: the Venetian was No. 24; Four Season Las Vegas No. 40, Caesars Palace No. 90 and Paris-Las Vegas No. 97.

More exciting news is being revealed about the Tatou nightclub planned for the Aladdin. The eye-catching starter will be a four-story glass entrance, followed by a 110-foot waterfall in the lobby and 43,000-square feet of room for partying. The club will be designed with a series of chambers with the smaller ones taking in guests while the ticketed shows like Carmen Electra's upcoming new show "Lumiere" are running in the big room. After the shows, 15 rows of seats will retract and a wall will open up to the nightclub crowds.

The results of the 2001/2002 Zagat Survey of Las Vegas restaurants was released recently and several of the city's most upscale eateries were named on its various lists. The ten most popular restaurants in order were: Picasso at Bellagio, Rosemary's, Andre's, Palm Restaurant at the Forum Shops, Steak House at Circus Circus, Aqua at Bellagio, Delmonico at the Venetian, Renoir at The Mirage, Emeril's New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand and Hugo's Cellar at the Four Queens.

Michael Boychuck, one of Las Vegas' renowned beauty experts, is now the Salon and Color Director of Canyon Ranch SpaClub Salon in The Venetian Resort.

World-renowned stylist Jose Eber raised Boychuck in the world of hair. Starting in 1989, Boychuck worked in Eber's Beverly Hills Salon and began earning his reputation as a color guru to the stars among them Roseanne Arquette, Clint Black, Jon Bon Jovi, Carmen Electra, Linda Gray and Kelly Preston to name a few.

In 1999, "Allure Magazine" named him one of the top colorist in America. His work has been featured on the cover of "Playboy," "Maxim" and several celebrity hair magazines. Boychuck's television work includes "Melrose Place" "Baywatch" and the "Young and the Restless."

Michael Swan of "As The World Turns" television fame will be performing with a jazz trio at the Las Vegas Hilton's NightClub July 30 - Aug. 11.

The Las Vegas Art Museum at 9600 W. Sahara Ave. is presenting "Rodin's Obsession: The Gates of Hell, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collection" through Sept. 16. The exhibition provides a rare view of the work of an old master sculptor, complete with educational resources designed to enhance the overall experience. The museum is open daily except Monday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for students.

A zoning change at the extreme south end of the Strip will allow a developer to build two identical 300-room hotel-casinos on a 183-acre collection of land parcels. No more details have been released. The land is south of Blue Diamond Road.

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