Caesars Palace will be introducing its new $289 million, 26-story, 949-room Augustus Tower on Aug. 12. The tower is the centerpiece of a $376 million expansion and brings the total number of rooms available at Caesars Palace to more than 3,340.

Some of the highlights in the tower include nine-foot ceilings, leather headboards, 32-inch flat-screen TVs and a special new "Anytime - Ahead of Time" concierge service -- the kind usually reserved for VIPs and high rollers. Room size starts at 650 square feet. The bathrooms feature double vanities, an oversized spa tub, a walk-in shower and a 17-inch flat-screen TV.

Second City and Jam Theatricals have announced the limited engagement performances of The 313 at the Flamingo on Aug. 13, 20, 27 and Sept. 3 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.95 plus taxes and fees, call 702-733-3333. The age limit is 15 years and older.

The 313 is made up of Second City alums Larry Joe Campbell (According to Jim), Andy Cobb (Family Guy), Joshua and Nyima Funk (MTV's Wild and Out), Marc Evan Jackson (VH-1's ILL-ustrated), and Keegan-Michael Key (MadTV). The name was derived from the area code of Detroit, as five of the six members got their start at the Detroit Second City.

The 313 presents a highly eclectic improvisational revue that is fast, funny and filled with the wild and wonderful characters that these consummate comedic performers have created on stage at Second City as well as for national television.

Legendary rockers John Mellencamp and John Fogerty will bring their world tour to the Mandalay Bay Events enter on Sept. 3. Tickets are $45, $65 and $85 plus taxes and service charges, call 702-632-7580.

Mellencamp will be performing the songs on his "Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits," two-CD platinum certifided set. He will also highlight his latest "Walk Tall" tune, which is one of two newly recorded tracks on the "Words & Music" collection.

Fogerty will perform his full set highlighting his many solo hits and the songs he created and sang as part of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Mellencamp and Fogerty will also perform together.

Lake Las Vegas is the first authorized, guided tour location in the state of Nevada, hosting ScenicSegwayTours.com, which utilizes state-of-the-art Segway® Human Transporters to whiz guests through the resort's beautiful terrain. Segway® tours are conducted on self-balancing, two-wheeled machines, each with its own misting system.

Tours are offered daily at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Each two-hour tour is guided by hosts who provide live narration through high-tech headsets about historical and current-day information, area geology, plant and animal life and folklore. Tours are $96 and guests must be 12 years of age or older and weigh less than 250 lbs. To book your scenic segway tour, call 1-888-GO-SEGWAY.

Artistic Iron Works has opened a new $4 million ornamental iron gallery in a freestanding building located at 105 W. Charleston Blvd. which is within the Downtown Las Vegas Art District. This phenomenal new gallery is one of the largest in the world and features notional rooms displaying the types of ornamental ironwork available.

Over 40 craftsmen are making everything from fences and gates to wine racks and curtain rods in a 20,000-square-foot shop. The 13,000-square-foot showroom displays three levels of iron products. An accent wall features a sequential board, which follows the history of artistic iron from 1000 B.C. to the 21st Century. For information, visit www.artisticiron.com.

Las Vegas' biggest art and craft show will transform Cashman Center downtown into a shopping experience featuring more than 250 exhibitors from Aug. 26-28. The Originals Art & Craft Show was formerly known as Harvest Festival. Many artists will be demonstrating their crafts. Artisans are chosen through a strict process based on quality and uniqueness of their work. Tickets are $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors 60 and older, $4 for youth, and free for children 12 and under. You can get $1 off an adult or senior ticket by bringing a can of food or paper products as a donation for Safe Nest. One ticket is good for all three days.

Some exhibitor examples include Eggstra Special by Virgi Bondi who learned her egg art in Japan, Spiderlegs handcrafted folding wooden tables by Buzz Shabram, and A Friend of the Grape wine bottle fountain creations by Joy Dwight Dagenais.

Wolfgang Puck will be honored as a 2005 Gaming Hall of Fame inductee by the casino industry on Sept. 15, at a fundraiser dinner at Bellagio. He will be the first chef ever inducted. In 1992, Puck opened Spago in the Forum Shops at Caesars, and became the first true "celebrity" chef to create a contemporary fine dining restaurant in Las Vegas. Spago led the way for other celebrated chefs to open signature restaurants, which initiated the city's metamorphosis into a culinary destination.

The Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining group maintains a dominant position in the Las Vegas market with five restaurants; Spago and Chinois (Forum Shops at Caesars), Trattoria del Lupo (Mandalay Bay), Postrio (Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian) and the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (MGM Grand).

The resort that changed the face of the Las Vegas Strip in 1989 will be making sweeping changes to ensure that it remains on the forefront of the contemporary destination resort scene. A press conference will be unveiling the changes and additions to The Mirage that will be completed this year and in 2006. Details will follow as they become available.

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"Monty Python's Spamalot" will be trimmed to 90 minutes and open in a $50 million theater at Wynn Las Vegas for an indefinite run. Steve Wynn's exclusive contract will prevent the show from playing in California, Arizona or Nevada.

The New Orleans-themed Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino was purchased earlier this year by Harrah's Entertainment and will close on Halloween. They also purchased the small shopping that has housed Batista's Hole in the Wall for years.

BA-DA-BING, the interactive musical dinner show, has moved again. The mob-themed production has opened at Club SEVEN on the Strip across from the Harley Davidson Café. Shows are nightly at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. with live pre-show entertainment. General admission is $66 and $88 for VIP seating, call 702-257-0297.

The Las Vegas Hilton is planning on opening a new poker room around Labor Day. It will feature four plasma screens to view daily sporting events, daily no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournaments at 10:30 a.m., and on opening day a $5 commemorative chip.

A floating wine cruise from 7 to 10 p.m. on Lake Las Vegas will take place on the two-deck, 80-foot La Contessa yacht on Saturday, Aug. 27. There will also be a 6 p.m. champagne pre-party and a 10 p.m. post party in a 2,500-square-foot, two-story casita in the MonteLago Village Resort. Cost is $99 per person, contact Chris Hammond at chris@rocknrollwine.com.

Auditions will be held at the Palms for the 2006 Las Vegas Gladiators Goddesses on Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. in the lounge and on Aug. 16, at 10 p.m. in the Skin Pool Lounge. Tickets for the Arena Football League Gladiators' 2006 season seats are on sale now.

Café Capri is a hidden treasure completely out in the open. The 24-hour restaurant featuring Northern Italian cuisine sits right on Las Vegas Blvd. between Tropicana and Harmon giving it tremendous walk-by visitation. The eatery's owner is Flaminio Malaguti from Venice, Italy, who was a former professional soccer star in his homeland and also appeared in movies.

Café Capri features Hookahs, a special karaoke system, a bar with drink specialties including four kinds of frozen drinks, and a Gelato Fountain with 48 flavors of handmade Italian ice cream.

Sierra Gold, the flagship brand of Golden Tavern Group, is scheduled to open on Aug. 20, at the corner of Sunset and Jones Blvd. Sierra Gold will be open daily and 24 hours a day. A second Sierra Gold Las Vegas location is scheduled to open in 2006.

Sierra Gold is a Nevada-style ultra-tavern, and the first of its kind in Las Vegas. This casually upscale tavern will feature a refined décor in a comfortable atmosphere complete with numerous amenities such as a VIP ultra lounge, grand wood trussed ceiling, a plush billiard room, fireplace, players lounge, flat plasma screen TVs, a video wall, and spacious handcrafted bar. Other features will include casual dining, advanced gaming technology, Golden Rewards, happy hour specials, an in-house sommelier, an award-winning mixologist, and the exclusive Sierra Gold Lager.

The second floor banquet room located above the tavern will cater to private dining for up to 100 and events up to 180 in classroom-style set up. The banquet space is furnished with full meeting amenities, including audio and visual set-ups, flat plasma screen televisions, and a 12-seat private conference room. For information, call 702-798-0091.

The management team is pretty impressive. General Manager Rusty Oakes has served as restaurant manager of Emeril's New Orleans Fish House Restaurant inside the MGM Grand. Douglas Scagiloia is assistant manager and sommelier. He previously served as manager for the opening of Emeril's New Orleans Fish House as well as sommelier at Delmonico Steak House.

Executive Chef Vincent Martano was the sous chef for DiNapoli Italian restaurant located inside the old Showboat Hotel Casino, specialty chef for Prime Cut Steakhouse in the Castaways Hotel Casino and assistant chef for Treasure Island.

Beverage Manager Nick Gallegos is an international award-winning mixologist and a founding member of the United States Bartenders Guild operated under the International Bartending Association. He served as bartender at the Bellagio's Fontana Lounge.

You can enter to try and win an evening date in Sin City with Marc Jay: European Gigolo. The winner will receive a complimentary hotel room, day spa treatment, dinner at Charlie Palmers Steakhouse, Gravure diamond earrings, an enchanted limo ride, and champagne bottle service.

Entrants must register via e-mail to alida@godskitchen.com by Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. Entrants must describe three items they would bring if they were stranded on a deserted island with Marc Jay. All entrants must provide name, phone, and e-mail. The winner will be selected at midnight on Aug. 10 at the release party for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" at the ICE nightclub.

Cirque du Soleil will host the fifth annual benefit Run Away with Cirque du Soleil 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk at Paseo Verde Park in Henderson on Labor Day - Monday, Sept. 5. Race Day Registration begins at 6 a.m. with the 1 Mile Fun Walk starting at 8 a.m. followed by the 5K Run at 8:15 a.m.

Pre-registration entry fees are $20 for the 5K Run and $15 for the 1 Mile Fun Walk. There is a $2 early bird discount if registering before Aug. 26. On the day of, both events are $40.

All entrants will receive a T-shirt and entry for the raffle, enjoy entertainment by Cirque du Soleil performers and musicians, massage therapy, face painting for children and free food and beverages. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each category.

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