Showroom changes are happening all over town with new shows being introduced, some shows relocating, one room closing and one enlarging.

For starters, the Stardust has signed singer / impressionist Bob Anderson to bring back the feeling of old Las Vegas in the intimate 250-seat Starlight Room. His 90-minute show will take audiences on a musical journey with all-new tributes and medleys from the Rat Pack and Bobby Darin to Tom Jones and Tony Bennett. A five-piece band conducted by piano great and former Frank Sinatra bandleader, Vinnie Falcone, will aid him. The room will gain nostalgic atmosphere with white tablecloths, candles and a maitre d'.

Anderson was among the first to be inducted into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame at the Tropicana. He's the recipient of many accolades including being named by "People Magazine" as "America's greatest singing impressionist." Talk show legends like Carson, Douglas and Griffin considered him a favorite among their guests.

Currently, Anderson has a new CD, is hosting a weekly home improvement show... "Around Your Home," is working on his autobiography, and has a new long term contract with the Stardust. Shows are nightly except Sunday and Monday at 9 and 11 p.m. Tickets are $24.95 per person, call 702-732-6325.

Over at the Riviera, Ricci Martin, the son of Dean Martin and author of the recent memoir "That's Amore," has opened a show in the Le Bistro Theatre. The show "Ricci Martin: A Tribute to Dean Martin, His Son Remembers" has taken over an 11:30 p.m. slot, Tuesday through Sunday. His show is not about impersonating his dad, it's about stories and reflections. Tickets are $29.95 plus tax and fee, calls 702-794-9433.

Comedy magician Roger Lee with special guest star, "The Snake Babe," are appearing at 11:30 p.m. on Monday nights in September in the Le Bistro Theatre at the Riviera. Tickets are $16.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433.

Lee is a member of the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. Many recognize him as "the plumbing guy" on the Home Base commercials.

"The Snake Babe" is Maria whose life changed when she began living on her own, bought two boa constrictors, and became a magician's assistant in a six-month revue in Switzerland. After that, she moved to Las Vegas and since 1994, Maria and her exotic animals have successfully worked for hundreds of corporations.

Maria has almost 40 animals now. She has been displaying her snakes at Studio 54 at the MGM Grand for almost three years, has done fire eating on E!'s "Wild on Sin City," appeared with her snakes on the "To Tell The Truth" game show and Animal Planet's "Secrets of Animal Magic," been in commercials, and cut a nude girl in half on "The Jerry Springer Show." One of her personally favorite experiences was showing off her snakes at Celine Dion's wedding at Caesars Palace. Her Web site featuring exotic pet care is www.snakebabe.com.

"Rock This Town - Live" is a new 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, show at the Riviera. This upbeat production has George Trullinger reprising his Buddy Holly act that he did in "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace for years and Harry Shahoian doing a younger and then older "jumpsuited" Elvis. Frankie Marino, the keyboard player for the three-piece band steals the show with his Jerry Lee Lewis-type rockabilly playing, singing and good looks. Tickets are $19.95.

The international revue "Beats of Passion" has moved from the Venetian to take over the 7:30 p.m. time slot at the 550-seat nightclub that is attached to the Blue Note at the Aladdin's Desert Passage mall. The naughty musical hit comedy show "Tease" is moving to the 10 p.m. time slot.

As of Sept. 30, the awkward small show venue at the New Frontier will close and the former bingo room will be turned into meeting space. This management move displaces five shows, two of which are looking for rooms... the male revue "MEN" and "The Soul of Magic." "Daytripper The Ultimate Tribute to the Beatles" and "Rock 'n' Roll Legends" plan to move to the 90-seat venue at the Elvis-a-Rama Museum on Industrial Road. The last revue "Tonight's Show" will move to the Edgewater in Laughlin.

Fitzgeralds downtown is enlarging its Events Center from a tiny 75-seater to more than double capacity of around 160. Three shows are inaugurating this room: magician Arian Black performs at 3 p.m., impressionist Larry G. Jones is going for the 5 p.m. time period, and Elvis impersonator Craig Newell is checking out 7 and 9 p.m. For now, it's a one-drink minimum instead of a formal ticket price.

Over at the off-Strip Bourbon Street, there's a new impersonator show "Ladies of the '80s," paying homage to Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar and Tina Turner. The ladies accompanied by a five-piece band have the 9 p.m. hour while "Creole Heat" shares the room earlier at 7:30 p.m.

The Second City improvisational comedy troupe headlining in the Flamingo's 220-seat Bugsy's Celebrity Theatre opened last March with an 18-month contract. They have just renewed for another year. Congratulations!

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

The vacant Maxim Hotel & Casino located two blocks east of the Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Road has been sold for approximately $38 million. The new owners, Columbia Sussex Corp., one of the largest privately held hotel owners in the country with at least 50 major hotel franchises nationwide, have signed an agreement with the Westin hotel chain to open an upscale Westin-branded hotel at the 800-room property. An attached casino will serve as an "amenity."

The company expects to begin a nine-month construction process in October for a possible opening next summer. The project will include peeling off the hotel's glass exterior and replacing it.

The troubled Maxim opened in 1979 but fell in and out of bankruptcy several times and has been closed since August 2001.

The 18th Annual International Tournament of Champions, sponsored by the Sahara Hotel and Casino, will take place Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Sunday, Oct. 13, and feature 21 radio control aerobatics aircraft pilots. This prestigious event will attract pilots from all over the United States, New Zealand, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Argentina, Australia and Brazil. The total purse for the competition is $183,000 with $50,000 going to the championship titleholder.

Competition will be held at the Las Vegas Radio Control Flying Field located on the north side of the Silver Bowl Stadium at Boulder Highway and Tropicana Avenue. Take off will begin at approximately 8 a.m. Admission and parking are free. In addition, free bus transportation from the Sahara will be available Oct. 11-13. Official tournament attire will be on sale at the flying field during competition. Food and beverages will also be available at the site.

This past week on the 18th, "An Evening At La Cage" at the Riviera celebrated its 18th year at the hotel. This is the time when changes are made and sadly, Jayson Malone who portrays Bette Midler and Judy Garland is leaving show business to take over a beauty salon.

This month "Stuey," a movie about the rise and fall of poker ace Stu "The Kid" Unger, a three-time World Series of Poker champ, filmed for about nine days around town. "The Sopranos' " Michael Imperioli plays the title character who was a genius at cards and wound up dead in a seedy local motel in 1998.

The movie will follow Unger's life from the '60s to the '90s. A primary location was Binion's Horseshoe, where Ungar won his World Series titles. Other scheduled locations were the Riviera, Circus Circus, Red Rock Canyon, private residences and the Las Vegas National Golf Course.

JW's Tavern, operated by award-winning chef Joe Romano, opened at the Rio on Sept. 20. The new dining experience serves up casual American tavern-style food and drinks, in an ambience rich in traditional pub culture. The menu also features more than 100 beers from around the world with 12 of them handpicked and offered on tap. A private dining area is available within the restaurant for a more intimate dining experience.

Romano, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, worked for many years as Charlie Palmer's right hand man at New York's famous Aureole restaurant. More recently, Romano opened the new Aureole location at Mandalay Bay in 1999. JW's Tavern is open daily from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. For information, call 702-777-2463.

A coffee station is located adjacent to JW's Tavern, where expresso drinks, blended beverages, pastries, sandwiches and salads are offered. It opens at 5:30 a.m. and lunch selections are served starting at 11 a.m.

Today, Sept. 22, magicians Siegfried & Roy are participating as Grand Marshals of one of New York's largest and longest-running parades, the 44th Annual German-American Esteban Parade, held on Fifth Avenue. This is an opportunity for Siegfried & Roy to celebrate their German heritage. The parade is named after General Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben.

The 40,000-square-foot Aquae Sulis Spa at the JW Marriott Las Vegas is committed to bringing Aura Healing into the mainstream with their exclusive Color Therapy Treatment. Simply stated, Color Therapy is the science that uses color to change or maintain vibrations in the body. Each color of the spectrum has its own specific frequency that corresponds to one of the body's seven Charkas (the seven energy centers in man that govern our state-of-mind, energy level and overall well being). The price for this unique treatment is $118, which includes 18 percent gratuity.

This is how Color Therapy works. A guest has his or her photo taken using state-of-the-art technology that actually captures the person's aura on film. The therapist then offers insight into what the colors mean. Next the therapist prepares an innovative wellness hydrotherapy bath formulated to deliver the ideal color hue to best access the body's Charkas. While in the bath, the therapist sooths away tension with a back massage while the guest listens to relaxing and balancing music through headphones. Each color therapy bath boosts the healing powers of its color rays with the purest of essential oils from the field of Aromatherapy making for a total, sensual wellness experience. Afterwards, the guest has another picture taken to show the changes in their aura.

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