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HANNAH MONTANA STOPS IN LAS VEGAS IN JANUARY

Disney superstar Miley Cyrus, who plays Hanna Montana and is the 15-year-old daughter of Billy Ray "Achy Breaky Heart" Cyrus, will perform at the MGM Grand Arena, Jan. 18-20.  Tickets range from $125 to $160.

Cyrus has extended her Best of Both Worlds tour by adding 14 more dates after tickets for the original 55 dates sold out in just minutes.  She is becoming one of the hottest young pop stars in recent years.  Both of her albums, "Hannah Montana" and "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus," went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and total album sales are approaching five million copies.

The first Hannah Montana concert tour was as an opening act for the Cheetah Girls.  Miley won the "Favorite TV Actress" award at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.  She also appears in the Disney movie "High School Musical 2" and is set to star in her own movie, "Hannah Montana: The Movie" in 2008. 

LENNY KRAVITZ TO PERFORM AT THE PEARL, JAN. 20

A true rock 'n roller, Lenny Kravitz will bring his mix of rock, soul and funk to the Pearl inside the Palms on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008, at 8 p.m.  The Get on the Bus with the Love Revolution tour kicks off Jan. 17, in support of Kravitz's anticipated release It Is Time for a Love Revolution due to hit stores on Feb. 5.  Tickets are $35, $40 and $45, call 702-474-4000.

CELINE DION HONORED

Governor Jim Gibbons presented the Nevada Entertainer of the New Millennium award to Celine Dion at the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism held this month at Caesars Palace.   The governor and Nevada's first lady gave Dion a Nevada-mined turquoise necklace. Dion ended her five-year residency at the Colosseum, which was custom-built at a cost of $95 million for the performer, this month.  Since her show opened in March 2003, it has grossed more than $400 million and been seen by nearly 3 million people. The boutique next to the showroom that offers Dion-branded items will close on Jan. 2.

Bette Midler will take over the showroom in February.  Meanwhile, the stage will be removed and a smaller, conventionally flat stage will be created and about 150

new seats will be added in the front rows.

CHECKMATES SWEET LOUIE PASSES AWAY

There are days in your life when you hear news that is inconceivable.  To learn that a good friend and incredible entertainer, Sweet Louie of the Checkmates, has passed away on a cruise ship while out on tour stops you dead in your tracks.  How can this be, you ask yourself.

Sweet Louie and his dear friend since childhood and partner Sonny Charles have provided fans with four fabulous decades of party-time entertainment.  As deserved winners of numerous Best Lounge Act awards, the Checkmates have always been No. 1 crowd pleasers.  Sweet Louie has always been the bubbly one with the contagious charm.  When they performed at the old Silverbird, this reporter stayed up for all three shows and then would go out for a hamburger with them at the old Jolly Trolley. 

The Checkmates have continued to charm and be-guile audiences to this very day.  Their biggest hit was Black Pearl in 1969.  My memories and love of Sweet Louie will continue on forever.  

CLINT HOLMES HAS HOLIDAY SHOW AT THE SAHARA

Singer, songwriter Clint Holmes is performing nightly except Sunday at 9 p.m. in the Sahara Theater through Dec. 31.  Clint Holmes Unplugged Holiday Show is a special limited engagement full of festive music.  Holmes is joined by instrumentalist Domenick Allen, a former band member of Foreigner, and musical director Bill Fayne of the Las Vegas Tenors.  Tickets start at $49, call 702-737-2515.

Having seen these three perform together at the Excalibur a couple months ago, it's easy to guarantee a great show.  The chemistry and talent these three gentlemen

present is captivating.

FUNK BAND WAR WILL JOIN GEORGE WALLACE AT FLAMINGO

The legendary funk band WAR has been tapped by resident Flamingo comedian headliner George Wallace to share the stage for two weeks from Jan. 15-26 at 10 p.m.   Wallace is in his fourth year as a headliner at the Flamingo.  He is best known for his "Yo Mama" jokes and his infamous "I Be Thinkin" lines.  Tickets are $86.35.

WAR will rock audiences with their eclectic fusion of rock, funk, jazz, Latin music, R&B and even reggae. Since becoming popular in the '70s, this combination has given the band an enduring musical career and sales in excess of more than 50 million records.  WAR keeps up a tour schedule of more than 150 dates per year.

AGO TO OPEN FIRST LAS VEGAS RESTAURANT AT HARD ROCK

AGO, the elegant Italian trattoria named after its celebrated executive chef partner, Agostino Sciandri, will launch a new Las Vegas location at the Hard Rock this winter, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the landmark Los Angeles eatery.

AGO is best known for its authentic Tuscan-style Italian fare that emphasizes light and simple cooking. The menu will be consistent with the restaurant's four other locations across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Miami and soon-to-be New York.

AGO Las Vegas, designed by Ralph Gentile, will include a sleek and welcoming lounge where diners can sample AGO's one-of-a kind cocktails or small plates from the bar menu. Guests then enter the intimate dining area which will include a special "Cava" room designed in the spirit of an underground wine cave. 

An official grand opening hosted by Robert DeNiro and Agostino Sciandri is scheduled for late-February.

QUICK CLIPS

The Cannery Casino Resorts is being sold for nearly $1.8 billion to an Australian gaming company.  The deal will take a year to 18 months to clear. The acquisition includes the Cannery in North Las Vegas and the $250 million Eastside Cannery, which is being built to replace the Nevada Palace on Boulder Highway.  The company also manages the Rampart Casino in the JW Marriott in Summerlin.

The sculptures of Richard MacDonald featuring circus and performance artists are now being exclusively and permanently exhibited and available for purchase in the newly redesigned "O" Theatre lobby at Bellagio. The gallery is born out of a relationship between Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil, and MacDonald, a master of figurative sculpture.  The "O" Theatre lobby has been transformed to showcase more than 50 bronze sculptures along with original drawings, serigraphs and lithographs. 

Linkin Park with special guests, progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria have been added to the Hard Rock's 2008 lineup with shows on March 6 and 7. Tickets start at $69.50.  Linkin Park's third studio-release "Minutes to Midnight," has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales exceeding 1 million copies in the U.S. in just four weeks.  Linkin Park has sold 40 million records worldwide since their debut in 2000.

Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, will be held at the 7,000-seat Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood on April 11, 2008.

MAMMA MIA! at Mandalay Bay welcomed its 2 millionth guest this month.  The hit musical has broken all box office records and been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide.  The Las Vegas production opened on Feb. 13, 2003.

Studio 54 at the MGM Grand will kick off the New Year's Eve weekend with a special performance by hip-hop pioneer KRS-One on Friday, Dec. 28.  Known for his furiously political and socially conscious music, KRS-One has been dubbed "The Teacha" throughout the hip-hop community.  KRS-One will walk the red carpet at 11:30 p.m.

Local entertainer Tony Sacca escorted Helen Joy's Young Entertainers to Washington D.C. where they performed in the White House and Capitol Building earlier this month for the holidays.  The trip is partially funded by Sacca's Christmas television special "Merry Christmas Las Vegas" that features Fred Travelena and airs on local stations nationwide.

Polly Esther's nightclub at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower is now offering an innovative "$40 All-You-Can-Drink!" special in each of its four themed rooms every night it is open.  Also, Polly Esther's is now home to the American Storm male revue, which performs Monday and Wednesday through Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $49.95 and have the added value of free admission to the nightclub afterwards.

The soundtrack to The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil drew two nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards announced recently in Los Angeles.  LOVE, a Cirque du Soleil creation, celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles and is presented exclusively at The Mirage in Las Vegas. This joint artistic venture marks the first time that The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd., has agreed to a major theatrical partnership. The project was born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.  The Grammy winners will be announced Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS.

Roy's restaurants, one is located near the Strip on Flamingo, have come up with a new holiday drink, the Partridge in a Pear-Tini.  Cost is $10.

ICE, the show from Russia will present SkaZka, a Russian fairy tale for children of all ages, at 4 p.m. on Dec. 29 and 30.  Tickets are $13.20, call 702-794-9433

LAS VEGAS HILTON NEWS

"Chinese New Year Spectacular" will be presented at the Las Vegas Hilton on Jan. 21.  This production will be touring more than 70 major cities across four continents throughout 2008, and highlights classic Chinese dance and music in both English and Chinese.

VH1 named the group Heart as a recipient of the 2007 Rock Honors awards.  They will headline at the Las Vegas Hilton, Feb. 15 and 16.  The group's front lady Ann Wilson has released her debut solo album, Hope & Glory, featuring guest appearances by Elton John, Alison Krauss, Nancy Wilson, k d lang, Wynona, Gretchen Wilson, Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin and Deana Carter. 

Comedian George Lopez, whose CD, "Team Leader," (Oglio Records/Warner Brothers) was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album and whose autobiography "Why You Crying?" was in the New York Times Bestsellers top 20, will returns to headline at the Hilton, Feb. 29 and March 1.

Southern Nevada Public Television and Southern Wine and Spirits will present Splendor in the Glass, the 19th annual wine and beer tasting event benefiting Vegas PBS on Saturday, Jan. 19, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton.  Tickets are $60 in advance and $80 at the door, call 702-799-1010, ext. 5428

MORE NEW YEAR'S EVE NEWS

The legendary music group, Earth, Wind & Fire, will take the stage on New Year's Eve at the world's largest five-diamond resort, The Venetian.  Known for its spectacular stage presence, Earth, Wind & Fire will entertain a crowd of more than 5,000 with hits from their remarkable chart-topping 30-plus year career.  The evening's celebration kicks off at 10 p.m. in The Venetian Ballroom.  Tickets range from $80 to $199, call 702-414-9000.

As a special offer to keep your New Year's party going after the show, you can purchase a ticket to the Tao New Year's Eve Celebration for a discounted price of

$75.

Chart topper Mariah Carey will be hosting the New Year's Eve party at Tao.  Tickets start at $200, call 702-414-9000.

The "Sunset Strip New Year's Eve Package" at the Las Vegas Hilton includes a gourmet dinner in Casa Nicola or TJ's Steakhouse from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. followed by a private New Year's Eve Party from 10 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. in the Shimmer Cabaret with the Sunset Strip Band, an open bar and a champagne toast at midnight.  Cost is $130 per person, call 732-5755.

On New  Year's Eve, rumjungle at the Mandalay Bay will have 2007 Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood and her friends ringing in 2008 along with international celebrity DJ cb shaw, go-go dancers, aerialists and a midnight balloon drop offering $10,000 in cash and prizes.  Special dinner and/or nightclub packages range from $50 to $200, call 702-632.6907.  In addition, rumjungle features the world's largest rum bar, housing more than 200 different rums.

Las Vegas showman Wes Winters will give folks an early New Year's Eve start with a noon show at in the Suncoast Showroom in the northwest part of the valley. Winters plays piano and sings.  This show will include party favors and a champagne toast. Tickets are $19.95.

At the Suncoast Showroom at 9 p.m., the energetic San Fernando Band will deliver R&B, soul and salsa music. Tickets are $19.95.

The Hard Rock has numerous celebrations planned.  On Dec. 29, there will be star power with Smashtime Saturday from E! Networks' The Daily 10 while Richard Cheese will perform two lounge-tastic shows in AJ's.  The big finish on Dec. 31 will feature the Backstreet Boys in Body English and a rock show from 3 Doors Down in The Joint. 

The Orleans Arena TKO Countdown Party will feature some of the hottest DJs direct from Asia.  Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the party will continue until 4 a.m. Tickets srange from $60 presale to $200 including open bar and access to VIP areas.  For information, call 702-365-7075.