-A pair of Las Vegas restaurateurs has been tapped for an appearance on Bravo’s top rated chef challenge reality television show, ‘Top Chef’. Innovative Dining’s corporate director of operations, Tom Cardenas, and Master Sushi Chef Shima Hiroshi will serve as judges on an upcoming episode of the program. Innovative Dining operates both BOA Steakhouse and Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops Mall. Speaking of BOA, they will be celebrating their second anniversary in October.  Stay tuned for more details…

-Vegas PBS viewers watched famed comedian Rita Rudner on Sunday as she talked about her newest book, Turning the Tables, with host Jami Carpenter. Turning the Tables details the adventure of a public relations executive as she dominates the casino industry at a fictitious casino Heaven. In addition to this book Rudner has written three others along with being voted “Best Comedian in Las Vegas” for the last five years and will begin her new contract with Harrah’s Casino Las Vegas on October 2. General prices for the show are $49 and VIP tickets go for $85 per person.

-On October 14, the Las Vegas-based rock-n-roll band “Hundred Weight” will get the crowd at the UNLV campus singing along to songs from Led Zeppelin and The Doors to U2 and The Rolling Stones. The five-piece band will play hits from the ‘60s to the ‘80s for 6,000 attendees at the American Heart Association Walk starting around 9 a.m.

-The hit reality show America’s Got Talent and producer Simon Cowell are coming to Las Vegas to find both the finest and wackiest talent that Sin City has to offer. On Tuesday, October 3 auditions will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and are open to anyone who thinks they have talent. One person who will be present will be Nathan Burton, who opened ‘Nathan Burton’s Comedy Magic’ at the V Theatre after being discovered on last season’s show.

-Zowie Bowie opened the Red Rock Casino and has kept the dance floors in the lounge packed from Thursday to Saturday. Zowie Bowie and Marley Taylor are an electrifying duo backed by a five member band that performs some of the world’s most famous songs in disco, rock, hip-hop and R&B. Because they are such a hit at Red Rock, starting on October 5, Zowie Bowie will now be performing at Club Madrid at Sunset Station every Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Club Madrid is an intimate venue that regularly features musicians and comedians. Admission to the show is free.

-Wayne Newton will be bringing his holiday show to Harrah’s Las Vegas beginning November 22. “Mr. Las Vegas” will be performing his classical hits and favorite songs of the season on a winter wonderland set that is exclusively tailored for Harrah’s. The show is Monday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets to the show by visiting www.harrahs.com.  

-In Travel & Leisure’s 11th annual World’s Best poll, readers rated their favorite destination and hotel spas worldwide. Featured in the October 2006 issue, The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas ranked number 14 on the list of “Top 25 Hotel Spas.” This is the first hotel spa in Las Vegas as well as the state of Nevada to receive this honor.

-Fright Dome at Circus Circus goes to the extreme this year with special guests, haunted houses, freak shows and thrilling rides. Captain Spaulding of the Rob Zombie films, “House of 1,000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects” will kick off the opening night on October 6 when he greets fans, signs autographs and takes photos. Also, performing nightly is one of the oddest human marvels ever seen. The Enigma is completely covered in tattoos of blue jigsaw puzzle pieces with horns surgically embedded into his skull and will use props to disturbingly thrill the audience. And, what kind of show would it be without seeing someone swallowing a sword, driving nails four inches into their head and lying face down on broken glass? That’s Lady Diabla’s specialty, also performing nightly. This terrifying show runs through the month of October… Purchase tickets online at www.frightdome.com or call (702) 794-3939.

-On Saturday, October 7 from 3-11 p.m., Steiner’s A Nevada Style Pub will have their ninth annual Oktoberfest. Guests will be treated to ice-cold beer, cocktails, great food specials, and live music from local bands. Oktoberfest parties are modeled after Munich, Germany’s famous annual beer festival, so they are sure to be as authentic as possible. Steiner’s has three locations in Nevada: Cheyenne, Buffalo, and the newest location at Windmill. For directions, call 214-6700.

-Redneck Comedy Live! is a new show at the Sahara Hotel and Casino featuring comedic performers, Dick Hardwick, T. Bubba Bechtol, Sam Griesbaum, and Killer Beaz who all offer their “Redneck Wisdom.” Mixing together their blend of All-American, down-home humor found in our every-day lives, Redneck Comedy Live! shows audiences a hilarious glimpse at life in Middle America and delivers a brand of humor that is new to the Las Vegas Strip. The show starts its nightly run on October 9 at 9 p.m. Call the Sahara Box Office at (702) 737-2515 for tickets.

-Widespread Panic will join the Vegoose at Night Concert Series 2006 on Monday, October 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Widespread Panic is a group of music storytellers with amazing songwriting skills that enable them to flow from rock n’ roll to jazz to melodic folk throughout their show. The Vegoose at Night Concert Series performances are events that will occur following the Sam Boyd Stadium shows at different locations around Las Vegas. For more information on ticketing for Vegoose events, visit their Web site at www.vegoose.com.

-Spend your Sunday watching football at Paradise Cantina where they offer $1.00 Coors Light beers during all the games, an amazing $2.99 football food menu, and two-for-one drinks from 4-8 p.m. Along with these Happy Hour specials, Paradise Cantina increases the fun and chances to win big with “Video Poker Madness” which takes place Sunday nights during the games. With 21 high-definition plasma televisions and the casual-friendly atmosphere, Paradise Cantina is the perfect place for fans to cheer on their favorite team.

-Jeff Trachta is bringing his one-man show to the Masquerade Showroom at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Trachta is best known to many as Thorne Forrester on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful. His 60-minute show is a combination of singing, dancing, music, impressions, comedy, and multi-media events where audiences will get to experience Jeff impersonating his favorite voices from comedians, politicians, and cartoon characters. Jeff Trachta Live! is showing daily at 3:00 p.m.; tickets can be purchased by calling (702) 777-7776.

-Acclaimed chef and veteran Las Vegan chef Andre Rochat is getting in the First Friday mood. On Friday, October 6 his downtown Andre’s French Restaurant on 6th Street will be hosting a wine and cheese tasting hoping to bring some class and elegance to the downtown art scene. For the paltry fee of $15 per person, Andre’s sommelier Blake Micheletto has paired four different wines with an extensive cheese plate. The tasting will be available from 5:30-9:00 p.m.

-Tickets to see Soul and R&B singer Smokey Robinson will go on sale Saturday, October 14 and can be purchased at any Station Casinos Reward Center, The Fiesta and The Galleria Mall or by calling 547-5300. The show takes place at the Grand Events Center in Green Valley Ranch on Saturday, November 25.

-When you see Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman donning a Nevada University silver and blue jersey at the next council meeting, it’s only because he lost a bet to Reno mayor Bob Cashell when UNLV’s Running Rebels lost to the Wolf pack this past weekend in the battle for the Fremont Cannon. Oh those crazy mayors …

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