It's not like you need another reason to come to Vegas. With the endless supply of conventions, new nightlife and changing Vegas Stripscape, there are plenty of excuses to hop a plane to the desert.

If you do need a little extra temptation, the next few weeks here may be just the right motivation to motor west.

With The Comedy Festival and the Vegoose Music Festival just around the corner, it's Vegas' unofficial festival season. Two festivals do not a season make, but I did label the season as unofficial.

Maybe a couple promoters will jump in with new festivals next year. I recommend a sand festival and a magic festival.

In the meantime, check out these too legit to quit fests:

The Comedy Festival
HBO's annual festival of laughs seems to get bigger and bigger. This year, Jerry Seinfeld is one of the top draws and in the world of stand up comedy, Jerry is as about as big as it gets. Although I realize Dane Cook, who's 'Tourgasm' stopped by the festival last year, and his fans may disagree.

Where to Stay:
Since the festival is based at Caesars Palace, if your expense account can absorb the costs, you should stay there. There's nothing like stumbling back to your room after a few cocktails with Dave Attell rather than having to que up in a long taxi line.

The Flamingo is one or two pedestrian bridges away and is a nice cost-effective alternative just across The Strip. If you must have luxury and Caesars is fully booked, try Bellagio across the street or grab a suite at The Venetian.

Who to See:
In addition to the aforementioned Mr. Seinfeld, I'm really excited to see Chelsea Handler, seen here with my pal Robin Leach. She's easily the fourth hottest woman on television behind Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson and Sarah Alexander, but she's definitely the funniest. Chelsea was in the girl 'Candid Camera' style show known as 'Girls Behaving Badly.' She also had a brief stint as a guest host on 'The View' and now has her own show called 'Chelsea Handler Lately.'

Speaking of 'The View,' Joy Behar will be performing a show with 'SNL' alum, Kevin Nealon. Football fans will want to see Frank Caliendo as he takes his Rich Little schtick from 'Mad TV' to the 'Fox NFL Pregame Show' to his own show, 'Frank TV.'

Wanda Sykes, Eddie Izzard and Ellen DeGeneres are some of the other big names topping off the schedule.

Where to Eat, Drink and Be Merry:
Usually there are private, festival-related parties at some of the venues at Caesars Palace like PURE nightclub and The Pussycat Dolls Lounge. You can go for the gourmet gusto with expensive Vegas meal at Guy Savoy's or try something more reasonable at Bradley Ogden's or Wolfgang Puck's Spago.

After PURE, most of the big names will be hitting new spots like LAX down south on The Strip at Luxor or TAO up north at The Venetian.

Vegoose Music Festival

If you're more into chaotic outdoor music concerts than civilized indoor comedy shows, you'll want to come to Vegoose. It's the punny, annual two-day music affair to remember usually occurring on the weekend before Halloween.

This year, the festival seems to have a political bent. I'm not sure if it's because we're on the cusp of what should be a long, greedy, tortuous election cycle, but Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Muse (pictured with political message backdrop) fit in nicely with the mindless, yet tasty, hum of Daft Punk and The Shins.

Where to Stay:
Sam Boyd Stadium is off of the Boulder Highway so it would be a trek from any of The Strip hotels. I'm not saying you shouldn't stay at a Strip hotel, I'm just saying it's a bit far. If you want to stay at a casino hotel closer to the stadium, try Green Valley Ranch or Sunset Station.

The Vegoose site knows their audience and recommends some campgrounds in the area. The closest are the campgrounds at Sam's Town, but be warned, it's not a short hike to the stadium.

If you want to get away from it all, but you don't want to trade a suite for a tent, explore the offerings at scenic Lake Las Vegas.



Who to See:
Muse on day two is a must-see. I had the privilege of seeing them at their show at The Joint last year and to see a band that intense at a smaller venue (they're accustomed to selling out Wembley on multiple nights) was amazing. They have all the political fervor of Rage Against the Machine packaged in a UK pretty boy box along the lines of Keane, Radiohead and Travis. Incidentally, Rage Against the Machine is headlining on day two.

If day two is all about the politics with Muse and Rage Against the Machine, then day one is all about fun with headliners Daft Punk and Iggy & the Stooges. The Shins, Blonde Redhead and Queens of the Stone Age should be part of your alterna-itenerary for day one.

For the granola crowd who appreciate the fact that the Grateful Dead played at this stadium 14 times during the '90s, you'll want to put down your tobacco accessories and jam with moe., Michael Franti and Spearhead and Infected Mushroom on day two.

Hip-hop and rap fans can rejoice for Public Enemy, Ghostface Killah, Cypress Hill and M.I.A.

Where to Eat, Drink and Be Merry:
If you're looking for the celeb hangouts in this neck of the woods, you'll have to head to Green Valley Ranch. There are some swanky eats and drinks, but most of the places here are for locals. If you're looking for some good wings and things, Sunset Station does have a Hooters.

I recommend heading up 515 until you hit Downtown Vegas and hit some of the hipster spots on Fremont East like Beauty Bar, The Griffin and Downtown Cocktail Room.

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Comedy is king. The 2nd Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace, co-sponsored by America Online, was so successful that its been renewed for at least another 3 years! Bigger and better than last year's debut, The Comedy Festival was capped with a multi-million dollar fund-raising effort marking the 20th anniversary of Comic Relief. Harrah's, which owns the host Caesars hotel, kicked off the live, near 4-hour telethon, held at its fully-packed 4,100 seat Colloseum theater. The show featured dozens of the world's top stars, with a $250,000 donation to benefit the residents of flood-ravaged New Orleans and surrounding Gulf Coast areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Photo Highlights:
Comic Relief Red Carpet
Tribute to Don Rickles
Celebrity Poker Tournament
Soda Showers with EepyBird

Highlights from the Luxe Life notebook:



* Kid Rock was the special musical guest for the 'Salute to our Troops and the USO' hosted by curvy Carmen Electra and comic Jay Mohr. Comedians D.L Hughley, Frank Caliendo and Louis C.K also took part in the TV taping, which aired as a 1-hour TBS special last night. Kid Rock, newly-married to Pamela Anderson, won a standing ovation from the troops when he revealed he'd flown secretly into Baghdad and performed an impromptu concert using instruments from the military band there. The show honored the late Bob Hope for his 65 years service to the USO entertaining overseas members of the military. The sweet moment was during a taping break of the Troop's Tribute Carmen got off stage and went into the audience to dance and kiss many of the 500 military personnel that had been flown in for the show. Jay also posed for photos kissing the female troops. The Vegas show will also broadcast overseas on the Armed Forces Network for the next few months!



* Vegas turned into a romantic reconciliation for Chris Rock who won the Comedian Award. He was with wife Malaak despite confirmed reports that he'd filed for divorce from her 2-weeks earlier. They are working on reconciliation and the legal paperwork has been terminated- at least for now. Hopefully our wedding capital of the world and honeymoon hangout reputation will heal their differences as he celebrates the Award honor. The big news from Chris is that he says he'll be playing the main Colloseum theater at Caesars next year for several dates. The first Comedian award was given last year to his pal, Jerry Seinfeld. David Spade and Mario Joyner took part in the ceremony.



* Roseanne Barr told me her new boyfriend bought her the diamond-studded bling-bling sunglasses she wore to the charity poker tournament. "Not only don't I have to wear makeup because they cover everything but the other poker players won't see my expressions" she laughed. Roseanne, en route to her Hawaii home for Thanksgiving (coincidentally I'm there too so she gave me some dining tips for the Big island) said she'll headline next year at the Luxor but would love to live and work in Vegas as a resident headliner and already has lots of family living in our Valley. On the live-Comic Relief feed from New Orleans former husband Tom Arnold mistakenly referred to her as Rosie O'Donnell when asking they patch up their differences and get to talk again one day!! Not likely with that slip of the tongue!

* Comedienne Rita Rudner was the only fulltime Vegas headline comedy star to be selected to play the Festival...

Scenes from the red carpet for Comic Relief.

Scenes from Don Rickles induction into the Walk of Fame at Caesars Palace during The Comedy Festival.

Scenes from The Comedy Festival's Charity Poker Tournament at PURE in Caesars Palace.

"Wait, he's not going to perform?" "You mean they are just going to talk?" "Wake me up when it's over." "This is stupid."

These were some of the rumblings heard prior to the Comedian Award presentation to Chris Rock, Friday night at The Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace. After hearing such remarks, just one night after having to hear an impatient audience at Bill Maher's performance, I'm really starting to lose faith in people.

The show was clearly represented as a Q&A session/award presentation, not a Chris Rock performance, so anyone who complained about the show has only themselves to blame. Those of us who appreciate Chris Rock and can read event descriptions, it was nearly better than a show, because we got to find out more about what makes Rock one of the most prolific and respected stand-ups in the business.

Moderated by Tavis Smiley, the show was a 'Inside The Actors Studio' style discussion about Rock's life, career and the art of comedy. After a short video of some of Rock's classic work, he was joined onstage by fellow comedians, Mario Joyner, Louis C.K. and David Spade. A lot of the discussion early on focused on actor Jude Law, and the mild controversy Rock caused when he joked about him at last year's Academy Awards. Rock's take on the situation? "Man, f*%$ Jude Law." Other subjects the panel discussed included Rock's days on Saturday Night Live with Spade, his dedication to the art of comedy, and how important friends and fellow comedians are to his act. "These guys are Oates and I just happen to be Hall," Rock said. "A lot of people think that Oates didn't do anything, but what happened to Hall when he tried to do solo albums? He needed Oates."

Remember when actors wanted to be singers? In a 'Heartbeat,' Don Johnson went from Crockett to rock it, Patrick Swayze cut 'She's Like the Wind,' Bruce Willis became 'Bruno,' and we won't even talk about J-Lo, who is still pretending to be a singer. Nowadays, instead of having a guitar or microphone in their hands, actors are more apt to be holding cards and chips. Nowadays, actors want to be poker players.


That turned out to be a great thing for The Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, who benefited from all the wannabe poker players that turned out for The Comedy Festival's Charity Poker Tournament at PURE in Caesars Palace. All prceeds for the event went to the hospital. (We just hope the check does not have the wrong name on it.) Just a few of the actors and other celebs on hand for the $15,000 buy-in tournament included Mark Wahlberg, the cast of 'Entourage,' (seen above with The Pussycat Dolls), Rita Rudner, Steve Schirripa, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Andre Royo and Gbenga Akinnagbe from HBO's 'The Wire,' Roseanne Barr and many others, who were all coached by poker pro Daniel Negranu and former FBI counterintelligence expert Joe Navarro. Stay tuned for more photos from the tournament and results from the tournament.

Comedian Bill Maher surely has a hate/love relationship with the Bush administration, the Republican Party and the religious right. The hate stems from The Decider's utter incompetence at home and abroad, the equally mind-boggling actions of his fellow elephants, and the hypocrisy continuously spewed from the zealots. But, it's those same things that Maher has to begrudgingly love, because they all provide genius comedic material on a daily basis. In other words, they make his job much easier.

As you would expect from the host of HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' Maher's performance at The Comedy Festival focused on all the above-mentioned subjects, with no punches pulled. I only wish he would have chastised the audience, who started complaining and yelling at the empty stage when he was 15 minutes late starting. Fifteen minutes!! If you're that impatient, you probably shouldn't leave the house.

Once onstage, Maher made up for his damn-near-unforgivable lateness, with a solid set of insightful, ranting-style political humor. Then I realized that I have my own love/hate thing with Maher. I love the laughs he provides me while pointing out the absurdities in our country, but when the laughter dies, I hate how angry I become thinking about those very absurdities. But,, that's why I went to see Maher in the first place. If I wanted to go to a comedy show where I could check my brain at the door, I would have gone to see Carrot Top. (Who's very funny by the way.)

You gotta love the attention to detail in this banner, which celebrties walked in front of at The Comedy Festival's Charity Poker Tournament at PURE in Caesars Palace. I just want to know how the printers got Holpital. I could understand Hodpital, Hoapital, or even Hofpital, but L is no where near S on a computer keyboard. That's jult lome lilly lhit.

Funny is subjective. I'll give you that. One man's laughter is another man's disdain. And after a couple of Heineken Lights, the audience is wearing beer buds -- the ear version of beer goggles -- which make everything sound better.

I pay attention to the writing. Delivery can always be perfected, whether it's a nervous tick or awkward blocking, but the writing can't be faked. Great comics have always had original voices that capture and share universal truths.

I don't know what I was expecting for a MySpace competition show sponsored by Sierra Mist and called Stand Up or Sit Down Challenge. Hosted by George Lopez, the show featured five comics who are competing for a development deal with TBS and $50K. Elvis impersonators escorted each comic to the stage was a nice touch. Fat Tony snapped this photo of Lil' Elvis in the lobby at Caesars.

Fifteen comics were chosen from a pool on MySpace and then weeded to 10 and and then five who performed during a special show at The Comedy Festival. The show is broadcast on TBS and now it's up to the viewers to decide who is the the funniest comic. The winner will be announced during the Comic Relief broadcast on Saturday night.

The first three routines were delivered by good deliverers but the writing overall was lethargic and heavy with fat jokes. I understand that America continues to fatten up and obesity is becoming more of a universal truth, but there was no human experience in these jokes. They were just words that would easily be bested by a fat person dancing or falling down.

The first comic was Sarah Colonna. The crack in her voice was dwarfed by the holes in her material -- joke after joke about pseudo-alcoholism that included the dated gem of putting a breathalyzer on her cell phone to cease the drunk dialing. I'm being harsh, but there was no depth to the jokes. And then there was her dislike of fat people.

Next up was New York comic, Jordan Rubin. He was OK, but neither here nor there. had he note used a similar bit about his dislike of fat people, I wouldn't have had anything from his routine to write about.

The third comic, Jen Kober was actually a fat girl so the material could go either way. Would she live up to the stereotype or go in a different direction with a little dignity? My question was quickly answered when was talking about dieting using a portion control method and sharing her bewilderment with salad portions when she called a lady in the audience a "skinny bitch." I get it; I get it. She's fat and furious and her attitude is as big as her appetite -- a big, fat yawn. Other than the angry, fat girl yelling bit, she had good stage presence. I wish the material wasn't Dial-a Cliche.

The fourth comic, Eddie Ifft, started with very, very, very old stripper jokes and spent too much time on Google humor. He ended with some Office Max truths involving printer ink that were universally evident. The "No War for Toner" sign bit was classic. I would have respected him more had the very front of his shirt not been tucked into his pants. Now I'm just being silly.

I remember watching the fifth finalist comic, Steve Byrne, in his own special so I knew what to expect. I don't know if he is a ringer, but he's definitely the one that would be the most likely to succeed with a development deal. His delivery is excellent and the jokes aren't exclusive. He had a unique perspective, but others can still relate.

Steve Byrnne received the loudest studio audience applause, so I'm not alone, Heinekein Lights or not. The boards on MySpace don't seem to indicate a clear winner. You can watch the comics online and vote. If you do vote, you are eligible for $1000 prize, not too bad.

And before you start writing your hate mail, I respect any comic that stands up and puts it on the line, but I don't have to pretend it's great. I will say that I would be interested in seeing this group of comics again without the pressure of the competition.

If you're not watching Comic Relief live in person or on TV tomorrow, you can check out this space for the winner.

Drink up.

Winner Update: Can I pick 'em or what? Steve Byrne is the winner of the Sierra Mist Stand Up or Sit Down Challenge.

Vegas-based comic, J.Son Dinant stopped by the AOL.com booth at The Comedy Festival with his The New Funny Crew. You can check out photos of J.Son in the bathtub with Mr. & Mrs. George Lopez.

Here are a couple of advance pics from the HBO/AOL Party at Pure last night. Stay tuned to Luxe Life on Monday for a full festival wrap-up and more party pics.

This is the best way ever to identify pass arounds at parties. I wonder how they decided who wore what? These guys look happy as did "beef" and "greek." The same can't be said for 'tuna.'

Vegas press corps on red carpet with Whoopi (left), Dave Attell and Louis C.K.(right)

One superstar singer takes on almost 20 kings and queens of comedy tomorrow in a no-holds-barred battle between the MGM and Harrah's corporate giants. In one corner it's Barbra Streisand, who is bringing her one-night-only tour into MGM's Grand Garden Arena, while in the other corner it's the colossal comedy lineup at The Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace. If we were back in medieval times this would be Sir Laughalot and Lady Guinivere!

If you looked up Comedy Superstars in the Yellow Pages you'd probably find this alphabetical listing of giant names: ROSEANNE BARR, LEWIS BLACK, MIKE EPPS, D.L. HUGHLEY, JIMMY KIMMEL, GEORGE LOPEZ, BILL MAHER, HOWIE MANDEL, RAY ROMANO, RITA RUDNER, STEVE SCHIRRIPA, SARAH SILVERMAN, JON STEWART, STEPHEN COLBERT, TRIUMPH THE INSULT COMIC DOG and DEBRA WILSON; and all are appearing in one place here on Saturday night's Comic Relief 2006, hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. They will also be joined by supermodel Rebecca Romjin and the casts of 'Desperate Housewives' (Ricardo Chavira, James Denton, Doug Savant), and 'Entourage' (Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven). The entertainment telethon will be seen nationwide on HBO and TBS. It all starts at The Colloseum at Caesars Palace with the 6PM satellite feed to the East Coast for 9PM live and tape-delay back here, at 9PM our time. In its 20 years, Comic Relief has produced more than 80 shows, including the first eight major Comic Relief events seen on HBO from 1986 to 1998, which raised more than $50 million for programs aiding the homeless throughout the U.S. In 1992, Comic Relief mounted the first major benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Andrew, which raised $2 million in one night. This year's telecast will help families affected by Hurricane Katrina in the rebirth of New Orleans and nearby regions and will include a live remote from Harrah's Fulton Street in the Big Easy. New Orleans brass-funk group Bonerama will serve as the house band. Donations are being accepted at the toll-free number 1-800-528-1000, or at Comic Relief's website, www.comicrelief.org. Make sure you're back here with Luxe Life on Monday for our full coverage.

Believe it or not there's another highlight at The Comedy Festival: The Comedy Cares Celebrity Poker Tournament charity event, with 'Entourage' cast members as well as Susie Essman, Rita Rudner, Ross Mark and Andre Royo who will play poker to raise funds to benefit Children Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Poker professional Daniel Negreanu and fomrer FBI agent Joe Navarro will be on hand to coach the players for the event, which will be held at PURE Nightclub tonight from 5PM-9PM.

Even with the all-star comedy invasion in town, Streisand, with beau James Brolin probably watching from the wings, still has a sellout on her hands. She's using part of the proceeds to fund her charity foundations environmental activities. She will perform solo to fans who've shelled out as much as $2,000 for premium seating before the scalpers markups -- but she'll have Il Divo to warm up the audience first. I'll catch some of the show just to see if the Duchess of all Divas barks out any outrageous orders or gets into any 4-letter-word contests with political hecklers, and we'll have that as well on Monday right here in Luxe Life.

MACABRE MASTER
As if the comedians and Streisand aren't enough of a same-hour distraction tomorrow night, you can't afford to miss the world premiere of Amazing Johnathan's new 10PM Comedy Central TV special 'Wrong on Every Level.' So set your TIVO or VHS recorder to ensure you see the 60-minute production taped in Manhattan's Hudson theater recently. Click here for Luxe Life's recent exclusive interview with the Sahara hq'd magician. The special combines his magic performances with his signature off-the-wall humor and abrasive wit. From "Pick a card, Any card" to swallowing razor blades like they're candy, audience participants join The Amazing Johnathan and his delightfully ditzy assistant, Psychic Tanya in performing illusions -- even though some of the tricks may not turn out as planned. .Over the past 25 years, Amazing Johnathan has made appearances on numerous TV shows including FOX's "Comic Strip Live" and "Late Show with David Letterman" and has performed for audiences all over the world, including dignitaries and high-profile officials such as President Reagan and the President of France. He performs nightly at the Sahara, and since 2001 has sold more than 500,000 tickets, making him one of the most successful Las Vegas headliners in history. The new special highlights the best of his Strip show but adds new material including the mind-boggling large-sized house of cards trick, that he's still trying to figure out how to include on the Sahara stage.

STRIP SCRIBBLES

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

Don Rickles is a legend. In Vegas, in entertainment, in comedy. So, it makes sense that he became the first honoree on the new Roman Plaza celebrity walk of fame at Caesars Palace during The Comedy Festival.

Rickles received the honor Wednesday night in front of friends, family and fans, all while director John Landis filmed for an upcoming Rickles documentary. Fellow Comedian Whoopi Goldberg presented Rickles with the bronze plaque, which will be installed along the front fountain sidewalks at Caesars. Whoopi recalled growing up watching Rickles. "He would say things you wanted to say, but he would say them without malice," she said. "If you said these things, you'd be mad, but Don would say them without malice and it was great."

During his acceptance, Rickles thanked everyone for the honor, especially Whoopi, who he hugged and kissed so many times you would have thought...

Click here for another great Don Rickles photo.

I love Casa Fuente at the Forum Shops at Caesars. The cigars rock and the mojitos are as tasty as the ladies who bring everything to you while you chill and smoke a stogie and relax. It's 100% Vegas and one hell of a way to spend the afternoon. Fuente Cigars is bringing in one of their expert hand-roller to make special cigars for the Comic Relief comedians. These are the real deal and will be given in a special humidipak that must age to perfection for six months.