The first comedy festival with the highly original name of The Comedy Festival was such a hit in Las Vegas last year that it's not only coming back, but it's getting bigger.

Instead of three days, the festival will run five, Nov. 14-18, and will feature dozens of performers (standup, sketch, improv and more) and special events held at various venues around Caesars Palace.

It will culminate in an all-new Comic Relief show broadcast live from the Colosseum at Caesars. Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg will return to host the show, which will benefit various Hurricane Katrina charities.

A schedule of events and the full lineup of performers is coming soon -- to stay posted, sign up to receive e-mails at TheComedyFestival.com.

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Just weeks before shareholders were going to vote on a proposed buyout of the company that owns the Riviera, a new bidder has entered the fray and thrown everything up in the air.

Back in April, a group of investors, including the founder of the Starwood Hotels chain, offered $17 a share (or roughly $426 million) for Riviera Holdings Corp., which manages the Riv on the Strip and a casino in Colorado.

According to reports in various newspapers, shareholders were not terribly happy with the offer, saying that it was less than what the property was worth. The fact tha,t at the time, the Tropicana down the street was in the midst of a crazy bidding war didn't help matters much.

Despite rumors, no one else stepped in to put in a competing bid, so it was going to go before shareholders on Aug. 29. There was a lot of whispering (and shouting) going on that a few of the majority stockholders were going to vote against the buyout.

Now, a new group of investors has stepped in with a $20-a-share bid. Don't worry about who they are -- it's a bunch of guys you've most likely never heard of -- but the bottom line is they have thrown a monkey wrench into the proceedings with an offer that one investment banker called "speculative."

Could this be the start of a bidding war for the Riviera? I doubt it. First, while it's a very valuable piece of real estate, it's just not in as attractive as the Tropicana is. Second, at 26 acres the Riviera land is not exactly small, but it's not as big as some other parcels out there that might be more interesting to people with deep pockets.

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I'm still annoyed at Harrah's for cutting Clint Holmes loose, but at least the company did something right with the announcement that Mac King is going to playing the hotel for another five years.

This comic/magic show is absolutely one of the best in town, even before you factor in that at $19.95 it's one of the best bargains, to boot. If you haven't seen it, you really should carve some time out in your afternoon plans.

King was named magician of the year by the Magic Castle, entertainer of the year by the Las Vegas Weekly 2004 Readers Choice Awards, and is a Guinness Book of World Records holder for creating the world's longest game of telephone in 2004.

Oh, and Vegas4Visitors.com gives his show an A.

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Don't panic, the 21 bodies found at the Tropicana are not a case for Gil Grissom and the team at "CSI."

Instead it's "Bodies: The Exhibition," a unique attraction now open at The Tropicana.

"Bodies" showcases 21 whole-body specimens and more than 260 organs and partial body specimens. These real human bodies have been meticulously dissected, preserved through an innovative process and respectfully presented, giving visitors the opportunity to view, as the press release says, "the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems."

In addition to providing an up-close look inside our skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory systems, the exhibition encourages healthy lifestyle choices by serving as a wake-up call. Authentic human specimens illustrate the damage caused to organs by overeating and lack of exercise, and a healthy lung is featured next to a black lung ravaged by smoking.

Maybe go see this after you've eaten. Don't want to spoil your appetite.

"Bodies" is currently scheduled to be at the Trop through the end of the year. Tickets are $24 for adults, with discounts for seniors, kids and Nevada residents. You can pick them up at the Tropicana box office or book in advance by calling 702-739-2411 or at BodiesTickets.com.

The Full Story

• Burton Keeps Magic Real For 10 Years
• Comedy Fest, Comic Relief Return To Vegas
• Vegas Q&A: Has Airport Security Changed?

In Next Week's Column

Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.

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