FEBRUARY

1-28

Wayne Brady: Favorite funny man from "Whose Line Is It Anyway" appears in "Making It Up," a 90-minute improvisation show with heavy audience participation, 13 and older. 9 p.m. Thursdays-Mondays, The Venetian. $54-164, 702-414-9000, www.venetian.com.

APRIL

26-27

16th annual Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz and R&B Festival: By popular demand, this year's two-day festival will return to Hills Park at Summerlin. Hills Park at Summerlin is located in the respected northwest quadrant of Las Vegas.

The festival has separate tickets for the Saturday Jazz portion and the Sunday R&B soul picnic with limited two-day discounted tickets available. Saturday is 1-10 p.m.; Sunday is 2-8 p.m. Hills Park at Summerlin. Tickets: $78-$135 (11 and younger free with a paying adult). UNLV Performing Arts Center, 800-969-83427, www.yourjazz.com.

MAY

3

Poker World Series: Each year, the World Series of Poker has a twist. This year, there will be eight events (up from two last year) that require a player buy-in of $10,000. They include the granddaddy of them all, the World Championship No-limit Texas Hold 'Em Tournament, now simply called the Main Event.

The other high-stakes buy-ins will be for world championships in games such as heads-up hold 'em, seven-card stud and Omaha. And for the third year there will be a $50,000 HORSE event, featuring five variations of poker, that mainly attracts accomplished pros.

The poker World Series, played at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, is actually a collection of 55 tournaments that culminates with the Texas Hold 'Em championship. The World Series is scheduled to run from May 30 to July 3, when the Main Event will start for about 13 days.

Some of the cheaper events, expected to draw as many as 3,000 players, include seven $1,500 no-limit hold 'em tournaments and qualifying tournaments, called satellites, that cost as little as $330. www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

18

43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards honoring country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent. 5 p.m., MGM Grand Garden Arena. The ACMAs were founded in 1964 with a mission to support, promote, and enhance the advancement of the country music industry worldwide. Tickets: $100-$450, www.ticketmaster.com.