A/E Highlights

Now that's downtown redevelopment!

Now you have another reason to go downtown besides the deep-fried Twinkies. The Honky Tonk Cowgirls ride through Binion's Horseshoe nightly from 7 to 11 p.m. singing both kinds of music: country and western. The show is free.

Wait, didn't these guys go solo?

It's hard to imagine these two not making beautiful music together. Meanwhile, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics and the other two guys from the Police have probably gotten together to play the lounge at Slots-A-Fun. Sting and Annie Lennox play the MGM Grand Garden at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $52 to $152. Info: 474-4000.

Masters of disguise

There is no truth to the rumor that 46 different guys have hidden behind the beards and cheap sunglasses over the years, but we do find it odd that nobody has found Osama yet. ZZ Top plays at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton. Tickets are $85-$100. Info: 732-5755.

Bruuuuce! Fake Bruuuuuce!

Eventually, everyone will have a stable of impersonators--pardon us, we mean loving tribute performers--in Vegas. When the William Hung impersonator finally shows up, we are outta here. Matt Ryan does his Bruce Springsteen bit at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Silverton. Tickets are $9.99. Info: 263-7777.

Have we got an idea for you

Picture a smoky nightclub in the Middle East. A dour-faced man tells the piano player, "Play it, Sam, if she can stand it, I can stand it. Play `Neutron Dance.'" Well, maybe not. The Pointer Sisters play at 8 p.m. tonight through Sunday at the Orleans. Tickets start at $44.99. Info: 365-7111.

Cho me the money!

No, no. We're sorry. We guarantee that all of her jokes will be at least a thousand times better than that. We're going to spend a few hours in our shame closet now. Margaret Cho performs at 8 p.m. Friday at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall. Tickets are $31.90 to $48.95. Info: 895-ARTS (2787).

Close, but no Hagar

Sammy Hagar couldn't make it back to this year's Oktoberfest at Gordon Biersch. In fact, there are those who would say that's an improvement, but enough about David Lee Roth. There's still lots of German chow and, most importantly, beer, plus lots of prizes, including an guitar autographed by Hagar. It runs from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Gordon Biersch, 3987 Paradise Road. Admission is free. Info: 312-5247.