Reno/Tahoe Travel

The career of Frank Sinatra Jr. has never been easy.

Plenty of road warriors will be in Reno this week for the 16th annual BBQ, Brews and Blues Festival, hosted by the Eldorado on Virginia Street on Friday and Saturday.

Some top chefs in the country have chosen to call Truckee home, opening Moody's, Dragonfly and other restaurants that have drawn national attention.

The Reno Film Festival holds pleasures for fans of movies and moviemaking.

Artists usually deplore the idea of fans downloading their music for free – not so Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

Clint Holmes was opening for Bill Cosby one time in Las Vegas. The two of them looked out on the packed showroom, but noticed two empty seats.

After hearing a whistle from the audience, Jeffrey Allen, attired in full Elton John regalia, jauntily replied: "I appreciate that from the lady because the show's not that authentic, so give me a call."

The showroom at the MontBleu welcomes back Paul Oakenfold this Friday, but this time he comes with a mission other than providing a show filled with his sound-mixing expertise.

When the Reno-Lake Tahoe area first saw Brad Garrett, he was the opening act for bigger stars.

In the game of "Lingo," contestants attempt to guess a five-letter word and then fill in a card similar to one used in Bingo, completing lines horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

James Blunt is home for three days "to do my laundry" after spending weeks on the road – the United Kingdom, Europe, Casablanca, Malta, you name it – touring behind his latest album.

More than a few jaws will drop at the acrobatics and special effects of Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," yet the logistics of transporting and housing this spectacle-in-waiting also deserves an audience.

On Tuesday morning, Reno offers a chance to see a legend back on the road. It will be a fleeting glance, but part of history. The Thomas Flyer will once again be in the lead in a race.

Your mission on this spring break weekend, if you choose to accept it, is to spend 54 hours in the Lake Tahoe area and cram in as much fun and entertainment as possible from noon today until 6 p.m. Easter Sunday.

Wayne Brady has won two daytime Emmys for outstanding talk show host. He has appeared in shows from "30 Rock" to "How I Met Your Mother." He has appeared on Broadway as Billy Flynn in "Chicago."

In 1994, Leo Villareal was encouraged by some friends to attend Burning Man, the festival around Labor Day every year that celebrates creativity and self-expression in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada.

The Cold War Kids are on tour. Traveling in their bus from New York to Nashville, Nathan Willett, the lead singer, said it's all "going great. We've been playing some of the rooms we've done before and a lot of new ones.

As this year's "American Idol" heats up, one of its strongest also-rans appears at John Ascuaga's Nugget.

Martin Short made this promise in a recent telephone interview: "Mr. Glick will be there – and will talk to somebody from the audience."

Rob Riggle starts off one of his most popular routines by observing: "My wife thinks I'm an idiot. The truth is I don't give her a reason not to."

Taj Mahal has played and been an advocate of traditional blues for the past four decades, plus.

Two comedians make their Reno-Tahoe debuts this weekend, one a veteran returning to his stand-up roots after an extensive movie and television career, the other a relative newcomer to the comedy scene.

There's a way to feel warm even on a snow- covered day in Reno. Visit the Nevada Museum of Art and see "Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey."

The Coasters began in a Los Angeles neighborhood where most of the original members grew up. They started to sing in small clubs but their fortunes changed when they met the major composers of the 1950s, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller.

Pauly Shore has an answer when people ask about his current status: "I'm a Baptist minister living in a shed in Barstow."

Two weeks ago, Laura Jackson opened a bulky envelope in the offices of the Reno Philharmonic Association with eager anticipation.