John Katsilometes on Celine Dion’s gracious nod to some of Southern Nevada’s most deserving charities and fundraisers during her 500th show of ‘A New Day…’ at Caesars Palace on Sunday

Tuesday, May 9, 2006 | 7:33 a.m.

They don't enjoy the spotlight enough, but some of the city's most adept fundraisers were invited onstage Sunday night during one of the Strip's biggest productions.

At the end of the show marking Celine Dion's 500th performance of "A New Day ..." at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Dion and her husband, Rene Angelil, invited to the stage representatives of 10 charities to which she donates money through her charitable foundation.

"They do so much good, please help me welcome them," Dion said as the audience cheered. With that, the following representatives filed onto the expansive Colosseum stage:

Aid for AIDS of Nevada Executive Director Caroline Ciocca; Animal Foundation Executive Director Diane Orgill; Center For Independent Living founder and creative liaison Nancy Gillis; FIT for an Independent Tomorrow Executive Director Janet Blumen; I Have a Dream President Julie A. Murray; Nevada Partnership of Homeless Youth representative Chris Brooks, himself a former foster care child and homeless youth; New Vista Ranch Executive Director Kelly DeGuzman; United Way of Southern Nevada President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Goulet with Nevada Power Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sierra Pacific Resources Michael Yackira (both representing Project REACH, a United Way and Nevada Power partnership); Project Sunshine Executive Director Kari Tillman; and Rape Crisis Center Board of Directors President Jerrie Merriett with President-Elect Kristine King.

(If Dion had introduced each of them along with their titles, she'd still be onstage.)

An oversized check from the Celine Dion Foundation for $1,027,450, to be split among the charities, was then presented to the group by Dion and Angelil. The donation capped a night that started with Dion unveiling a Grevin wax figure of herself wearing the navy blue dress she wore during the 1998 Academy Awards telecast as she sang the Oscar-winning "My Heart Will Go On."

Also making an appearance (but not as part of the production) was Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who praised Dion's charitable efforts and added, "She looks like an angel and sings like a goddess."

As for the show, Dion introduced a new element - a duet of "All The Way" with a recording of Frank Sinatra, as images of Dion and vintage Sinatra played out on the Colosseum's giant LED screen.

NoteMart

Strip for Prince: Announced Monday were a pair of Las Vegas performances by Prince at the Empire Ballroom on the Strip, just north of the MGM Grand and across the street from the Monte Carlo. The dates are May 27 and May 28. Tickets cost $312.01 each - don't forget the penny - and are general admission. They go on sale Wednesday; check www.ticketmaster.com for details.

Listed as Prince's special guest is R&B vocalist Tamar. The show will serve as the live debut of songs from Prince's latest CD "3121," (wait, check that price again!) and the ballroom will be called the 3121 Nightclub when Prince is performing ...

More from Claire: Additional highlights from Saturday's Lili Claire Foundation benefit dinner at the Mandalay Bay Events Center: Auction star and prominent Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes purchased a Yorkshire terrier puppy for his mother, Betsy, for Mother's Day (at a cost of $30,000). Also, the live auction (co-emceed by the unlikely tandem of Christian Kolberg and Danny Bonaduce) was further enlivened by matching donations of $150,000 apiece from honoree Vince Schettler and the Schettler Family Foundation, and John Ritter and the Ritter Charitable Trust ...

Oh, that marquee: The Danny Gans marquee outside the Mirage has become the most publicized inanimate object since the tour of King Tut's tomb, but we do have an update ... of sorts. Gans has agreed to allow the Cirque du Soliel/Beatles show "Love" to occupy the main Mirage marquee on the Strip for the first 90 days of its production; after that, Gans and "Love" will share space on the marquee. And Gans' image will continue to grace the smaller marquee at the hotel entrance.

Also, to be unveiled in the next couple of weeks will be an even more eye-catching promotion at the Mirage property. Sadly, it won't be a giant Beatle wig covering the hotel, but it promises to be pretty cool ...

Pure genius: Pure at Caesars Palace opens Venus Pool Club on Memorial Day Weekend. Sure to make waves (oof!), the club offers cabanas, chaise longues and air-conditioned bars with flat-screen TVs. It promises to be "the best kept secret in town," but here I am reading a news release about it ...

Nice touch: The Pirate-costumed stilt walker at Margaritaville at Flamingo Las Vegas has a boot on his left leg - and a peg leg on his right...

Zip it: The HGTV special "Hot Zips," which airs at 10 p.m. on May 15, features the hot ZIP codes in eight U.S. cities, including 89103 (think Rio and Palms)...

Correct pronunciation, even: Plate on a white Mercedes Benz ML350, NUYAWKA.