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GORDON LIGHTFOOT STILL PACKING THEM IN

Popular balladeer Gordon Lightfoot has wrapped up a successful four-night stint at the Orleans Showroom, one of the many "rooms" in Las Vegas. Somewhat off The Strip and famous for its laid-back atmosphere and milelong buffets, the Orleans would seem the perfect place for a singer who exemplifies the antithesis of Vegas glitz. Lightfoot, famous for songs such as "Carefree Highway," "Early Mornin' Rain," "If You Could Read my Mind," and the blockbuster storytelling ballad of the 20th century, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," has been accompanied on this latest tour by a quartet of accomplished musicians. As one indicator of the drawing power of the Canadian-born Lightfoot, tickets went for $66, this at a time when many other singers from his era can only command $30 sales.

SURPRISED ARTISTS NAMED TO COUNTRY HALL

Some people get the word of a special honor by telephone. Others get a personal visit. For veteran country performers Porter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle, the word that they were chosen for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame came as a total surprise. It was announced from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry by segment host Martie Maguire. After the Dixie Chicks concluded their set on stage, Maguire suddenly called Wagoner and Carlisle to the podium to tell them the news. Wagoner, best known to many as the man who introduced a huge television audience to Dolly Parton, is now 75. The amazing Bill Carlisle is 93. Induction ceremonies, according to CMT, will be on Nov. 6.

MAC DAVIS TO RE-DO HIS GREATEST HITS

It's been a long time since the songs of Mac Davis were heard nearly all the time on radio. But since the peak of his career, Davis has remained a real favorite among many of his fans. Now the singer says he's about to re-enter the studio and will re-record his greatest hits for a new CD project. The album is the brainchild of Lari White and her songwriter husband, Chuck Cannon. The new project will be released by Underground Records, an independent label, set up by White and Cannon. Davis tells country.com that it's great fun getting back into a recording studio, especially with the kind of studio musicians only available in Nashville. Davis turned 60 this year. His hit TV show aired for two seasons on NBC in the mid '70s. He was also once named country's entertainer of the year. By the way, the Lubbock native penned "In the Ghetto" for Elvis.

CHER SAYING GOODBYE IN A 'CIRCUS' OF SONG

You have to say one thing about Cher, she was never plain. Still isn't. Her so-called "farewell tour" is a circus of sight and sound, mild porn and pounding drums. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it's also a multifaceted "train wreck of a show" that features video monitors playing clips from her 40 years on stage and in the media. Reviewer Doug Elfman gave her appearance at the MGM Grand only a "B" rating. It's not that Cher is passe, it's just that many of us have seen it all before. It's as if she's trying too hard to remind us who she is ... even though it's unlikely that any of us have forgotten her performances. He described the troupe of performers who accompanied her onstage as resembling "furry queen of the bear clans; rhinestone fishing lures; fuzzy nutria rats; and, inexplicably, Indian jesters wearing Crayola pajamas." At one point she admitted to the audience that this might not actually be her swan song. As soon as her agent thinks it's time to put some more money in the till -- say in 5 years or so, when she's 60-plus -- there may be another "farewell" circuit.

'WANNABE' A VIDEO PRODUCER?

There was a time when a person who wanted to produce a video had to have a lot of money. Film cameras, especially those which recorded sound, were very expensive. Now the lightweight, sound-and-sight camcorders are making movie producers out of a new generation of kids who, a decade ago, would only be dreaming of being the next Cecil B. DeMille. To add to the excitement, MTV is offering fans of its videos the chance to have their efforts aired on several of the cable networks. On MTV's Web site, mtv.com, would-be cinematographers and choreographers are invited to submit their works to a panel of judges. The project is called MPEG Us, and, according to the network, it celebrates "the freedom of creativity and music." Oh, the videos can only be 10 seconds in length. But, with today's fast-paced editing, most kids can crowd into 10 seconds what the baby boom generation used to take 10 minutes to say.

LOTTO WINNER JUST A LUCKY GUY

In spite of the fact that Michale Liddy has an admittedly flawed past, he has won a major British lottery, worth about $1.5 million. But, according to published reports, some are resentful that a guy with such a checkered previous life could walk away with the winnings. Liddy reportedly admits that he is a thief. The 42-year-old Cockney says he's a jailbird and was once a 100-pints-a-week boozer. He was even in jail for two years for possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Published reports indicate that he spent another 21 months in jail for stealing booze from a truck and did time for car theft. This year he was ordered to spend 240 hours doing community service because of a conviction on petty theft charges. Now, after a roller coaster life -- mostly down -- he's the latest big winner.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 392

Here's today's question: "Have you or anyone you know ever won a large lottery or other prize?" Put PRIZE in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 387 (REPEAT)

Last week, inspired by the second theft of my car in recent months, I asked about your repeat theft experiences. Here are a few of the many replies: Lwire (from South Texas) says that many cars that are stolen from the area end up south of the border in Mexico. Lwire had a personal car stolen from a school parking lot twice. Lea reports a stolen car incident in which her husband emerged from a bowling alley at midnight to find the family buggy gone. CBaker says that over a period of eight years he had the same pickup truck stolen three times. That has to be a record. Several others wrote to console me over my loss. The good side is that for the second time the car was recovered with only minor damage ... both times to the ignition switch. TOMORROW: More of your thoughts. GBA.