The veteran pop star will perform his show - called The Red Piano - over three years, with the first scheduled for next February.

Elton, who recently topped the charts with Are You Ready For Love, joins Canadian singer Celine Dion, who is on a three-year residency at the venue.

The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace seats an audience of up to 4,100 people.

Amette lands French book prize

French author and playwright Jacques-Pierre Amette has won his country's top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, for his book La Maitresse de Brecht (Brecht's Mistress).

The book tells the story of the historical German poet, playwright and devout Marxist Bertolt Brecht.

It follows him on his return to post-war East Berlin after years in exile where he begins an affair with an actress who influences his work.

Amette, who is also a literary critic for the news magazine Le Point, has written 20 books.

Nemo still box office hit

Animated tale Finding Nemo has topped the UK box office for a second week, taking �5.9m between Friday and Sunday.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 spent its first full week on nationwide release and moved from number 11 to number two, with weekend takings of �2.7m.

Action film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, starring Sean Connery, entered at number three despite poor reviews.

Clint Eastwood's drama Mystic River was the only other top 10 new entry, going in at seven.

Tenor's sniffles bad for concert

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti cancelled a concert in Panama after catching a cold - but his publicist denied reports that he was being treated in hospital.

The office of First Lady Ruby Moscoso, who was sponsoring the Panama concert, claimed that Pavarotti had "suffered serious health problems".

The statement said he had been sent to an unnamed hospital in New York.

But Pavarotti's publicist Terri Robson said the report was "completely false" and said he simply had a "common cold".

Jungle DVD wins release

Workwear and machinery manufacturer Caterpillar has failed to block the DVD release of George Of The Jungle 2, after a judge ruled that the Disney film did not damage Caterpillar's image.

The company, famous for its bulldozers, claimed scenes linked its products to an "evil attacking army" that sought to destroy the jungle.

But a US federal judge said use of well-known trademarks was "common" in films.

Disney said the film was "obviously a comedy" and that viewers would not confuse Caterpillar with its villains.

Weiland responds to drugs treatment

Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has been congratulated by a US judge for his ongoing attempts to kick a persistent drug habit.

Weiland, aged 35, was ordered to take counselling and drugs tests after pleading no contest to two possession charges in August.

Judge Colette Serio said his response so far had been "excellent".

Weiland was allowed to remain free, but warned that he faces residential treatment if he fails future tests.

Lopez sister set to host talk show

New York DJ Lynda Lopez - younger sister of singer and actress Jennifer - is to co-host a talk show in the US.

Nuyorican, a production company owned by Jennifer Lopez, has signed a deal with Universal Domestic Television to produce the show.

It will feature four female hosts, but the three others are yet to be named.

The show, set for launch in autumn 2004, will feature items on culture, beauty, fashion, and "special access to Lopez" said a Universal spokesman.