Best Bar

1. Las Casuelas Terraza. In Palm Springs since 1979, the family-owned restaurant is constantly winning awards for its food and service. The outside patio bar is a must for people watching on Palm Canyon. The bar also features a Tequila Hall of Fame, which they say has the most choices north of Mexico; 222 S Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 325-2794; lascasuelas.com.

2. Yard House, Rancho Mirage

3. The Lobby Bar, Palm Desert

Best of the Rest: Azul, Palm Springs; Hunter's Video Bar, Palm Springs; The Falls, Palm Springs; Beer Hunter, La Quinta; Costa's Nightclub, Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort, Palm Desert; Shanghai Red's, Palm Springs; Firehouse Station II, Palm Desert

Best Dive Bar

1. Red Barn. The Red Barn is the only true "bar" in Palm Desert; those other people serve food. They've been around for 40 years and blow the roof off of this sleepy little town every weekend with live, loud music! There are video games, pool tables, ping pong, shuffleboard and other games to keep you and babies entertained while you sip your suds and drop your Jaeger bombs! 73290 Hwy 111, Palm Desert; 346-0191.

2. Toucan's Tiki Lounge, Palm Springs

3. Hair of The Dog Saloon, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Roc's Firehouse Grille, Palm Desert; Neil's Lounge, Indio; The Barracks Bar, Cathedral City; The Tack Room Tavern, Indio; Fireside Lounge, Palm Springs; Napas Tapas, Palm Desert; Village Lounge, Palm Desert

Best Gay Bar

1. Toucan's Tiki Lounge. Every night is a different type of party at Toucan's. There's everything from Judge Judy Bingo to Jungle Boogie Dance Party to a Drag Revue. If you're looking for a party, for say, Halloween, New Year's or other holiday, chances are, Toucans will have something special going on. They also support causes quite often and have special charity-type events; 2100 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 416-7584; toucanstikilounge.com.

2. Hunters Video Bar, Palm Springs

3. Azul, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Street Bar Named Desire, Palm Springs; The Barracks Bar, Cathedral City; SpurLine, Palm Springs; Tool Shed, Palm Springs; Hamburger Mary's, Palm Springs; Sidewinder's Bar, Cathedral City

Best Happy Hour

1. Las Casuelas Terraza. Good news: The happy hour at Las Casuelas Terraza is one big party, and everyone's invited. With lively music, fine Mexican food and the best people-watching spot in downtown Palm Springs, here's a place where happy hour actually lives up to its name; 222 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 325-2794; lascasuelas.com.

2. Piero's Acqua Pazza, Rancho Mirage

3. Yard House, Rancho Mirage

Best of the Rest: Wang's in the Desert, Palm Springs; Sullivan's Steakhouse, Palm Desert; The Matchbox, Palm Springs; Azul, Palm Springs; La Quinta Cliffhouse, La Quinta; Jackalope Ranch, Indio; Hog's Breath Inn, La Quinta

Best Margarita

1. Las Casuelas Terraza. A stop at the Las Casuelas Terraza bar is like taking the quick train to Margaritaville. Their "tequila hall of fame" boasts some of the best tequila north of Mexico, and the bartenders are always coming up with new and unique ways to serve it up. Whether you like your margarita salted, on the rocks or blended, your glass is sure to spilleth over; 222 South Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 325-2794; lascasuelas.com.

2. Blue Coyote Bar & Grill, Palm Springs

3. Armando's Dakota Bar & Grill, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Don Diego's, Indian Wells; Las Casuelas Nuevas, Rancho Mirage; Margarita's Restaurant, Palm Springs; El Mirasol, Palm Springs; Las Casuelas Quinta, La Quinta; Blue Coyote Bar & Grill, Indio; Guillermo's Restaurante, Palm Desert

Best Martini

1. The Falls. Think martinis are getting mundane? That's never the case at The Falls, where the martini list is practically a scroll. There you'll find plenty of luscious libations; it's everything from the classics to exotic new favorites like the Country Thyme Lemonade or the Blood Orange Green Tea; 155 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 416-8664; thefallsprimesteakhouse.com.

2. Sullivan's Steakhouse, Palm Desert

3. The Falls, La Quinta

Best of the Rest: Lord Fletcher's, Rancho Mirage; Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, Palm Desert; Wang's in the Desert, Palm Springs; Tropicale, Palm Springs; Blame It On Midnight Bar, Palm Springs; Bing Crosby's Restaurant and Piano Lounge, Rancho Mirage; Capri Italian Restaurant and Steakhouse, Desert Hot Springs

Best Desert Sun Personality

1. Maggie Downs. Maggie blushes when you use the C-word (celebrity) to describe her contributions to The Desert Sun and mydesert.com. "I'm just a storyteller," says the Ohio native who brings a conversational flair to her columns, stories and daily blogs. Her writing can make you laugh, cry or even get mad. But it always leaves you wanting more.

2. Michelle Mitchell

3. Bruce Fessier

Best of the Rest: Larry Bohannan, Rick Green, Denise Goolsby, Carla Howard, Judi Salkin, Mike Felci, Angie Franzer

Best Local Band

1. Technicolor Wolves, Palm Desert. When we heard them at Rock the IPAC in September, we said, this young band had "the prospects for big things in the future." Lincoln Jessar and Dan Fromhart on guitar and vocals write strong, infectious songs and present them with a vitality that really connects with an audience.

2. John Stanley King Band, Palm Springs

3. The Hellions, Palm Desert

Best of the Rest: Eagles Of Death Metal, Palm Desert; Slipping Into Darkness, Desert Hot Springs; Michael James Guilty Pleasures Band, Palm Desert; Pat Rizzo Band, Palm Springs; One-11, La Quinta; Art of Sax, Indian Wells; Hot Rox, Palm Springs

Best Radio Personality

1. Vicki Steele. This KEZN-FM afternoon disc jockey has a mellifluous voice that reaches out to her listeners like a call from home. She's a valley favorite because she's a forceful valley voice; Palm Desert; ez103.com.

2. Mike Trash, KCLB, Palm Springs

3. Bill Feingold and Kevin Holmes, KNWS, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Dan Mcgrath, Ez103.1; Joey English, KNEWS; Jim Fitzgerald, KJJZ; Valerie Kattz, KPSI; Bradley Ryan, MIX100.5; Ms. Margarita, U-92.7 FM; Bob "The Bopper" O'Brian, KDES

Best Television Personality

1. Stella Inger, KPSP Local 2. This is the Emmy-nominated TV reporter's second consecutive win as the desert's best TV personality. The attractive, Russian-born Inger is a USC graduate and has lived in the valley for three years. She also anchors occasionally.

2. Tamara Damante, KESQ

3. Karen Devine, KMIR

Best of the Rest: Gino LaMont, KMIR; Peter Cannella, KESQ; Manny The Movie Guy, KMIR; Patrick Evans, CBS 2; Ginger Jeffries, KESQ; Dave Spahr, KESQ; Tanya McRae, Spotlight on the Desert

Best Valley Celebrity

1. Barry Manilow. This Grammy and Emmy Award-winning member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame has been a desert favorite since the mid-1990s. He was a part-time resident long before that, but, in the mid-1990s he stepped up his philanthropic activities to support College of the Desert's music program. Then he supported the McCallum Theatre, the Palm Springs Art Museum, Desert Regional Medical Center, the AIDS Assistance Program and the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center at Eisenhower Medical Center.

But this year, he really stepped up his philanthropy. This year, he elevated to Frank-Sinatra-heir-apparent status among performers using their celebrity for the philanthropic good of the valley. Manilow became the first celebrity to be honored with a Steve Chase Humanitarian Award for Community Service at the Desert AIDS Project's 25th anniversary gala in February. Before that, he started this help-out trend by distributing $500,000 worth of musical instruments for valley schools.

Manilow's real message was that anybody could help their local school by donating a musical instrument or some sheet music they weren't using. That message was disseminated internationally by his devoted fans; a woman from a theater in Reading, Penn., picked up the baton, so to speak, and helped a music teacher in her neighborhood.

Manilow is sending an international message that he's from Palm Springs, and Palm Springs is a place where famous people help their neighbors. We are honored that by selecting him as your favorite Valley Celebrity, we can all join in saluting Barry Manilow as the personification of The Best of the Valley.

2. Goldie Hawn, Palm Desert

3. Betty Ford, Rancho Mirage

Best of the Rest: William Devane, Thermal; Suzanne Somers, Palm Springs; Aubrey O'Day, Indio; Bella da Ball, Palm Springs; Keely Smith, Palm Springs; Gordon Howie, Palm Springs; Jesse Hughes, Palm Desert

Best Annual Event

1. Palm Springs International Film Festival. When you bring in stars like Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Leonardo Di Caprio, Dustin Hoffman and Anne Hathaway, and you have a film audience that can pick the Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Language Film, "Departures," before the critics even know it's a contender, you have the formula for a spectacular event. In early January; psfilmfest.org.

2. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio

3. Art of Food & Wine, Palm Desert

Best of the Rest: Palm Springs International ShortFest, Palm Springs; Stagecoach Music Festival, Indio; Palm Springs Festival Of Lights Parade, Palm Springs; Dancing With Our Stars, Indian Wells; Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, valleywide; Palm Springs Pride, Palm Springs; BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells

Best Casino

1. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa. This casino has quickly becoming a Coachella Valley favorite. The venue features round-the-clock gambling, a video poker bar, six restaurants and a cabaret-style lounge; 32250 Bob Hope Dr., Rancho Mirage; 321-2000; hotwatercasino.com.

2. Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs

3. Fantasy Springs Resort Hotel & Casino, Indio

Best of the Rest: Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon; Augustine Casino, Coachella; Spotlight 29 Casino, Coachella; Red Earth Casino, Thermal

Best Dance Spot

1. Zeldaz Nightclub & Beachclub. Zeldaz, which has been a Palm Springs staple for more than 30 years, is the place to go for dancing, drinks and fun. Each Friday and Saturday, the dance party begins at 9 p.m. with two DJs spinning today's hottest music. Check out the nightclub's Web site for special upcoming events; 169 N Indian Canyon Dr.; Palm Springs; 325-2375; zeldaznightclub.com.

2. Costa's Nightclub, Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort, Palm Desert

3. Las Casuelas Terraza, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Hunters Video Bar, Palm Springs; Toucan's Tiki Lounge, Palm Springs; Stir!, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells; The Nest, Indian Wells; McCormick's, Palm Desert; Velvet Palm at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio; Progressive Line Dancing, La Quinta

Best Live Music

1. Las Casuelas Terraza. Hot Rox, now led by Rick Cowan, who recently replaced Las Casuelas Terraza music director Mark Guerrero, have been a Palm Springs institution for two decades, with their vast repertoire of classic rock songs. They've been performing outside at Las Casuelas Terraza before it was an outdoor venue; 222 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 325-2794; lascasuelas.com.

2. The Rock Yard, Indio

3. Village Pub, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Blame It On Midnight Bar, Palm Springs; Vicky's of Santa Fe, Indian Wells; Z Lounge, Hotel Zoso, Palm Springs; Desert Rock Concerts, Palm Desert; Stir!, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells; McCormick's, Palm Desert; Robbie Ts, Indio

Best Live Theater

1. McCallum Theatre. It doesn't present much dramatic theater, but the building itself is as much of an attraction as many of the artists who perform there. You can see everything from Broadway musicals to contemporary country in a setting that could remind you of Milan's La Scala; 73-000 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert; 340-2787; mccallumtheatre.com.

2. Palm Springs Follies, Palm Springs

3. Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs

Best of the Rest: Palm Canyon Theater, Palm Springs; Caballeros: The Gay Men's Chorus Of Palm Springs; Thorny Theatre, Palm Springs; La Quinta Playhouse, La Quinta; College Of The Desert, Palm Desert; Musical Chairs, Palm Springs; Indian Wells Theater, CSUSB, Palm Desert

Best Movie Theater

1. Camelot Theatres. If Palm Springs is the city of the film festivals, this is its epicenter. It's a favorite venue of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and home to the nation's largest shorts fest and a whole bunch of festivals under the aegis of the Palm Springs Cultural Center. In between festivals, the Camelot also screens really good movies with national distribution, and offers dining at the Camelot Cafe as well as cocktails at the Camelot Cinebar; 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs; 325-6565; camelottheatres.com.

2. Century Rancho Mirage, The River 12, Rancho Mirage

3. Mary Pickford Stadium 14, Cathedral City

Best of the Rest: Cinemas Palme d'Or, Palm Desert; Theatres Rancho 16, Rancho Mirage; Regal Palm Springs Stadium 9, Palm Springs; Desert IMAX Theatre, Cathedral City; Cinemark Movies 10, Cathedral City; Theatres Metro 8, Indio