"Ka" shows off the Strip's ability to provide cutting-edge entertainment. Puppet designer Rick Lyon, left, with Nicky, and John Tartaglia, with Rod, are the two original "Avenue Q" cast members who came to Las Vegas to open the second production of the hit musical. Review-Journal file photo.

Two shows, both with puppets. So different and yet so good.

In sports-book parlance, it's really a "pick 'em" to say whether "Ka" or "Avenue Q" is the best Las Vegas show of 2005. But symbolically they are worlds apart, two branches of a huge fork in the road for the Strip's entertainment future.

1. "Ka," MGM Grand -- Cirque du Soleil's epic is the most expensive show ever staged anywhere -- about $165 million -- and ultimately a victim of its own ambition. All those millions fell just a hair short of bringing home the dramatic payoff in Cirque's attempt to break out of its proven formula and tell a linear, operatic story.

The mildly confusing and anticlimactic result is understandable, given the absence of words, lyrics or video close-ups to aid the storytelling, or a familiar work to base the saga upon. But it's an amazing journey, showing what's possible when Las Vegas' ability to provide cutting-edge stagecraft and long-term financing is combined with the vision of an innovative director, Robert Lepage.

2. "Avenue Q," Wynn Las Vegas -- On the other hand, this charming musical downplays its expensive sense of detail, and arrived from Broadway as a wholly formed product. This year will bring more Broadway titles ("Hairspray," "The Phantom of the Opera," probably "The Producers") and even an off-Broadway hit ("Menopause -- The Musical").

Collectively, they will tell us if "Ka" was an anomaly, and whether the Strip's real destiny is to become just one store in an entertainment retail chain, sharing name-brand product with select other cities.

In the meantime, just enjoy the smart, raunchy spoof of "Sesame Street" that sneakily evolves into warm empathy for today's "lost generation."

3. The Blue Man Group, The Venetian -- The blue guys come closest to bridging the two forks in the road in their new custom venue. The new playground doesn't distract this uniquely offbeat show from its vision, even if the antics are a bit familiar by now.

4. Clint Holmes, Harrah's Las Vegas -- Look man, no puppets or disguises! Just a multithreat entertainer preserving a headliner tradition that faces a tough future on the Strip. Holmes changes his show every year and this one is the apex, cohesive to a theme without a stray move or wasted moment.

5. "Forever Plaid," Gold Coast -- Billboards proclaim this musical the year's "best-reviewed" show. The claim is probably true, reflecting the value of a past favorite that returned in 2005 to prove four-part harmony and character-grounded comedy can be as valuable as computer-automated scenery.

6. Jon Stewart, Caesars Palace -- Dave Chappelle and "The Daily Show" host were the highlights of a new comedy festival here in November. Stewart's set made you wish he could get away from New York more often. He showed he's one of the great comic minds working today, and also that you can say it without the "comic" part.

7. Elton John, "The Red Piano," Caesars Palace -- Although it's a bit pricey for 90 minutes, it is a mind-blowing pop-art showcase. Director David LaChapelle's video captures the contrast between John's diva-glam persona and the grit underscoring his music.

8. "Mystere," Treasure Island -- The first Las Vegas Cirque show preserves the company's original vision, and is now a relative bargain.

9. "O," Bellagio -- Director Franco Dragone found his own past to be a formidable opponent when his new show, "Le Reve," proved too reminiscent of this one's aesthetic, without its high-flying aerialism.

10. Robert Schimmel, Monte Carlo -- Repeat visits in 2005 testify to the staying power of a comedian who has supplied Las Vegas with graphically raunchy belly laughs for more than a decade, but now shades the raw humor with inspirational details about his own battle against cancer.