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Jennifer Holliday
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It's going to be quite the holiday affair for Saturday's CELEBRITY T-SHIRT AUCTION. But the organizers of the eighth annual event, benefiting AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati (AVOC) and the American Foundation for AIDS Research, almost didn't have a happy ending.
"Though our T-shirts were mailed out before Sept. 11, no one wanted to open their mail," explains AVOC's Special Events Coordinator Doris Marks Callis, "and understandably so."
So reassurances needed to be made to the likes of Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Gibson and others that AVOC was a legitimate organization, and the packages they'd received were safe. It was a time-consuming task, but it worked. In addition to the T-shirts, designed by Frederic Bonin-Pisarro (who just happens to be descended from famous Impressionist painter Camille Pissaro) and emblazoned with celebrity monikers, AVOC also received a Will & Grace script autographed by the cast, a When Harry Met Sally script signed by director Rob Reiner and a baseball signed by President George W. Bush, as well as other goodies.
But there was one other issue to attend to: the evening's entertainment. Who would prove to be a big draw? Tony Curtis (Jamie Lee's dad) was nixed because people either no longer know who he is or just weren't interested in seeing him. And then AVOC found their "dream girl": Broadway star Jennifer Holliday, a celebrity some people are willing to pay $100 just to hear her sing one song. That could prove to be music to AVOC's ears. 513-421-2437. -- Brandon Brady
Friday 30
Saxophonist HARVEY WAINAPEL performs at the venerable Blue Wisp on Friday and Saturday, backed by the local Phil DeGreg Trio. Wainapel, fresh off a large European tour with Brazilian performers Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, has honed his chops with some Jazz giants, including McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano. His latest CD, The Hang, has been universally hailed for its arrangements and creative improvisational interludes. 513-721-9801. -- Mike Breen
Sunday 2
Downtown will be getting a little "Harry," but this time in a friendly, not-so-dangerous kind of way. It's hard-to-believe that modern-day Big Band king HARRY CONNICK JR. even has the time to return to the Tristate. With two recently released CDs (30 and Songs I Heard), the score to a Broadway show (Thou Shalt Not) and a family that includes a Victoria's Secret supermodel for a wife, the man has to be exhausted. But his exorbitant talent, his visible passion for the music and his down-to-earth nature never prove tiring for him or his numerous fans. 513-562-4949. -- Brandon Brady
Monday 3
Focus on Billy Bob Thornton in the Coen Brothers latest, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE. As Ed Crane, he digs into a depthless character, out of his element as he initiates a scheme to blackmail his wife's lover (James Gandolfini) into investing in a dry cleaning scam. As the plot twists, Crane never finds himself either one step ahead or behind the action. Thanks to Thornton's understated work, he is firmly rooted in a moment from which he can never escape. The Man Who Wasn't There is full of stylistic tricks, but its main treat is that we can't miss the Coens singular vision. -- tt clinkscales
Wednesday 5
Kentucky native BOBBIE ANN MASON has rescheduled a cancelled August appearance to talk about her latest batch of stories, Zigzagging Down a Wild Trail. Like previous efforts, Zigzagging is full of the unique small-town characters that are her specialty. Instead of portraying rural life in a stereotypical manner, Mason digs deeper, crafting strangely exotic characters from seemingly mundane sources. She talks about those sources and more at Joseph-Beth on Wednesday. 513-396-8960. -- Jason Gargano
Wednesday 5
Who would have thought of PINOCCHIO as a middle-aged guy? Only our wacky friends at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, where the annual holiday musical -- they create a new one ever year -- updates the classic fairytale for contemporary audiences. Fun for young and old alike. 513-421-3555. -- Rick Pender
