CLASSICAL NOTES University Musical Society presents William Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and U-M professor's 25-year project, setting 46 William Blake poems to music, 8 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. The University Symphony Orchestra joins the U-M Choral Union, U-M Choirs and more than 15 soloists from the classical, operatic and pop realms, all under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, in celebrating the re-opening of Hill Auditorium. $10- $65. (734) 764-2538. PoP/RocK/JAzz/Fouc Grammy-winners all, Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, contributing their R&B and hip-hop sounds to the "Ladies First Tour 2004," appear 7 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. $68.50-$78.50. (248) 645-6666. Hillel at the University of Michigan co-hosts singer/pianist Ben Folds 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. Doors at 6:30 p.m. $20-$35. (734) 763-TKTS. Psychedelic, blues-inspired band Ekoostik Hookah takes the stage at the Michigan Theater, as part of Ann Arbor's annual Hash Bash celebration, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3. All ages welcome. $18.75. (248) 645-6666. The indie rockers of Phantom Planet, featuring drummer/actor Jason Schwartzman, guitarist/vocal- ist Alex Greenwald, guitarist/vocalist Jacques Brautbar, bassist/vocalist Sam Farrar and guitarist Darren Robinson, perform in support of THE BIG SCREEN their new, self-titled album Sunday, April The Roseville Theatre hosts the Midwest 4, at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Doors premiere of the award-winning feature film at 6:30 p.m. All ages welcome. $9.89. Nothing Really Happens (Memories of (248) 645-6666. Aging Strippers), an intertwining story of Rock and soul star Michael McDonald three very different women —an elderly highlights selections from his Motown CD Holocaust survivor and Nobel-Prize win- 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 4, at Detroit's GAIL ZIMMERMAN ning author, a repressed college professor Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts & Lift Editor fascinated by the striptease and a Bronx- Arts. $48-$78. (248) 645-6666. born stripper — who fall in love with each The Ark in Ann Arbor hosts the other. The film is an official selection of the Warsaw Seventh Annual Mr. B's Blues and Boogie Piano International Jewish Film Festival, running April 17-27 Celebration, 8 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. in Poland. The film screens 7:30 p.m. Mondays- Sunday, April 3-4, $27.50; international acoustic Thursdays and 4:30 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, April 7-27, folk group Mozaik, 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, $17.50; at the theater, 28325 Utica Rd. at Gratiot (between 11 musical storytellers Nerissa and Katryna Nields, 8 and 12 Mile roads). $5/for mature audiences only. p.m. Thursday, April 8, $13.50; and singer-song- • (586) 445-7810. writer Peter Mulvey, 8 p.m. Friday, April 9, $13.50. Providing a live soundtrack to silent films, The Alloy (734) 761-1451. Orchestra accompanies Buster Keaton's The General Percussionist T.S. Monk presents Monk on (1926), 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Monk Too, as he leads a 10-piece band in newly April 11; Charles Vanel's Dans La Nuit (1929), 7:30 discovered compositions by his legendary father, as p.m. Saturday, April 10; and Harold Lloyd's Speedy well as classics like "Round Midnight," 8 p.m. (1928), 6 p.m. Sunday, April, 11, at the Detroit Film Thursday, April 8, in a Paradise Jazz Series concert Theatre at the DIA. $8-$10. (313) 833-3237. at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Madstone Theaters in Ann Arbor hosts $18-$85. (313) 576-5111. filmmaker/actor Lloyd Kaufrnan (author of Make Your Own Damn Movie; St. Martin's Press; 2003) as he screens some of his films from Troma Entertainment ON THE STAGE Friday and Saturday, April 9-10: The Toxic Avenger WSU's Studio Theatre presents Tadeusz (9:30 p.m. Friday, April 9), Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Glowacki's Antigone in New York, a play that Avenger IV (11:30 p.m. Friday, April 4) and Cannibal! explores the condition of "homelessness" through a The Musical (9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10). Info: Call group of friends living in Manhattan, April 8-17. (734) 994-1000. Call for show times. $6-$8. (313) 577-2972. Celebrity Jews NATE BLOOM Special to the Jewish News Pesach Nibbles In this month's Modern Maturi t y, Billy Crystal relates that Louis Armstrong came to a seder at Billy's childhood home. He was a guest of Billy's uncle, the famous music producer Mile Gabler. Armstrong, of course, was noted for his very raspy voice. Billy's grandmother came up to Armstrong and said, "Louis, have you ever tried just clearing your throat, just coughing it up?" Meanwhile, Martha Stewart may be headed for the slammer = but she's still on TV's Food Network. Stewart, Nate Bloom is the Oakland, Calif -based editor of www.jewhoo.com. 4/ 2 2004 44 Jewish celeb chef Joan Nathan and Wolfgang Puck (who has a Jewish wife) are dispensing Passover recipes all over the FN through April 8. Go to www.foodnetwork.com and enter "Passover" in the search engine you'll pick up 55 varied recipes and show times for remaining episodes. And remember, kids, hiding the afikomen is not an SEC violation. ; Hittin' the Matzah Ball The baseball season begins this week. Here's a roundup of this year's Jewish players, prepared with the help of Jewish Sports Review. Shawn Green, the star L.A. Dodgers right-fielder, is looking to come back from a disappointing 2003 season hampered by knee problems. Last January, Green was honored as one of the winners of the Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award, given by the American Jewish Historical Society. Other Jewish MLB players include reliever Al Levine, who went to the Detroit Tigers in the off-season; out- fielder Gabe Kapler, who had a late season surge that secured him a place on the BoSox roster; and veteran catcher Brad Ausmus, who anchors the Houston Astros again (Ausmus is Jewish on his mother's side). Also Jewish on their mother's side are pitchers Scott Schoeneweis, a leftie reliever who is playing for the White Sox this year, and Pirates pitcher John Grabow, who made an amazing 2003 comeback. Pitcher Jason Marquis, who was traded to St. Louis in the off-sea- son, looks to mount a comeback from his lousy 2003 showing with Atlanta. Finally, Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal, who is Jewish on his father's side, hopes to repeat his great 2003 season. Briefly Noted: Elijah Wood, who isn't Jewish but is a mega-star due to the Lord of the Rings series, has signed to play the lead in the film version of Jonathan Safran Foer's award-winning novel, Everything is Illuminatec4 about a young American Jew's visit to his ancestors' home in the Ukraine. Actor Liev Schreiber, who is Jewish on his moth- er's side, is making his directorial debut with this flick. Alicia Silverstone's series, Miss Match, has been put on hiatus following disap- pointing ratings. NBC promises it will be brought back later this spring, but it appears to be on a ratings deathwatch. Meanwhile, Silverstone opens this week in the kiddie movie, Scooby Do 2. More promising is Alicia's co-starring role' (oppo- site Queen Lafitah) in the upcoming The Beauty Shop, a sequel to the hit Mk-an- American film The Barber Shop. Also opening today is Hellboy, a touted- "blockbuster." This flick from a FYI: For Arts and Life related events that you wish to have considered for Out & About, please send the item, with a detailed description of the event, times, dates, place, ticket prices and publishable phone number, to: Gail Zimmerman, JN Out & About, The Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Notice must be received at least three weeks before the scheduled event. Photos are appreciated but cannot be returned. All events and dates listed in the Out & About column are subject to change.