Arts & Entertainment Best Bets reliance on popular culture for its imagery. Advertising, Hollywood, news- The Ark in Ann Arbor presents a week of top- papers and current events all served as notch musical talent this coming week. fodder for the Pop artist. First up is singer-songwriter John Prine, who The movement's core group of artists makes his way to the Michigan Theater in Ann — including Andy Warhol, Claes Arbor 8 p.m. Friday, June 3, in a performance in Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Tom support of Fair and Square, his first studio recording Wesselmann and Pop's most notable since 1995.He promises "a homey affair that draws Jewish artist,-Roy Lichtenstein — saw generously from the palette of traditional American themselves as breaking away from the music." Louisiana songwriter Mary Gauthier opens. Abstract Expressionist movement to a style that $41-$46. incorporated hard-edged graphic techniques and Back at the Ark on Main Street, renowned Jewish styles that encouraged a fresh look at the contempo- bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman jams with rary scene. Their works delivered an often shocking Charlottesville's Old School Freight Train, a group new perception of the forging a new music blending bluegrass, jazz, Celtic, visual, cultural and com- classical, Afro-Cuban and rhythm-and-blues sounds, mercial icons of the 8 p.m. Monday, June 6, $35; Loudon Wainwright moment. III, one of folk music's greatest lyricists (and proud From June 5-Sept. 25, father of Rufus) takes the stage 8 p.m. Wednesday, the University of June 8, $20; and Grammy-nominated Western Michigan Museum of swing band Asleep at the Wheel, led by Jewish Art in Ann Arbor frontman Ray Benson, performs 8 p.m. Thursday, explores this movement June 9, $30. in an exhibit of more For more information, call (734) 761-1451 or go than 100 works titled to -www.theark.org. "Pop!" Selections from UMMA!s holdings ofPop prints will be augmented Roy Lichtenstein's Primarily associated with American artists in the by paintings and other • "Finger Pointing," on 1960s, Pop Art as a formal movement actually works from noted public display at UMMA's began in Britain in the mid-1950s, named for its and private collections, "Pop!" exhibit. TOP NOTCH Go Pop! CELEBRITY JEWS NATE BLOOM Special to the Jewish News Surprised Me Vartan's late father was born in Bulgaria, but grew up in France. Michael's mother is an American Jew (of Polish Jewish descent). The actor's parents divorced when he was a small child, and he was raised in France and the United States. (It's still unclear whether Vartan's late father was Jewish). Hunky actor MICHAEL VARTAN, who co- stars in TV's Alias, and currently can be seen in the screen hit Monster-in-Law, recently said this in Newsweek about his French background: "The funny thing is I'm actually a Polish Michael Vartan: Jew who happens to Who knew? be born in France. My mom is Polish, and my dad is Bulgarian. I don't have an ounce of French blood. But I work it." Kudrow's Back Former Friends star LISA KUDROW returns to TV June 5 in the HBO series Comeback, playing a former TV star who is reduced to being in a reality series featuring her home life, hoping that it will secure a part in a new TV sitcom. She succeeds in getting the Lisa Kudrow sitcom, but her role is much smaller than she was led to believe. Kudrow is the co-writer of Comeback. One her including the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in New York. Guided tours of the exhibit will be given 2 p.m. Sunday, June 19, and 7 p.m. Thursday, June 30. A video profile of Lichtenstein and his work will be shown 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, June 8. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays and 12-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free; $5 donation is requested. (734) 763-8662 or www.umma.umich.edu . SO SWEET You don't need to travel to New York to see a pro- duction of Sweet Charity, where Tony-nominated actress Christina Applegate is performing on Broadway while nursing a broken foot she injured during out-of-town tryouts. Just head over to Bloomfield Hills, where St. Dunstan's Theatre Guild of Cranbrook stages the musical, on its indoor stage, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, June 3-17. There will be an additional performance 8 p.m. Sunday, June 18. Originally conceived and directed by Bob Fosse for Gwen Verdon, the musical features a book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, to such tunes as "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now." co-stars is LISA SILVERMAN, the sister of come- dian SARAH SILVERMAN. Something To Crowe About Opening June 3 is Ron Howard's PG-13 rated blockbuster Cinderella Man (see a story about the film and a book of the same title in this week's Arts & Entertainment section). The film stars Russell Crowe as James J. Braddock, who won the heavyweight boxing cham- pionship in 1935 when he upset heavyweight cham- pion Max Baer. In an interesting sidelight, Crowe was making Cinderella Man in Toronto when Canadian papers all carried the story of the firebombing of the library of a Jewish school in Montreal. Crowe called the school to express his shock and made a donation to the rebuilding fund. (The teenage arsonist is now in jail, and the library has been rebuilt). Knack Coming Back On Thursday, June 2, NBC begins a new, three- week reality series called Hit Me, Baby, One More %TN 6/ 2 2005 64 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.