LISTINGS

THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER

Start your weekend right by hanging out with a little, elderly British nun. Sister Wendy Beckett (a.k.a. Sister Wendy), has become something of a cult figure because of her discussions of artwork on BBC and PBS. Although she does all of her work by examining reproductions and postcards in her cottage in England, Sister Wendy's analysis is quite thorough. Today she will be at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum to talk about "The Ideal Museum." 6:30 p.m. 280 The Fenway, Boston, 278-5102. Tickets $7 general, $5 member and seniors, free for students.

For you faithful FM readers who journeyed to the Tsongas Arena last night only to discover that the Tori Amos concert you had traveled so far to see had happened the night before, this listing's for you. Before you can write a depressing, angst-ridden song about missing your chance to see your idol perform, Tori will take the stage tonight for real this time--we swear. 8 p.m., Whittermore Center Arena, University of New Hampshire, 128 Main St., Durham, NH. 603-868-7300. Tickets $26.50, students $17.50.

Have MIT, Wellesley or BU ever lived up to your expectations of college life beyond Harvard? Try something a little different: Framingham State College. Tonight's selection in their International Film Series is Landscapes in the Mist, an example of Greek cinema (with the obligatory English subtitles). Following the movie, film critic Dr. Arthur Nolletti Jr. will lead a discussion. 7:30 p.m., College Center Forum, Framingham State College, State Street, Framingham. 508-626-4968. Tickets $6, $4 seniors and students.

Its that time of year again when cries of "Ooh. Ahh. City Step! City Step! City Step! City Step!" can only mean the annual wardrobe switch from the reign of the littleblackdress to that of the longblackdress. As Van Morrison once said so profoundly, "Its a wonderful night for a moondance," so slip into your black tie-best and get ready to catch some rays at Moondance: CityStep Benefit Ball. 9 p.m. to midnight. Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St. 496-2222. Tickets $15.

If you can't get enough of those Xena Warrior Princess, episodes, the Hillel is sponsoring a discussion on Women's Physical Equality with martial arts champion Rebecca Rakow '01. Though the talk has been advertised as "G.I. Joe Move Over, Barbie is in the Ring," men should not feel excluded from coming. 6 p.m., Hillel's Rear Dining Hall, 52 Mt. Auburn St. FREE.

Swanwhite opens at the Agassiz. Posters say "may not be suitable for children," which hints at inclusions of gratuitous sex and violence in an otherwise wholesome fairy tale concept. It's bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Dress is creative black tie. 8 p.m., $4 students, $6 general.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Seiji Ozawa's 25th anniversary this year, opening its season with Petrassi's Concerto for Orchestra No. 5, SaintSaens Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3. First Nights' matriculators will enjoy an upscale evening which calls for discriminating musical analysis. Pricey but classy, a romantic evening accompanied by the strains of the BSO is a surefire way to impress a dating prospect. 8 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave. $24 to $74.

For those who invariably tote around a copy of The Fountainhead--rife with the requisite pithy marginalia--will savor this lecture presented by the Harvard Objectivist Club. Dr. Gary Hull will speak about "Neo-Puritan Assault on Sex and Pleasure"-- offering a wonderfully diametrically alternative to the excessive, hedonistic pleasures of CityStep's Annual Ball. Why would anyone dance the night away in unnecessarily opulent getups when one could consider, instead, "the fusion of Plato, Christianity and Kantian - inspired nihilism"? Gosh.

One of Boston's newest emags, Stuff@night, is throwing its first anniversary party. The ads say, "All of Boston's Kens and Barbies are invited to a fabu Hollywood Extravaganza." Bonus points awarded for plastic hair, driving up in pink Mattel sedan and use of wanna-be Californian slang? 10:30 p.m., Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St.

Listen to some West Coast sensibility tonight when author T.C. Boyle reads from his book Stories. Known for his extravangant, irreverent personal style, Boyle has become an bad boy icon for 20-something readers. Boston University Law School Auditorium, 765 Comm Ave, Boston. 7 p.m. FREE.

Looking to escape the collegiate mayham of Harvard Yale? India Song, a play by Marguerite Duras about love, memory, loss and colonialism in 1930s Calcutta goes up this Thursday at the Loeb Ex. The show runs through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free and can be picked up at the Loeb.

FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER

Some combinations were simply destined to be together. Like make-your-own waffles and Sundays, formal wear and banjo music make the perfect couple. Maybe the people in Deliverance never sat around sipping tea and listening to music, but that's just because they didn't stop by Black Tie Banjo. 2:30 to 4 p.m., Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Ladies Committee Gallery, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300. FREE.

How many of you answered the roommate application form question on musical tastes with, "I'll listen to anything but country?" But Mary Chapin Carpenter is about as far from the 10-gallon hat and high-heeled boots stereotype as possible. Genre-bending as only a Brown graduate can be, Carpenter was a favorite on the D.C. acoustic scene before making it big on country charts. Next you're going to start digging line dancing. 7:30 p.m., Orpheum Theatre, One Hamilton Place, Boston. 423-NEXT. Tickets $23.50 to $33.50.

Before the Crimson and Bulldogs battle it out on the football field tomorrow, the Harvard and Yale Glee clubs will be suiting up in their tuxedoes and fighting for the better tone quality and blend. Those choir boys can get vicious. Be there to see if a fight breaks out over the harmony at The Harvard-Yale Football Concert. 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre, 496-2222. Tickets $8/$6 for students, $14/$10 general.

I'm getting veklempt. I'll give you a topic. Sweet Honey in the Rock is neither a food product nor a rock band. Discuss. Actually, its an all-female African American quintet that performs music with black church roots, like spirituals, hymns, gospel, jazz and blues. Check out their 25th Anniversary Concert Tour tonight. 8 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., Boston, 266-1200. Tickets $18.50 to $27.50.

Folk legend Arlo Guthrie appears at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square tonight for some acoustic guitar and good tunes. It's someone who you can brag about seeing live in 20 years. People will think it's cool. Really. 8 p.m., 55 Davis Square, Somerville, 625-5700. Ticket prices vary.

Bibliophiles will find sanctuary at the 22nd Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair. Rare books, pop culture accouterments, maps and photographs will be up for sale. Price range: $1 to $85,000.

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER

Those barren dorm room walls may have been acceptable in September, but now that midterms are over, they’re as tacky as keeping your Christmas lights out until Labor Day. Get in on the interior decorating action as 343 posters are auctioned at Skinners Auction Gallery. The selection ranges from The Seven Year Itch to The Day of the Triffids to Dirty Harry. And for you seniors courting first-years, try hanging Lolita or The Graduate over your bed for that suggestive effect. 3 p.m. 63 Park Plaza, Boston, 350-5400. FREE.

First-years heard the horror stories about the dread of the "bum, bum, budum, bum" of a cappella groups, but never fully understood the true terror until the jams kept coming with no end in sight. Weekend after weekend after weekend after weekend a different group vied for their money and struck fear into their hearts. But the end has come. The Harvard-Yale Jam, features The Radcliffe Pitches, The Harvard Din and Tonics, Dukes Men of Yale and Yale Whim N Rhythm. Prove that you're hardcore and make it to the encore. 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre, 496-2222. Tickets $7 for students and seniors, $10 general.

If you are not strong enough of a person to handle yet another weekend of Harvard a cappella, head over to MIT to experience MIT a cappella. The Chorallaries, a coed a cappella group, is having their Fall Concert. For once you'll see something there other than the frats. 7:30 p.m., MIT Room 10-250, 77 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 617-225-6545. FREE.

Stop dreaming about what Adams House was like back in the day and join the celebration of multimedia at mobius 10th annualArtRages decaDance, a benefit party withperformance, video, sound, participatory and otherart forms. Live music will be provided by NeonGrandma. The only wallflowers at this bash will bepart of the installations because that artsy setcan really boogie down. 8 p.m. to midnight, 11Stillings St., 2nd floor, Boston, 542-7416.Tickets $12, $10 for students in advance, $15, $12for students as the door.

Slick your hair back and get one more use outof that zoot suit and pair of saddle shoes. Beforeswing falls out of favor and the next dance crazebecomes all the rage, catch the Brian SetzerOrchestra jump, jive and wail away. Whenformer Stray Cat Setzer jams with his 17-pieceband, the joint will be jumping. Make Vince Vaughnproud. 9 p.m., The Palladium, 261 Main St.,Worchester, 423-NEXT. Tickets $22.50.

If the Garment District is your shopping venueof choice, this Bostonian retro fashionshow is making styles from the '50s and '70snouvelle and hip again. Proceeds go toward AIDScauses. 4 to 6 p.m., 1721 Washington St./ SouthEnd, Boston. $5 in advance, $7 at door.

The Boston Pet Expo is calling allanimal-lovers. (No, that doesn't mean bestialperverts.) A smorgasbord of dogs, fish, reptiles,ponies and predatory birds are up for sale, aswell as treats and toys for pets at home. 11a.m. to 7 p.m., also Sunday, Nov. 22 at 11 a.m.-6p.m., Bayside Expo Center. Tickets $6.

Like Stella, you too can get your groove backwith a taste of warm weather cuisine. Currychicken, jerk chicken, plantains, rice, peas, andchanna will be served at the H-R Caribbean ClubFood Festival. 4:30 p.m., Ticknor Lounge.$5/plate.

Watch Mather House transform into a house offashion as haute couture-strikes withMOODS, a fashion and talent show sponsoredby the H-R Carribean Club and the BSA. 8:30p.m., Mather House Dining Hall. FREE.

If the decor of your room bespeaks HollywoodGlam, Skinner's Movie Poster Auction isnecessary hot spot to frequent this weekend.Cinemaphiles may take home original movie postersfrom Sunset Boulevard, Breakfast at Tiffany's,Psycho, and more. Invest in vintage posters,domestic and foreign, before they're going, going,gone. 3 p.m., Skinner's Auction Gallery,Heritage-on-the-Garden, 63 Park Plaza. FREE.

"Your life is your art, your art is your life."VES concentrators, Adams House and likewiseartistic peeps will indulge themselves atArtRages Decadence. Contemporary art in themediums of video, sound and live performance arethe centerpieces of this extravaganza, thoughhorsd'oeuvres and some form of dancing--howeverexperimental--may accompany the event. 8 p.m.to 12 a.m., 11 Stillings St., Boston. Tickets$12.

SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER

If watching large men hurt each other on thefield yesterday didn't give you the gratificationyou expect from a weekend, maybe seeing four guysfrom Sacramento just play angry music will satisfyyou. Catch the Deftones before they headdown under for Vans Warped Tour '99 in Australia.7:30 p.m. The Palladium, 261 Main St.,Worchester, 800-477-6849. Tickets $16.50.

For all of those people out there who have everhoped that they might one day join mobs of skinny,acne-plagued teenagers dressed in black to danceand worship satanic figures, tonight your dreamscome true. Marilyn Manson, tortured souland all, will perform his hits tonight in aconcert banned in most Midwestern states. 7:30p.m., Tsongas Arena, Lowell, 617-931-2000. Tickets$25.

MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER

Go home early. Screw the rest of yourclasses. See your family. Depart either via LoganAirport or South Station. All day long.EXPENSIVE.

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER

It may not be "Jem and the Holograms" or"Thundercats," but you can still get your cartoonfix at Harvard. Except here they are calledcaricatures. "Drawings by Al Hirschfeld,"which closes tomorrow, features more than 60original theatrical drawings by the 95-year oldNew York Times caricaturist from the Melvin R.Seiden Collection in the Harvard TheatreCollection. It's truly, truly, truly outrageous.9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pusey Library, SheldonExhibition Rooms, Harvard Yard, 495-4387.FREE.

The Green Street Grill is proud to hostintimate and magical evenings of sophisticatedsleight of hand. The evening starts with randomacts of magic at the bar, followed at 10 by acabaret-style stage show. 8 p.m., 280 GreenStreet, 491-8609.

Here's something worth checking out, especiallyright after The Game and right before a holiday.Every Tuesday at the Brass Bull is theTuesday Night Guest Bartender, featuring a newface every Tuesday! That means you! Drop in yourbusiness card (or crumpled up piece of notebookpaper), win the contest, pour drinks, pop beersand talk trash with your friends. 199 StateStreet, Boston, 723-2855. FREE.

WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER

Learn how to be sketchy. Fool around withopen studio life drawing-- both short andlong poses. 7 to 10 p.m., Zeitgeist Gallery,312 Broadway (at Norfolk), 623-1065. $8 asession.

On your way home to mommy and daddy, stop byFoxwoods Resort and Casino. Apre-Thanksgiving gambling splurge won't hurtanyone--the food's already paid for. I-95south, Exit 92 for Rte. 2, Ledyard, CT.800-200-2882. Lots and lots of cash.