Charleston Gazette

Rovers Here, and There Are Lessons in That

IF YOU GO The Irish Rovers perform at 8 p.m. tonight at the Municipal Auditorium. Tickets, $35. Call 744-1400 or visit www.cmaw va.org. earle@wvgazette.com

Best Bet: ; Abaca-Dabra

Avant-garde string quintet The Abaca String Band (Andrew Schulman on eight-string guitar, Tamara Volskaya on mandolin, Robert Zubrycki on violin, Julie Goodale on viola and Marc Schmeid on upright bass) brings its diverse program to the Capitol Center Theater in Charleston for a 7 p.m. concert Friday ($8 for adults, $6 for students) and to West Virginia University in Parkersburg at 8 p.m. Saturday ($10 adults, $5 students). The band plays a repertoire stretching from Bach to rock and has been...

The Gazz Calendar: ; March 2-8

gazz MUSIC

Best Bet: ; 'Modern' Musical

The musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie" has nothing if not staying power. It started as the 1956 British musical "Chrysanthemum" and became a popular 1967 film starring Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore before getting a stage revival as an American musical and winning six Tony Awards in 2002. The story of flapper-era Manhattan, this revamped musical features two songs from the film (which won an Oscar for best original score), a few 1920s standards and several originals. The touring performan...

Best Bet: ; Dr. Stanley, I Presume

Ralph Stanley, probably the greatest living legend of bluegrass music, brings his Clinch Mountain Boys to the Kanawha Valley Jamboree in Marmet for a special Friday night concert with Glenn Hypes & New Ground. Renowned for his banjo picking and piercing tenor voice, Stanley has been playing for more than half a decade and recorded more than 170 albums, including a Grammy-winning cut for the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. Music in the drug- and alcohol-free venue kicks off at 7 p.m. ...

Subtle Script Makes '16 Blocks' Worthwhile Trip

REVIEW "16 Blocks" HHH Rated PG-13 (violence, intense sequences of action and some strong language) Directed by Richard Donner Starring Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas It is a very good week for Mos Def fans.

Cover Story: ; Will Jon Stewart Deliver an Oscar-Caliber Performance?

NEW YORK - Jon Stewart just won the Heisman - the comedians' version. As host of this Sunday's broadcast of the Academy Awards, Stewart joins an elite group that includes Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. "It doesn't mean you're going to have a good pro career, or even do well in the bowl game," Stewart says, sitting in his Manhattan office behind a desk cluttered with papers. "But to get to that point means something. Now you're in the club."

Film Clips

* "DOOGAL": H Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas. This is the laziest, most disheartening kind of animated children's film: one that seems interested in entertaining kids only on the most fundamental level (through colorful talking animals and flatulence jokes) while frantically cramming in as many pop culture references as possible to preoccupy their parents. Rated G. * "MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION": H 1/2 MC, PPSC. In cinematic form, Tyler Perry's latest - in which he writes, directs an...

In Short

Lou Rawls refunds Officials at the Clay Center in Charleston have decided to offer refunds or credit toward other events to people who purchased tickets to a concert by Lou Rawls.

'Crash' Tops in Cursing Among Nominees

LOS ANGELES - It's up for several honors at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, but "Crash" already has taken first prize for the most curse words in a film nominated for best picture. FamilyMediaGuide.com, which tracks incidents of profanity, sex, violence and tobacco use in films, reported Tuesday that "Crash" had 182 expletives, including 99 utterances of the F-word.

Fundraiser Features 'Whale' of a Movie

The Oscar-nominated film "The Squid and the Whale" will be the center of attention March 11 when the West Virginia International Film Festival hosts its annual fundraiser at the Capitol Center Theater, 123 Summers St. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail party and silent auction, followed by a screening of the film at 7 p.m.

'Block Party' Energetic, Inviting

REVIEW Dave Chappelles Block Party HHH 1/2 Rated R (drug references, very strong language) Directed by Michael Gondry Starring Dave Chappelle, Mos Def Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas Its star-studded lineup poses the possibility of divalike demands, beefs breaking out and entourages elbowing each other out of the way. But "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" is as friendly and down-home as the title suggests.

State Arts Assembly to Be Held in April

A statewide arts assembly will be held in Charleston from April 2- 4 at the Cultural Center and the Clay Center. Sponsored by Arts Advocacy West Virginia, the three-day conference will feature panels, workshops, guest speakers and other activities. The theme is "The Arts: Open for Business" and will be held in conjunction with the Governor's Arts Awards April 3 at the Cultural Center.

Majesco's Zombie Title Infectious

REVIEW "Infected" HHH Publisher: Majesco System: Sony PSP Cost: $39.99 ESRB Rating: M With the "Resident Evil" series, Capcom introduced the idea of surrounding the player with deadly, yet painfully slow, zombies to induce a realistic sense of fear. In the PSP game "Infected," Majesco takes this idea up a notch not only by creating faster zombies, but also by making them much more lethal.

'Simpsons' Knowledge Trumps Rights

CHICAGO - D'oh! A new survey shows that Americans have more extensive knowledge of "The Simpsons" than of the First Amendment. While only one in four Americans could name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, more than half could name at least two members of the cartoon family, according to a survey.

'Aquamarine' Seems to Know Tweens

REVIEW "Aquamarine" HH 1/2 Rated PG (mild language and sensuality) Directed by Elizabeth Allen Starring Emma Roberts, Joanna Jojo Levesque Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas The appeal of "Aquamarine" is identical to the appeal of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants": smart, confident girls who are a little out of the mainstream and don't care.

Music Notes

Ragtime and more at Walker Theater With Fat Tuesday just concluded this week and the Mardi Gras parade season come to an end, there's no need to put aside New Orleans-inspired music. Bob Malone, a New Orleans-style ragtime piano player and singer/songwriter will split the night with West Virginia native singer/songwriter Kristy Jackson in the next installment of the Woody Hawley Concert Series on Saturday at the Clay Center's Walker Theater.

Next Week

Theater: ; Scenic Drive; 30th Humana Festival Begins Tuesday

IF YOU GO The festivals plays will be presented in rotating repertory in Actors Theatre of Louisvilles 637-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium, the 318-seat Bingham Theatre and the 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre. For information or reservations, call (502) 584-1205 or (800) 4-ATL-TIX, or visit Actors Theatres Web site at www.actorstheatre.org. Tourist ticket packages, which offer discounts to multiple plays and to area hotels, are still available for some of the weekends in March. For tourist package ...

Music: ; 'Purists at Heart' Bring Celtic Touch to Clay Concerts

rustymarks@wvgazette.com Cherish the Ladies founder Joanie Madden was born in the Bronx. But that doesn't mean she isn't Irish.