Diane Ford, one of our favorite comedians (comediennes? Whatever) will be at the Comedy Zone tonight through February 16. She's highly recommended. Shows are Wednesday and Sunday at 8pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and 10:15pm. The show will also feature Mike Collins. For more information, call 704-348-HAHA.

The Charlotte 49ers Men's Basketball team takes on the Memphis Tigers tonight at Halton Arena at 9:30pm. Memphis features phenom guard DeJuan Wagner, considered one of the best incoming freshmen of the last 20 years (Wagner once scored 100 points in a prep game). Tickets range from $14 to $20. Call 704-687-4949.

Going Grimm is a Moving Poets presentation that boldly brings classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales to life in the city streets with Grimm Rhapsody and Lil' Red Ridin' In the Hood. The show will run through February 17 in the Duke Power Theatre of Spirit Square. All performances will start at 8pm, except for Sunday which starts at 7pm. Tickets range from $14.50-$18.50. For more information, call 704-372-1000 or visit online at www.movingpoets.com.

The Charlotte Hornets hit the court against the once-mighty Chicago Bulls tonight at 7pm at the Coliseum. Tickets range from $9-$39. For more information, call 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

On The Verge will be presented by UNC-Charlotte's Dance and Theatre Department tonight through February 16 at 8pm, and February 17 at 2pm, in Rowe Studio Theatre. Tickets are $8 for the general public. For more information call 704-687-2482.

THURSDAY 14

Today is Valentine's Day, and somewhere, a Hallmark CEO is eyeing a new Lexus. Yes, today's the day to make your special someone feel like a king or queen, buy flowers, and to eat lots of chocolate. If you don't have a special someone, well, have a great time by just eating a lot of chocolate. We won't tell.

Misery, a dramatization of a Stephen King novel, will be presented by Off-Tryon Theatre Company February 14-17, and 21-23. All shows are at 8pm. Tickets are $15, $10 for seniors and students. For more information, call 704-375-2826 or visit on the web at www.offtryon.org.

A Piece of My Heart, written by Shirley Lauro, will be presented at Winthrop University in Johnson Hall Theatre tonight through February 16 at 8pm. The play is based on Keith Walker's book A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served In Vietnam. Tickets are $7 for general admission. For more information call 803-323-4014.

The Charlotte Checkers play the Columbia Inferno tonight at 7pm at Cricket Arena. Tickets range from $6-$19. For more information, call 704-522-6500.

FRIDAY 15

The Charlotte Hornets hit the court against all-star Jermaine O'Neal and the Indiana Pacers tonight at 7:30pm at the Coliseum. Tickets range from $9-$39. For more information, call 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

Leo Driehuys, who was conductor of the Charlotte Symphony for 17 years, will conduct once again in a performance celebrating the orchestra's 70th Anniversary. The show will be held at the Belk Theater of the Performing Arts Center tonight and tomorrow at 8pm. Tickets range from $12-$55. For more information call 704-972-2000.

Imitation of Life, originally a novel by the currently-being-re-discovered novelist Fanny Hurst, was made into a classic 1959 film starring Lana Turner. Now, the African American Children's Theatre presents a new stage-play based on the novel. The show will take place at Spirit Square tonight at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 4pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $18 for children ages 17 and under. The show is recommended for children ages 8 and up. For more information call

704-372-1000.

The Dan Haerle Trio, whose members have performed with some of the top names in jazz, will perform tonight at 8pm in UNC-Charlotte's Rowe Recital Hall. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for students and senior citizens. For more information call 704-687-2899.

Steel Magnolias, a comedy/drama about a group of Southern women, will be presented by CPCC Theatre starting tonight in Pease Auditorium at 8pm. The show will also take place tomorrow and Feburary 22-23 at 8pm, and February 17 at 2:30pm. Tickets to the performance are $10. For more information call 704-330-6534.

SATURDAY 16

The Charlotte 49ers Men's Basketball team takes on DePaul today at noon at Halton Arena. Tickets range from $14 to $20. Call 704-687-4949.

The Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra will present "Music of the Night," featuring soprano Cristina Fontanelli tonight at 8pm in Ovens Auditorium. The performance will include Dvorak Symphony #8, "Un Bel Di" from Madame Butterfly, and Phantom of the Opera highlights. Tickets to the performance are $20. For more information call 704-846-2788.

Chamber Music at Queens continues tonight at 8:15 in Dana Auditorium on the campus of Queens College. The concert will feature works by Schubert, Harbison, and Dvorak. There will be a pre-concert lecture at 7:15pm. Tickets are $20 for general admission. For more information call 704-337-2213.

The Charlotte Checkers hit the ice against the South Carolina Stingrays tonight at 7:30pm at Cricket Arena. Tickets range from $6-$19. For more information, call 704-522-6500.

SUNDAY 17

Celia Cruz is being billed as the "Queen of Salsa," and that's true. But Cruz, one of the legends of the rich Cuban music scene, is more than that. She's not a spring chicken anymore, but the woman absolutely rocks in live performance. If you like music, period, this is a don't-miss show. Cruz will perform in the Belk Theater of the Performing Arts Center tonight at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $22-$45. For more information call 704-372-1000 or visit online at www.performingartsctr.org.

The Charlotte Hornets take the floor against Duke product Shane Battier and the Memphis Grizzlies today at 2pm at the Coliseum. Tickets range from $9-$39. For more information, call 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

MONDAY 18

Jazz on Film, a series at the Main Library, premieres tonight at 7pm. The film, The Last of the Blue Devils: The Kansas City Jazz Story tells the tale of the Kansas City Jazz Scene of the 1930s. For more information call 704-336-6217 .

TUESDAY 19

Dirty Blonde, Claudia Shear's tale of the life of Mae West, comes to the Performing Arts Center starting tonight. The show will run Tuesday-Thursday at 8pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm, and Sunday shows at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $18-$44. For more information call 704-372-1000 or visit online at www.performingartsctr.org.

The Charlotte Checkers play their longtime rivals, the Greensboro Generals, tonight at 7pm at Cricket Arena. Tickets range from $6-$19. For more information, call 704-522-6500.

Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, will appear today at 2pm in the Jack S. Brayboy Gymnasium of Johnson C. Smith University as part of the school's Lyceum series. Soyinka will speak after the presentation of his The Trials of Brother Jero. Soyinka will also be the keynote speaker at the Echo Foundation Third Annual Echo Award Dinner, where he will be introduced by poet Maya Angelou of Hallmark cards fame. There will be a guest reception at 6:15pm, with dinner and the program beginning at 7pm. Sister Mary Thomas Burke will be presented with the Echo Award Against Indifference. The evening will take place in Bank of America's Founders Hall. Tickets are $150, available by calling 704-347-3844. *