The Charlotte Checkers take on the Greensboro Generals tonight at 7pm at Cricket Arena. Tickets are $6-19, available by calling Ticketmaster at

704-522-6500.

THURSDAY 14
The Charlotte Hornets take on John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the rest of the geezer Utah Jazz at 7pm tonight at the Charlotte Coliseum. Tickets are $9-39, available by calling 800-4NBA-TIX.

All My Sons, a compelling early play by Arthur Miller, will be presented at Theatre Charlotte tonight through March 17, and 21-24. Tickets are $15-$20. Showtimes are 8pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30pm on Sundays. For more information or to purchase tickets call 704-334-9128 or visit online at www.theatrecharlotte.org.

The BareBones Theatre Group will present their production of the award-winning Closer by British playwright Patrick Marber. It's a complex tale of love and near-misses, as four people struggle to find the path that's right for them. The play will be held in the Attic Theater of the Afro-American Cultural Center. Tickets are $10 on Thursday and Sunday, and $12 on Friday and Saturday. The play runs tonight through March 17. Call 704-577-7274 for more information or showtimes, or visit on the web at www.barebones.org.

Jeffrey, Off-Tryon Theatre's next production, continues tonight. It's humorous, according to playwright Paul Rudnick, but the hilarity takes place during a leap of faith that seems anything but hilarious. The play is presented at the Off-Tryon Theatre tonight through March 17 with a showtime of 8pm. Tickets are $15, $10 for students and seniors. For more information, call

704-375-2826.

This is almost too good to be true. An Oscar statuette will arrive by limo and be escorted down a ribbon of red carpet by an Academy security guard into Phillips Place Theatre at 10:45am today, where he/it will be greeted by Herman Stone, president of Consolidated Theatres, and Mayor Pat McCrory, who might be shocked to find a figure more static than himself. Pretty silly stuff, but Oscar's appearance will also kick off the worthwhile Arthritis Foundation Oscar Night America party in Charlotte at the Ballantyne Resort, which will feature an auction, local celebs, food, music, and more, all done up in glitzy Oscar fashion, for only $100 a ticket. For more information, call 800-883-8806, or visit www.arthritis.org.

FRIDAY 15
Children's Theatre of Charlotte puts an exciting new twist on Rudyard Kipling's classic adventure tales with Jungalbook, running tonight through March 17 at Spirit Square's McGlohon Theatre. Showtimes are: tonight at 7:30pm, March 16 at 1pm and March 17 at 2pm. General admission seats are $10. For more information, call 704-333-8983 or the Spirit Square box office at 704-372-1000. You can also visit online at www.ctcharlotte.org.

The Charlotte Checkers take on the Pee Dee Pride tonight at 7:30pm at Cricket Arena. Tickets are $6-19, available by calling Ticketmaster at

704-522-6500.

Carolina Pro Musica presents Ayres and Merriments, a concert of music from the Highlands (of Scotland) through the Islands (England, Wales, Ireland). The concert features songs and dances from the 17th and 18th centuries. The show will be held at St. Mary's Chapel, 1129 East 3rd St. starting at 8:15pm. Tickets are $12 for regular admission, $6 for students and seniors. For more information, call 704-334-3468 or visit online at www.carolinapromusica.org.

SATURDAY 16
The Sixth Annual Guinness St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival will take place today in the First Union/Wachovia Atrium and Plaza and Tryon St. between 2nd and 3rd Streets from 10am-6pm today, even though today isn't really St. Patrick's Day. Oh well, don't wanna annoy the yahoos by having it on Sunday. The parade will begin at the corner of Stonewall and Tryon in front of the Charlotte Observer building. Tickets are $5 for adults, with those 16 and under getting in for free. For more information, call 704-542-6846.

The Charlotte Hornets hit the court against the Phoenix Suns at 7:30pm tonight at the Charlotte Coliseum. Tickets are $9-39, available by calling 800-4NBA-TIX.

SUNDAY 17
Today is St. Patrick's Day, a day known for green beer and drunken bar fights -- and the story of how St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. The story is actually more of a "legend," but that's alright -- here in America we'll take anything as an excuse to eat, drink and be merry!

Rap-rockers 311 play the Grady Cole Center tonight at 8pm, along with special guests Hoobastank. Tickets are $15, available by calling 704-522-6500.

The Friends of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are hosting mystery author Margaret Maron, author of Uncommon Clay, from 3pm-5pm at the main branch auditorium (310 North Tryon St.). Admission is free. For more information, call 704-483-2941.

MONDAY 18
The Charlotte Hornets play the Milwaukee Bucks, their nemesis in last year's NBA playoffs, at 7pm tonight at the Charlotte Coliseum. Tickets are $9-39, available by calling 800-4NBA-TIX.

The CPCC Literary Festival begins today and runs through Wednesday at Central Piedmont Community College, featuring a variety of workshops and speakers, some of which include NC Poet Laureate Fred Chappell, Southern food writer John T. Edge, and novelist Robert Inman. For more information, log onto www.cpcc.edu/literary. For a full schedule, see the Books section in this issue.

TUESDAY 19
The Charlotte Coalition for a Moratorium Now (CCMN) is sponsoring three public forums to examine the the criminal justice system and the death penalty in North Carolina. Each forum will include an overview of the death penalty system, a review of recent studies on the death penalty from UNC-Chapel Hill and Columbia University, and a status report on the movement in NC for a moratorium on the death penalty. The forums will be held today at 2pm at Johnson C. Smith University, and at 7pm at Unity Place, featuring Terance Garner and his legal team (Garner was recently released from prison after serving part of a 40-year term for a crime he didn't commit). Tomorrow's forum will be at Queens College featuring the mother of Charles Mason Alston Jr., whose death sentence was commuted earlier this year, Professor James Coleman of Duke Law School, and Gretchen Engel of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation. For more information on the forums or on how to become a part of CCMN call 704-331-7489.

NC Poet Laureate Fred Chappell will be at the Gaston County Public Library Auditorium at 7pm to read from and discuss his work, followed by an author reception and booksigning. Admission is free, but a ticket is required for admission. For more information, call 704-868-2167 or email a request to creinhardt@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us.

WEDNESDAY 20
Classical music star Midori will perform with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra tonight at 8pm in the Belk Theater of the Performing Arts Center. The performance is on the occasion of the Orchestra's 70th anniversary. Tickets are $40-$75. For more information, call 704-972-2000 or visit online at www.charlottesymphony.org.

The Charlotte Hornets play the Indiana Pacers and superstar guard (and mouth) Reggie Miller tonight at 7pm at the Charlotte Coliseum. Tickets are $9-39, available by calling 800-4NBA-TIX.