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Weekend Hotlist
Friday, December 29, 2000 By Scott Mervis, Weekend Editor
Another look
There are two other days to this weekend, and we wouldn't want to just ignore them. Especially when there's quality stuff like the Delfonics and the Attack Theatre ...
Blow your mind
If you saw the movie "Jackie Brown," you probably came away with a new appreciation of the Delfonics, if you weren't hip to them already. Quentin Tarantino used the cool 1970 hit "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time" as a way of sparking the romance between Pam Grier and Robert Forster. The classic Philly soul group will be at the Crawford Grill tonight and tomorrow to perform that song, along with other hits like "La-La Means I Love You" and "Ready or Not Here I Come." Now for the $25 question (which is the ticket price): Are these the real Delfonics? Happy to say, yes! Fans will be seeing William "Poogie" Hart, Randy Cain and Major Harris singing at the Grill. Admission also gets you in line at the buffet. Times are 7 and 10 p.m. For reservations, call 412-471-1565.
Hoopsters
From "Jackie Brown" to "Sweet Georgia Brown." Like they do year after year, the Harlem Globetrotters are bouncing into town just a few days after Santa. It seems like they always have some kind of anniversary to celebrate -- this time it's the big 75th. Taking the floor at the Mellon Arena tonight for the Globetrotters will be Michael "Wild Thing" Wilson, Matt "Showbiz" Jackson, Paul "Showtime" Gaffney and dribbling sensation and man with two nicknames -- Curley "Boo" Johnson. If you can find someone willing to bet on the outcome of the game, don't take the Generals. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 to $36.75. Call 412-323-1919.
Brickman's romance
Who else but PBS can break a guy like Jim Brickman? The network recently broadcast the Windham Hill pianist's live concert "My Romance: An Evening With Jim Brickman," featuring appearances by Donny Osmond, Olivia Newton-John, Dave Koz and Anne Cochran. Brickman will have Osmond and Cochran with him when he turns up at the Benedum tonight for a set of piano instrumentals, ballads and holiday music. Brickman's style is the very definition of the term "easy listening," so don't expect to be too challenged by the proceedings. He's getting a mixed critical reaction. The Washington Post declares that "Brickman's piano playing is so rudimentary that he makes John Tesh seem like Keith Jarrett by comparison." The Courier-Journal in Louisville writes that while "his songs are universal to the point of complete and total blah ... Osmond and Cochran did a good job selling them." If you're game, the curtain is at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32.50 to $44.50. Call 412-323-1919.
On the Attack
We've had a "Nutcracker," a "Jazz Nutcracker" and now Attack Theatre goes on the offensive with "This Ain't the Nutcracker," a clean break from all the holiday fare. It marks the first time that the local dance group, led by Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, is doing a full three-night stand in Pittsburgh. It opened last night at the Hazlett Theater on the North Side and continues with performances at 7:30 tonight and 3 p.m. tomorrow. Among the pieces will be a refurbished "Resolution Cafe," which premiered at First Night in 1995, with music by Kurt Weill; "Cellus Maximus," a duet for two men and a cello; the "Kharmen Suites," inspired by the music from "Carmen"; and "Chance Encounter," which allows the audience to spin a wheel to determine the outcome. Tickets are $15. Call 412-371-0608.
Best of the rest
The past couple of weeks has not brought the kind of weather that makes you say "Let's go to the Zoo." Here's an extra incentive: Through Monday, admission will be free for both daytime visits and at night for Duquesne Light ZooLights. It's a little thank-you to the community from the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, for its record-setting attendance year. Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with gates closing at 4 p.m.), and for Zoolights, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (with gates closing at 8:30 p.m.). Call 412-665-3640.
Grab your teddy bear and head for the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center tomorrow for the Teddy Bear Ball. From 5 to 7:30 p.m., there will be music, games, crafts, tattoos and costumed bears. It's free with admission: $6 adults; $3 ages 6 to 18; $4.50 for seniors. Call 412-454-6393.
The Millvale Industrial Theater is jumping in a day early with its third annual New Year's Eve Bash. Performing the kind of underground music you won't find anywhere else will be Teddy Duchamps Army, Microwaves, Creta Bourzia, Weird Paul, Grand Buffet, The Tree Three, Hovland, Blue Sun and The Clearing (featuring members of the Garden). It's tomorrow at 8 p.m. The $6 admission includes buffet and snacks. Call 412-422-8864.
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