The little ghouls with the candy bags are off the streets but the horror never stops around here. It lives on at Genghis Con, "a full-fledged terror-gathering" at the Radisson Hotel, Green Tree Friday through Sunday. The guest of honor is horrormeister and Pittsburgh native Herschel Gordon Lewis, known for such films as "Blood Feast" and "Monster-A-Go-Go." Also appearing will Gunnar Hansen from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and well-known movie personality Joe-Bob Briggs, plus Reggie Bannister ("Phantasm"), Scream Queen Brinke Stevens, Amy Lynn Best ("Severe Injuries"), Jasmine St. Claire ("Swamp Zombies"), Debbie Rochon ("Nowhere Man"), artists Dave Nestler ("Blonde and Gagged") and Joe Jusko ("Tomb Raider") and more. The festival also features the world premiere screening of "Skin Crawl." Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10; $25 weekend pass. For details, go to www.genghisconpa.com.

The curator of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum called it "one of the most meaningful shows in the country" and we choose not to argue. The 8th annual Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show, presented by PNC Advisors and Bailey Banks & Biddle, opens Friday with a celebration of silver in honor of the Silver Anniversary of Hillman Hall of Minerals & Gems. Along with a selection of some of the finest silver specimens in the world from other top museums, you'll find the silver service from the USS Pennsylvania, silver artifacts from the shipwrecked Spanish galleon Atocha, silver jewelry from international vendors, the works of silversmith James A. Curtis, silver crystal specimens and a collection of artists and jewelers displaying and selling items with prices starting at only a few dollars. There will also be a children's activities area with a miniature working mine should you choose to prepare them for such a life. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The show is free with museum admission: $10 adults, $7 seniors, $6 kids ages 3-18. Call 412-622-3131.

Doc Severinsen -- who played the flamboyantly dressed foil to Johnny Carson for three decades on "The Tonight Show" -- returns to conduct and perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops for the first time in nine years. Where's he been? The trumpeter has been busy working as the principal pops conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Phoenix Symphony. Here, he leads a program of Italian-inspired works, including pieces by Verdi, Mancini and Rossini. PSO trumpeters Charles Lirette and Neal Berntsen will be featured in Leroy Anderson's "Bugler's Holiday." Concerts are 7:30 tonight; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $19.50 to $72. Call 412-392-4900.

"Get Rich or Die Tryin' " is not part of The Pittsburgh Hip Hop Film Festival. Rather, these are films that show the culture in a more positive, not to mention international light. Diatribe Magazine and Rights & Responsibilities present the festival at the Homewood Library Auditorium, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre and The Shadow Lounge Thursday through Sunday.

The unlikely cast of Rita Coolidge, Dianne Reeves, Niki Haris, Joan Osborne and Rokia Traore pay tribute to the late, great Billie Holiday in "Billie & Me," a production with performances, readings and film and audio footage. The journey spans from Billie's beginnings in the brothels of Baltimore to the Harlem clubs to a hard-traveling life with The Count Basie Orchestra. It's at the Byham Theater, Downtown. 8 p.m. Tickets are $20-$42. 412-456-6666.

The Mattress Factory opens "Gestures," an exhibition of new work by Patty Beachley, Charles Benefiel, Emory Biko, Carol Brode, Jeffrey Carpenter, Francis Crisafio, Toi Derricotte, Joan Goswell, Steven Radney, Ian Short and David Sleasman. At 7 p.m., Dennis Marsico talks about his "Messages & Communications." The lecture is free with admission. 412-231-3169.

UMOJA African Arts Company presents Cocktails & Culture with appetizers, wine and, naturally, a bit of explosive African dance and drumming. It's at SPACE Gallery, 812 Liberty Ave., from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free. Call 412-471-1121.

Hoping for a wider audience, Boy Sets Fire, a progressive hardcore band from Delaware, takes on George Bush in a pop-punky way on "Dear George," a single from "The Misery Index: Songs from the Plague Years." The upcoming record marks the band's switch from Wind-Up to Equal Vision. In a recent post, the Boys Sets Fire explained its vision as "emotional music instead of emo, dangerous instead of pretentious, political beyond slogans and personal beyond what's considered 'cool.'" They're at the Rex at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. 412-323-1919.

Donnie Iris, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, B.E. Taylor and Bill Toms & Hard Rain join forces for Rock the Burgh, a benefit for the Epilepsy Foundation at the Hard Rock Cafe, Station Square. Tickets are $20. Doors open at 8 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m. Call 412-261-5880.

"If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli." So said Jay-Z on "The Black Album," in a shout-out to the consciousness rapper who plays the Carnegie Mellon University Center's Wiegand Gym at 8 p.m. Kweli, Mos Def's partner in Black Star, ventured into more eclectic and commercial territory with his third solo record, "The Beautiful Struggle," but you won't see him on the big screen in his biopic just yet. Opening the show will be J-Live. Tickets are $10. Call 412-323-1919.

The Union Project, which restored the Union Baptist Church at 801 Negley Ave. in East Liberty, celebrates its grand opening with "UnWrapped," an art exhibit and sale that begins with a 6:30 pm preview party in the Atrium showcasing the artwork of local artists working in ceramics, glass, painting and more, followed by a 7:30 p.m. concert in the Great Hall with Pittsburgh Symphony's Chamber Orchestra conducted by Andres Cardenes and featuring Damian Bursill-Hall and Jennifer Conner on flute. Tickets are $30. Call 412-363-4550.

Wilderness got the Pitchfork stamp of approval in a review that compared the Baltimore band to Echo and the Bunnymen and praised its "brooding, reverb-soaked guitar lines, the emphasis on dream-like droning atmospherics and mood over sledgehammer-subtle superhooks." Check out the single "Arkless" at www.wildernesssounds.com and you'll probably agree. Wilderness plays Modern Formations Gallery, 4919 Penn Ave., at 9:30 p.m. with Centipede E'est! Tickets are $8.

The Brew House presents the third annual Bizar Bazar, showcasing the work of the space's 25 resident artists. The show ranges from photography to cast glass and metal sculpture to oil paintings, with prices from $10 to $1,000. John Purse, Dean Cercone and Sara Lampenfield add music to the reception from 7 to 10 p.m. The exhibition is up through Dec. 22. The Brew House is at 21st and Mary Streets, South Side. Call 412-381-7767.

Andrew Bird has become a critical darling with the orchestral pop of "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," not a concept album about dairy farming. He's at the Frick Fine Arts Building and Auditorium at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 advance, $15 at door. Call 412-362-8669.

Will Hoge -- a singer-songwriter with a vintage rock 'n' roll bent -- plays Mr. Small's Theatre with The Trews and Townhall at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door. 412-821-4447.

Back in the old, old days, people used to sit around in the evening and tell stories and sing songs. At some point, people decided that was getting boring and invented television. But even though there are hundreds of channels now, that can get boring after a while, too. So, occasionally, people go back to telling stories and singing songs -- like on Saturday night when StorySwap, the Pittsburgh Storytellers' Guild, taps into a worldwide event with Tellabration 2005. Larry Berger, co-host of the "Saturday Light Brigade," emcees an evening of folk tales, tall tales, personal stories and literary stories from Scotland, the Middle East, the American South and other points of interest. The stories are suitable for preteens to adults. It's at 8 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside. Tickets are $9.50; $7.50 students and seniors. Call 412-781-3048.

Charlie Hunter and Groundruther pits the experimental guitarist, a monster on his 8-string, with drummer Bobby Previte and a third musician. At Club Cafe it will be DJ Olive of the New York-based multimedia trio WE(tm). Adventurous listeners only. It's at 10 p.m. Tickets are $18 to $20. 412-323-1919.

Conflicting shows for Metalheads. Veteran hardcore metal band Corrosion of Conformity, back after a break with "In the Arms of God," plays Mr. Small's Theatre at 8 p.m. ($14-$16. 412-821-4447). And fresh from Ozzfest, Buffalo band It Dies Today brings hardcore and death metal to the Rex Theatre with Still Remains and Sinai Beach at 7 p.m. ($11. 412-323-1919).

In the mood for a "Psycho-Delic-Ghetto-Vibe"? Sonny Boy (a k a Shel Riser), an R&B/funk/rocker from Minneapolis inspired by the likes of Sly Stone, Funkadelic and Prince, brings that album and his hip-shaking live set to the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty at 9 p.m. Cover is $8. Call 412-363-8277.

Looking to reduce the number of surprises on your wedding day? At the Brides World Fashion Show & Exhibition, you can taste the cakes, sit in the limos, meet the deejays and even pick out your groom. No, wait you can't do that. The free event, presented by Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center features more than 75 vendors for gowns, flowers, caterers, photographers, deejays and more. There will be fashion shows presented by Catan Bridal every hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will even be a mini-reception every half hour with music, dancing, food sampling and a sangria fountain. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Go to www.bridesworld.com or 1-800-724-1800.

The "Miller family" goes back in time with A Frontier Thanksgiving, an afternoon of cooking, spinning, weaving, blacksmith work and colonial camaraderie at the Oliver Miller Homestead in South Park. It runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $1. Call 412-835-1554.

Butler native and internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti returns for an evening of arias and popular songs. The 7 p.m. concert will take place at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie and will benefit the restoration of the historic landmark. Tickets are $50-$150; a dessert reception will follow the performance. 412-394-3353.