KISS dazzles in farewell
TAMPA -- You may think those are the staged shenanigans of concert videos, but no, grown women really do lift their tops and show their wares to rock stars. Granted, this was more prevalent in the late 1970s and '80s -- the glory era of arena rock.

Seize The Day
Friday's best bets

Movies
Newman is right on the Money
Linda Fiorentino is saucy opposite Paul Newman in one of his trademark roles.

Only one standout in '28 Days'
This movie, which seems bound to chortle at drug and alcohol addiction, is redeemed by its star, Sandra Bullock, whose down-to-earth portrayal makes her character at least semi-believable.

104 minutes of nothing
Whatever satire and shocks inhabit the novel American Psycho are casualties in the film version, making viewers the real victims.

• 'American Psycho': A bad read, too
  The blood-spattered movie version of Bret Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho may raise some hackles, but not, I'll bet, as many as the novel did. American Psycho caused so much commotion, in fact, it almost didn't get published.

This movie keeps faith with the viewer
Folks before and behind the camera turn out a thoughtful, amusing flick that's almost too much of a good thing.

Persall's top 5
Recent releases recommended by Times film critic Steve Persall

Film clips
New this week

Days off
Once upon a time . . .
500 people, young and old, will take their turn at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Storytelling Festival on Saturday.

Art for healing
Art for Life's goal is to raise more than 1997's $225,000.

From bands big and small, cheers to the Brass Mug
For the up and coming (or sometimes bad and going nowhere), the Brass Mug is a great venue for bands to showcase their music. Its owner hopes to shine a national spotlight on their versions of punk, metal, grunge, jazz and ska.

Step into the Lion's melancholy den
Pedro the Lion, who is actually one sad guy, David Bazan, performs at 8 tonight at New World Brewery, 1313 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City. Pedro the Lion doesn't roar as much as weep of love's heartache and woe. Bazan's voice is hauntingly frank, with ballads simple and somber, hinting of alt-rockers Sebadoh. The Lion's arrangements are spare, and Bazan's stories are all too relatable.

Fun 'N Sun festivities bring out the smiles
The non-stop activities of the 47th Annual Clearwater Fun 'N Sun Festival begin this weekend.

Check it out
TODAY

The Diner
Vietnamese cooking's magical mixtures
At St. Petersburg's Ben Thanh restaurant the swirling possibilities of Vietnamese cuisine become a challenge to the diner's capacity. Add some of this or that to a dish, and the flavors keep evolving, expanding and deepening in a gastronomic adventure.

Music
Ears are the path to the heart in this concert
Consider the situation of the soloists in Carmina Burana, especially the tenor and soprano. The tenor has only one, highly specialized solo, and the soprano doesn't come on until two-thirds of the way through the hourlong work.

Audiophiles
'N SYNC, NO STRINGS ATTACHED (JIVE) -- Laugh all you want at 'N Sync, but there's a reason these guys shattered records with 2.4-million albums sold the first week the group's second album, No Strings Attached, made its debut. (That's double what Backstreet Boys' Millennium sold in its first week, but who's counting?)

Web site we like
http://www.politics.com