Mark O’Connor brings his tribute to the late great Stephane Grappelli to town. [Photo: Kristoffersen]

November 9, 2000

Cover Story
Passing the torch
Mark O'Connor plays a tribute to his late mentor, violinist Stephane Grappelli.

Film

[Photo: 20th Century Fox] Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro) switches from baiting Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to championing him. Review.

Rating bars best audience from fine film
The story of Carl Brashear is a worthy one, told well but for a few gaps. But many who would be inspired will never see it because of the R rating.

Planet of the robots
AMEE upstages all the one-dimensional human stars in Red Planet.

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

Gritty and graceful
Warm without being sentimental, Billy Elliot is the tale of a boy who finds his footing.

Video
New video releases: 'Mission: Impossible 2' one too many
NEW RELEASES

Art

Rich Kolb, "Standing Cat," at Shapiro Gallery. Story.

Gallery walk eases holiday rush
You can shop while you hop during the St. Petersburg Downtown Arts Association's gallery walk, expanded from one night to two, Friday and Saturday. The monthly event offers the second night to give holiday shoppers more time to select one-of-a-kind fine art and craft gifts.

Art best bets
Beck Collection -- Show of American art opens at Museum of Fine Arts Sunday; lecture, 3 p.m.

Art show lends accents to Design Center
The Friends of the Arts Festival brings together art and business in an unusual way. The Architectural Design Center, which features the products and services of home building and remodeling companies in the bay area, joined with the Pinellas County Arts Council to provide a new forum for local artists.

Stage
A century of Viennese excellence
Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder has a special relationship with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

The many sides of Copland
This weekend's Florida Orchestra program salutes the great composer with works both well-known and less familiar to audiences.

On stage: upcoming
Musica -- Directed by Larry Kent, Florida Pro Musica plays works of Barber, Dvorak and Pergolesi Nov. 21 at the Palladium Theater. $5-$20.

Auditions
The Island Community Theater will hold open auditions for its January productions at 7 p.m. today and Friday at the Warren Webster Community Center, 1500 Pass-a-Grille Way, St. Pete Beach. A series of one-act plays will be staged as street productions in St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island. Call (727) 461-3897 or (727) 593-2738.

Get Away
Feast on books, ribs and rock

• Rock on at Ribfest, where the oldies are goodies.
• Meet the authors at the eighth annual Festival of Reading, a celebration of the written word.

Hot Ticket
Millennium festivities from around the world
Purists still say the millennium doesn't start until this New Year's Day. If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate, or perhaps an old tradition to incorporate into your festivities, or are curious about how your relatives in another nation might ring in the new year, you're in luck.

Hot tickets
Gloom 'n' glam

Pop
A 'Righteous' Joan Osborne returns
The woman who made us wonder "What if God was one of us?" answers questions about her new CD and how her music is like coffee-Heath Bar crunch ice cream.

Ticket window
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sat. for Warren Zevon with Jill Sobule, performing at 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at Jannus Landing in downtown St. Petersburg. This will be a solo acoustic performance by each artist. Tickets for the seated, general admission show are $22.50. Call Ticketmaster, (813) 287-8844.

Jazz explosion
Skilled musicianship allowed the members of Los Hombres Calientes to shape their phenomenal sound from the start. And their sound keeps expanding.

Dine
Downtown believers
Before Bay Walk, there were visionaries who believed St. Petersburg hungered and thirsted for a real city life.

Side dish
I'LL HAVE ANOTHER . . .

Cheap Thrill
Cheap thrills: Yanny's
Forget about the other Yanni. Yannis Piotoyannakis, above, calls himself the French Toast King and his toast is so big and fluffy, it just may be the best in the world.