Going out

        David Sedaris: The wry wit and author of Barrel Fever and Naked sails in to read from his hilarious Me Talk Pretty One Day,a memoir full of off-center observations about life, love and his recent move to France. 7 p.m. today, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood. 396-8960.

        CSO: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra scales down and gets basic for its new concert series — Bach & Beyond: Great Music for Small Orchestra — to run three consecutive Tuesdays in June. First installment unleashes works by Mozart and Barber with guest conductor Andreas Delfand soprano Esther Heideman.7:30 p.m. today, University of Cincinnati's Corbett Auditorium, $30. 381-3300.

        Ecstatic chant: Composer, instrumentalist and singer Dave Stringer Kirtan, a star among the yoga set when they unfold themselves and get musical, tunes up for an evening of call-and-response ecstatic chanting. 8-10 p.m. today, Old St. George, 42 Calhoun St., Corryville. $15. 723-9176.

        Acoustic lunch: Yet another sure sign of summer: The popular and easygoing lunchtime concert series in Piatt Park kicks off its season with folksy sounds from Adrian Martin and Laurie Traveline. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m today, Eighth and Vine streets, downtown. 352-4080.

Staying In

        TV picks: NBC premieres a new summer series: Kristin Chenoweth (ABC's Annie) stars in Kristin (8:30 p.m., Channels 5, 22) as an Oklahoma singer and dancer who winds up working for a New York entrepreneur (Jon Tenney).

        • Critic John Kiesewetter also says items on Action Auction (3 p.m.-midnight, Channel 48) today include a five-night Hawaiian vacation, a two-night Chicago trip, a $1,000 stock portfolio and Reds tickets.

Video picks

        Critic's pick: Enquirer film critic Margaret A. McGurk says the only new video release that matters this week is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee's lustrous, wildly acclaimed hybrid of Chinese martial arts and fairy tale fantasy.

        Planning Ahead

        24 hours out: Alternative rockers nada surf get funky as all get-out for a one-night stand. 10 p.m. Wednesday, Southgate House, 24 E. Third St., Newport. $7. (859) 431-2201.

        48 hours out: Film and TV veteran Willie Aames is back. He stars in a new stage show Bibleman Live 2001, a wildly eclectic mix of pyrotechnics, lasers and vivid costumes, all spiked with a Christian message. 7 p.m. Thursday, Love and Faith Christian Fellowship, 3946 Hopper Hill Road, Cherry Grove. $3. 528-4568.

        72 hours 'til Friday: Weston Art Gallery at the Aronoff Center opens three new, on-the-edge exhibits: Cartographic Exhaustion: Paintings by Charles Grund; Inner Sanctums, Urban Medals and other Short Subjects: Paintings Drawings and Woodcuts by Thom Shaw; and Toi Ungkavatanapong's Nuts Society: Site-Specific Installation. 977-4165.

        Contact Jim Knippenberg by phone: (513) 768-8513; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: knipenquirer@yahoo.com.

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