Going out

        At Riverbend: The lively outdoor concert season rolls along as ferociously as the river outside the back door — maybe more so, given this lineup: A retrorock fest with a string of '70s and '80s faves, including Styx, Bad Company and Billy Squier. 6 p.m. today, $19.50-$39.50. 562-4949.

        Teresa Medeiros: The bestselling romance author gives a heave and a sigh and lands in town to introduce her new A Kiss to Remember, set in Regency-era England and featuring a Sleeping Beauty of a guy. Don't ask. 7 p.m. today, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood. 396-8960.

        Jazz series: The ever popular Jazz on Michigan Avenue outdoor concert series begins with a tune or 10 from the Marc Fields Quintet. 7:30 p.m. today, on the lawn, Knox Presbyterian Church, Michigan and Observatory avenues, Hyde Par. Free. 321-2573.

        Benefit: What we have here is a preview performance of Ensemble Theatre's The Last Session, Steve Schalchlin's musical about AIDS in the '90s that raises awareness even as it entertains. 8 p.m. today, 1127 Vine St., downtown. $25 for benefit AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati gets the money); continues Wednesday-Sunday at $10. 421-3555.

Staying In

        TV picks: If baseball's All-Star Game (8 p.m., Channels 19, 45) isn't a hit with you, check out Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn aboard The African Queen (8 p.m., American Movie Classics); Jodie Foster as Nell (8 p.m., Fox Family Channel); Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan acting Sleepless in Seattle (8 p.m., Showtime); or Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter Raising Arizona (8 p.m., Comedy Central).

        • TV Critic John Kiesewetter also says the first resident is booted out of the Big Brother house (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7).

Video picks

        Close call: Best bet this week looks to be Thirteen Days, the Kevin Costner epic sbout 1962's Cuban missile crisis. The one where President Kennedy went nose to nose with the Soviet Union and stared until somebody blinked. This is also the film Mr. Costner took to Cuba and watched with Fidel Castro, who he said “was very animated throughout.” Oh.

Planning Ahead

        24 hours out: Book reports in the summer? Why not? In an effort to encourage kids' reading, Showcase Cinemas Springdale offers Bookworm Wednesdays with free admission to a kiddie film for children showing a book report. 10 a.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 15, 12064 Springfield Pike. 671-6884.

        48 hours out: Wilmington College-Community Summer Theatre scored a coup: One of the nation's first non-professional productions of the Frank Wilhorn-Leslie Bricusse's blockbuster Jekyll and Hyde. 8 p.m. Thursday, Boyd Auditorium, Wilmington, $10. (937) 382-6661, Ext. 267.

        72 hours 'til Friday: The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra gets itself all jazzed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the group that regularly plays at the landmark New Orleans institution. 8:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Riverbend, $17-$37. 381-3300.

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

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