Going out

        Theater: It's theater on the cheap when Ovation Theatre Company throws pay-what-you-can night for the final dress rehearsals of The Fellowship of the Ring, a new adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's cult classic. 8 p.m. today, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center. 241-7469.

        On Main: The popular and wonderfully raucous alternative act Push Stars stirs up the musical pot after an opener from the North Carolina rockers Athenaeum. 9:30 p.m. today, Jefferson Hall Saloon, 1150 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. $5. 723-9008.

        Storytelling: The Greater Cincinnati Storytelling Guildhunkers down to spin yarns and tales for children of all ages. 7:30 p.m. today, Ellenwood Nature Barn, Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve, Colerain Avenue and Poole Road, Colerain Township, free. 521-7275.

        Sondheim musical: The new Rising Phoenix Theatre Company jumps into its bedsheets, er, togas, for two weeks of the uproarious A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. 8 p.m. today, 2 N. Main St., Middletown, $12-$15. (513) 705-4131.

Staying in

        TV picks: NBC repeats the one-hour May season finale of Friends (8 p.m., Channels 5, 22) with the wedding of Monica and Chandler (Courteney Cox Arquette, Matthew Perry).

        • TV critic John Kiesewetter also says CBS' Big Brother 2 winner is declared in the final episode (9 p.m., Channels 12, 7).

Web site of the day

        Mad scientists: And this fresh off the news wire: Hundreds of real, but possibly mad, scientists answer questions on this site from Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. For example: Why do flamingos stand on one leg and tuck the other under their feathers? The posted answer: To keep the tucked-in leg warm. Be warned: Many of the answers are wordy and complex. They admit, after all, that they're Mad Scientists. Go to www.madsci.org.

Planning Ahead

        24 hours out: The new Image Inscription Series at the Weston Art Gallery features dramatizations of the works of Langston Hughes, William Eastlake and Maya Angelou,coinciding with the socially conscious artwork of Janet Speierand Thomas Phelps on display. 7 p.m. Friday, Aronoff Center, free. 871-1429.

        48 hours out: Stars 'n' moons and stuff come into focus at the astronomy extravaganza Scope Out 2001, complete with free equipment use, lectures, children's activities and more. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Cincinnati Observatory Center, 3489 Observatory Place, Mount Lookout. 321-5186.

        72 hours 'til Sunday: Performing and recording artist David Tanenbaum and his very fast fingers kick off the Xavier University Classical Guitar Series. 2:30 p.m., Cincinnati Art Museum auditorium, Eden Park. $12. 745-3161.

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

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