Going out

               Frederick Swann: The ever so famous organist of Crystal Cathedral fame hits town with organ works by Bach, Franck, Rheinberger and Karg-Elert. 7:30 p.m. today, Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, Grace and Observatory Avenues, suggested donation $10. 871-1345.

        Spoken word: The acclaimed poet and spoken word artist Staceyann Chin brings her Jamaican-flavored, one-woman show to Wilmington College's Top of the Pyle Center, 8 p.m. today, free. (937) 382-6661.

        New B&N: The new Barnes & Noble at Newport on the Levee hosts an opening night party with lots of shopping and a little something for kids with an appearance by Clifford, the Big Red Dog. 6-9 p.m. today. (859) 581-2000.

        Smokers night: Smoke police beware: Go Banana's Comedy Club hosts a Smokers Appreciation Night with cigarette giveaways and smoking in the entire club, plus entertainment by comedians Mark Klein, John Pinney and Marty Pollio. 8:30 p.m. today, 8410 Marketplace Lane, Montgomery, $10. 984-9288.

Staying in
              

        TV picks: On Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., Channel 25; Time Warner Cable Channel 20) ) Joss Whedon follows last year's silent show with a one-hour musical episode in which a demon forces Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the gang to sing their most private secrets.

        • TV Critic John Kiesewetter also says The Simpsons annual “Treehouse of Horrors” Halloween show airs a week late (8:30 p.m., Channels 19, 45), while Fox's 24 (9 p.m., Channels 19, 45)and ABC's NYPD Blue (9 p.m., Channels 9, 2) premiere.

Video picks
        Reese Witherspoon's winning ways in Legally Blonde come to the masses today when the movie hits DVD and VHS shelves, says Enquirer film critic Margaret A. McGurk. Also new to DVD today is Steven Spielberg's marvelous WWII prison-camp drama Empire of the Sun starring the very young Christian Bale.

Planning Ahead
        24 hours out: It's a family affair in the five-day Harper Family Art Show, with new works by nature artists Charlie, Edie and Brett Harper. Opens Wednesday, Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve, Colerain Avenue and Poole Road, Colerain Township. 521-7275.

        48 hours out: BarrelHouse Brewing Company welcomes leading female folk-rocker Michelle Malone for acoustic sessions with local musicians Chris and Carol Walker of Heavy Weather and Ryan Adcock. 8 p.m. Thursday, 22 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, $10. 421-2337.

        72 hours 'til Friday: The Children's Theatre opens two nights of Oscar Wilde's classic and witty — yeah, and biting too — The Importance of Being Earnest. 7:30 p.m., Taft Theatre, Fifth and Sycamore Streets, downtown, $5-$16. 562-4949.

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

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