Going out

Mardi Gras: The popular and sometimes rowdy MainStrasse Village fest is on this year with bar hopping, Cajun food, music, parades and tons of beads. 6 p.m. (Big Head Parades at 7:30 p.m. nightly) until closing today-Saturday, Sixth and Main streets, Covington. $10. (859) 491-0458.

Modern dance: The lithe and athletic Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company brings dramatic and psychological pieces to the Aronoff Center. 8:30 p.m. today and Saturday, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, $18-$22. 241-7469.

Alejandro Escovedo: The folk-blues master's "Man Under the Influence" tour hits the Southgate House. 9 p.m. today, 24 E. Third St., Newport. $12-$15. 779-9462.

Art opening: The Linda Schwartz Gallery opens a Michelle Weinberg solo show full of geometry and color-inspired paintings and paper collages. 6-8 p.m. today, 315 W. Fourth St., downtown. 241-4202.

On TV

Top pick: The Boss! In a concert taped by CBS in Barcelona, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," and songs from The Rising, his Grammy-winning album (9 p.m., Channels 12, 7).

• Critic John Kiesewetter also says Cincinnati native Carmen Electra joins David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth and the gang for a Baywatch Hawaiian Wedding reunion movie (8 p.m., Channels 19, 45).

Opening today

Just one: Cradle 2 the Grave, Jet Li, Gabrielle Union. (R).

New e-games

Third Master's: The latest installment of the space-trading strategy series was just released and has already gone gold. Unlike the two previous Master's, players take on a more macro role. It's not enough to just open trade routes and wage commerce and warfare with neighboring solar systems; players now plan and manage entire galactic civilizations. The series has never boasted cutting-edge graphics and animation, and that hasn't changed. But the game play is elegant and complex as always, says "get's" e-games expert Chris Ainsworth. Fans of this spacefaring genre will be pleased with the depth (Infogrames; PC; $49.99; T for teens).

Also new: "Xenosaga" (Namco; PS2; $49.99; T for Teens): Anime RPG in a sprawling, cinematic world.

• "All Star Baseball 2004" (Acclaim; Gamecube; $39.99; E for everyone): Derek Jeter hosts present and past legends.

Planning ahead

24 hours out: Judged to Die is a murder, mayhem and mystery dinner theater show at Dave and Buster's Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m., dinner and show 8 p.m., 11775 Commons Drive, Springdale, $32.95 includes meal. 671-5501.

Jim Knippenberg

E-mail jknippenberg@enquirer.com