Going out

May Festival: The revered choral festival featuring the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra kicks off with a rich all-Verdi program sung by star soloists Kallen Esperian and James Morris. 8 p.m. today, Music Hall, $11-$60. 381-3300.

MainStrasse Fest: The huge three-day German-themed Maifest takes over MainStrasse Village, slathered with food, rides, live music and tons of crafty stuff. 5-11 p.m. today, Sixth and Main streets, Covington. (859) 491-0458.

Double bill: Power rockers King's X are at Bogart's with the ska-punk-funk act Fishbone opening the show. 8:30 p.m. today, 2621 Vine St., Corryville. $15-$17. 562-4949.

On TV

Top pick: The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards expands to three hours, so Big Bird and Elmo can salute Fred Rogers; Barbara Walters and The View gang can chat about "Hot Topics," Kelly Ripa can look back at memorable daytime TV moments; and host Wayne Brady can pass out some Emmy statues (8 p.m., Channels 9, 2).

• Critic John Kiesewetter also says Star Search winners from this spring compete in a "battle of champions" (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7).

Opening today

Critic's pick: The Dancer Upstairs (R) Javier Bardem.

• Down With Love (PG-13) Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger.

• Cowboy Bebop (R) Japanese anime.

• Max (R) John Cusack, Noah Taylor.

• Russian Ark (Unrated) Mariya Kuznetsova.

New in E-games

Burnout 2: Point of Impact: Gamers with a need for speed will be thoroughly entertained with Acclaim's newest entry to the packed car-racing category. The game has tons of new cars and tracks to unlock, as well as simple controls that are easy to master. The car models and crashes are amazing, not to mention the overall graphics and Dolby 5.1 stereo sound. Burnout drivers can also compete in "crash mode," where the more spectacular the crash, the more points drivers rack up. The game keeps track of the value of the property damage players cause. Buckle up! (Acclaim; Xbox; $49.99; E for Everyone).

Planning ahead

24 hours out: Playhouse in the Park previews the tour-de-force one-woman show The Syringa Tree with 24 characters exploring 1960s South Africa. 9 p.m. Saturday, Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre, Eden Park, $30. 421-3888.

48 hours out: Comedian Kevin James of King of Queens brings his "Sweat the Small Stuff" tour to the Taft Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Fifth and Sycamore streets, downtown, $35.50-$40.50. 562-4949.

A week away: The Mobile Skatepark Series begins five days at Sawyer Point with open skateparks, pro competitions, youth culture multimedia and more, noon-8 p.m. next Friday, downtown. www.ASAevents.com

Jim Knippenberg

E-mail jknippenberg@enquirer.com