Last Minute

Film judging: Head down to the Madison Theater, 728 Madison Ave., Covington, tonight for the official judging of the 48 Hour Film Project, when a panel of experts will choose one local short movie that was written, shot and edited during the weekend of Aug. 9-10 to compete with winners from other cities. Bonus "directors' cuts" of some of the projects will also be shown.

Show time is 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m., tickets are $6. 859-655-4800.

Margaret A. McGurk

Poetry festival: Miami University hosts two distinguished African-American poets, Elizabeth Alexander and Lorenzo Thomas, to kick off a weekend of public forums and readings surrounding the inaugural Marjorie Cook Poetry Festival, 8 p.m. today at Marcum Conference Center, Oxford campus.

Alexander is the author of several collections of poetry including the critically-acclaimed Antebellum Dream Book. Thomas is a widely published poet and critic and author of Extraordinary Measures: Afrocentric Modernism and 20th Century American Poetry.

Readings by poets including Harryette Mullen (a 2002 finalist for the National Book Award), Nathaniel Mackey, Reginald Shephard and many more participants continue Friday and Saturday at various campus locations.

Readings are free. For more information and a complete schedule of events call (513) 529-5221.

Jason Nebel

Art on display: The luxurious works by Atlanta artist Pam Longobardi are on display through Oct. 1 at Miami University's Hiestand Galleries in the School of Fine Arts, 100 Art Building, Oxford.

Longobardi's paintings involve imagery from both high and low culture, science and decoration. They are fabricated on thin copper over wooden structures with patinas created through natural chemical interactions. (513) 529-1883.

Marilyn Bauer

Countdown

Free tickets: Kids ages 2-12 who come to the U.S. Bank Arena box office from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday dressed as their favorite Disney character will receive a free ticket to the Oct. 29 or 30 performance of Disney on Ice Safari. Tickets, $13.50, $17.50, $35 and $55 go on sale today at the box office and Ticketmaster, phone (513) 562-4949 and online at www.ticketmaster.com The show runs Oct. 29-Nov. 2.

FYI

Tune in with the Pops: A new Sunday radio program is debuting at noon Sundays on WMKV-FM (89.3), devoted to music of the Cincinnati Pops. "WMKV 89.3 Goes to the Pops" is hosted by veteran broadcaster Bill Nimmo, and will feature interviews with guest performers as well as with members of the orchestra. George Hambrecht, former principal flutist of the CSO, and musician Ken Hacker are writing the hour show, with technical assistance by Tom Emmert.

Janelle Gelfand

Movies Opening Friday

Anything Else

Cold Creek Manor

The Fighting Temptations

Lucia, Lucia

Secondhand Lions

Thirteen

Underworld

Coming Friday in Weekend

Oktoberfest: Your Guide to Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati - The food, the suds, the music. What you need to know before you go.