Best Bets/Hot Tickets

Best Bets/Hot Tickets
TONIGHT
* You can tell by the title of the Victorian Players' next production that the actors are in a laughing mood. Their production of "The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's production of: 'Macbeth'" begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre Off Spring Common, 702 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. Other performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 1. For reservations, call (330) 507-0023. The remainder of this season is dedicated to Victorian Players founder Jean McClure Kelty, who died late last year.FRIDAY
* Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the Earnest one after all? Two gentlemen choose the same pseudonym for dating purposes in Oscar Wilde's comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest," which opens at Salem Community Theatre, 490 E. State St. For a play that's more than a century old, Wilde's work is still a sparkling example in terms of plot. Performances, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 1. Reservations, (330) 332-9688.
* Love the idea of a tattoo today but wonder how you'll feel about it tomorrow? Explore your options at Superbowl of Ink Body Art Expo, which opens from 3-11 at Holiday Inn Metroplex, off Belmont Avenue in Liberty. Some vendors will offer henna tattoos -- think of them as the fun part of body art without the lifetime commitment. For those ready to take the plunge, artists will display their skills at tribal designs, famous characters, portraiture and original work. Trophies will be awarded in a best tattoo contest. The show reopens from noon to midnight Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10. Call (330) 799-3111 for details.
* If cars are your passion, jump in yours and drive to Cleveland Convention Center, where the 2004 Carquest Cleveland Auto-Rama opens at 5 p.m. The focus this year will be on customized cars. See the souped-up 1994 Honda from the movie "2 Fast 2 Furious," the General Lee from the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard," tailgating vehicles owned by Cleveland Browns fans and more. Show hours also are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $12 for adults and $5 for children ages 10 and under.
SATURDAY
* The colder and snowier, the better for the Frisbee Snow Golf contest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mill Creek MetroParks' Par 3 Golf Course, off McCollum Road, Youngstown. This is a closest-to-the-pin tournament, but instead of swinging clubs at those little dimpled golf balls, participants will flip their wrists and let Frisbees fly. Prizes will be awarded for each hole during a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in the Warming House, also in the park's Wick Recreation Area. Registration is required; call (330) 740-7114.
NEXT WEEK
* Rare videos of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Ry Cooder and The Band comprise "Mostly from the West Coast," another installment of the Unseen Video Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland. Footage of these bands -- most of which have ties to southern California -- was culled from broadcasts on European television. Admission to the program, which is in the fourth-floor theater, is free with museum admission.
AHEAD
* Pop and hip-hop singer Baby Bash -- he of the chart-climbing single "Suga Suga" -- will perform at the 95.9 KISS FM Birthday Bash at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at Holiday Inn Metroplex, off Belmont Avenue, Liberty. It's an all-ages event. Tickets are $17. Buy them at Chili's Bar & amp; Grille in Boardman; Campus Book & amp; Supply near Youngstown State University; or Record Connection in McKinley Heights.
* "Volcano" isn't just a song title for Irish acoustic rock musician Damien Rice. Sure, the songs on his U.S. debut CD titled "O" have been described with words such as understated, poignant and ethereal, but a British reviewer also commented on Rice's "angry flights of rock guitar" in a live performance. Speaking of live shows, Rice will perform April 11 at Byham Theater, Pittsburgh, and April 24 at Odeon Concert Club, Cleveland. Get Byham Theater tickets as of 9 a.m. Friday by calling (412) 456-6666. For Odeon tickets, which go on sale Jan. 31, call Ticketmaster.
* Anthony Burger, pianist with the Gaither Vocal Band, will give a solo performance Feb. 5 at Hartville Kitchen, 1015 Edison St. N.W., Hartville. Burger's Christian-based music has taken him from the White House to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland, Scotland and England. Tickets are $25 and $30, including dinner. Call (330) 877-9353.
* Iron City native Frank Gorshin stars as the late comedian George Burns in "Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Life, Laughter & amp; Love of George Burns and Gracie Allen" in eight performances at Byham Theatre, Pittsburgh. "Say Goodnight, Gracie" ran on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 for best play. This time, actress Didi Conn will be the voice of Gracie Allen. Performances will be from March 16-28. Tickets will be $47 to $53 when they go on sale Feb. 2. Call (412) 456-6666.