There's something so right and something not so right about the 68th Nokia Sugar Bowl, which gives all of us something to cheer about on New Year's Day. While we're altogether thrilled that 12th-ranked local heroes from Louisiana State University are gracing the Superdome for the first time since 1987 (remember that 30-15 whipping by Nebraska?), we don't quite know what to make of the evil visitor, seventh-ranked Illinois. Just what the heck is the Big Ten winner doing playing in anything but the Rose Bowl? Well, thanks to the wackiness of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), which rotates the title game among the elite bowls, this year it was the Rose Bowl's turn to host. Hence, a first-ever visit to the Sugar Bowl from the Big Ten champ. The Fighting Illini (10-1), are red-hot, having won seven straight to capture their first outright conference title since 1983. But really now, who cares? The main thing is the Fighting Tigers are in, and even a Tulane grad has to love the fact that LSU (9-3) upset Tennessee in the SEC title game and therefore made the BCS formula out as the fraud that it is. Nice work, Nick Saban. Check's in the mail. The Tigers definitely should live up to the cliche of "just happy to be here," considering they won the SEC despite three losses. But they got hot at the right time, winning five of their last six including close ones over Arkansas and Auburn. This has all the makings of a great game, but the biggest reason to go (if you can score a ticket) is to watch the last hurrah of senior quarterback Rohan Davey and junior wide receiver Josh Reed. Davey, a second-team All-SEC member, became the first Tiger to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season (along with 31 touchdowns), while Reed won the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation's top college receiver for leading the country in receiving yardage. Truth be told, this game is also important because it will give New Orleans a needed financial boost as tourism has suffered mightily since Sept. 11. Many locals groaned when LSU won the SEC title, thinking that its fans will only come in for the day, but considering how hesitant many fans are to fly these days, this game truly is one where the "home-field advantage" is exactly that. Kickoff 7:30 p.m. If you couldn't get a ticket (and didn't win the lawsuit), the game will be televised by WGNO-TV (Channel 26). -- David Lee Simmons

Visiting Mr. Green 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3-6; through Jan. 26 le chat noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 Exploring the depth of human emotions, with many revelations made through a laugh, the off-Broadway hit Visiting Mr. Green chronicles the unlikely relationship of two New York City men -- the cranky and confused Mr. Green, an 86-year-old widower living in poverty, and Ross Gardiner, a 25-year-old corporate executive. Brought together by court order after the young go-getter hits Mr. Green while crossing the street, the pair's initial conflicts are resolved as they release submerged emotions and rely on each other's strengths to conquer their inner demons. Roy Dumont (Rivertown Repertory Theatre's On Golden Pond and Le Petit's Laughter on the 23rd Floor) stars as Mr. Green, while Michael Simpson (Le Petit's A Streetcar Named Desire) plays Gardiner. Keith Briggs (Le Petit's Streetcar) directs Jeff Baron's original script. Tickets for Friday and Saturday performances $18, Thursdays $12 and Sunday matinees $16. For tickets, call 581-5812. -- Frank Etheridge

Adam's Attic CD-release party 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 The Parish at House of Blues , 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Straight-up pop rock bands are few and far between in New Orleans, but Adam's Attic wears the shoe with no sign of influence from traditional local music. Three-chord songs with simple lyrics and plenty of guitar hooks are what they're all about. There is no one named Adam in the band; guitarist/lead vocalist John Henry recruited his brother Derek and their childhood friend Scott Boaz in 1999 and formed Adam's Attic as an outlet for some songs inspired by a messy breakup with his girlfriend. Before long, the trio committed Henry's compositions to record and released the debut CD, Who's Laughing Now. Since then, the band has played frequent live gigs in the region while recording a second, self-titled album. Produced by former Deadeye Dick frontman Caleb Guillote, the new album is a collection of neatly packaged, radio-ready originals. Adam's Attic continues to hone their energetic live show. Admission $6. -- Diettinger

Twilight at Twelfth Night 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 Pontchartrain Center, 4545 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 468-7293 The Friends of Rivertown are again kicking off the Mardi Gras season with their eighth annual black-tie fundraising gala to benefit all of Rivertown's museums and cultural attractions. A night filled with dancing features music by Joe Simon's Jazz Trio, Heart & Soul, and "Off the Record" Mobile DJ, as well as a silent auction and food prepared by more than 25 area restaurants. The night climaxes with the presentation of Twelfth Night Court -- made up of Kenner business and civic leaders and local media luminaries, led by master of ceremony Eric Paulsen of WWL-TV -- and a toast to Mardi Gras. Another highlight comes with the Friends of Rivertown's presentation of its annual Golden Flambeau Award honoring an individual or group that has enhanced the Carnival celebration in metro New Orleans. Tickets for Twilight at Twelfth Night are $50, and patron tickets with reserved seating are $100. Call 468-7293 for tickets. -- Etheridge

A Career in Jazz: the Photography of Herman Leonard 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 New Orleans Public Library, 219 Loyola Ave., 596-2600 The images are unforgettable, a part of American history. From a profile of Duke Ellington at the piano, to Tony Bennett and Billie Holiday behind the microphone and Art Blakey behind the drums, photographer Herman Leonard captured defining images of the greatest legends in jazz. In New York and Paris in the 1950s and 1960s, Leonard's enthusiasm (he took photos in exchange for free admission to jazz clubs) was eclipsed only by his art. His portraits are masterpieces of composition and light that illuminated the heart and soul of the performers and the music; many of his shots from that era are now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. This traveling exhibit of Leonard's photos (sponsored by the Louisiana State Museum) will be on display at the New Orleans Public Library through Jan. 15, and Saturday afternoon Leonard will present a slide presentation and discussion of his work. Free admission. -- Jordan

Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé Through Jan. 13 New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, City Park, 488-2631 Long regarded as the most tripped-out expression of 19th century design, art nouveau was a style indelibly tinged with decadence in the public mind. Indeed, its weirdly florid lines were perceived as the hallucinatory products of fevered imaginations and just about the furthest thing on Earth from the foursquare values of Puritan New England. But it was commercially popular, and this is America, after all, so leave it to Puritan New England to be America's foremost purveyor of art nouveau silver in the form of Gorham's Martelé line of tableware and decanters. Put it all together, as Lafayette, Louisiana collectors Jolie and Robert Shelton have done, and it's quite a sight indeed. Now their collection is on view for all to see at the New Orleans Museum of Art's Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé show. It's a rare opportunity to view the world's biggest and most comprehensive collection of Martelé, the only hand-wrought art nouveau line of silver made in the USA and a big international success, to boot. -- D. Eric Bookhardt