The 15th Annual Big Easy Entertainment Awards is a win-win-win situation, and not just because it's a chance to watch the city's best in competition for awards in music and theater. Winners are everywhere on this evening -- specifically Monday, April 22, at the Grand Ballroom of Hilton's New Orleans Riverside. There will be Grammy winners, Lifetime Achievement Award winners ... heck, even mayoral-election winners. Throw in nine music and theater performances from nominated artists, a dinner buffet and an open bar, and it would be tough to find a more exciting way to get ready for Jazz Fest. Humorists Harry Shearer and Vance DeGeneres will serve as masters of ceremonies. Nicholas Payton (pictured), the Grammy-winning trumpeter, will receive the Entertainer of the Year Award from another winner, Mayor-elect Ray Nagin of media sponsor Cox Communications. Sam Butera, the legendary saxophonist and music arranger for Louis Prima (still going strong out in Las Vegas at age 74), will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Music. Fr. Ernest Ferlita (profiled in this issue) gets the Lifetime Achievement Award in Theatre. Another New Orleans legend, R&B singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry, will be honored with the Music Heritage Award. The performances run the spectrum of New Orleans entertainment, including a duet by Grammy-winning bluesman Chris Thomas King and Spencer Bohren, and Phillip Manuel matching his pipes with the diva triple-shot of Topsy Chapman, Tricia Boutté and Leah Chase. Iguanas saxophonist Derek Houston will present an all-star swing tribute to Butera. The musical-theater performances will feature a turn by nominee Flynn De Marco performing from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, with more familiar musical performances by Becky Allen (Nighttime Naughties) and the cast from George M. Now that's entertainment. Gambit Weekly owners Margo and Clancy DuBos will present this year's Business Recognition Award to Sandy Shilstone and Lenwood Sloan for the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation's Living History Project. Tickets are available for $125 and include reserved seating at the Hilton, dinner buffet, open bar and admission to the post-awards Harrah's Celebration Bash, featuring Kermit Ruffins. A limited number of tables for 10 are available for $1,000. Call Lindsay Moylan at 486-5900, ext. 160 for reservations. Proceeds support the Foundation for Entertainment Development & Education. Media sponsors are Gambit Communications, Cox Communications, Cable Rep Advertising, and 102.9 Old School radio. Sponsors include Absolut Citron, John Jay, CC's Coffee, Adler's and Abita Beer. -- David Lee Simmons

Steve Almond reading/signing 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 Beaucoup Books, 5414 Magazine St., 895-2663 Don't add Steve Almond's My Life in Heavy Metal to your morning coffee ritual: the inevitable guffaws will send scalding spittle down your shirtfront. Almond wields his fiction with deft hairpin jabs, unnerving readers with candid and recognizable tales of love (or merely lust) gone awry. Set among various incarnations of our millennial identity, from the computer geek turned office pimp to staunchly opposed lobbyists in "How to Love a Republican," his short stories resonate with the self-deprecating, ironic and well-disguised yearning of a generation of confused intellectuals. The intimate, conversational tone of Almond's narrative ideally lends itself to the live reading, which is why his appearance at Beaucoup Books promises to be an entertaining enhancement of the paper version. "I love the performance aspect of being a writer," Almond says. "Reading a story, just letting it rip and having the audience right there with you." Almond appears with Sheri Joseph, author of Bear Me Safely Over. -- Jennifer Curren

Lee Konitz 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, April 18-19 UNO Sandbar, 2000 Lakeshore Drive (Alumni Drive), 835-5277 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 For more than half a century, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz has roamed far and wide in the jazz world, playing in almost every conceivable format, from solo recitals to bop trios, string quartets to orchestras. Along the way, his graceful tone has contributed to landmark recordings like Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool and Miles Ahead, and sessions with Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson and Charlie Haden. He's revered by up-and-comers, too, having recently collaborated with dazzling young pianist Brad Mehldau. Konitz's three-night stand in New Orleans offers ample opportunity for him to indulge his stylistic wanderlust; at the Sandbar, Konitz will be backed by both the UNO Big Band and the UNO Workshop Band (led by trombonist Jeff Albert), while at Snug Harbor, Konitz leads a trio featuring bassist Roland Guerin and drummer Jason Marsalis. Sandbar admission $5 (free for UNO students); Snug admission $18. -- Scott Jordan

Cracker 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 The Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF Cracker tours in support of its new CD, Forever, Wednesday at the Howlin' Wolf. Simply put, Cracker's one of the best damn American rock 'n' roll bands around, and they prove it time and again with raucous live shows and expertly crafted, kick-ass albums. Frontman David Lowery writes brilliantly twisted lyrics delivered with snarls, smarts and soul, while guitarist Johnny Hickman rips off huge blues-and-country stamped leads and solos, sounding like early-70s era Keith Richards with a contemporary edge. Cracker's new CD, Forever, is its first new studio album in four years, and well worth the wait. There's the Beatles-esque melody of "Superfan," the tortured cry and epic crescendo of "Sweet Magdalena of My Misfortune," and the downright genius of "Merry Christmas Emily," a bittersweet tale of young love, holidays and illegal substances that mixes sleigh bells and Hickman's nasty slide work. And what other band could come up with the irresistible chorus, "You are so beautiful/ You should be guarded by monkeys"? John Eddie opens. Tickets $12. -- Jordan

Spiritualized 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Jason Pierce gets Spiritualized in support of his latest release, Let It Come Down, Wednesday at House of Blues. The orchestral maneuvers in the dark that filled the Spiritualized release Live at Albert Hall (1998) was the shape of things to come from leader Jason Pierce. For last year's masterpiece, Let It Come Down, Pierce fully realized the possibilities of the live album that featured a backing symphony. Let It Come Down may serve as Pierce's magnum opus, checking his Phil Spector/Brian Wilson influences with huge wall-of-sound setting up symphonic flourishes, white noise and typical alt-rock grit. It's all in the service of Pierce seeking the spirituality that marks his project's name. If anything, "Do it All Over Again" should dominate car stereos this spring and summer, filled with jangly guitars, rolling timpani and French horns that should make World Party's Karl Wallinger green with envy. This is a logical progression from Pierce's 1997 release, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, with guests ranging from the Balanescu Quartet to New Orleans piano professor Dr. John (who responded in kind by inviting Piece to perform on Anutha Zone). Unfortunately, this tour features the stripped-down version of the group. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club opens. Tickets $14. -- Simmons

J.J. Cale 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE The influence of J.J. Cale can't be underestimated, considering that both Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler cite Cale's laid-back and soulful guitar shuffles as the model for their 1970s output. Cale's a superb songwriter, too, and artists from Clapton ("After Midnight," "Cocaine") to Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Call Me the Breeze") have raided Cale's songbook. Couple those qualities with the fact that Cale hasn't toured in five years, and this is a can't-miss show. But perhaps most importantly, Midwesterner Cale has always seemed a local boy at heart, writing a number of soulful odes that sound like they were penned on the banks of the Mississippi River. Cale's "Cajun Moon," "Magnolia" and "New Orleans" are all timeless homages to Louisiana, and they never sound better than when Cale sings them. Cale performs primarily solo tonight, and will be augmented by a second guitarist and a percussionist for part of the show. Former Drivin' n' Cryin' frontman Kevin Kinney opens. Tickets $25. -- Jordan

KRS-One, Talib Kweli, and Blackalicious 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18 The Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF Before gangsta rap made hip-hop culture look like an endless stream of murder, materialism and promiscuous sex, enlightened MC KRS-One was spouting socially conscious lyrics as kingpin of the highly influential '80s rap group Boogie Down Productions. When the masses began to criticize his player-hating preachiness in the early '90s, he only made his sound more raw and held fast to his politics. Last year, he split with Jive Records after 13 years, figuring it didn't make much sense for him to share a label with Britney Spears and *NSync. His latest album for Koch Records, Spiritually Minded, shows that he's still on the same mission, promoting hip-hop as a legitimate culture, not as money-making pop theater. High-minded MC Talib Kweli (one half of the revered Black Star duo with Mos Def) will join KRS-One in resurrecting hip-hop's collective consciousness. Seminal San Fran crew Blackalicious opens. Tickets $17. -- Cristina Diettinger

The Venus Vulcan Project 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 18-20 Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 525-2767 With Kathy Randels, it's always something. Rarely one to rest on her creative laurels, Randels has spent the better part of the year working with Lucas Cox and J Jammons on their new company, Moving Humans Performance Group. The creator of such performances as Rumors of War has been collaborating on works "that explore present-day mythology via the performer/audience." Hence this new work, a 45-minute dance piece that "looks at the relationships between the mythical characteristics of love, fire, mutability, psyche and labor." Greek and Roman mythology are mined heavily for the piece, as well as local author Andy Young and a short story from Haruki Murakami. This work-in-progress showing is one step toward a full-length premiere in the fall. Tickets $6 to $9 on a sliding scale. -- Simmons

Friday Film Nights at NOMA 6 p.m. Friday, April 19 New Orleans Museum of Art Auditorium, City Park Writer-director Carlos Bolado's 1999 film, Bajo California, traces an artist's journey of self-rediscovery in the deserts of California. Compared by one critic to Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, Bajo California is a meditation on the effect of the past on our present and future. This screening is the second of NOMA's Friday Film Nights series, a shrewd attempt to get a younger crowd in to check out the latest exhibits. A cocktail party with food and margaritas sponsored by Vaqueros precedes the 8 p.m. screening. Admission is free to Advocate members, $3 NOMA members, $5 general admission. -- Simmons

The Asshole Monologues 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 19-20 Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 The emphasis Eve Ensler placed on the frank discourse about the vagina in The Vagina Monologues translated into big controversy and, thusly, big audiences. While that work ambitiously sought social impact, Times-Picayune columnist/bon vivant Chris Rose is heading down a decidedly lower road in The Asshole Monologues, where he digs a bit, um, deeper into his own taboo orifice and those of friends ("opinions are like ..."). This production is inspired by the success of the piece at last summer's DramaRama, as well as a reportedly nice reception at Rose's recent gig at Los Angeles' Actor's Gym. The work comprises a series of stories, songs and poems that obviously dwell in ribald humor but also work to deliver some touching moments. Local comic Fred "Redbean" Plunkett also appears. Directed by mikko. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased through Le Chat Noir at 581-5812. -- Etheridge

New Orleans Cans Film Festival 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20 Loyola University, Bobet Hall Room 332 The Cans Film Festival may not take place on the French Riviera but does offer local filmmakers a chance to present their works while helping a worthy cause. Jack Harris hatched the idea last year as a fundraiser for the Second Harvesters Food Bank; the inaugural event raised 400 pounds of food and $400, Harris says, and of course he wants to build on that. This year's festival features two categories: high school and college/more experienced works. There will be skits to introduce films and a "mixer" to accentuate the social vibe of the event. Animation filmmaker Helen Hill, an award winner at last fall's New Orleans Film Festival, serves as Matron of Honor and will show her most recent work, Madame Winger Makes a Film. Admission is $5 and "as many cans as you can carry." Call 482-3254 for more info. -- Simmons

Miami City Ballet 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20; 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21 Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts, Armstrong Park, 522-0996 A teenager in a long-toothed dance form, the 16-year-old Miami City Ballet has already grown to great prominence in international dance. This upward sprint was boosted with the addition of the legendary Edward Villella, whose two decades with the New York City Ballet earned him much acclaim. Now, Villella leads the troupe in its Louisiana debut with two performances sponsored by the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA). Both will showcase the company's diverse renderings of 19th, 20th and 21st century ballets. Saturday's program features Villella's tribute to American social dance with "The Waltz," "Mambo No. 2am" and George Balanchine's classic, "Rubies," set to music by Stravinsky. Sunday finds the group's new production of Giselle, the quintessential romantic ballet. Tickets range from $15 to $70 with student (senior and group discounts available) and can be purchased from NOBA by calling 522-0996 or visiting www.nobadance.com. -- Etheridge

SweetArts Ball 2002 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20 Contemporarly Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3805 Besides honoring seven key contributors to the arts community, the SweetArts Ball provides folks a chance to get dolled up, soak in a little art and scarf on fabulous food in an artsy setting while dancing to music. You know the drill. This year's theme, The Outer Limits, includes the outer-limits personalities of Allen Toussaint and Wanda Rouzan & A Taste of New Orleans, with tastes of New Orleans provided by a gang of restaurants including Acme Oyster House, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Nirvana and Palace Cafe. This ball coincides with the CAC's Digital Louisiana exhibit. This year's SweetArts are Kim Carbo, Sandra Dartus, Jan Ramsey and Helen Seigel, while the BeauxArts are Wali Abdul-Ra'oof, Gregory Davis and Greg O'Brien. Other performers include the Rob Wagner Trio and Michael Skinkus & His Drummers. Black tie or costume required. Tickets $100 CAC members, $150 non-members. -- Simmons

420 Fest featuring Wasted Nation, Captain Midnight, idletime, and the Joint Chiefs 10 p.m. Saturday, April, 20 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-8477 Jazz/funk ensemble Ideltime helps provide a spark for the 420 Fest at Tipitina's on Saturday. With springtime in full bloom, things couldn't get any greener -- except at the 420 Fest. The number reportedly comes from police code for a marijuana bust, and proponents for marijuana decriminalization and hemp awareness will have information booths at this ideological and musical celebration. The Master of Cannabis host for the event is the aptly named Mr. Smoker, drummer for local funksters Crönk. Orlando-based groovemongers the Joint Chiefs will fire up the musical portion of the night, then pass the torch to jazz/funk ensemble idletime and a solo set from Crönk guitarist Captain Midnight to keep things burning. Headliner Wasted Nation is part of the growing New Orleans musical movement of live instrumentation mixed with turntable work for new percussion possibilities. In a strange twist, it's rumored to be the fledgling band's final performance before it goes up in smoke. Admission $8. -- Leila Molahan

John Scott and Martin Payton: Spirit House Ongoing DeSaix Circle (at St. Bernard Avenue and Gentilly Boulevard) The ancestors' shadow gives us refuge from ignorance. We come as builders of cities, culture and knowledge. Sculptor John Scott's poetry graces the western roof of the new Spirit House sculpture at DeSaix Circle. Incised with a filigree of words and symbols evoking "those unnamed African Americans" who built the city and its culture, Spirit House incorporates the visions they inspired in the minds of neighborhood school children, along with a melange of traditional Afro-Caribbean icons and images. Rising some 19 feet above the street, it was crafted from aluminum by Scott and fellow sculptor Martin Payton as a kind of shotgun house of the ancestors. Not just a public sculpture by two of our most respected artists, it is an altar of memory celebrating the dreams and aspirations of those whose hands and passions made this city what it is today. For more information, contact the Arts Council of Greater New Orleans at 523-1465. -- D. Eric Bookhardt