All the superstar wrestlers of the WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT (WWE) led by SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon, daughter of the notoriously conniving WWE owner, Vince McMahon, are bringing their wrestling theatrics, high jinks and larger-than-life imagery to the Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Come on down and see all your favorite wrestlers put on adrenaline-fueled displays of athleticism, showmanship and machismo. Who will come out on top? Are there any good guys left in the WWE? Don't forget to bring the wittiest and most creative signs possible to support the best athlete or ridicule his/her puny opponent, while you watch and hear them march live to their theme songs; you might get on TV. The evening will feature rivalries, betrayals and no-holds-barred beat-downs, with plenty of trash talking and high-flying signature moves. Current champion and former Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle headlines the night's events. Other featured wrestlers include "Living Dead Man" The Undertaker (who will surely bring his big hog) and the stupendously powerful Brock Lesnar, the youngest WWE superstar ever and one of the only men alive capable of throwing the Big Show around like a circus gnome. Itty-bitty Rey Mysterio will also be on hand to perform more of his mind-blowing moves, such as his signature 619, and to take on other wrestlers twice his size. Lest we forget, other performers include big-mouthed rapper John Cena, who took a recent beating from the Big Evil (for the uninitiated, that's the Undertaker's nickname), and the Canadian "Rabid Wolverine" Chris Benoit. Eddie Guerrero and Ultimo Dragon, who recently returned from a prolonged absence from the ring, will also take part in the night's wrestling extravaganza. Superstar wrestling babes Torrie Wilson, recently featured in Playboy magazine, and Sable also plan to wrestle. Newcomer Brock Lesnar is on the warpath to the championship title, out to destroy anyone in his way and prove he's the best that the SmackDown! locker room has to offer. Tickets $15 to $40. Call 522-5555 for ticket and event information. -- Ian Morrison

The Mercy Seat 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4-7; through Sept. 21 NOCCA/Riverfront, Nims Black Box Theatre, 2800 Chartres St., 940-2875 > WWNO producer/announcer Karl Lengel also has been a Big Easy Entertainment Award-nominated actor. This week, he looks to capitalize on earlier acting success by producing and directing Neil LaBute's The Mercy Seat. Set in a New York City loft apartment in the early morning hours of Sept. 12, 2001, a couple is forced to face their own, and the world's, new sense of existence. The Mercy Seat marks the New Orleans debut of a script by LaBute, author of The Shape of Things and In the Company of Men, works that turn on the ceaseless struggle between man and woman. Ashley Nolan (who sizzled with Lengel in Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood) stars with Ryan Rilette, Southern Rep Theater's artistic director. Tickets $15 Thursday-Friday preview performances, $20 subsequent shows. -- Frank Etheridge

Kenner Italian Heritage Day 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 Kenner's Rivertown, Fourth Street and Williams Boulevard, Kenner, 468-7293 Celebrating a unique local culture, Kenner's historic Rivertown will be converted to all things Italian this weekend for two days of music, food and family fun. On the food front (always a huge element to any Italian festival), the cuisine comes courtesy of top area eateries, along with some true local flavors -- Police Chief Nick Congemi's World Famous Italian Meatball Cones and Mayor Louis Congemi's Italian Iced Tea. Live music comes on both days, with headliners the Wise Guys on Friday and the Bucktown All-Stars on Saturday night. The festival also provides a wealth of entertainment for children, including puppets, clowns, mimes, crafts and games at the Little Italy Children's Area and performances of the Opera Italia at the Children's Castle at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. -- Morrison

Justice for All Ball 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 Gallier Hall, 545 St. Charles Ave., 581-3480 With the dire impacts of the combination of rampant poverty and inequality in the legal system on constant display in our city, nonprofit group The Pro Bono Project -- operating locally for the past 17 years -- annually raises funds to provide free civil legal services to the poor with the Justice for All Ball. Now in its 15th year, the gala begins on the steps of Gallier Hall as Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz warm up the crowd. Drinks and cuisine from over 25 of the city's top restaurants follow, along with a "Get on the Ball" raffle with items donated by local businesses with proceeds benefiting the cause. From 9 p.m. to midnight, Deacon John & the Ivories will pack the dance floor. Tickets are $100 per person; complimentary parking is provided. For more information or to order tickets, call 581-3480. -- Etheridge

Eh La Bas! CD-release party 10:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 Alida and Moise Viator and their family band from Eunice have been playing Creole music for nearly a decade, celebrating their multi-faceted culture in performances throughout the region. Nineteen-year-old Alida plays fiddle and leads the band (Moise plays guitar), and the group plays songs from a wide range of styles, including R&B classics and folk dances sung in Creole. For their second CD, Mermaids From the Canary Islands (a follow-up to 1999's Mo Belle Creole) the group focuses on the Caribbean-Creole connection. Haitian songs like "En Swa" evoke island images, and the group does New Orleans R&B classics over ska rhythms. They also put Creole words to British Invasionist Donovan's hit "There is a Mountain." The title track is an original, outlining the Viators' own fantasy about Caribbean-Creole cultural fusion. The band is offering $5 off the price of their new CD to offset the $5 cover charge. -- Cristina Diettinger

Clutch 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 The Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF It's often lumped into the heavy metal category, but much of Clutch's material isn't actually all that hard to swallow. The Maryland-based band sounds more like heavy stoner rock, or funked-out slow-metal. It's all because of bassist Dan Maines and his furiously funky low-end thump. And vocalist Neil Fallon plays along at times, half-singing, half-rapping lyrics a la Mike Patton or Anthony Kiedis. At other times, his vocal style leans toward the true metal sound, evoking bloody images of a raw sore throat. Clutch lyrics border on serious satire, with odd allegories and colorful and ridiculous characters from many walks of American life. The band is currently on tour supporting its latest release, Live at the Googolplex, a collection of most-loved Clutch songs in one live set. Supporting act Mastodon is far headier, combining the aurally jagged elements of metal with esoteric, prog-rock compositions. Murder 1 and Throat are also on the bill. Cover $15. -- Diettinger

New Orleans Nightcrawlers 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 Dragon's Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., 949-1750 It's too bad the New Orleans Nightcrawlers don't play more gigs, because their shows are a treat in the realm of New Orleans brass band music. Featuring the cream of New Orleans jazz and funk horn players and drummers, the band combines the down and dirty funk of street-beat brass with complex arrangements reminiscent of jazz giants like Mingus and Ellington. The lineup includes scene staples like saxophonists Jason Mingledorff and Ken Jacobs, plus rhythm masters Kerry Hunter (snare drum) and Tanio Hingle (bass drum). Matt Perrine's carefully articulated sousaphone lines bring up the low end, and Mardi Gras Indian chief Smiley Ricks adds percussion and vocals. Live at the Old Point, the Nightcrawlers' live album, offers a nice sampling of their magic, but the close quarters of the Dragon's Den offers a better vantage point to witness their synergy. Admission $7. -- Diettinger

The Bluebirds 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 Shreveport is home base for swampy blues trio the Bluebirds, and unfortunately, the band rarely plays New Orleans with the exception of periodic Jazz Fest appearances. That's reason enough to catch this local gig, but the time-worn dance floor and bar of the Maple Leaf is a perfect fit for these roadhouse rockers. The rhythm section of bassist Bruce Flett and drummer Kerry Hunter (who's also a capable blue-eyed soul singer) is rock-solid, but make no mistake: slide guitarist Buddy Flett is the Bluebirds' high flyer. Flett's six-string work sounds like the missing Louisiana link between Elmore James and Muddy Waters, and he can rev up some high-octane contemporary shuffles, too. (Come to think of it, Flett even looks a little bit like late Allman Brothers genius Duane Allman.) After the one-two punch of early albums Swamp Stomp and South From Memphis, the band recently released its third CD, Highway 80 East. Admission TBA. -- Scott Jordan

Industrial Strength: Mixed-media works by Keith Moore Through Sept. 13 The Big Top (Three Ring Circus Gallery), 1638 Clio St., 569-2700 Creativity sometimes runs in families. Painter, sculptor, photographer and self-proclaimed "King of Ambient Noise" Keith Moore also just happens to be the son of New Orleans music legend Deacon John. In this Industrial Strength expo, Moore zeroes in on what he calls Death Kultur, the violence and dysfunction that often define modern life, with a variety of his own photographs and mixed media constructions as well as works by guest artists Charlotte Diem, Jimi Fagan, Seth Boonchai, Elizabeth Barrett and Michael Robinson. At 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, the Big Top hosts Gas Masquerade, a super-trendy safety equipment haz-mat costume party with Moore spinning ambient noise with DJ Pablo Z, joined by GAS (Generic Art Solutions), a special ops art team made up of Matt Vis and Tony Campbell and other working class heroes. Admission $5 with costume; $10 no costume. -- D. Eric Bookhardt