The Weekly’s Fall A&E Preview

We're Not Missing These: Crazy Frenchman Michel Gondry mines his twisted imagination for The Science of Sleep (September 29), his first narrative feature without screenwriting collaborator Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Like Gondry's music videos, Sleep promises to be a surreal journey through the mind, with trippy visual effects.

Martin Scorsese returns to the world of criminals and cops with The Departed (October 6), a loose remake of the 2002 Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs. Affairs spawned two sequels and a dedicated cult following even though it's rather overcooked, but Scorsese's version, which transports the story of a cop posing as a hood and a hood posing as a cop to Boston, stars heavyweights Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson, and looks like it combines the director's talent for epic drama with a gritty, visceral feel. Gritty and visceral could also describe Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (October 20), a World War II drama about the battle of Iwo Jima. Even with a screenplay by Crash's heavy-handed Paul Haggis, the film looks to be both poignant and exciting, and will be followed by a companion film telling the story from the Japanese perspective, also directed by Eastwood, some time later this year. Sofia Coppola follows up the success of Lost in Translation with the cinematic mash-up Marie Antoinette (October 20), telling the story of the famously decadent French queen with period costumes and scenery but a soundtrack full of '80s synth-rock and often anachronistic dialogue from stars Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzmann. The film polarized audiences at Cannes, and should be a bold step forward from Coppola.

Also following up on a huge success is Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan, who's behind The Prestige (October 20), a supernatural thriller with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London. With a cast that includes Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie, and a script from Nolan and his brother Jonathan (who collaborated on the stellar Memento), The Prestige is our most anticipated film of the fall. Although biopics are often predictably bland Oscar bait, Fur (limited release November 10; Las Vegas release TBA) looks to be a little spicier. The story of controversial photographer Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman) comes courtesy of Secretary writers Erin Cressida Wilson and director Steven Shainberg, so it's likely to be a lot more risky (and kinky) than the average biopic.

The whole concept of awards season and the politics of jockeying for gold statues comes under scrutiny in For Your Consideration (November 22), the latest comedy from director Christopher Guest, best known for mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. Consideration is in a more traditional format, but it still features Guest's regular company of players, who have become a finely-tuned satirical machine.

Right behind The Prestige in anticipation level around here is Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain (November 22), an epic tale spanning over a thousand years, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as lovers in the past, present and future, on a quest to find the secret of eternal life. Aronofsky has been working on the project for years, and it promises to be a leap beyond his already visionary past films Requiem for a Dream and Pi.

Hipster comedy favorites Tenacious D (fake acoustic metal duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass) and Sacha Baron Cohen (as obliviously inappropriate Kazakhstanian reporter Borat) both have movies coming this fall, hotly anticipated by their fan bases and devotees of ironic semi-humor everywhere. But we'll only catch Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (November 17) and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (November 3) to remain in the ever-important pop-cultural loop.

Likewise, we're reluctant to buy into the hype about new James Bond Daniel Craig and his alleged ability to revitalize the aging franchise. Sure, Craig looks sort of cool in a tux and brandishing a gun, but it'll take a lot more than that to make Casino Royale (November 17) more than just a slight tweak on a familiar concept.

We're Strangely Curious: Can Jon Heder make a movie where he's not just channeling Napoleon Dynamite (School for Scoundrels, September 29)? Can Barry Levinson make another spot-on political satire almost a decade after Wag the Dog (Man of the Year, October 13)? Will the blokes at Aardman Features, creators of Wallace and Gromit, make an effective transition to computer animation (Flushed Away, November 3)? Does the world need a movie about the assassination of RFK, written and directed by Emilio Estevez (Bobby, November 23)? We're not sure, but we'll probably be there to find out.

Not On Your Life: Sadly, this, as usual, encompasses most of what's being released, including pointless horror sequels like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (October 6), The Grudge 2 (October 13) and Saw III (October 27); crass Christmas cash-ins The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (November 3) and Deck the Halls (November 22); a movie starring a professional wrestler (The Marine, October 13) and one based on a video game (DOA: Dead or Alive, October 20); shrill kiddie cartoons Open Season (September 29) and Happy Feet (November 17); and the piece de resistance, a high-powered drama about the Coast Guard with the combined powers of Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher (The Guardian, September 29).

It's Probably Just Us: It barely found distribution and probably won't even make it to Vegas, but we can't help but be mesmerized by Sleeping Dogs Lie (limited release October 20), written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait (that's right). The dark comedy is about a woman with a very dirty sexual secret; we'll give you one guess what that is from reading the title.

We Have High Hopes: Hands down the best new show of the season is Smith (CBS, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.; premieres September 19), a dark, complex drama starring Ray Liotta as a professional thief who's far from the charming, wisecracking cads of Ocean's 11. The pilot has feature film production values and an impressive cast that also includes Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker, Jonny Lee Miller and Amy Smart. Smith takes the lives of criminals seriously, making them into real characters without romanticizing them or sugarcoating what they do.

Tina Fey's 30 Rock (NBC, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; premieres October 11) also takes place behind the scenes at a sketch-comedy show, but it's a much breezier, jokier take on things, in a half-hour format as opposed to Studio 60's hour. Although the show has been altered from the original pilot, Fey's distinctive voice as creator and star should remain intact, and her low-key humor and affable tone makes this an enjoyable counterpart to Sorkin's hopped-up drama.

Two more NBC shows offer fresh takes on familiar genres: Friday Night Lights (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.; premieres October 3), based on the movie of the same name, follows high school football players in a small Texas town, but it deftly avoids typical sports clichés and boasts a gritty, realistic feel (at least in the pilot, written and directed by the film's Peter Berg). Likewise, Heroes (Mondays, 9 p.m.; premieres September 25) takes on the current hot genre of superheroes in a more serious, grounded way, while retaining the epic, serialized feel and expansive, multi-cultural cast of a show like Lost (which it's clearly meant to emulate to some degree). It's at times a little too serious, but in its best moments it comes off like a TV version of M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable.

ABC also emulates Lost with that show's new lead-out, The Nine (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.), which is a little gimmicky but also features some fascinating characters. The high concept follows a group of people who were held hostage in a bank robbery for 52 hours, and each episode reveals a few more minutes of their ordeal in flashback while chronicling their lives in the aftermath. It's got a few too many manufactured cliffhangers, but in general is a perfectly pitched companion for Lost.

Not So High Hopes: Brothers & Sisters (ABC, Sundays, 10 p.m.; premieres September 24) has one of the season's most impressive casts (Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Balthazar Getty) and is one of the few new dramas without a serialized high concept, but its promise is tempered by the extensive retooling (it was the only network pilot unavailable for review) both behind and in front of the camera. That's never a good sign, although if things calm down and the show finds its rhythm, it could still end up working.

In the disappointment category: The Knights of Prosperity (ABC, Tuesdays, 9 p.m.; premieres October 17), an offbeat comedy about a group of losers plotting to rob Mick Jagger, had great early buzz but turns out to be mostly awkward and unfunny. Jericho (CBS, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; premieres September 20), about a small town in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, and Kidnapped (NBC, Wednesdays, 10 p.m.; premieres September 20), about a rich family's search for their abducted son, both have strong premises but fall a little short in creating compelling drama.

And fans of James Woods will either love or hate Shark (CBS, Thursdays, 10 p.m.; premieres September 21), his new lawyer show, which is little more than an excuse for the veteran character actor (in a bad dye job) to yell at generic young pretty people and chew nearly all the scenery on network television. Smashing the TV: Once again, every new laugh-tracked sitcom is somewhere on the spectrum from mildly annoying (NBC's 20 Good Years, CBS's The Class) to generally unpleasant (CW's The Game, ABC's Help Me Help You—which doesn't have a laugh track but is paced like it does) to eye-gougingly unbearable (Fox's Happy Hour and 'Til Death, easily the worst new show of the season). Fox also gives us the latest "celebrities do things that they don't normally do" show in the irritatingly pointless Celebrity Duets. And ABC insults women with not one but two cutesy dramedies built on condescending gender stereotypes: Ugly Betty and Men in Trees.

Between now and the end of the year, if you are an average American, you will consume some 450 hours of television—the equivalent of 20 straight days. By cutting that in half, to a modest 10 straight days of TV, you could do some extra reading. And this would be the fall to do it. Between September and December, some of the world's best writers will be delivering new works. Here's how to spend those 220 hours.

FICTION: The Emperor's Children, by Claire Messud (out now). Last year's drawing-room comedy may have been Zadie Smith's On Beauty; this year it's Messud, who spins an addictive tale of thirtysomething Brown graduates who have their wild dreams of important successes popped. Beautifully written, funny—an unabashed tip of the hat to Edith Wharton.

The Mission Song, by John Le Carré (September 19). A Catholic missionary with skills in African languages finds himself pressed into service as an interpreter for British intelligence in this latest thriller by the man who brought you Smiley's People and other classics of the spy genre.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (September 26). Fast on the heels of his last existential thriller, No Country for Old Men, the award-winning novelist and author of All the Pretty Horses delivers a bleak yarn, set in a blasted, futuristic landscape, where a man and a child try to walk to safety.

The Translator, by Leila Aboulela (September 28). The Sudanese author tells a bewitching tale about a woman who falls in love with a Scottish scholar of Islam.

The Children's Hospital, by Chris Adrian (October 1). This magical second novel from the author of Gob's Grief unfolds in a children's war after the Earth has been subsumed by seven miles of water.

Thirteen Moons, by Charles Frazier (October 3). At last, the long-awaited follow-up to his mega-bestseller Cold Mountain is here; it tells of a man sent out into Indian country to run a trading post, where he falls—of course—for a woman.

The Light of Evening, by Edna O'Brien (October 6). An elderly Irish woman awaits her famous-writer daughter's return to Ireland in this lyrical, Faulknerian novel from one of Ireland's most profoundly talented novelists.

Against the Day, by Thomas Pynchon (November 21). Pynchon remains the most reclusive great writer in all of America, and he has broken his silence with a new novel, which, in an unusual twist, he described for Amazon. "With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness and evil intent in high places," he wrote. Pynchon has assured us this has nothing to do with contemporary affairs.

NONFICTION: The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth, From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, by Frank Rich (September 19). The title says it all, but if you want to watch anyone open up a can of truth on the Bush administration this fall, here's your book.

What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, by Dave Eggers (October 1). Bestselling memoirist Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) continues to wander further and further from the beaten path—here, all the way to Sudan, for a nonfiction novel about a Sudanese refugee who escapes to Kenya and resettles in the United States.

Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide (October 3). New Yorker journalist Jeffrey Goldberg moved to Israel in college and performed his military service in an Israeli prison, where his experience guarding a PLO operative opened his eyes about the Middle East.

The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins (October 18). The controversial scientist has arrived to smash your faith with this intriguing defense of atheism. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, by Bill Bryson (October 17). This hilarious and sneakily moving memoir describes the popular travel writer's childhood in Iowa in the 1950s, where he lived in a self-contained bubble of happiness and innocence, oblivious to the massive military buildup of the Cold War.

We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order To Live, by Joan Didion (October 17). Those who discovered Joan Didion for the first time with her powerful memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, have plenty of catching up to do, and they can do nearly all of it in this tome, which at 1,100 pages may bust your 220-hour budget, but it gives readers the chance to watch her build that steely, cool, aloof voice one piece and profile at a time.

Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson (October 24). The author of the multimillion-copy bestseller The Devil in the White City has a new grisly tale, this time that of a murderer who tries to get away on a cruise ship.

Lastly, Allen Ginsberg. The poet gets a series of tributes this fall as his best-known work, Howl, turns 50: Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression, edited by Bill Morgan (November 1); I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg, by Bill Morgan (October 5); and First Journals: 1937-1952, edited by Bill Morgan and Juanita Lieberman-Plimpton (October 30).

CONTEMPORARY DANCE: Xenia Goes West (December 1 and 2, CCSN). Russian ballet dancer escapes Nazis. Film at 11. CCSN's resident Concert Dance Company tackles dancer/teacher Xenia Chlistowa's harrowing World War II exploits for its fall concert. If anyone can pull off this unusual subject for dance, it's the innovative Kelly Roth and his talented troupe.

BALLET: In the category of "Who Knew This Would Sell in Sin City," the winner has to be Nevada Ballet Theatre. The company kicks off its 35th anniversary season in grand style with a gala performance on September 15, under the stars at beautiful Lake Las Vegas, featuring guest artists from San Francisco Ballet, one of the top dogs in the international ballet scene. (See Page 69.) In October, the goth set can satisfy its bloodlust with Count Vlad and his all-ghoul cast in Dracula (October 27-29, Judy Bayley Theatre). In December, the much-beloved and perennial favorite The Nutcracker returns (December 14-27, Judy Bayley Theatre).

CLASSICAL MUSIC: With long-time conductor Hal Weller retiring at the end of this performing year, the Las Vegas Philharmonic season has an extra bit of sizzle: a conductor bake-off. Two of the contenders—David Commanday (October 14, conducting Rossini, Corigliano and Beethoven in the Artemus Ham Hall) and David Itkin (November 18, conducting Berlioz, Barber and Prokofiev, also in Ham Hall)—will be seen and heard this fall; the others will conduct in the spring. Who will the symphony choose? Will it be the chatty Leonard Bernstein type, the proponent of "pops" concerts, the one who programs ground-breaking contemporary music, or someone more steeped in classical tradition? See for yourself.

One of the world's greatest orchestras, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pavel Kogan (November 4, Ham Hall), is known for the technical virtuosity of its musicians and for the orchestra's precision and clarity of tone. Although the program hasn't been firmed up yet, who cares? They're great and they're only here for one night. See them.

Later in November, the UNLV Classical Guitar series features Colombia-born Ricardo Cobo (November 21, Ham Hall), winner of many gold medals in major international competitions and recognized as one of the best of the new classic guitar generation. His diverse programming encompasses the classic repertory, Latin American music and children's lullabies. A true guitar virtuoso.

END OF AN ERA: Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme (October 26–28, Stardust Theater). Casinos are imploded regularly around here, most without much of a whimper (who really is going to miss the Castaways?). But this is the Stardust, one of the last of the "Old Vegas" joints and scheduled for closing by the end of the year. The October performances by Steve and Eydie may very well be the last chance to steep yourself in Rat Pack splendor at this historic venue.

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare (December 1-10, Judy Bayley Theater). Noted Shakespearean director James Edmondson leads Nevada Conservatory Theatre in this classic comedy of mischief and merriment featuring some of the playwright's most irresistible characters—especially the winsome Viola, the roguish Sir Toby Belch and the pompous Malvolio—in a celebration of romantic love featuring mistaken identity, separated twins and gender-crossing disguise.

Bent, by Martin Sherman (October 12-22, Las Vegas Little Theatre). More than two decades after Martin Sherman's Tony-nominated play about the Nazi persecution of gays debuted, this depiction of the horrors the Third Reich inflicted upon homosexuals still delivers. The two-act play is definitely dark, but often is romantic and sometimes strangely humorous. Still, probably not good first-date material.

All My Sons, by Arthur Miller (October 13-22, CCSN Performing Arts Center). In conjunction with the 11th Annual Arthur Miller Society Conference, the provocative CCSN theater department is presenting the playwright's post-World War II drama. Distressingly timely, this 1947 piece is about manufacturer Joe Keller and how he knowingly sold defective airplane parts to the Army in World War II. Sound familiar?

There's more to A&E than music and movies: Laugh away those winter blues with some top-notch stand-up comedy. Your first stop for fall funnies is the Mirage, where Jay Leno (October 6 and 7), Ray Romano (October 14 and 15, November 11 and 12), David Spade (October 27 and 28), Dana Carvey (November 17 and 18) and Wayne Brady (November 23 and 24) will treat crowds to the punchlines and personalities that got 'em noticed. Over at Harrah's, October 2 marks the kickoff of Rita Rudner's run of nightly performances (mirrored by Louie Anderson's residency at the Excalibur, extended well into next year), while the MGM Grand hosts Lewis Black from September 26 to October 3. And by all means, don't miss the Weasel in all his rodent-like glory: Pauly Shore headlines the House of Blues on October 21.

November sees the return of the Comedy Festival to multiple Caesars Palace locations, including the Colosseum and the Roman Plaza Amphitheatre. Last year's debut boasted more than 50 shows over three days; this year's incarnation expands to five days (November 14-18) and features the return of Comic Relief Live, in which hosts Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams take the stage to benefit multiple Hurricane Katrina-related charities.

By now, all Las Vegans surely have October 3 circled on their calendars—or midnight, October 2, for those predisposed to midnight Zia raids—in anticipation of The Killers' sophomore LP Sam's Town. However proud you might be of Las Vegas' chart-toppling heroes, though, there are plenty of other fall CDs worthy of attention.

Practically drooling over: After earning my pick for 2006's album of the year with its eponymous debut, experimental folk outfit Akron/Family can't possibly top that with follow-up Meek Warrior (October 3), can it? ... As a solo artist, Mos Def has seesawed from genre-defining (1999's Black on Both Sides) to abjectly worthless (2004's The New Danger). Wonder what the rapper/actor/renaissance man has in store for us with Tru3 Magic (October 10). ... Punk reunions are usually lame, but The Slits aren't your typical girls, so Revenge of the Killer Slits (October 17), the Ari Up-led group's first new release in 25 years, could merit a grab. ... Squarepusher—aka British jungle-jazz electronics ace Tom Jenkinson—churns out one standout disc after another, and there's no reason to think Hello Everything (October 17) won't continue the trend. ... Indie folkster Joanna Newsom's debut album was as low-key as it gets, so naturally second album Ys (November 14) consists of five seven- to 17-minute epics produced by under-the-radar trio Steve Albini, Jim O'Rourke and Van Dyke Parks. ... If you've been counting the days since Tenacious D's last comedic-rock album, you're probably really, really tired. Soundtrack The Pick of Destiny (November 14) finally ends the five-year drought. Now go get some sleep. ... And any new material by Tom Waits is cause for jubilation, but the wonderfully titled Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (November 21), a three-disc set featuring over three hours of unreleased music, is almost too much to bear. Almost.

If we find a used copy: Medeski, Martin & Wood team with pal John Scofield for Out Louder (September 26), an obvious yet most welcome groove-jazz collaboration. ... Alterna-lounge singer Richard Cheese unveils his newest cheddar vintage, Silent Nightclub (September 26), featuring covers of Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl," John Lennon's "Imagine" and Rush's "The Trees," along with original composition "Christmas in Las Vegas." ... Guero was too predictable, and new single "Nausea" hardly sparkles, but Beck promises The Information (October 3) will come with a do-your-own-cover-art sticker set, and that's good enough for us. ... The Decemberists wowed the indie-stage crowd at last year's Vegoose festival, and Billboard reports latest album The Crane Wife (October 3) is "thematically based on a tragic Japanese folk tale." Color us intrigued. ... Time magazine's "America's best songwriter" bit was a stretch, but alt-country queen Lucinda Williams is about as consistent as it gets, which means you can pencil The Knowing (November 7) onto virtually every year-end critics list. ... Modest Mouse was a quality band long before Johnny Marr became an official member, but with the ex-Smith onboard We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (December 19) might be good enough to make Morrissey cry with jealousy. Or just for fun.

Strangely curious to hear: It could be a train wreck, but Tony Bennett's Duets: An American Classic (September 26) includes guest stints by Bono, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Elvis Costello, so you never know. ... The Black Crowes peaked in the mid-'90s, which bodes well for The Lost Crowes (September 26), a set that pieces together scrapped albums Tall (1993) and Band (1997). ... The year's strangest release could be Pussy Cats (October 24), The Walkmen's track-for-track re-enactment of Harry Nilsson and John Lennon's 1974's semi-legendary "Lost Weekend" project. ... And while we're still not convinced Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend should be calling themselves The Who anymore, we are curious to hear Endless Wire (October 31). It's the band's first new LP since 1982's It's Hard, and we all remember how well that worked out.

Not if our eardrums have a vote: "Right Thurr" wasn't that good, but it plays like a modern rap classic compared to the crap Chingy has been churning out since. In other words, please don't make us spin Hoodstar (September 19) all the way through. ... Rod Stewart had no business tackling the standards, and we'd prefer he not lay waste to Bob Dylan's "If Not For You," Cat Stevens' "Father and Son" or Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" on Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time (October 10) either. ... In the "who the hell is going to pay for this stuff?" category, Twisted Sister celebrates the holidays early with A Twisted Christmas (October 17) and Winger returns with its first album in 13 years, IV (October 17). Why? ... Plenty of folks are likely to buy Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire (October 31), though we'd prefer never to run across any of them. ... And for those who need hordes of television-obsessed strangers to rubber stamp their musical tastes, as-yet-untitled debuts from American Idol winner Taylor Hicks (November 14) and hard-rock supergroup Supernova (November 21) are, tragically, sure to please.

Others of note: Diana Krall, From This Moment On (September 19); Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Letting Go (September 19); Emily Haines, Knives Don't Have Your Back (September 26); Ludacris, Release Therapy (September 26); Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Colorblind (September 26); Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah (September 26); Sparklehorse, Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (September 26); Wolf Eyes, Human Animal (September 26); Trey Anastasio, Bar 17 (October 3); Sleepy Brown, Mr. Brown (October 3); Evanescence, The Open Door (October 3); The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America (October 3); Jet, Shine On (October 3); Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire (October 3); The Blood Brothers, Young Machetes (October 10); Robert Pollard, Normal Happiness (October 10); Diddy, Press Play (October 17); Lady Sovereign, Public Warning (October 17); ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, So Divided (October 24); Deftones, Saturday Night Wrist (October 24); John Legend, Once Again (October 24); My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade (October 24); Meat Loaf, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (October 31); Willie Nelson & The Cardinals, Songbird (October 31); Young Jeezy, The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 (October 31); The Game, The Doctor's Advocate (November 7); Incubus, Light Grenades (November 21); Snoop Dogg, Blue Carpet Treatment (November 21); Sufjan Stevens, Songs For Christmas (November 21).

Summer 2006 is almost in the books, but the year's hottest season hardly has a monopoly on visiting headliners. We like our live music better in October or November, when we don't need a bottle of water just to make it from our car to the venue. A few of the best (and worst) bets from the months ahead:

Begging for a presale code for: Actually, tickets have been on sale for Gnarls Barkley (Red Rock Station, September 21) for weeks, and you'd better snatch one up soon if you want to catch the hottest costumed, studio-whiz-meets-soul-singer, backed-by-a-live-band combination around. Not interested? That makes you craaazy. ... British trip-hop duo Massive Attack (The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, September 23) makes a relatively rare live appearance during a break in recording sessions for much-anticipated upcoming release Weather Undergrounds. ... With original frontman Shane McGowan back at the helm, reunited Irish-punk outfit The Pogues stops by for a pair of shows (House of Blues, October 14 and 15). The only real question is, is there enough beer and whiskey in all of Mandalay Bay to satiate their fans? ... Has it been a whole year already since Dave Matthews, Beck, Primus, The Arcade Fire and Digable Planets made Las Vegas the place to be for music heads for two days in October? Just about, which means the second annual Vegoose festival (Sam Boyd Stadium and adjacent fields, October 28 & 29) must be creeping up on us. Once again, the lineup blends jam, indie, hip-hop and good ol' rock 'n' roll, topped by headliners Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Widespread Panic. Other acts include The Killers, Phil & Trey, The Mars Volta, The Keller Williams Incident, The Black Crowes, Fiona Apple, The Raconteurs, Ben Folds, Damian Marley, Medeski, Martin & Wood with Maceo Parker, The Roots, Cat Power, The Rhythm Devils, Jurassic 5, Praxis, Built to Spill, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Band of Horses. If you've still got energy after all that, The Joint, House of Blues, Orleans Arena and MGM Grand Garden Arena will host "Vegoose at Night" shows October 27-30, featuring such live faves as Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds and Sound Tribe Sector 9. ... Bluegrass champs Alison Krauss & Union Station (Orleans Arena, November 8) were originally set to hit Nevada way back in March, before an illness forced a tour postponement. Way to make good on the promise of a return engagement, Alison. ... The Rapture (Celebrity, November 17) tore up the Coachella Music & Arts Festival stages in 2003 and 2004, then vanished off the map entirely. Until now! The sax-infested post-punk worshipers finally find their way to Vegas this fall, so get out your dancing shows.

We'd probably be your plus-1 for: Mercury Prize nominees Muse (The Joint, September 21) crossed the Atlantic Ocean to be here; the least you could do is drive over to the Hard Rock. ... Is sampling magician DJ Shadow (House of Blues, September 28) still living off the glory from celebrated debut LP Endtroducing, 10 years after the fact? Judge for yourself. ... Phil Collins, Sarah McLachlan and Counting Crows don't particularly excite us, but Andre Agassi's Grand Slam For Children (MGM Garden Arena, October 7) raises money for underprivileged and at-risk youth, so we're willing to overlook a lackluster bill. ... We're not sure how good they sound these days, but this could be your last chance to catch legends Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard (Orleans Arena, October 21) in person, if you catch our drift. ... Omaha's Cursive (October 29, House of Blues) packed a live wallop at a 2004 stopover at the same venue, plus openers The Thermals and Eastern Youth are the type of underground artists Las Vegans rarely get the chance to see. ... Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (Artemus Ham Hall, November 1) isn't just the best-known jazz musician of our time; dude can play too. ... Thankfully, Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerry Casale and their Devo (The Joint, November 4) mates have ditched the 2.0 kiddies and hit the road old-school. ... Speaking of old-school, first-wave British punkers The Damned (House of Blues, November 12) are back at it, 30 years after they debuted in support of the Sex Pistols. ... And at the opposite end of the spectrum, in virtually every sense, the youthful Lady Sovereign (Beauty Bar, November 18) brings her five-foot frame and grime heroics to town, so make way for the S-O-Veeee!

Wild dogs couldn't drag us to: Toby Keith (Mandalay Bay Events Center, September 23). Caught his act last year, figuring it couldn't possibly be that bad. It was worse. ... Motley Crue and Aerosmith (MGM Grand Garden Arena, November 4). We might have considered stopping by for Motley, if only to hear "Looks That Kill," but teaming up with the withered Aerosmith is simply unforgivable. ... Withered doesn't begin to describe The Rolling Stones (MGM Grand Garden Arena, November 11), whose "tour 'til we literally die onstage" antics might be amusing if Mick and Keith weren't charging $125 to $450 for the privilege.

Others of note: Mariah Carey at MGM Grand Garden Arena, September 30; Queensryche at House of Blues, October 6 and November 30; Merle Haggard at Sunset Station, October 7; The Futureheads with Cold War Kids at Beauty Bar, October 13; Placebo at House of Blues, October 19; Dashboard Confessional with Brand New at UNLV's intramural fields, October 20; Escape the Fate at House of Blues, October 24; The Cramps at House of Blues, November 2; Joan Jett & The Blackhearts with Eagles of Death Metal at House of Blues, November 10; She Wants Revenge at House of Blues, November 25; ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead with The Blood Brothers at House of Blues, November 25; Dixie Chicks at MGM Grand Garden Arena, November 25; Death Cab For Cutie at The Joint, December 3; Wolfmother at The Joint, December 7; Panic! At the Disco with Bloc Party at Orleans Arena, December 8.