'21' stumbles through good idea with mixed results
MOVIE REVIEW
by TIMOTHY CHIPP Reporter
      "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" is the catch-phrase in blackjack, something said in Vegas when a player hits the big win. The movie "21" gambles with a full deck, but the result is a mixed bag of tricks, more fitting for the smaller stakes than the high-roller table.
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Film/Video
      fri. 4 . Night and the City - Director Jules Dassin's 1950 film noir classic features Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney, 7:15 p.m. Friday, April 4, The Screening Room, 3131 Sheridan Drive, Northtown Business Center, Amherst; $.
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Theater
      thurs. 3 . Brilliant Traces - Cindy Lou Johnson's one-act play presented by Buffalo Laboratory Theatre features Taylor Doherty and Kathleen Golde. Opens 8 p.m.
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Barefoot in the Opera House
      The Lancaster Opera House is presenting Neil Simon's romantic comedy classic of love and marriage, "Barefoot in the Park," from April 4-13. Newlyweds Paul and Corie Bratter have just moved into their tiny apartment in a downtown-Manhattan brownstone, where they encounter a skylight with a hole in...
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Auditions
      • AURORA PLAYERS - The Aurora Players will be holding auditions for the Tennessee William's play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," directed by David Hall. Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 7 and 8, with callbacks April 9 at the Roycroft Pavilion, Hamlin Park, South Grove Str...
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Performance
      tues. 8 . Comedy Night with Kristen Becker, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St., Buffalo; $. 886-8539, www.nietzsches.com
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Family Activities
      thurs. 3 . Kids Digital Arts Workshop - This fun introduction to using computers for art making, will have students learning how to use scanners and digital imaging software to create digital paintings and collages,
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Special Events
      thurs. 3 . The Alpha Course - Free dinner and permission to discuss the big question of life in an easy-going and relaxed atmosphere, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, The Tabernacle, 3210 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park.
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Announcements
      • COOL SCIENCE SERIES - Thanks to a unique partnership between the Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System, youngsters in the City of Buffalo will have the opportunity to enhance their literac y and science skills through a free fun-filled series of pro...
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Concerts
      thurs. 3 & fri. 4 .The "Friendship Train" will be boarding as American soul legend Gladys Knight takes the stage to perform her hits at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 and 9 p.m.
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Live Local in WNY
      thurs. 3 . Fresh Guac, 10 p.m., Merlin's, 727 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo; $. 886-9270, www.merlinsbuffalo.com . Paul Brushini, Howard & Joe Coats, 9 p.m., Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St., Buffalo; $. 886-8539, www.nietzsches.
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Symphonic
      fri. 4 . Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert - April is "Take a Friend to the Orchestra" month - so you are invited to bring a friend and enjoy works by Schubert, Mahler, Lehár and Strauss, 7:30 p.m.
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Speakers
      thurs. 3 . Innovations in Creative Expression - Julia Sabova, head of the department of textile and the fashion studio at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia, presents "Current Works - Hats,
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Art
      fri. 4 . Devotional Displays: Personal and Community Traditions - An exhibition of traditional religious displays, with an opening reception at 5 p.m. Friday, April 4 and continuing through Dec. 14, the Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University, 5795 Lewiston Road, Lewiston; free. 286-8201,...
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Auditions
      • JEWISH REPERTORY THEATRE - The Jewish Repertory Theatre will hold open auditions for actors for possible casting in productions for the 2008-09 season and other projects. The directors are interested in seeing men and women with professional experience of all ages and of all ethnic backgr...
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Literature
      fri. 4 . Philosophy School Cafe - 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, bookstore of the School of the Arts, 402 Center St., Lewiston. 471-5379 sun. 6 . Spoken Word Sundays - Spoken word and open mic hosted by poet Liz Mariani, 8 p.m.
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