Catching Up with Harry
So what's Harry Potter up to in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"? Whether you're one of the few who hasn't read the books or you've zoomed through Book 5 and are now struggling to recall Book 3, we've conjured a handy catch-up guide for you.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

OK, you experts -- give this quiz a shot
Think you know Harry? Test your Potter knowledge and you could win a super fab Harry Potter prize.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

When `Harry' met Alfonso
Director Cuarón delivers a leaner, meaner wizard
"Harry Potter" fans have never had a real problem with the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling's mega-selling books. It's the rest of us who have been squirming in our seats. Chris Columbus' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" were too literal, too obvious and -- most of all -- too long for nonbelievers to suffer through.
( GLENN WHIPP, Los Angeles Daily News, 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

THE SKINNY ON MOVIES LAWRENCE TOPPMAN
It seems the U.S. won this aspect of the Cold War, too
Statistic of the week: The Charlotte metro area has more movie screens than Moscow. Not Moscow, Idaho. Moscow as in Red Square-Kremlin-Bolshoi Theatre, capital of our former Cold War foe.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

`Shrek' gets new look in 3-D short
Kids will likely be the biggest fans of this 16-minute mini-movie
Expect adult griping about the new "Shrek" DVD set.
( NANCY CHURNIN, Dallas Morning News, 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Capsule Movie Reviews
Film capsules are written by Lawrence Toppman. If there are no stars given, he hasn't seen the movie. Grades are: 4 stars = excellent, 3 stars = good, 2 stars = fair, 1 star = poor.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

TOP MOVIES
(Introduction date of gross and total gross in millions.)
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

THEATER
8 P.M. | Before they're hits, they're scripts. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road, presents staged readings of four new works with Carolinas' Contemporary Playwrights' Festival. Today: Kathryn Martin's family drama "Tricks of Memory." More plays presented at 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $6 per play, $20 for all four. (704) 334-9128; www.theatrecharlotte.org.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

FAMILY
NOON-9:30 P.M. | The first Queen of Arts NoDa Fest features art vendors, musical performances, a children's stage, theatrical performances and food. North Davidson Arts District (NoDa) on North Davidson Street around 36th Street. www.noda.org.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

MUSIC
8:15 P.M. | One of Charlotte's most popular summer traditions returns as the Charlotte Symphony kicks off its annual free Summer Pops concerts. Conductor Albert-George Schram leads the orchestra in Pachelbel's "Canon," Johann Strauss' "Emperor Waltzes" and other light classics. The Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra will play at 7 p.m. Symphony Park, SouthPark. (704) 972-2000; www.charlottesymphony.org.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

If you're checkin' on chicken...
... Keep tryin' on Tryon -- you're bound to find something you like
In a little storefront in a strip shopping center, next to Unique Lady Hair Design, this spot sells, as the sign makes clear, GENUINE BROASTER CHICKEN. Juicy and tender, with crisp skin and plump pieces, this is good stuff. (Broaster chicken is an actual brand: marinated, breaded and cooked in a "pressure fryer.") Take a seat in one of the orange booths, or wait at the counter at the front and sip a fruit or orange Tanners-recipe punch. Crinkle-cut fries are greaseless, if a bit bland, and the slaw...
( HELEN SCHWAB RESTAURANT WRITER, 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Keb' Mo'
Touted early on as the second coming of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, guitarist Keb' Mo' looked and often sounded like the mythic blues forerunner. Mo' draws from country blues on his 1996 breakthrough "Just Like You." The guitarist, who grew up in Los Angeles as Kevin Moore, moves farther away from the Johnson comparison on his most recent, more polished self-produced disc, "Keep It Simple." Mo' and his band play Dana Auditorium on Wednesday.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

World War II Weekend
Commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy with a weekend of World War II-era activities at the Charlotte Museum of History.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Carolinas' Contemporary Playwrights' Festival
With a weekend of staged readings, Theatre Charlotte showcases new works by four playwrights from the Carolinas: Kathryn Martin's "Tricks of Memory"; David Hopes' "Night, Sleep and the Dreams of Lovers"; Steve Willis' "Falling So Slowly"; and Ron Holsey's "The Best Christmas Murder Ever."
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Calendar and Events
METROLINA ANTIQUES AND FINE COLLECTIBLES SHOW: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. June 4-5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 6; Metrolina Expo Center, 7100 Statesville Road (Exit 16A off I-77); $5, $3 for seniors, free for 12 and younger; www.dmgantiqueshows.com{confirmed}.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

`Grease'
You've probably seen the 1978 movie with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John -- maybe, like us, you have it memorized. But how well do you know the stage musical that inspired it? Test yourself with this quiz, and no cheating; Miss Lynch is watching.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

NoDa throws a street party
Queen of Arts fest cranks up today
The North Davidson Arts District, affectionately known as NoDa, draws plenty of people to the former mill village for its popular Gallery Crawls on the first and third Fridays of each month.
( OLIVIA FORTSON | STAFF WRITER, 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

National Balloon Rally
Yes, 40 hot-air balloons will take to the skies during this three-day event. But there are other attractions including arts and crafts, pony rides, food, a petting zoo and music.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

LIVE WIRE | THIS WEEK'S BEST MUSIC
For a sliver of time in the early '90s, this Atlanta outfit made rap palatable for the masses (read: white folks who wanted more edge than M.C. Hammer but felt threatened by Public Enemy). Which isn't to say A.D. was light. Hits such as "Tennessee" had a spiritual and political vibe that paved the way for the Fugees, not to mention the inventive Southern hip-hop scene that spawned Goodie Mob and OutKast. 9 p.m. Saturday. Neighborhood Theatre. $18. (704) 358-9298; www.neighborhoodtheatre.com -- MARK...
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

TOP SINGLES
(The nation's best-selling recorded music as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine.)
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Legendary Pink Dots
These underground rockers called themselves legends before they'd ever played a gig. In the quarter-century they've been around, however, they've grown into their Legendary tag with dignity. The Dots have a rabid fan base that follows the band everywhere, and the current American tour has been much anticipated. If you go for ambitious, experimental, psychedelic rock, the Legendary Pink Dots should be right up your alley.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

Summer Pops
June is here, so it's time for thousands of music-loving Charlotteans to get out their blankets and picnic baskets and heard to SouthPark for the Charlotte Symphony's annual concerts under the stars.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

OUT TO LUNCH | ROBIN HALL DOMEIER
Panera Bread
Whenever we visited, people were spilling out the door. The St. Louis-based chain has built a nice menu around good, flavorful breads baked in-house. The pastries and other naughty treats also don't disappoint.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

RESTAURANT HEALTH INSPECTIONS
Scores filed by Mecklenburg County health inspectors between May 24-31. (Scores are in percentages)
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

THE SKINNY ON THEATER JULIE YORK COPPENS
Imperfect Tonys still have it all over the Oscars
A new Harry Potter movie and the Tony Awards? It's too much.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

THEATER
'The Doctor' is out -- way out
SPOLETO 2004 Of the many delightful oddities that make up director Rezo Gabriadze's latest theater piece, perhaps the most extraordinary is this: It's based on a true story.
( JULIE YORK COPPENS, 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)

THE SKINNY ON MUSIC MARK KEMP
Lots of good folk; too little blood, sweat and tears
The Carolinas have a glut of sensitive singer/songwriters and folkies. What we don't produce regionally, we import from New England, which also has a glut of sensitive singer/songwriters and folkies.
( 06/04/2004 03:01 AM EDT)