EXHIBITIONS

Florida's Norton Museum of Art presents "An American in Europe: The Photography Collection of Baroness Jeane von Oppenheim" at the Mead Art Museum. The collection includes German and Central European photographs from the early 1900s to present times. (Continuing through December 18).

SELECT FLICKS

Academy of Music Theatre

(584-8435)

Steve Coogan plays Tony Wilson, the manager of the Sex Pistols and the man behind the scenes of a musical revolution in "24 Hour Party People," the best effort yet from British director Michael Winterbottom.

Cinemark at Hampshire Mall

(587-4233)

Decent performances by Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon go to waste in "The Banger Sisters," a tale of reunited groupies that sounds like fun but is missing the impact the title implies.

"Swimfan" stars Jesse Bradford as Ben Cronin, a star swimmer plagued by the advances of femme fatale Madison Bell (Erika Christensen) in a "highly watchable" thriller directed by John Polson.

Predictably, "Stealing Harvard," Bruce McCoullough's comic story of a man named John Plummer who turns to crime in order to pay his niece's college tuition, falls pancake-flat. The jokes not only fail to amuse, but the considerable talents of Jason Lee (in the starring role) are laid to enormous waste. Also starring Tom Green.

The sleeper comedy "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" stars Nia Vardalos as Toula, an unmarried 30-year-old who falls in love with the decidedly non-Greek Ian (John Corbett), but must find a way to overcome her über-traditional Orthodox family's reservations before she can marry him.

Pleasant Street Theater

(586-0935)

"The Good Girl," starring Jennifer Aniston in a role so refreshingly different from her vapid "Friends" character it's astounding, is a darkly humorous and moving film about what happens when people stop being polite and start getting really depressed and strange.

TALKS

The 2002 Associates of Fine Arts Summer Fellowship recipients Andy Tsai '03 and Zachary Yorke '03 will present their art projects. (Thurs., 4:15 p.m., 217 Fayerweather.)

University of Louisville archaeologist Dr. John Hale will discuss his recent discoveries at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in his talk "The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi: Ancient Questions, New Answers." (Thurs., 4:30 p.m., Stirn Auditorium.)

University of Pennsylvania music history professor Jeffrey Kallberg will present "Arabian Nights: Chopin and Orientalism," the 2002 Smith College Music Department Lecture. (Thurs., 5 p.m., Earle Recital Hall, Stage Hall, Smith.)

The mathematical world within the praiseworthy cartoon sitcom will be revealed by professors Sarah Greenwald of Appalachian State University and Andrew Nessler of Santa Monica College in "The Simpsons Rule: Mathematical Morsels from 'The Simpsons.'" (Thurs., 7 p.m., Merrill 2.)

TUNES

The Amherst College Musical for Humanity will join the College's lead musical groups with singers from Columbia, Harvard, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass to perform various types of music, including a cappella, rap and rock in a benefit concert for the United Nations Children's Fund. (Friday, 8:30 p.m., Valentine.)

Notably talented but little-known singer and songwriter Josh Ritter will perform his gritty yet smooth folk-rock tunes, including those from his latest album, "Golden Age of Radio." (Saturday, 7 p.m., Iron Horse Theater, Northampton.)

Skilled guitarist Matt Sharp of the bands Weezer and the Rentals will perform a set of his acclaimed solo work. (Tues., 8:30 p.m., Iron Horse Theater, Northampton.)

STAGE

Project 2050 is an innovative theater project that will challenge youth, scholars, and artists to respond to the ambitious topic "How Do We Disagree? Nation/Conflict/Freedom." (Wed. and Thurs., 8 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass.) Traditional Eastern aesthetics will merge with contemporary style in the presentation of /Asunder, the latest multimedia, multicultural work of Yin Mei Dance. (Saturday, 8 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass.)