Night and Day

Friday • 23
Kathy Griffin
COMEDY

While her claim to infamy is that she's a self-proclaimed Hollywood D-Lister, comedian Kathy Griffin ain't fooling anyone anymore. The wonderfully acerbic celebrity-basher-cum-reality show star has clawed her way out of obscurity (not to mention a predominately gay male fan base) to become one of the most well-liked and genuinely funny stand-up comedians drawing a breath. Her TV show — Bravo's My Life on the D-List — is one of the most entertaining shows of its ilk and, lucky for us, the brazen redhead comes to the Max M. Fisher Music Center for a special Detroit offering of ego-checking and vapidity evisceration. 8 p.m. at 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-576-5100.

Friday • 23
Chris Turner — New Work
ART

The artist himself is about as ubiquitous as his works. Chris Turner — the man about town, co-creator of Grand Circus Park's eye-grabbing statue Millennium Bell, outsider and fine artist — blends into the crowd like almost everybody else, but what many people don't know is that this prolific young artist's works have helped re-create the aesthetic and tone of our fair city. It's been a while, but Turner will display some of his smaller works this week at the Bohemian National Home. Opening reception 7-10 p.m., at 3009 Tillman St., Detroit; 313-737-6606. Runs until July 22.

Friday & Tuesday • 23 & 27
Lecture: Allan Knee
PERFORMING ARTS

Acclaimed playwright Allan Knee offers some sage advice at this week's Michigan Theatre Festival (June 21-25). The author of The Man Who Was Peter Pan and Syncopation is not only a scheduled guest speaker for the event, he will also share a staged preview of his newest work, The Jazz Age. 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 23 (Meadow Brook Theatre), and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27 (Studio Theatre in Varner Hall) on the campus of Oakland University, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester; 248-377-3300.

Friday- Saturday • 23-24
Jazzin' on Jefferson
MUSIC/FUN FOR ALL

Can't wait for the Detroit International Jazz Fest to soak up some wailing trumpets and sun? Get an early fix at the third annual Jazzin' on Jefferson, which takes place on the east end of the aforementioned avenue at the intersection of Chalmers, just a stone's throw from Grosse Pointe Park. Some of the headliners include seasoned Detroit heavy-hitters Thornetta Davis, Robert Bradley, the Sun Messengers and Philharmonic; up-and-comers will be featured on the second stage. There will also be face-painting and crafts for the wee tykes, and ethnic foods from local restaurants to keep you fueled. From 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday; call 313-331-7939 or visit jazzinonjefferson.com.

Saturday • 24
The Heart of the Game
FILM/FUN FOR ALL

Perhaps the rags-to-riches sports allegory has finally graduated from the clutches of male domination and has moved on to broader pastures. As part of the Comcast Summer Film Series, Campus Martius Park will feature a new outdoor movie screening every Saturday evening. This weekend, they'll show The Heart of the Game, a documentary film about a Seattle high school's girl's basketball team that, over the course of seven years (and under the tutelage of an eccentric and unorthodox coach), carves a path to personal and collective greatness. 9 p.m. on Woodward Avenue between Fort Street and Michigan Avenue, downtown Detroit.

Sunday • 25
Peaches
MUSIC

At about the same time the after-church crowd begins to feast on Ram's Horn and Applebee's, the Midwest goth brigade should be jamming up I-75 North. We can only speculate on the display of pasty skin, black hair dye and rusty Toyota Corollas you'll find en route to the legendary DTE Music Theatre, but since the lineup features '90s industrial godheads Nine Inch Nails and classic gloomsters Bauhaus, our bets are that it will be plenty. And while gothic shoegaze is fine and dandy, you should know that this particular bill kicks off with some of the most liberated pussy-power modern music has every seen. Peaches, the pop star whose hardcore sex drive makes Wendy O. (hell, Tera Patrick) look like a prude, will shake things up before the melancholy falls in. Get there early to catch her set. At Sashabaw Road in Clarkston. Call Ticketmaster at 248-645-6666 for tickets.

Monday • 26
Hip Hop Summer Camp
FUN FOR ALL

School's almost out, which means many kids are dreading the following two words: summer camp. Parents, have mercy — don't subject your offspring to endless mosquito-infested nights, burnt hot dogs and the nine millionth round of "Kumbayah"; send them to Hip Hop Summer Camp instead. Conducted by Project: A.R.T., this eight-week program will include hip-hop arts instruction, talent shows, hair braiding classes, open mics, Spanish lessons and more. The four-hour sessions run Monday through Thursday, at just $10 a day, and begin on Monday, June 26, at the Project: A.R.T. Clubhouse, 4123 Cadillac Blvd., Detroit. Open to kids aged 10 to 14; pre-registration is required. To sign up, call 313-921-8821. Visit projectart.blogspot.com

Wednesday • 28
International Freedom Festival Fireworks
HOLIDAY/FUN FOR ALL

You know the drill — bottlenecked traffic, shut-down freeways, screaming kids running wild in the middle of Jefferson, blankets on damp grass and lawn chairs scraping over Hart Plaza pavement. There are shoulder-to-shoulder crowds spilling into streets; cotton-candy stomachaches and tender sunburns. Then, after hours of waiting, brilliant neon bursts of sparkle dancing across the Detroit skyline. And if you've never done so before, try going over to Windsor to watch the spectacle at dusk; if only to see the reflections bouncing off the Renaissance Center. Visit theparade.org/freedomfest for a full listing of events on both sides of the river.

Ongoing
Gilda Snowden
ART

Gilda Snowden's agitated expressionistic style has a quality that many works in similar styles never achieve. Each painting — colorful and jagged-yet-clean — is a living entity unto itself and beholds visual dreamscapes that don't seem to quit. Her latest works will be on display at the Sherry Washington Gallery, 1274 Library St., Detroit; 313-961-4500 through Saturday, Aug. 26.