Going out
               Amernet String Quartet: A little touch of chamber music to soothe the battered soul when the roundly acclaimed Corbett String Quartet in Residence at Northern Kentucky University uncorks a string-filled night full of Haydn, Shostakovich and Grieg. 7:30 p.m. today, NKU's Greaves Concert Hall, Highland Heights, free. (859) 572-6399.

        Rosellen Brown: The best-selling author of Before and After tackles painful and long overdue reunions in her new Half a Heart, about a mother and her biracial daughter getting together after 18 years. She'll discuss and sign, 7 p.m. today, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood. 396-8960.

        Gardening series: Thought you knew all the annuals out there waiting to be planted? Wrong. Discover some new ones and how to care for them when horticulturalist David Koester digs into his gardening program. 7 p.m. today,Carrico Branch Library, 1000 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, free. (859) 572-5033.

Staying In
               TV picks: John Cleese returns to 3rd Rock from the Sun (8:30 p.m., Channels 5, 22) as the alien nemesis for Dick (John Lithgow), the first of a three-parter leading up to the one-hour final episode on May 22.

        • TV Critic John Kiesewetter also says MTV premieres its remake of Carmen Jones as a hip-hop musical called MTV's Hip Hopera: Carmen (8 p.m.) starring Beyonce Knowles from Destiny's Child and directed by Robert Townsend.

The Goods
              

        Video picks: This week's new video releases feature two Oscar-nominated performances by terrific actors in anti-hero roles — Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis de Sade in Quills and Willem Dafoe as a blood-sucking actor in Shadow of the Vampire.

Planning Ahead
              

        24 hours out: Whoa, here's something you can't do every day: Turn your kids into paper dolls. Try it when Little Learner Activity Time at Zany Brainy lets kids 2-4 trace their outlines and create clothing. 10:30 a.m. Wednesday,Rookwood Commons, Edmondson and Edwards Roads, Norwood, free. 396-6711.

        48 hours out: World-renowned violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg tunes up and joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for three nights, taking on Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major and Mahler's Symphony No. 5. 7:30 p.m. Thursday,Music Hall, $13-$52. 381-3300.

        72 hours 'til Friday: Rock 'n' roll takes to the streets on day one of Pepsi Jammin' on Main. Check out Cheap Trick, Violent Femmes and O.A.R. 7-11:45 p.m., Central Parkway and Main Street, downtown, $10 ($15 for both nights). 562-4949.

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