What's Up!

Local favorite Friends again The DJ collective Imaginary Friends — Archangel, Miklos, Rayne, Jimmy James and PSI — will spin together once again from midnight Feb. 19 at Wave Waikiki's Pussycat Lounge. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $5 for those 21 and older, $10 for those under 21; free if you enter by 10 p.m. 941-0424, ext. 12.

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, considered a top swing and jump blues band, with a repertoire that includes Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington and other greats, performs on two islands. Details:

• Feb. 7: 7 p.m., Kahilu Theatre on the Big Island. $24, $18, $12. (808) 885-6868.
• Feb. 8: 7:30 p.m., University of Hawai'i-Hilo Theatre. $20 general (available at CD Wizard), $18 youths/senior citizens, $5 UHH/Hawai'i Community College students with ID. (808) 974-7310.
• Feb. 9: 8 p.m., Leeward Community College. $22.50 general, $18 students/seniors/military. 455-0385.

BEIJING OPERA: Feb. 8-10, 13-17

The popular Beijing opera "Judge Bao and the Case of Qin Xianglian," performed in English, takes center stage at Kennedy Theatre at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. In ancient China, a young man's imperial ambition leads him to deception and possibly murder; China's most famous detective, Judge Bao, is on the case. 8 p.m. Feb. 8-9, 13-16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 10, 17. $15 general, $12 senior citizens, military, UH faculty/staff, $9 non-UHM students, $4 UHM students with valid ID, group rates available for 10 or more; at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 956-7655, 526-4400.

Also: A concert of Beijing opera highlights will be presented at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 at Kennedy Theatre. Performances by the guest artists from China who are training the UH students in "Judge Bao" and members of the Chinese Opera Association of Hawai'i will be featured. $15 general, $12 seniors, military, UH faculty/staff, $9 non-UHM students, $4 UHM students with valid ID, group rates available; at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 956-7655, 526-4400.

CONCERT: Feb. 8

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, makes his solo Honolulu debut with a concert at World Cafe. Byrne was the acknowledged mastermind behind the artsy New Wave band, which was the focus of Jonathan Demme's film "Stop Making Sense" and broke up in 1989. He comes to Honolulu as part of his "Look into the Eyeball" tour, which supports his May 2001 release of the same name. 8 p.m. Feb. 8. $20, available at Tower Records (Kahala, Pearl Kai), Tower Video Kapi'olani, Cheapo Music, Hungry Ear, Foodland stores, University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center and military outlets. 526-4400.

CONCERT: Feb. 9

The Isley Brothers, the rhythm 'n' blues combo with a career spanning 40 years and whose latest CD has sold more than a million copies, will give a concert at the Blaisdell Arena. The duo, composed of Ron and Ernie Isley, will showcase music from the "Eternal" CD, which includes the hit "Contagious," plus a catalog of blues and pop classics from the past, such as "Between the Sheets," "It's Your Thing," "Fight the Power, Part I" and "That Lady." 8 p.m. Feb. 9. $40 to $50, available at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 526-4400; (877) 750-4400 from the Neighbor Islands.

CONCERT: Feb. 9

Hip-hop specialists Jurassic 5, composed of four MCs and two DJs, heads for a concert at World Cafe. The Los Angeles-based group, formed in 1993, represents a forging of old- and new-school hip-hop; its debut full-length release is titled "Quality Control." 7 p.m. Feb. 9. $20; available at World Cafe, Cheapo Music, Tower Records, Hungry Ear and military outlets. 585-2877.

CELEBRATION: Feb. 12

A Mardi Gras celebration, including Dixieland, zydeco, blues, jazz, rock and disco music, food booths, full bars, a costume contest, street performers and a parade will give downtown a boost along Nu'uanu Avenue (from Pauahi to King) and Hotel Street. 5:30-11 p.m. Feb. 12. Admission is free; it's a benefit for Victoria Foundation Inc., a clearinghouse for children's charities in Hawai'i. 545-4195.

CONCERT: Feb. 15

Kenny Rankin, the romantic vocalist whose hits include "Haven't We Met," "Peaceful" and "Blackbird," performs at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel's Maile Ballroom. 8 p.m. Feb. 15. $35, available at the Blaisdell box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 526-4400.

CONCERTS: Feb. 15-16

Christian recording acts True Vibe, Stacie Orrico, and Nikki Leonti will give a pair of concerts with Hawai'i's own Jan Brenner at the Hawai'i Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-16. $10, $20, $29.50 and $35; available at the box office, Agape Shoppe, Showers of Blessings, Logos Bookstore and The Giving Tree. 528-0506.

CONCERT: Feb. 17

Oldies but goodies alert! Three pop-rock names from the past — Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp and Hawai'i's own Yvonne Elliman — offer a concert in the Blaisdell Arena. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17. The hit-makers:

• Checker is legendary for his trend-setting "The Twist" in the 1960s and other dance faves such as "Let's Twist Again," "The Pony," "The Fly" and "Limbo Rock." With Dee Dee Sharp, Checker also had a hit in "Slow Twistin.'"
• Sharp's signature hit is "Mashed Potato Time," along with "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" and "Do the Bird."
• Elliman, a Roosevelt High School graduate who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the stage and film versions of "Jesus Christ Superstar," is known for the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice ballad "I Don't Know How To Love Him." Other chartbusters include "If I Can't Have You," "Love Me," "Hello, Stranger" and "Love Pains."

$25 for upper-level seats; $35 lower-level and loge seats, available at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets, including Foodland and Sack 'N Save stores, Tempo Music on Maui and the Big Island, the University of Hawai'i Campus Center, MWR Kunia, Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, JCB Waikiki, the Honolulu Club, Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and other military locations. 526-4400.

CONCERT: Feb. 16

Pop diva Janet Jackson returns to Honolulu for a concert and HBO television event at Aloha Stadium. Jackson recently was named Favorite Female Artist in the pop/rock category of the American Music Awards. She also was recently nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Someone to Call My Lover"; and for Best Pop Vocal Album ("All For You"). 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16. $35, $45, $65, available at Blaisdell box office, Ticket Plus outlets and the stadium box office. 526-4400. (The cable TV special — "Janet Jackson: All for You: Live in Concert from Hawai'i" — is scheduled to air Feb. 17.)

PERFORMANCE ART: Feb. 21, 22, 23

Avant-garde performance/recording artist Laurie Anderson is bringing her latest solo theater piece, "Happiness," to three islands. Details:

• Feb. 21: 7:30 p.m., Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater. $20 general, $10 kids 12 and younger. (808) 242-7469.
• Feb. 22: 8 p.m., Kahilu Theatre on the Big Island. $28, $21, $14. (808) 885-6868.
• Feb. 23: 8 p.m., Leeward Community College Theatre. $40 for limited reserved seating, $35 for general seating, $25 for seniors, military and students. 455-0385.

COMING UP

• Tony Conjugacion's "Hapa Haole Hou," a Hana Hou! Hawaiian Music Series concert, Feb. 8, Hawai'i Theatre
• Brunch on the Beach, Feb. 10, Kalakaua Avenue
• "Spring Footholds" dance concert, Feb. 20, Kennedy Theatre, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
• Chinese Festival, part of the city's Hawai'i Ethnic Heritage Series, Feb. 22, Honolulu Hale
• Honolulu Festival, March 8-10
• Crystal Gayle, March 14, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Glen Campbell, in a Honolulu Symphony Pops concert, March 22-23, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Sarah Chang & Tchaikovsky's "Winter Dreams," with the Honolulu Symphony, March 24, 26, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Keali'i Reichel, a Honolulu Symphony Pops concert, April 12-13, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Merrie Monarch Festival, March 31-April 6, Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium, Hilo

Submit information for

The Great Index to Fun (TGIF) four-week guide at least 10 working days before the event. This planner appears weekly, featuring major events only; others are listed in the weekend and daily calendars.

Write: TGIF, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or fax 525-8055.

Schedule is subject to change.