'Touch of Rodgers' celebrates the acclamed, prolific lyricist

"A Touch of Rodgers" continues Friday and Saturday at the Brewery's Performance Hall. This is a sort of ad hoc musical night with a variety of professionals singing the music of prolific composer Richard Rodgers, who wrote for 60 musicals.

Karen Chandler and Andie Anderson warble some fine music. Call the Brewery at 883-1976.

HOT TIMES AT VEX

Harrah's Lake Tahoe is bringing in some folks for this weekend's VEX Red Carpet party Friday, including Tara Reid, Natasha Williams, Erick Roberts, Andy Dick, Dee Wallace and Adam Mesh. Who are they? Not sure, but it sounds like Hollywood in action. You can reserve a booth at VEX at (775) 586-6705.

VEX is open Thursday though Sunday and is for those seniors 21 and up.

MULTICULTURISM AT ITS BEST

It's a pleasure to see multiculturalism at work successfully. If only our friends in Islam could enjoy it.

I saw a grand demonstration of multiculturalism at play in Mountain View, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley. The occasion was the Obon Festival of the Dead, a Japanese ritual that we used to watch on the shores of Kamakura in Japan, where the locals would make small sailboats out of pieces of wood and put lighted candles on them and send them to sea in a kind of memorial. Always impressive.

At the Buddhist temple in Mountain View, the Obon Festival is a citywide affair, with thousands of locals thronging the temple for art exhibits, Japanese food and, of course, taiko drumming. It's quite a mingling of cultures, with bonsai and ikebana cheek to jowl with corn dogs.

The taiko drumming kept the crowd enthralled, if one can be enthralled by a bewildering assortment of rhythms and drum patterns. Players were in stages, from beginners to experts. The show was both audio and visual as the drummers switched positions gracefully while drumming all the time.

While the preponderance of those on hand were garden-variety Americans, a significant number of Asians were in attendance. But the Asians weren't all Japanese - Chinese and Vietnamese were also there.

And there wasn't a scuffle or an oath to be heard. Instead, it was a marvelous blending of cultures enclosed in one setting - America. It was enough to make multiculturalism a working concept. Domo arigato!

FROM THE VAULT

"Dead Man Walking" is a 1995 film about the steps leading to the execution of a man for rape and murder. Susan Saradon plays Sister Helen Prejean, who becomes the spiritual adviser to the murderer.

Saradon doesn't act as much as she reacts to others in the cast. Sean Penn plays the role of the accused craftily. Rated R and definitely worth seeing. It's grim.

• Contact entertainment editor Sam Bauman at sbauman@nevadappeal.com or 881-1236.