Tune your drums for Anouaze Beat

Here's the kind of multicultural thing that can really be fun as well as giving an insight into other folks' way of enjoying themselves. I know that at Comma Coffee there are regular drum nights, but this is something out of the ordinary. It features five African drummer and dancers and 11 Carson kids performing.

The Anouaze Beat African dance group presents two special performances Nov. 14 and 15 at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada, featuring five members of the group and Wild Horse Children's Theater members.

The Anouaze Beat group was started two years ago and has performed at Western Nevada College, University of Nevada, Reno, Comma Coffee and The Brewery Arts Center.

In an effort to educate people about the African culture, dance and art, the Anouaze Beat invited the Wild Horse Children's Theater to participate in learning dances and drumming.

Organizer Norbert Yao is from the Ivory Coast and is working with Bridget Isiramen of Reno, originally from Nigeria, and other artists in this presentation. All the instruments, dances, and art are from Africa .

Performance dates are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15 at the Children's Museum, 813 N. Carson St. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors/students and $5 for children 12 and under. A raffle will be held at the performance for authentic African Art. Proceeds from the raffle will support purchase of additional instruments for the group. Call 884-2226 or 297-5788 for tickets.

Notice "authentic." Not those mass-produced "art" items found in gift shops. Now if I could get lucky and win a drum to replace the one my kids ruined years ago I'd be all set to do some drumming myself.

AN ARTY NEVADA DAY

There's more than just beards and parades on Nevada Day. The Brewery Arts Center Art Galley is holding a show in conjunction with the holiday to display art with a theme of Nevada. In all, 54 artists are taking part, showing 144 works. It's sponsored by the Nevada Artists Association and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Sunday, Call 882-6411.

CLASS ACTS

The Smothers Brothers, once of CBS-TV fame before they got too political for the network, are plying Friday and Saturday at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, with tickets going for $45. Call (800) 786-8208. The Blue Oyster Cult follows the two there Nov. 8, also at 7:30 p.m.

For the gourmet in you with a hefty wallet, the Grand Sierra Sierra casino hosts Fantasies in Chocolate Saturday at 7:30 p.m. This is a black tie event with oodles of chocolate and fine wines, all for a modest $75. Call 789-2000.

Tonight at 8 p.m. at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks, Fishbone rocks the house in the Celebrity Showroom. Tickets are $18; then Saturday also at 8, Morris Day and the Time play, $50 tickets. Call (800) 648-1177.

At Reno's Peppermill, it's Outer Limits, Maxxt Out, and Sin and Scare Ball at various times Saturday, prices vary, call 828-2121. Harrah's Reno is offering a kind of Halloween pumpkin buffet Friday. Check it out at 786-3232. MontBleu holds the South Shore's popular Freaker's Ball Friday, all night. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; call (800) 648-3373.

BOOK SHELF

Sue Grafton has been writing her kind of mystery-thriller for several years now, all with similar titles in a format of initial letter and then a preposition al phrase. Among the most recent is "R Is for Ricochet," continuing the adventures of California private investigator Kinsey. This time the PI is summoned to a wealthy man's mansion and given the assignment of baby-sitting Reba Lafferty, being released the next day from prison, where she had spent 33 months for embezzling $350,00 from her employer. This seemed weird to Kinsey; Reba had all the money she needed from her wealthy father. So she picks up Reba and they get along well on the drive

Then things get complicated as Reba's old boss meets them at a diner and, with Kinsey spying, have a sex interlude in his car. A cop Kinsey knows shows up and asks Kinsey to get Reba to rat on her old boss; seems she didn't embezzle at all but took the rap to protect him for money laundering charges.

All this is in typical Grafton wit-talk and is most satisfying. "R" is a good start of a funny and amusing novel.

FROM THE VAULTS

Catherine Denuve made "Belle de Jour" in 1967 with director Luis Bunel. The film is typical Bunel - you're never quite sure of where you are in the action. The movie opens with a scene of Denuve and co-star Jean Sorel riding in a horse-drawn carriage down a long country lane. He stops and orders her out, but she refuses. He signals the two coachmen and they pull her out and drag her into the woods. There Sorel binds her and has the two coachmen whip her. Then passes her along to them.

But it's a fantasy on her part. She loves Sorel but can't have sex with him. She hears of a friend working in a Paris brothel for amusement and money and decides to try it herself. While there she is visited by a friend of Sorel's, who has in the meantime been shot by a gangster customer of Belle's who wants her for himself. Sorel is paralyzed and Belle takes care of him. The friend comes to tell Sorel of Belle's prostitution. He leaves and suddenly Sorel is cured.

Or is he? Is this fantasy or the happy ending. You're left to wonder. Rated R, available at the Carson Public Library.

• Write to Sam Bauman at editor@nevadaappeal.com