Neil Young

FRIDAY "UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN": Diane Lane and Sandra Oh frolic in Tuscany as they overcome life's hardships and celebrate its rewards. This movie did for olive oil what "9 1/2 Weeks" did for everything else in the kitchen, except in a cleaner way. "Under the Tuscan Sun" screens at this week's Little Italy Open Air Film Festival, High and Stiles streets. The film starts at 9 p.m. Admission is free. Go to littleitalymd.com. BETTER THAN EZRA: The three-piece alternative rock band from New Orleans, which debuted in 1986 with "Deluxe" and released "Paper Empire" this year, comes to the Power Plant Live plaza, 24 Market Place, for a free show at 8 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. The show is for those ages 21 and older only.

Hometown Washington Members Laura Burhenn, keyboards and vocals Founded1999 Style indie pop Influenced byCarole King, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell NotableBurhenn released two solo albums before becoming one half of the acclaimed indie rock duo Georgie James. But she hasn't abandoned a solo career. During downtime from touring and recording, she has written songs for a third album, which could be released early next year. Quotable"For me, songwriting is very much like storytelling," she said.

Hometown -- Westminster Current members --Lisa Cerbone, guitar and vocals Founded in --1990 Style --indie acoustic folk Influenced by --Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Tom Waits, the Shins Notable --Songs on Cerbone's album Ordinary Days were left sparsely produced - most are only vocals and acoustic guitar. While Cerbone is working on a few new songs, she said she's not comfortable enough yet to show them off. Quotable --"I've played with bands before, and I like the music stripped down," Cerbone said.

COMING UP It's a big couple of weeks for big shows, as James Taylor plays Nissan Pavilion June 19, Peter Gabriel plays Nissan Pavilion June 22, the Dixie Chicks play MCI Center June 25 and 26 and Neil Young and Lucinda Williams play Merriweather Post Pavilion June 25. Call Ticketmaster at 410-481-SEAT or visit www.ticketmaster.com for more information. NOW OR NEVER Starting tonight, catch The Corner, David Simon's series about a Baltimore family trying to escape the city's drug culture, screened for free at the Patterson.

It's cheeky of the Rhode Island rapper Sage Francis to start this album with a track titled "The Buzz Kill." After all, it's his own buzz that's on the line with his first album with a high enough profile to test his stature as leader of the new rap underground. It's as if he's saying he knows the backlash is coming - but that he's confident that he can beat it. The confidence is justified. A Healthy Distrust is at once stern and playful, wildly scattered and yet sharply honed by the artist's sheer will and reach.

An update on the concert scene: newly announced shows and ticket availability. For ticket information and purchase, call Ticketmaster at 410-481-SEAT unless otherwise noted. Just announced Lollapalooza 2003 takes place Aug. 1 at Nissan Pavilion in Manassas, Va. Among the scheduled performers are Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, Incubus, Queens of the Stone Age, Jurassic 5 and the Donnas. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, with guest Lucinda Williams, will perform June 25 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia.

Local rockers Wrathchild America are expected to release their second national album, "3D," next week, and already things are going much better than the first time around."

Hometown: Baltimore Current members: Mike Gittings, guitar, vocals; Chris Myers, guitar, vocals; Eric Hopkins, bass; Matt Scoggins, drums, backup vocals. Founded in: January 2004 Style: Indie pop Influenced by: The Kinks, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Wilco, The Shins. Notable: In college, lead singer Mike Gittings lived next to Carlos D. -- Interpol's bass player. We're impressed. Water School writes all its own music, and the band members have known each other since their high school days in Baltimore.

LOS ANGELES -- How do you film buffaloes being shot and killed during a stampede without injuring a single beast? How do you get a buffalo to charge an actor without endangering either?By using, respectively, fake and stunt buffaloes, says Jim Wilson, Kevin Costner's co-producer on "Dances With Wolves."To re-create the buffalo hunt so central to the survival of the Plains Indians, Wilson used five animated buffaloes -- life-size buffalo mannequins mounted on dollies and yanked to the ground while traveling at 30 mph amid a pack of live buffalo.

PHILADELPHIAMusic from the Motion Picture(Epic Soundtrax 57624) For all the hype about how Jonathan Demme got Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young to write songs for his new film, the most striking thing about the soundtrack album to "Philadelphia" is how eerily understated the music is. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course; Springsteen's mumbled reserve adds extra resonance to the death-conscious resignation of "Streets of Philadelphia," while the...