Arts & Entertainment

By Anusha Alikhan

Heather Graham has always been a delicious contradiction, titillating viewers with her fresh-faced, innocent looks while taking on sexually explicit roles.

Music
Singer-songwriter David Byrne (Talking Heads) takes on Carnegie Hall with a four-night series of concerts called “Perspectives: David Byrne.” Feb. 1-4.

Theater

Is The Artist’s Celebrity Overshadowing His Work?
By Heather Corcoran

Just when the art world was without a star—someone to define the times the way Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst defined theirs—Terence Koh is answering the call.

“The Last King of Scotland”
This Academy Award-nominated 2006 British film is based on Giles Foden’s award-winning debut novel of the same name. It was adapted by screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock, and directed by Kevin MacDonald. The movie at last gives the vast talents of Forest Whitaker their proper due. Long-relegated to bit parts, Whitaker dominates the role of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The notorious dictator befriends a young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan. The doctor initally ignores the crimes Amin is committing across the country but he is forced to acknowledge their reality when a comment of his leads Amin to kill the health minister. The skilled directing offers a powerful indictment of the West’s complicity in Africa’s problems.—Sascha Brodsky

By Catherine Wigginton

Al Roker entered our lives as America’s weatherman on NBC’s “Today” show in 1996, making an instant impression with his hearty laugh and jovial forecast. Now, Roker does much more than the weather—his regular “Today” features introduce us to popular celebrities and chefs; both his book on fatherhood and his cookbooks have topped bestseller lists; and his production company, Al Roker Productions, has collaborated with PBS and networks like the History Channel and Court TV.

By Heather Corcoran

Kehinde Wiley’s paintings start with the city. The artist finds and photographs young black men he encounters on the streets of Harlem and Brooklyn then paints them in a heroic style formerly reserved for saints and kings. He’s getting a lot of attention for his reinterpretations of what he calls the “big boys of Western Europe,” but as the rising art star told us, things aren’t always as they seem.

Catherine Wigginton

According to Sex Addicts Anonymous, there are over 22 million sex addicts in the United States alone, says the program for the Living Image Arts’ current production, “Hello, My Name Is” showing at the Lion Theatre through Jan. 28.

Music
Grammy-Award-winning female a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock will rock Carnegie Hall Jan. 27 with their soulful sounds. The ensemble features seven black women and their hand-held percussion. This is their second stop at Carnegie hall on their ’06-’07 U.S. tour.

By Michelle Vellucci

Unlike Mimi, the hard-living, doomed party girl whose character she originated in “Rent,” Daphne Rubin-Vega values her sleep. It’s no wonder—the singer/actress, perhaps best known for her Tony-nominated performance in that show, has been plenty busy. Since leaving “Rent” in 1997, Rubin-Vega has cut two solo albums, logged screen time with De Niro and picked up a second Tony nomination for her role in Nilo Cruz’s “Anna in the Tropics” in 2004.

Music
He can rap. He can act. Now, Mos Def takes on the role of band leader Wednesday night at Lincoln Center as part of the pop music series American Songbook. Mos Def’s Big Band will put a new spin on works by artists such as Gil Scott-Heron and Miles Davis.