Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

MUSIC
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Ever since Wynton Marsalis seized the reins of the JLCO
in the early ’90s, both the orchestra and the organization have been
hallmarks of supreme scholarship and top-notch quality control in the
effort to enshrine jazz as America’s classical music. The only danger
was that Marsalis would smother his project with love, favoring
hermetically sealed technique over goosebumps. But the theme chosen for
JLCO’s twelfth tour—Duke Ellington’s
love songs—banishes those worries. From “Sophisticated Lady” to “Satin
Doll,” to “In a Sentimental Mood” and “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t
Good,” the repertoire should set the stodgiest stick-in-the-mud all
atwitter. And with a stellar fifteen-piece band—the trumpet section
alone includes Ryan Kisor, Marcus Printup, Sean Jones,
and Marsalis—channeling some of Duke’s most heartfelt compositions, the
gig shapes up as an ideal Valentine’s date, albeit three weeks and
three days early. —Britt Robson

7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-371-5656; $35-$77.

Also tonight, 24-year-old hottie Sophie Milman steams up the Dakota with her sultry chanteuse stylings.

FILM
Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth

It may not be one of Orson Welles‘ best films — not even close — but what The Lady from Shanghai lacks in brilliance, it makes up for in Rita Hayworth glamour shots. The woman is fabulous; what can I say? Though she caused quite a stir when she chopped off her trademark red hair and went blonde for this film, she’s definitely at her finest; and she tops it off with one of her famous musical numbers. Serving up a twisted murder mystery aboard a yacht, this film noir classic is best known for a shoot-out in a house of mirrors.

7:30 p.m., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-3030; $5.

SPORTS
Is Figure Skating Really a Sport?

The 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships started yesterday, kicking off an entire week of graceful athleticism on ice. Get out from behind that television and watch some of the country’s best skaters compete live.

Xcel Energy Center, 175 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; 651-989-5151.