Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 45

1E fhw weekend Now hear this: Balloon Guy3E De Niro excels as actor, director in 'Cool Runnings' is endearing5E Ann, Abby6E TV, Radio 18E Comlct16-17E Crossword19E KOTTOPICS BACK HOME -'1 'I V. DoV nt Look who's comlrf through that door: 'Companion' returns By Noel HolstonStaff Writer v4 "American Radio Company" last season, when Garrison Keillor was broadcasting live from i his old haunt, the World Theater in St. Paul, there were times I 7 I BEST BETS Music for misers: cheap tunes This weekend, KBEM (88.5 FM), the Minneapolis public schools' radio station, Is presenting some of the best free and bargain music deals you're likely to find. The station kicks off its fall pledge week with several events at Bandana Square in St. Paul.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, the station's "Bluegrass Saturday Morning" show will be broadcast from the atrium; host Kevin Barnes will interview bluegrass artists, who also will perform live. The Saturday Afternoon Jazz show will be broadcast from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

from the same spot. You can watch and listen free. Sunday is the big show, the third annual KBEM Jazz Festival, also at Bandana Square. The top draw is the internationally hot young trumpeter, Roy Hargrove, who will perform with his quartet in the mall's second-floor banquet room at 8 and 9:30 p.m. The festival will begin in the atrium at 1 p.m.

with a program featuring amateur jazz groups. Performers will include Michael Lewis Friends, from Minneapolis South High School (1 p.m.), the 1 Nikki Craighead Trio from the University of Minnesota (3 p.m.), No-, komis Jazz Workshop (5 p.m.) and Phelps Jazz Workshop (7 p.m.). Orquestra Sabroson and X-Ten-; sion will perform in the Chatta- nooga Music Cafe and the Adi Yeshaya Big Band with singer Debbie Duncan will be in the Da- -kota Bar Grill during the day. Their performances are sched- uled for down times on the amateur stage. Admission is $1 2.50, $1 0 for KBEM members.

Jazz brunch ticket packages also will be available at the Chattanooga and Dakota. Jim Fuller Religiously funny Rabbi Bob Alper is believed to be the only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy at least intentionally. Alper, who claims he tests his material on his congregation in Virginia before using it in a show "so I have experience performing for a hostile audience," bases his jokes on observations of life. He'll be sharing those at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lutheran Brotherhood building, 625 4th Av.

Minneapolis. He'll perform for an hour, there will be a dessert buffet and then he will host an open-stage show for any member of the audience who wants to participate. -Tickets are $20. A when he almost blurted out the other name. "After singing the first verse of the theme song," Keillor said in a recent interview, "when I'd come to the place where I say, 'Hello, everybody, and welcome to the name 'A Prairie Home Companion' would be on my lips.

"And I really wanted to say it. But then I said, 'American Radio Saturday, when Keillor begins a new season of shows at the World, he'll i 'fmWWJ I go ahead and say it out loud. Garrison Keillor, then and now 1971 Poet and writer Garrison Keillor begins daily "Prairie Home Morning Program" on KSJN-FM, mixing eclectic recorded music with stories about Lake Wobegon, Minn. 1974 Keillor starts broadcasting Saturday night show, "A Prairie Home Companion," with live music, on KSJN 1979 World Theater in St. Paul becomes home of "A Prairie Home Companion" H19G0 "Prairie Home Companion" goes into national distribution via American Public Radio 1981 "PHC" wins George Foster Peabody Award 1984 PHC moves to St.

Paul's Orpheum Theatre because World Theater Is literally falling on performers' heads Keillor publishes "Lake Wobegon Days," makes cover of Time magazine; renovation of World Theater begins, with help from Legislature and low-Interest loan from city of St. Paul 1988 World Theater reopens 1987 Keillor stops production of PHC, moves to Denmark, then New York City 1989 Keillor launches new public-radio series. "American Radio Company," in New York 1992 Keillor moves base of operations back to St. Paul 1933 Keillor revives "A Prairie Home Companion" On Saturday, Garrison Keillor plans to greet his radio listeners with a phrase ha hasn't used since 1987: "Hello, everybody, and welcome to 'A Prairie Home He says his show's old title, which ha adapted from the Prairie Home cemetery in Moorhead, is a memorable name that "wears well." Six years after discontinuing the public-radio variety show that was his ticket to national stardom, four years after starting a new program in New York, one year after moving his base of operations back to St. Paul, Keillor is reclaiming the title "A Prairie Home Companion" and reemphasizing folk music.

To celebrate and promote the occasion, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is throw ing a "Welcome Back, Prairie Home" street party today in St Paul on Exchange between Wabasha and Cedar starting at 7 p.m. with live music by the original Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Bob Douglas, Dick Rees, Mary Du-Shane and Adam Granger) and by frequent "Companion" guests Kate MacKenzie, Peter Ostroushko, Butch Thompson, Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson. i "Sc Iff, i VW This will be Alper's first appear ance mine i win uties. Me was 1 supposed to perform here last vear. but his triD was snowed We should warn him that if it At 8 p.m., Keillor is to narrate a big-screen slide show of the history of "A Prairie Home Companion," after which Dan Newton and Jumbo Ya-Ya will play Cajun dance music.

For $5, revelers can fuel up on a mashed potato and meatloaf dinner. Sweet corn, fittingly, will be served free to all. Why now? The only thing about Keillor's decision that's surprising is that he took so long to make it. "A Prairie Home Companion" was an object of near-idolatrous devotion to many of its listeners, and MPR's merchandising subsidiaries sold Prairie Home and Powdermilk paraphernalia by the carload. HOLSTON Continued on page 19E snows aaain this waakanrf wa won't be in the mood for laughter, Househunting he Whittier neighborhood of south Minneapolis was found ed by the barons of industry and Joy Luck Glub' tells poignant tale the leaders of society.

As a result, the homes they built were some of the city's biggest and most elegant. You can see 1 1 of them for your self this weekend during the Whittier Mansion Tour. The nouses will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10, $5 for kids 3 to 1 8, free for children under 3.

Tickets can be purchased at the Alfred F. Pills-bury House, 1 16 E. 22nd St. Ticket money goes to a historic preservation fund. After happy reunion, 'Burbs reunite, seek big-label deal A review Popular musicJon Bream JeffStrickler he 'Burbs are back for reaL 'The Suburbs, who reunited for four sold-out performances at First Avenue in April, have reformed.

The Twin Cities quintet disbanded in 1986 after climbing to the top of the local rock heap, but failing to make a mark nationally with two major-label albums. The group is so ambi- INSIDE 4 energy is back." The band has recorded a demo tape of eight new songs and plans to do more sophisticated recordings in November in the Los Angeles studio of Beej Chaney, the 'Burbs guitarist-singer. The other four band members guitarist Bruce Allen, drummer Hugo Klaers, bassist Michael Halliday and Poling still live in the Twin Cities. "We've been rehearsing without Beej," said Poling, "I'll be in L.A. next week rehearsing with Beej.

It's worth it for me to go back and forth to keep it going." BREAM Continued on page 2E By Jeff StrlcklerStaff Writer he creators of "The Joy Luck II Club" made only one mis-II take: The movie should have been released on Mother's Day. There could be no more natural tie-in for the ultimate mother-daughter movie. Men will also find many things they can relate to. But a lot of women probably will leave their menfolk at home when they go to the theater. This is a movie a woman will want to see with her mother or daughter, as the case may be and a box of tissues.

Based on tne novel by Amy Tan who helped write the screenplay JOY Continued on page 4E A tious about its comeback tnat it 'chose Billboard, the music industry's weekly trade bible, to 'announce the return this week. 'The reunion was the featured 'item in a Billboard column about Jartists. had a great time playing gigs. Suburbs singer-keyboardist Chan Poling said in interview Wednesday night a band rehearsal. "That's the bottom line.

All of a sudden, Gilmore's gettinc noticed, Page 3 Photo Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Inc. Suyuan (Kieu Chinh) is forced to abandon her infant daughters while scaping the Japanese in a scene from "The Joy Luck bygones are bygones. The old.