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The morning papers

The Globe's Richard Dyer analyzes Josh Groban's strengths and weaknesses in a review of film night at Tanglewood. ... The Berkshire Eagle's Clarence Fanto also offers a review of the John Williams-centric Saturday event, which attracted Tanglewood's biggest crowd of the season. And the Eagle's Andrew L. Pincus writes about Tanglewood's season-closer Sunday and has a few thoughts on the use of Beethoven's Ninth as a "doorstop" for the season. ... The Herald once again runs down the requirements for those planning to attend "American Idol" auditions at Gillette Stadium this week. ... The Worcester Telegram site still has Nancy Sheehan's Friday story on an outdoor sculpture show in Hardwick.

HubArts on the radio

For those of you unfortunate enough to be at home and at loose ends at 8 on a Saturday night, you can listen to me! I know, you're thrilled. My fellow ex-Heraldite Dean Johnson is filling in as a talk host on WBZ (AM 1030) tonight from 7-9. (He's a regular contributor to the station, doing things like a live review of the first Stones concert at Fenway.) In the first hour, he'll be talking with Herald film critic Jim Verniere about movies; in the second hour, his guest will be the TV Tonight columnist for the N.Y. Times Syndicate, i.e. me, and the subject will be TV. If you're out of town, you should be able to find an audio stream here. Supposedly I go on around 8:10-8:15, after the newscast.

Theater: Huntington's Martin has an L.A. story

Huntington Theatre Company Artistic Director Nicholas Martin is in Los Angeles to open "Dead End" at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre on Sept. 7, backed by the design team from the 2000 Huntington production - scenery by James Noone, costumes by Michael Krass, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Kurt B. Kellenberger.  The cast of 42 includes Jeremy Sisto (Brenda's crazy brother on "Six Feet Under"). After the Ahmanson opening, Martin returns to the Huntington to work on previews of "The Real Thing."

Arts: Culture mixers

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education will be breaking out the Brie and Chardonnay for a new Friday Night Cultural Mixers series, featuring three "informal" evenings of wine and conversation with special guests. On Sept. 30, Managing Director Rob Orchard of the American Repertory Theatre will talk about season planning and backstage personalities. On Oct. 21, it's Artistic Director Ned Hinkle of the Brattle Theatre. And on Dec. 2 the guest will be contemporary arts curator Luann Abrahams of the Fogg Art Museum. It's $10 a night or $25 for three, with those refreshments beginning at 6 p.m. Advance registration suggested. Call (617) 547-6789 x1 or visit the center's web site.

Music: Tanglewood jazz on the airwaves

For the third year, WGBH-FM (89.7) and National Public Radio will broadcast of the opening concert of the Tanglewood Jazz Festival live. The show begins Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. with a set by Diane Schuur with Dave Samuels and the Caribbean Jazz Project.  Also performing is harmonica legend Toots Thielemans with special guest Airto.  Not near a radio? The show can be heard online at WGBH.org. 

Music: BMA nominations are out

Mainer Ray Lamontagne tops the 18th annual Boston Music Awards nominations with five, followed by Boston's Dropkick Murphys and Averi with four each. Pat Metheny, Godsmack, Howie Day, Click 5, the Perceptionists, Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria and Lost City Angels nabbed three nods each. The awards will be given out Sept. 28 at Avalon, and beginning Friday you can get involved in the voting by logging on to www.bostonherald.com. All proceeds go to benefit the NEMO Foundation for music education, benefitting such efforts as the Wang Center's Youth in Arts programs and the Passim Cultural Center.

Arts: It's ALL expressive therapy, baby!

Cambridge's Ann Sayre Wiseman will show 30 new paintings at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education's 42 Brattle Street gallery Sept. 8-30, with a reception on Sept. 16 at 5:30. Ann's paintings are about the love of image, form, light and mood. Her compositions are dramatic and colorful, and come mostly from her winters in Mexico, summers on the Cape and travels abroad. Her paintings and books will be for sale and books for signing. Wiseman is a painter, author and illustrator of 14 activity books and has offered classes such as "Dreams As Metaphor" at the CCA, as well as leading workshops in the Expressive Therapies all over the world.

Music: BLO gets ahty

The Boston Lyric Opera may be accused of being arty, but they've never really been ahty, in the Lenny Clarke/Mark Wahlberg pronunciation. But now the group will present "Arias in the Afternoon" as part of the "Ahts" Boston Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Park on Sept. 11 at 12:30 p.m. The busy fest features more than 85 of the city's performing and visual artists over two days. The opera's performance will include pieces from Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor, Verdi's La traviata and Massenet’s Thaïs performed by soprano Patrice Tiedemann, soprano Alisa Cassola, tenor Alan  Schneider and baritone Tom O’Toole. They'll be accompanied by director of productions Stephen Steiner. And it's free!

Music: Conservatory hits the keys

Boston Conservatory has set three fall concerts in its "Piano Masters" series. Benjamin Pasternak will perform Betthoven, Bernstein and more on Sept. 27. Max Levinson offers an all-Schubert program on Nov. 1. And Idil Biret plays Bach/Kempff Choral preludes and more on Nov. 27. The concerts at Seully Hall are free, but you need a ticket. Call 617-912-9222.

The morning papers

The Globe's Steve Morse says the Rolling Stones' second show last night at Fenway was "phenomenal," with far fewer glitches than Sunday. Morse said "She's So Cold" was an "unquestioned" highlight, but the Herald's Chris Blagg found it a "loose and sloppy" lowlight of a good show. The Globe's Mark Shanahan, meanwhile, talks to Stone Ron Wood about his art.

In non-Stones news, The Globe's Cate McQuaid offers a rave review of an exhibit of the late work of the "visionary" French painter Jacques-Louis David at the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown. The piece beautifully ties together history and art criticism. And she taught me a new word: to scumble is to blur the outlines, in art or, metaphorically, in life.

And Ed Siegel says "Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins," at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, is hilarious.

In the Herald, Mat Schaffer talks to Boston area mystery novelist Katherine Hall Page about her latest, "The Body in the Showdrift," which as usual features catering and killing.