Sun., Oct. 22

There are many famous people planted in the Forest Hills Cemetery and
Cambridge-born poet e.e. cummings is one of them. Four local poets - Charles Coe, Robert Clawson, Michael Hoerman and John Sturm - celebrate cummings' live with his and their own poems. Enjoy "A Tribute to e.e. cummings," their musings at the Forsyth Chapel at 2 p.m. Sunday Oct. 22 and then take a stroll through the grounds to cummings' gravesite. Admission: $5.

95 Forest Hills Ave., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-0128 foresthillstrust.org

Friday, Oct. 20

The Rolling Stones called an album "Tattoo You." Your average heavy metal band member is festooned with them. The artist formerly known as Slug from the Jim Rose Circus is covered head-to-foot. Yes, tattoos have been part of the rock culture almost as long as they've been part of the US Navy's, so singer-songwriter Jake La Botz is doing something big about it. He's on a tattoo parlor tour across America. In Boston, he's at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. and we are assured it is every bit a real gig. La Botz, who's got a few tats himself, has quite a past: car thief, indie film actor ("Ghost World"), potential member of Velvet Revolver and a post-modern bluesman praised by one of our favorite hard-assed writers, Jerry Stahl, this way: "Not everybody will get (his music) because not everybody's ready for the truth.'' La Botz is touring to support his new CD, "Graveyard Jones." Just show up and let La Botz do his thing. Free.

380 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 627-522-6444 fatramtattoo.com

Oct. 25-28 

 Remember newspapers? Sure you do. They were those slabs of cheap paper with ink and pictures that landed on your doorstep, not in your computer, every morning. (Actually, we have a fondness for them, having worked most of our lives for one and still appreciating the "tactile" quality.) But there was a point - say the 1920s - when they really mattered and when many cities had morning, afternoon and evening and virtually every one bought at least one. Reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur wrote what is widely considered the best play about those days, "The Front Page," a satirical comedy, replete with merriment, mayhem, misdirection and murder. It's been on Broadway, it's been on film, it's been on TV. Hildy Johnson, one of the reporters, has been male and female. Want more gender reversal? The ART (with the Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training) is kicking it up Oct. 20 at the Zero Arrow Theatre with Hildy played Brian Farish. The other reporter, once Walter Burns, is now W. Burns and played by Cheryl Turski. Holly Derr directs. Tickets: $10. 

Zero Arrow St., Cambridge, 617-547-8300 amrep.org

Thursday, Oct. 26

Are we really recommending a karaoke night? The trend first apalled us when it surfaced in Japan but then,like Hondas and Mitsubishis, we said, oh, ok. It's not that we'd have the (liquid) courage to do it, but some do - Berklee College is around the corner and some of the vocal students have been showing up - and Kings is offering a twist on the game Thursday Oct. 26. It's the culmination of several Thursday semi-finals, so you should be hearing simply the best. The competition is Kings Karaoke Idol Night and the club says it's offering "great prizes." To be determined soon. No doubt this is part of Kings all-things-to-all-people entertainment philosophy with its pool, bowling, music and location next door to the Summer Shack. To think, this used to be the Cheri movie emporium and we saw one of the crappy "Star Wars" sequels there. Starts at 10. Free to go in and sing, free to laugh or cry.

10 Scotia St., 617-266-2695

Wed., Oct. 18

Are the Suicide Girls to this century what Hugh Hefner was to the last? That is, are they taking female sexuality to new boundaries and audiences, smashing through barricades of prudishness with every drop of a bra? Aw, we don't know. We'd be lying if we told you we didn't dig the sexy goings-on - R-rated, we'd say - of these tattooed love gals when they perform, which they are doing once again at the Middle East Downstairs Oct. 18. Legend has it the SG started as a two-person operation out of a Portland, Ore. loft in 2001. In five years suicidegirls.com gets five million visitors a month, and probably makes money we can only dream of. They've got a rather provocative hardcover book out there we've perused a few times. They've got a community of girls that includes over 1000 models - and they're not specimens of standard skin mag beauty. Nope, real girls who are real sexy. In performance, their shtick does sometimes get, well, shticky but we've never walked away without a smile. (Once, we got a pair of Suicide Girls panties for our betrothed.) Now, not only do you get the best-known of the modern burlesque troupes on this bill, you get ace local alt-rock band Read Yellow and all-female Japanese trio Tsu Shi Ma Ma Re, who toured with the Girls before. Starts at 9 p.m. Tickets: $15

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.com