Mon. March 5

We've been to a couple of the swanky p.A.R.T.y events - the annual spring fundraiser held by American Repertory Theatre - and we've been knocked out by the celebs (Matt, Ben) and the cuisine. We've gone to these flings in hotels and outdoor courtyards, but this year's dig, Monday March 5, will be at Brighton Mills in Brighton. Which, the A.R.T., promises is a "transformed" space. WBUR's Robin Young is the honored guest; aerial artist Mam Smith (formerly of the Cirque du Soleil) will perform and "Angels in America" playwright Tony Kushner (in photo) will be honored with the annual Robert Brustein Award. (Brustein was the A.R.T.'s longtime director who fought the fight and made the avant theater go - he's still an advisor.) The party starts at 6 p.m., and it celebrates the season now in its home stretch, "Season of Transformations." Music provided by The Map of the House Band and Marakutaia Group, food catered by MAX Ultimate Food. There will be both live and silent auctions. Admission: $500. (It's a benefit, folks.)

380 Western Ave., Brighton, 617-495-2668 amrep.org

Sun. March 4 

 Call it acoustic rock or pumped-up folk. They like to call it "spazzy, folk-tinged acoustic indie-rock." Fancy Trash is a trio from Easthampton that's just released its second CD, "Three cheers for the cheated" (great title) and it opens the three-band bill at T.T. the Bear's Sunday March 4. (Alcantra follows and When Walls Are Built headlines.) There's a jauntiness at time - "Hope is a phase that I'm feeling," sings Dave Houghton in "Lost in the Evening" - as well as some angst, self-recrimination and frustration. They also go sorta off the rails at times, on purpose, we assume. Fancy Trash takes us back to Uncle Tupelo or, maybe, Violent Femmes. Houghton plays acoustic guitar, banjo, bouzouki, harmonica and slide guitar; Josheu Thayer plays upright bass and dobro; Ben Laine is on drums. Tickets: $7.

10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-492-0082. ttthebears.com

 Thurs. March 1

The Oscars are over and the decisions are in. But the short films went by, uh, quickly, didn't they? The Coolidge Corner Theatre has long provided a place to go for those interested in the genre and does so again this year. Today, Thursday March 1 is the last day for the run of "Oscar Nominated Shorts." The "live action program" is up at 2 and 7 p.m. and the "animated program" is up at 11:45 a.m. The photo pic is from the animated winner "The Danish Comic." Tickets: $9.

290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2500 coolidge.org

Thurs. March 1

Further on down the column - on March 10 - we write about the Japanese rock invasion at T.T. the Bear's. Perhaps you'd like to warm up for that - or just gain insights into the country and its pop culture - with a panel discussion called "Cool Japan" at the Harvard Coop Thursday March 1 at 12:30 p.m. At the table: Susan Napier (in photo), from Tufts, the author of "Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle." She'll also discuss her forthcoming book, "From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fantasy and Fan Cult in the Western Imagination." Roland Kelts, from the University of Tokyo, is the author of "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Invaded the US," so he'll bring that to the table. And Ian Condry, of MIT and Harvard," has written "Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization." (Have you noticed absolutely every book written these days that is not a novel has a colon in the title?). Join the fray. It's free.
1400 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-499-2012 bncollege.com

Thurs. March. 1

 Party like a rock star! Party like a rock star? That fills your head with all sorts of semi-legal and illegal images doesn't it? Conjures up days of decadence. Like, say, partying with Aerosmith back in the day, or Motley Crue back in the day ... Well, that day is now - Thursday March 1 - for one of the former Crue guys. Tommy Lee - arguably one of the most famous in drummer in rock and not necessarily because of his drumming - is in town to "Party Like a Rock Star," which is to say he hosts this special night at Gypsy Bar. Lee and DJ Aero are spinning a mix of what the club calls "big ass analog," which we're interpreting as hard rock songs from the hedonistic '80s. Now, everybody pays $10 in advance or $15 at the door, but if you wear a pair of pink pajamas (boys, too?) you get access to -ohmygod! - Tommy's private VIP area. We're not sure of how much debauchery is allowed (or winked at, or ignored) in these Britney-Paris times, especially here in Boston, but we guess this would be the opportunity to find out.  Starts at 9 p.m. Probably starts cooking around 11 p.m.

116 Boylston St., 617-482-7799 thepinkpajamaparty.com