Your days of screaming obscenities at the television screen are over. Don't get too excited: Hardball, Chris Matthews's annoying MSNBC gab fest, hasn't been canceled -- yet! The silver-haired pundit continues to offer up in-depth political analysis with weighty guests such as comedian Bill Maher. But if you attend the 6:00 p.m. fundraiser at the American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd.) for City Theatre, the folks who produce the annual Summer Shorts Festival, you can lash out at Matthews in person! He'll deliver a talk and afterward host a dinner for 50 VIPs. Sure, as a former speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter (can you say "malaise"?) and Washington bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner from 1987-2000, Matthews has stellar credentials to squawk about politics. But what interests us more than who will clinch the Democratic nomination (can you say Kerry?) is how the hell Matthews contracted malaria, which left him hospitalized last year. Ask him, go ahead! Admission is $45 and $175. Call 305-755-9401. -- By Nina Korman
Talented Trio
FRI 3/5
It will be a girl-power powwow at the African Heritage Cultural Art Center (6161 NW 22nd Ave.) tonight when artists Vickie Pierre, Hermine Ricketts, and Eszter Gyory greet guests at the 7:00 opening of their exhibition "Three Women." Pierre, of Haitian origin, will show off her colorful and intriguing abstract work with a wall installation surrounded by small paintings. Ricketts, an architect from Jamaica, will offer abstract canvases that explore the natural world. Gyory, a sculptor and painter from Hungary, will showcase several pieces, including a series called Surrogate Women dealing with cloning, and Meditation (right), seemingly a self-portrait in clown makeup. The show runs through Saturday, March 27. Admission is free. Call 305-638-6771. -- By Nina Korman
Dining Designs
Lunch gets a makeover
FRI 3/5
The crafty women of Beaux Arts, a fundraising organization at the Lowe Art Museum, really know how to set a table. At their annual Art of Table Decorating, the BA women team up with faboo designers and try to outdo one another with festive and cool dining environments. Though there is no official competition, be assured the women are well aware of who made what table and which one draws a crowd. In the past, tables have been decorated to emulate the styles of Elvis Presley, the Russian aristocracy, and a moonlit night in the Everglades. The exhibit is open to the public starting at 10:00 a.m. through Sunday, March 7, at the Lowe, 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables. Admission is $15. Call 305-284-3535. -- By Juan Carlos Rodriguez