FEB THE CULTURAL DIVIDE

REEL MUSIC

On February 8, nominees Franz Ferdinand and the White Stripes rock the house at the 48th annual Grammy Awards, at L.A.'s Staples Center.

Curious George (Universal Pictures) opens February 10. The cast includes the voices of Will Ferrell, Dick Van Dyke, Eugene Levy, David Cross, Joan Plowright, and Drew Barrymore. Jack Johnson performs his original songs.

APRES-SKI

Aspen, the winter-wonderland restaurant and bar in New York City, looks and feels like a ski lodge. There's a bar with Lucite deer heads, a fireplace, a private Gonzo dining room—in honor of Hunter S. Thompsonand a menu packed with dishes such as bison sliders with chipotle ketchup, brooktrout tacos, and pomegranateand-rosemary baby lamb chops. It's the best of apresski—without having to unbuckle your boots.

ASPEN |RESTAURANT

LEAKING THE SECRET ON THE LATEST HOT SPOT, ELBA, ITALY

Swim, tan, and shop Napoleon's favored vacation spot, Elba, part of the Tuscan Archipelago, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is emerging as the destination resort for travelers from around the world. While Europeans have long ferried to the fish-shaped island for its soft white-sand beaches, private rocky enclaves, quaint boutiques, and amazing gelato, the rest of us are only just now getting in on the secret.

FAT TUESDAY

Rebuild the spirit. Efforts won't be complete without the bourbon, beads, and music. Head down to New Orleans; it's Mardi Gras (2/24-28).

BRIT PICKS

No one does satire better than the English. First came The Chap, the magazine for modem gendemen who prefer ancient rituals of courtesy and dress and shudder at such things as fast-food corporations and the information superhighway. And now there's Rubbish, the irreverent new fashion annual that targets stylesupplement addicts looking for a less serious approach to designers and their sartorial subjects.

ART OPENINGS

"Goya's Last Works" begins at New York's Frick Collection. It's the first American exhibition to concentrate exclusively on the final phase of the artist's career. Oil paintings, lithographs, and tiny paintings on ivory make up the 50-piece show (2/22-5/14).

DAVID HOCKNEY

A retrospective of pop icon David Hockney's portraiture, from photographs to watercolors, debuts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (2/26-5/14).

ART |INSTITUTE

The Art Institute of Chicago opens "Girodet: Romantic Rebel," an exhibition featuring more than 100 French Revolution-inspired works by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (2/11-4/30).