Mind the Gap Another sign that Amy Adams' star is on the rise: her appearance in the holiday Gap ad campaign, as seen in Vogue and other glossies this month. The winsome former Chanhassen Dinner Theatres actor models trouser-leg jeans and green and blue V-neck sweaters. Other featured performers include dancers Greta Hodgkinson and Roberto Bolle, actors Zoe Saldana and Amanda Peet (and her super-cute baby, Frances Pen) and married "comedians and shopaholics" Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. I.W. is relieved that Adams' commercial duties didn't extend to raking her red talons across the hairy chest of designer Tom Ford to hawk his eponymous cologne inside the back cover. MARCI SCHMITT

Romeo and Juliet When Minnesota Opera rolls out its "Romeo and Juliet" Jan. 26, it will feature star-crossed lovers with strong Twin Cities connections -- and fast-moving careers. Tall, dark and handsome tenor James Valenti, a former resident artist at the Minnesota Opera, will sing Romeo. Let's hope he won't be tuckered out from having just scored an important replacement part as Pinkerton in San Francisco Opera's "Madama Butterfly" revival, which opens this weekend. Even more intensely local is Ellie Dehn, who will make her MinnOp debut as Juliet. The Anoka native is in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist program and will have some big-opera debuts in the next year, said Lani Willis of Minnesota Opera. With Dehn's north-metro posse behind her, tickets to "R & J" at the Ordway should sell briskly. "Ellie promised me that her mother will sell it out, and I believe her," Willis said. CLAUDE PECK

Raise your glass The New French Bar lives, if only for one night. The late, lamented Warehouse District cubbyhole -- clubhouse for Bush Artist Fellowship discussions, maker of a world-class fresh ham sandwich and public platform for gauging the seasons via artist Scott Seekins' all-black or all-white wardrobe -- is holding an all-class reunion Tuesday at the new and sorta NFB-ish Nick and Eddie. All former staffers and customers are invited, starting at 4 p.m., with a brief jaunt-down-memory lane program at 7:30. (1612 Harmon Pl., Mpls., 612-486-5800). RICK NELSON

Take these keys For years, composer Gary Rue had to rely on a Casio keyboard when he worked with SteppingStone Theatre. Gosh, it would be nice to have a real piano, he and the youth actors thought. Well, Rue did something about it. At the grand opening concert last Friday, Rue gave his sweet little upright to SteppingStone's artistic director, Richard Hitchler. "It felt great to give it to him," said Rue. "Now they just have to get around to pounding out the brass dedication plate." Just kidding. Rue, a talented and versatile writer, has composed music for dozens of SteppingStone productions. GRAYDON ROYCE

Bastardized 'Bastards' There were a half-dozen "Sixteen Blue" covers, a surprising number of rarities and at least one band that actually rehearsed at Wednesday night's Replacements tribute at First Avenue and 7th Street Entry. The "release party" for Jim Walsh's 'Mats oral history book, "All Over But the Shouting," was a seat-of-the-pants rock 'n' rollathon that occasionally kicked butt. Like when the Birthday Suits, rumored to have never listened to the 'Mats a couple weeks prior, tore through "[Expletive] School" and "God [Expletive] Job." [Expletive] yeah! The Alarmists were meticulous enough to incorporate a mandolin for "I Will Dare." Brian Vanderwerf of Chooglin' took the originality award with a Seeger Sessions-like ensemble playing the obscurities "Don't Get Married" and "Bad Worker." And Revolver Modele somehow made "Johnny's Gonna Die" sound like "Bela Lugosi's Dead." On the downside, Stook -- proudly "representing the drunk Replacements" -- brought up 15 random people to sing "Bastards of Young," four of whom had the correct lyrics. Walsh's brother Terry (of the Belfast Cowboys) had the right wrong-attitude when, before the night's second version of "Seen Your Video," he boasted: "We won't play it as well, but we might be able to play it faster." Read more at Startribune.com/Poplife. CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER