We have two "best kept secret" performances that are of note this weekend and I want to be sure Times readers have the scoop.

At 9 p.m. Saturday at the Horseshoe Casino's The Venue, there's a great 8 p.m. concert showcasing the talents of headliner Lea Salonga-Chein. My "Girl Friday" Ann Scamerhorn gets the credit for alerting me to this gem.

Even if the name of this songtress doesn't "ring a bell," her impressive resume will give some clues. A multiawarded Filipino singer and actress who is best known for her acclaimed portrayal of Kim in the musical "Miss Saigon." In the field of musical theater, she is recognized for having won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World Awards and she's the first to win various international awards for a single role.

She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical "Les Misérables" on Broadway. Still not familiar with her work? She's also a starring voice of some of the favorite and more recent Walt Disney feature film classics. In 1992, her beautiful and distinct (sadly, uncredited) voice was heard as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in "Aladdin." (Actress Linda Larkin provided the speaking voice.) Lea's abilities and the attention earned the main spotlight by 1998 and her voice provided the voice of the title character in Disney's "Mulan" opposite Donny Osmond.

Tickets range from $40 to $95 and are available at (219) 473-6060 or thevenue-chicago.com.

Also, on Saturday, singer and actor Marshall Crenshaw is playing Valparaiso's own Memorial Opera House, 104 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, with one concert at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 and $35. Reader Kevin Casey of Valparaiso gave me this great tip. Crenshaw holds the distinction of having played the legendary Buddy Holly in the 1987 film favorite "La Bamba" opposite actor Lou Diamond Phillips' Ritchie Valens. He also scored a top 40 hit in 1982 with "Someday, Someway" from the Ron Howard film "Night Shift" starring Shelley Long, Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton.

For tickets, call (219) 548-9137 or visit mohlive.com.

Bumped birthdays

Thank you to all of the "eagle eye" readers who are so wonderful about tipping me off about any "snags" or column inconsistencies with this daily feature I write and compile.

For example, a number of readers wrote or called Thursday to say I mistakenly printed Friday's celebrity birthday list a day early in Thursday's editions and completely skipped all of those notables adding a year on Sept. 24. (I'm sure Barbara Walters didn't appreciate that I made her turn 80 a day earlier than necessary!)

I was particularly impressed by this nice e-mail tip-off from reader Kay Kielpikowski, of Valparaiso.

"Hi Phil,

I was reading your column today, and as always, the celeb birthday list. I noticed that you had Michael Douglas and his lovely wife Catherine Zeta-Jones listed as having their birthdays today, Thursday, Sept. 24. I checked references and they have their birthdays listed as Sept. 25. I thought this was the case, because my own son's birthday is also Friday, the same day as theirs, and I always remembered this. Kay Kielpikowski, Valparaiso, Ind."

Thank you to everyone who alerted me and you'll find the "belated" celebrity birthdays for Sept. 24 included below:

Actress Sheila MacRae is 85. Singer Sonny Turner of The Platters is 70. Singer Barbara Allbut of The Angels is 69. Singers Phylis "Jiggs" Allbut of The Angels and singer Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers are 68. Actor Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue") is 61. Rep. Joseph Patrick Kennedy is 57. Actor Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules: Legendary Journeys") is 51. Singer Cedric Dent of Take 6 and actress-writer Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") are 47. Drummer Marty Mitchell (Ricochet) is 40. Singer-guitarist Marty Cintron of No Mercy is 38. Guitarist Juan DeVevo of Casting Crowns is 34. Actor Kyle Sullivan ("Malcolm in the Middle") is 21.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

Newswoman Barbara Walters is 80. Singer Ian Tyson of Ian and Sylvia is 76. Actor Robert Walden ("Lou Grant") is 66. Actor Michael Douglas is 65. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 62. Actress Mimi Kennedy ("Dharma and Greg") and actor Anson Williams ("Happy Days") are 60. Actor Mark Hamill and polka band leader Jimmy Sturr are 58. Actor Colin Friels is 57. Actor Michael Madsen is 51. Actress Heather Locklear is 48. Actress Aida Turturro ("The Sopranos") is 47. Actor Tate Donovan ("The O.C.") is 46. Basketball star Scottie Pippen is 44. Actor Jason Flemyng ("The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") is 43. Actor-singer Will Smith is 41. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is 40. Actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras ("I Know What You Did Last Summer") is 36. Rapper T.I. is 29. Actor Lee Norris ("One Tree Hill") is 28. Singer Diana Ortiz of Dream is 24. Actress Emmy Clarke ("Monk") is 18.