MANN, WAINWRIGHT ARE REFRESHINGLY REAL.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Sometimes things aren't perfect, THANK GOD.

Both Aimee Mann and Rufus Wainwright had some ragged moments during their sets Thursday night at UCLA's Royce Hall, but in this day of overscripted concerts, it's nice to see spontaneity and life on stage. Throw in some between-songs humor and terrific music and you have a recipe for fun.

That Mann, backed by a four-piece band, had a few goofs isn't totally surprising. She's been away from touring for a couple of months and only had two days' rehearsal for Thursday's show, the second swing promoting the gorgeous and intelligent ``Lost in Space,'' her latest CD.

Throughout the evening, though, she mixed in some older numbers, including three from the ``Magnolia'' soundtrack - ``Driving Sideways'' with bouncy verses and catchy chorus, ``Wise Up'' and the Oscar-nominated ``Save Me.'' In her nearly two-hour set, Mann did a number of tunes from ``Lost in Space,'' and there isn't a bad one among them, with the title song and the beautiful ``This Is How It Goes'' among the highlights. On ``Invisible Ink,'' which was part of her four-song encore, she messed up, nearly abandoning the song until the audience prevailed on her to try it again. It wasn't perfect - or even close - but it was real, heartfelt and more interesting musically than a re-creation of the CD cut.

Throughout the evening, Mann, whose songs mostly traffic in serious subjects, was engaging and personable, telling stories and cracking wise. When she got the obligatory ``I love you, Aimee,'' the singer-songwriter slyly looked up and said, ``I'm sure I'd love you, too, if I only knew you.'' OK, she isn't always serious - she did write a song called `` I'm With Stupid.''

Wainwright, who performed solo on piano, also showed off his sense of humor and considerable talent. Just back from Montreal, where he had a small part in Martin Scorsese's upcoming film ``Aviator,'' he riffed on the director's tendency toward long shoots, noting the film ``will be out in about, oh, 20 years.''

Wainwright played tunes from ``Poses,'' including the inspiredly playful ``Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk'' and ``California'' (where he also goofed up, to his and the crowd's amusement), plus new songs from his upcoming CD ``Want.'' He jokingly urged an adoring audience to buy it. ``I don't mind you downloading it, but buy it, too, so next time I can have a band,'' gesturing to spots set up behind him for Mann's set.