Oklahoma venues ringing in 2012 with a variety of New Year’s Eve events
Eli Young Band
If you’re looking for something to do tonight for New Year’s Eve, you have a wide variety of entertainment options here in Oklahoma. Here are a few; find more at www.wimgo.com:
EVENTS
Opening Night 2012, 7 p.m., eight venues across downtown Oklahoma City, www.artscouncilokc.com.
Downtown in December, various times and locales in downtown Oklahoma City, including OK Cityscape, Chesapeake Snow Tubing at RedHawks Field and Devon Ice Rink, www.downtownindecember.com.
CONCERTS
New Year’s Freakout with The Flaming Lips and The Plastic Ono Band, 8 p.m., Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California, www.ticketstorm.com. Tonight’s show is sold out, but tickets are still available for Sunday’s New Year’s Day show. NOTE: The after-party has been moved to the OKC Farmers Market, 311 S Klein; for more information, click here.
New Year’s Eve Party: Jason Boland and The Stragglers and Turnpike Troubadours, 8 p.m., Tumbleweed Dance Hall and Concert Arena, 5212 Lakeview Drive. www.calffry.com. (Stillwater)
Gregg Allman and Buddy Guy, 8 p.m., First Council Casino, 12875 N U.S. 77, (580) 448-3015. (Newkirk)
Maroon 5, 9 p.m., WinStar World Casino & Hotel, Exit 1, Interstate 35, www.winstarworldcasino.com. (Thackerville). Sold out.
Eli Young Band, 9 p.m., Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main, www.cainsballroom.com. (Tulsa)
Randy Rogers Band and Brison Bursey, 8 p.m., Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E Sheridan, 601-6276 or www.wormydog.com.
New Year’s Eve Party with The Temptations, 8 p.m., Choctaw Casino, 4418 U.S. 69/75, (800) 788-2464. (Durant)
Clay Walker, 8 p.m., Choctaw Casino, U.S. 271, (580) 326-8397. (Grant)
New Year’s Eve Party with JB And The Moonshine Band, 9 p.m., Arbuckle Ballroom, 12201 State Highway 7 W, (580) 369-3870. (Davis)
Pretty Black Chains and Student Film, 9 p.m., VZD’s, 4200 N Western. 524-4203 or www.vzds.com.
Pidgin Band and the Flatland Travelers, 9 p.m., Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewing Co. in 50 Penn Place, 1900 Northwest Expressway. 840-1911 or www.belleislerestaurant.com.
My So Called Band’s A Very ‘90s New Year’s Eve,” 9:30 p.m., Blue Note Lounge, 2408 N Robinson Ave. 600-1166 or www.thebluenotelounge.com.
THEATER
“A Christmas Carol,” 2 and 8 p.m., Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16, 524-9310.
SPORTS
OKC Thunder vs. the Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m., Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno, www.chesapeakearena.com.
OKC Barons vs. the San Antonio Rampage, 7 p.m., Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, www.coxconventioncenter.com.
-BAM
Oklahoma City will ring in New Year Saturday with Opening Night 2012
A crowd gathers in downtown Oklahoma City for the Opening Night 2009 finale.
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Opening Night to ring in Oklahoma City’s New Year
The annual New Year’s Eve event will bring together 40 performers in eight venues across downtown Oklahoma City, and the grand finale this year will move to the renovated Myriad Gardens.
As the giant disco ball rises Saturday night at the culmination of Opening Night 2012, it will not only light the way to the New Year but also spotlight one of downtown Oklahoma City’s reinvigorated treasures.
“The big thing that is new is the change in the finale venue. For the past 25 years, we’ve had the finale at Kerr Park, and this year, we have moved it over to the Myriad Gardens,” said Opening Night Director Christina Foss. “The gardens are newly renovated and just look beautiful, and it’s really the perfect gathering space for people.”
As usual, Opening Night 2012 will transform downtown into a huge variety show, bringing together rock bands, roller girls, magicians and more to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Organized by the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, the alcohol-free, family-friendly event will assemble 40 performers in eight different venues, with the festivities starting at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Party-goers can enter every venue with an Opening Night wristband, which are $8 in advance or $10 at the event, while children younger than 5 are admitted free.
Gardens showcase
The Myriad Botanical Gardens reopened earlier this year after undergoing a $42 million makeover, and coupled with ongoing downtown construction, organizers decided to move this year’s Opening Night finale to the new Grand Lawn.
At 11 p.m. Saturday, Opening Night headliners Smilin’ Vic and the Soul Monkeys will bring their high-energy fusion of rhythm, blues and soul to the finale stage. The year-end countdown will begin in earnest at 11:30 p.m. with a sound and light show involving police cars, fire trucks and a helicopter. To heighten the anticipation and experience, lights will go out across downtown, including those in the Myriad Gardens, buildings and parking garages.
As the final seconds of 2011 tick down, the 10-foot mirrored and light-festooned ball will be lifted at least 15 stories above the crowd. When the clock strikes midnight, an extravagant fireworks show will herald the New Year.
Along with the finale events, Edmond acoustic rocker Jamie Bramble will perform throughout Opening Night at the illuminated Crystal Bridge, which received a facelift as part of the renovation.
“It’s going to be a blast,” Foss said. “We hope that everyone will go through the gardens and see them. … It’s a really good opportunity to see all the new stuff that’s there.”
Old and new
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art will be showcasing both familiar and new exhibits Saturday as it becomes an Opening Night venue for the first time.
The museum is marking the close of the special exhibits “Faded Elegance: Photographs of Havana by Michael Eastman” and “Poodles & Pastries (and Other Important Matters): New Paintings by Franco Mondini-Ruiz,” along with the grand reopening of its vast collection of Dale Chihuly glass art.
Also, the museum will open Saturday night a new temporary exhibit titled “Chihuly: Northwest,” which will feature glass creations inspired by the American Indian basketry, along with selections from the Chihuly’s large collections of Pendleton trade blankets and images by renowned Western photographer Edward S. Curtis.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved with Opening Night for the first time in our 10-year history … in downtown,” said Leslie Spears, the museum’s communications manager. “We’re thrilled to partner with our colleagues at the Arts Council of Oklahoma City and at the beautiful new Myriad Gardens.”
Museum members will preview “Illuminations” from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, and the redesigned Chihuly exhibit will open to the public from 8 to 11 p.m. Admission will be free to those with Opening Night wristbands.
From 11:30 p.m. to midnight, the museum’s Roof Terrace will host a champagne toast and viewing of the Opening Night fireworks. Tickets are $5 for guests and members, or free to patrons of the Museum Cafe’s annual New Year’s Eve Dinner.
In addition, two favorite jazz bands from the museum’s summer Roof Terrace concert series — Bruce Benson & Studio B and Maurice Johnson — will play in the museum lobby during Opening Night. OKC Improv will have improvisers performing throughout the event in the museum auditorium.
Nonstop entertainment
Once Opening Night starts Saturday night, the fun won’t stop until the next year rolls around. Famed musician David Thomas will conjure up his Vegas-style show World of Magic inside Cox Convention Center, the Ambassador’s Concert Choir will blend their voices at Leadership Square, and Tulsa band FM Pilots will rock Bank of Oklahoma.
The children’s area inside the Cox Center will offer art projects, face painting, an inflatable obstacle course and more.
“It’s always a lot of fun for families,” Foss said. “We have performers all across downtown. With musicians and theater and dance, there’s really just a little bit of something for everyone.”
GOING ON
Opening Night 2012
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday.
Where: Eight venues downtown.
Admission: Wristbands are $8 in advance, $10 the day of the event. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Wristbands are available at 7-Eleven stores, metro-area Homeland stores, MidFirst Bank locations, Science Museum Oklahoma or at the event.
Information: 270-4848 or www.artscouncilokc.com.
See the Opening Night 2012 schedule after the break.
OKC Museum of Art to celebrate the New Year with the grand reopening of its Chihuly collection
A worker sorts pieces for the ceiling during reinstallation of the Chihuly exhibit at the OKC Museum of Art on Thursday, December 15 , 2011. Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
OKC Museum of Art to celebrate the New Year with the grand reopening of its Chihuly collection
“Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly” will debut Saturday during downtown Oklahoma City’s Opening Night 2012 Festivities.
An assistant with Chihuly Studio, he carefully studied the exotic, multihued artworks arrayed in front of him and finally slipped the champagne-colored cherub, or putti, under an orange, flowerlike form. The bright spotlight shining through the large citrus-shaded glass piece and the iridescent angel beneath immediately cast a golden reflection on the white walls under the partially reassembled “Oklahoma Persian Ceiling,” one of the highlights of the museum’s prized collection of Dale Chihuly glass art.
The collection of the famed Seattle artist’s glass works is considered one of the most comprehensive in the world, and for the past month, workers have been laboring busily to reinstall the 3,500 pieces by New Year’s Eve. On Saturday night, the museum will celebrate its grand reopening with “Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly.”
“There are little changes and big changes. I think people will be thrilled about the familiarity and stunned at how much it seems to have changed even though it’s the same objects,” said museum President and CEO Glen Gentele.
Sparkling redesign
Considering the exhibit’s dramatic redesign, visitors may well see vibrant art forms that were hidden from view in the previous incarnation.
“Each person will install it differently, so it’s the same pieces … but each time, there’s something different about them. It looks really phenomenal,” said Alison Amick, the museum’s curator of collections, as she watched Holland work out the kaleidoscopic “Persian Ceiling” puzzle on a recent weekday.
“It’s great to have everything cleaned and looked at and put out in a fresh order. These installations are just enlivened,” she added. “They have a sparkling quality to them.”
Elsewhere in the exhibit, museum registrar Erika Katayama donned a headlamp and studied a little owl right down to each shimmering glass feather.
“Dale Chihuly: The Collection” was closed at the beginning of April to make way for the world premiere of the vast “Passages” exhibit of biblical artifacts and manuscripts. Before the glass art was put into storage, each piece was cleaned, inspected, photographed and documented in a new database. Each work was cleaned and analyzed again before it was installed for the third time on the museum’s third floor.
A worker places a glass ball in a boat during reinstallation of the Chihuly exhibit at the OKC Museum of Art on Thursday, December 15 , 2011. Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman
Three-dimensional drama
In 2002, the museum opened its downtown home with “Dale Chihuly: An Inaugural Exhibition.” Through enthusiastic public support and community giving, it bought all 18 installations in 2004.
Renamed “Dale Chihuly: The Collection,” the exhibit was reinstalled on April 1, 2004, after 32 days of extensive set building and preparation. Over the past several months, the museum’s staff has worked with Chihuly Studio to redesign the exhibit.
“We really wanted to create a few punctuations in addition to reorganizing how the show was done and trying to think of it little bit more three-dimensionally,” Gentele said.
Rather than placed against a wall as in the previous layout, the large “Float Boat” and “Ikebana Boat” now sit on a lake of reflective black glass in the middle of a gallery space. People can see the vessels overflowing with colorful glass orbs and forms from all sides.
Viewing portals cut into the gallery walls give a tantalizing sneak peek of the pale purple “Reeds” that jut up from massive logs in even bolder fashion.
“You’ll just be able to see so much more of them, and the experience is just so different and so dramatic. Though it’s an old, familiar work, you really do get a sense of it being something new,” Amick said.
“Illuminations” celebrations
“Chihuly: Northwest,” opening New Year’s Eve at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, recreates the Northwest Room at The Boathouse, glass artist Dale Chihuly’s Seattle studio. Through April 8, the exhibit will feature items from his collection of trade blankets and American Indian-inspired glass.
The grand opening of “Illuminations” will be part of downtown Oklahoma City’s massive Opening Night 2012 festivities. The museum will celebrate from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday with live jazz from Bruce Benson & Studio B and Maurice Johnson, along with free admission to the galleries with an Opening Night wristband.
Museum members will preview “Illuminations” from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, and the redesigned Chihuly exhibit will open to the public from 8 to 11 p.m.
From 11:30 p.m. to midnight, the museum’s Roof Terrace will host a champagne toast and viewing of the Opening Night fireworks. Tickets are $5 for guests and members, or free to patrons of the Museum Cafe’s annual New Year’s Eve Dinner.
The Chihuly exhibit’s grand reopening also will herald the museum’s 10th anniversary in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center. Since the museum’s downtown home opened in 2002 with a special Chihuly show, “Illuminations” will be paired with the temporary exhibit “Chihuly: Northwest.”
“Chihuly: Northwest” will feature glass creations inspired by the American Indian basketry, along with selections from the Chihuly’s large collection of Pendleton trade blankets. On a recent day before Christmas, two Chihuly Studio workers were hanging the blankets from floor to ceiling so that they resembled a giant multi-patterned tapestry.
On view through April 8, “Chihuly: Northwest” will include photographs by Edward S. Curtis from “The North American Indian Portfolio” and samplings of Chihuly’s White series of glass art, too.
“These works haven’t been shown in Oklahoma before … and they’re very different from the type of works that you see in our permanent collection,” Amick said. “So we will have something new for people to see as well.”
ON EXHIBIT
“Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly”
Members preview: 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Public opening: 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday during Opening Night.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
-BAM
Variety of entertainers to perform at Opening Night 2012, downtown Oklahoma City’s New Year’s Eve party
OKC Improv will perform at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art's auditorium at 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. Saturday during Opening Night 2012.
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman.
The Arts Council of Oklahoma City will send in the clowns — along with an Elvis impersonator, a roller derby squad and a Hank Williams tribute band — Saturday night at its annual New Year’s Eve celebration.
As usual, Opening Night 2012 will transform downtown Oklahoma City into a sprawling variety show, bringing together dancers, magicians and musicians of practically every genre. The alcohol-free, family-friendly will assemble 40 performers in eight different venues, with the festivities starting at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s been so much fun. I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with all the performers and artists that we have for the event,” said Christina Foss, the Arts Council of Oklahoma City’s projects director, who is working on her first Opening Night. “I’ve had a wonderful time already. It’s busy and hectic and crazy, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Party-goers can enter every venue Saturday with an Opening Night wristband, which are $8 in advance or $10 at the event. Children younger than 5 are admitted for free.
Wristbands are available at 7-Eleven stores, metro-area Homeland stores, MidFirst Bank locations, Science Museum Oklahoma or at the event.
After making their debut at Opening Night 2011, the performers with OKC Improv are moving up to a bigger venue this year.
“After our sellout shows at the downtown library auditorium last year, the Arts Council has moved us to OKC Museum of Art auditorium, which can fit twice as many people,” said Eric Webb, OKC Improv co-founder and co-producer. “So we’re very excited about that.”
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is a new venue for Opening Night. Along with the improvisers, the museum will close two special exhibitions, celebrate the grand reopening of its Dale Chihuly glass art collection and host two jazz bands Saturday on New Year’s Eve.
“Additionally, this is the first time OKC Improv has performed in our theater. We look forward to the fun,” said Leslie Spears, the museum’s communications coordinator.
For the first time in the event’s 25-year history, the Opening Night finale will be staged in the Myriad Botanical Gardens, which reopened earlier this year after undergoing an extensive overhaul. The finale previously took place in Kerr Park.
Along with live music from Smilin’ Vic and the Soul Monkeys, the finale will feature the ceremonial ascension of the massive mirrored ball, a countdown to midnight and a colorful fireworks display.
About 60,000 people rang in 2011 at last year’s Opening Night.
GOING ON
Opening Night 2012
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday.
Where: Eight venues downtown.
Information: 270-4848 or www.artscouncilokc.com.
-BAM
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Oklahoma City Museum of Art working to reinstall Chihuly exhibit
Workers at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art haul in boxes of Dale Chihuly glass art into a staging area Monday as they work to reinstall the exhibit for its grand reopening New Year's Eve. (Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art working to reinstall Chihuly exhibit
The grand reopening, “Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly,” is set for New Year’s Eve during the Opening Night 2012 festivities.
The northeast gallery on the third floor of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is beginning to resemble the final scenes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” with rows of large, nondescript boxes concealing beautiful treasures.
Workers on Monday began hauling the museum’s collection of Dale Chihuly glass art out of storage and into the staging area as they prepare to install it for the third time on the third floor.
“It’s going to be a lot different,” said communications manager Leslie Spears. “We’re giving you a fresh new look.”
On New Year’s Eve, the museum will celebrate the grand reopening of the beloved collection with “Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly.” The exhibit was closed at the beginning of April and the art put into storage to make way for the world premiere of the vast “Passages” exhibit of biblical artifacts and manuscripts.
Redesigned in collaboration with Chihuly Studio, the newly installed galleries will mostly feature the same pieces but will showcase them in a whole new way.
“There’s going to be some editing: some pieces may come out, some pieces may come in,” Spears said. “Some of the areas will give you a 360-degree view.”
Rather than placed against a wall as in the previous layout, the large “Float Boat” and “Ikebana Boat” installations will sit in the middle of a gallery space so people can view the vessels overflowing with colorful glass orbs and forms from all sides.
Visitors to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will get new views of the Dale Chihuly glass art collection and particularly the "Reeds" installation with the exhibit's grand reopening New Year's Eve. (Photo By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman Archives)
Visitors also will be able to view from multiple angles the pale purple “Reeds” jutting up from logs. Observation holes have been cut into gallery walls behind and to the side of where the pieces will be placed.
“It will be beautiful,” Spears said. “We just wanted to give you more dimension this time.”
Workers have been constructing the revamped gallery space since “Passages” moved out at the end of October. Before they begin installing the glass art for the third time, they will carefully and thoroughly clean each piece.
“They reconfigured the walls, and we had carpenters in that built new walls and new settings,” Spears said. “There’s really not a path to follow like there was last time; it’s more choose your own path.”
“Illuminations” will be paired with a special exhibition “Chihuly: Northwest,” which will be on view on the third floor through April 8. The temporary exhibit will feature glass creations inspired by the cultures and artwork of Northwest American Indian tribes, said Ernesto Sanchez, head of exhibit design and registration.
In addition, “Chihuly: Northwest” will incorporate American Indian blankets from the Seattle artist’s personal collection along with photographs by Edward S. Curtis from “The North American Indian Portfolio.”
The Chihuly exhibit’s grand reopening on New Year’s Eve not only will be part of downtown Oklahoma City’s massive Opening Night 2012 festivities but also will herald the museum’s 10th anniversary in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center.
The museum opened its downtown home in 2002 with “Dale Chihuly: An Inaugural Exhibition,” a display of glass and drawings by the famed glass artist. Through enthusiastic public support and community giving, the museum bought all 18 installations in the exhibition in 2004.
Renamed “Dale Chihuly: The Collection,” the exhibit was reinstalled on April 1, 2004, after 32 days of extensive set building and preparation, and it has remained a popular attraction ever since.
The museum will celebrate Opening Night from 7 to 11 p.m. Dec. 31 with live jazz from Bruce Benson & Studio B and Maurice Johnson and free admission to the galleries with an Opening Night wristband.
Museum members will get to preview “Illuminations” from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 31, and the redesigned Chihuly exhibit will open to the public from 8 to 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
From 11:30 p.m. to midnight, the museum’s Roof Terrace will be host a champagne toast and viewing of the Opening Night fireworks. Tickets are $5 for guests and members, or free to patrons of the Museum Cafe’s annual New Year’s Eve Dinner.
Excitement for the 10th anniversary celebration in 2012 is growing as the museum prepares to reinstall favorites like Chihuly’s “Persian Ceiling,” Spears said.
“The people here love it, and it’s a favorite to bring their out-of-town guests to … so we’re excited to give them a new look at the exhibit,” she said.
Coming soon
“Illuminations: Rediscovering the Art of Dale Chihuly”
Members preview: 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 31.
Public opening: 8 to 11 p.m. Dec. 31 during Opening Night.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
-BAM
Franco Mondini-Ruiz to make final appearances today and Saturday at Oklahoma City Museum of Art
"Fun on Frosting" by Franco Mondini-Ruiz
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Franco Mondini-Ruiz making final appearances at OKC Museum of Art
Along with Texas painter, sculptor and performance artist’s last visits Friday and Saturday, the museum will offer free admission Sunday during a busy holiday weekend.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is getting into the spirit of the season with a busy weekend of activities.
Franco Mondini-Ruiz
On Friday (today) and Saturday, Texas painter, sculptor and performance artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz will make his last appearances at the museum in conjunction with his exhibit “Poodles & Pastries (and Other Important Matters).”
For his final farewell, he will be peddling and pontificating in the second-floor gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days during his “Holiday Happening.” In addition, he will have paintings on sale for $50.
“Poodles & Pastries” closes New Year’s Eve at the museum.
On Sunday, the museum, along with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, will offer free admission through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation’s Free Museum Sundays, part of the Downtown in December holiday festivities.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is open from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 236-3100 or go to www.okcmoa.com.
-BAM
Farewell to Franco: Acclaimed artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz to give last performance at OKC Museum of Art Thursday
"Doughnut Dior" by Franco Mondini-Ruiz
On Thursday, acclaimed Texas painter, sculptor and performance artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz will make his last appearance at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in conjunction with his exhibit “Poodles & Pastries (and Other Important Matters).”
Franco Mondini-Ruiz
Amid the festive atmosphere of holiday refreshments and music, Mondini-Ruiz and his busy “glamour elves” will be putting on a “Holiday Happening” from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the second-floor gallery.
The performance art event, during which Mondini-Ruiz and visitors will create a “social sculpture,” will include seasonal cheer, door prizes and shopping for sculptures and paintings, including holiday-themed canvases. Paintings will be prices as low as $50.
Mondini-Ruiz also will be peddling and pontificating in the second-floor gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“Poodles & Pastries” closes New Year’s Eve at the museum.
If you have not yet met Franco, he’s such fun, so try not to miss Thursday’s festivities, or least stop by to chat with him over the weekend.
For more information, call 236-3100 or go to www.okcmoa.com.
-BAM
BAM’s Blog 2011 holiday movie preview
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Holiday movie guide 2011
Hollywood has prepared a diverse cinematic menu of awards contenders, family-friendly adventures and potential blockbusters that should keep film fans sated from now until Christmas.
Swap the pumpkin pie for popcorn: The holiday movie season is underway.
In keeping with its annual custom, Hollywood has prepared a cinematic spread of awards contenders, family-friendly adventures and potential blockbusters that should keep film fans sated from now until Christmas.
Theaters started dishing up the first serving of movie goodness Wednesday, but a variety of courses are on the movie menu for the season.
Just be sure to check local listings before heading to a multiplex since movie studios love to rearrange release dates.
"Hugo"
Opened Wednesday
It’s time for a new generation to meet “The Muppets,” with a comeback film that reunites Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the lovably witty felt friends in an effort to save Muppet Studios from destruction at the hands of a villainous oil baron (Chris Cooper). Jason Segel (who also co-writes and produces) and Amy Adams lend their song-and-dance skills to the new movie, which co-stars a new Muppet named Walter.
Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese makes his 3-D filmmaking debut with “Hugo,” based on Brian Selznick’s much-admired 2007 junior novel, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Set in the 1930s, the family-friendly mystery stars Asa Butterfield (“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”), along with Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Chloe Moretz, in the tale of an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station.
Also in 3-D, James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent headline the star-studded cast who gift their voices to the holiday romp “Arthur Christmas,” the latest project from Aardman Animations, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit. On Christmas night at the North Pole, the reigning Santa’s bumbling son Arthur (McAvoy) rediscovers the spirit of the season when he must embark on an urgent mission.
Set in Hawaii, “The Descendants” stars George Clooney as a wealthy land baron but distant husband and father who must reevaluate his life after his wife is badly injured in a boating accident off Waikiki. The latest comedic drama from Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne (“Sideways”), the film is getting significant awards buzz.
In the romantic drama “Like Crazy,” a British college student (Felicity Jones) studying stateside falls for an American classmate (Anton Yelchin), but the couple must cope with an agonizing separation when she violates the terms of her visa and is banned from the United States.
"My Week with Marilyn"
Friday
In “My Week With Marilyn,” Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a young assistant on the 1957 film “The Prince and the Showgirl,” documents his experiences on the set of the movie that famously united Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams).
"Blackthorn"
Dec. 2
In “Take Shelter,” Michael Shannon, who earned an Oscar nomination for 2008’s “Revolutionary Road” and will play Superman baddie General Zod in 2013’s “Man of Steel,” stars as a young husband and father who is haunted by a series of apocalyptic visions that leave him unsure whether to protect his family from a coming catastrophe or from him.
Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodovar (“Talk to Her”) adapts Thierry Jonquet’s 1995 novel “Mygale (Tarantula)” with “The Skin I Live In,” about a grieving, unscrupulous and brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) who invents a type of durable synthetic skin that he tests on a mysterious woman.
The legend Butch Cassidy gets another cinematic treatment with “Blackthorn,” showing Thursday-Dec. 4 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. In the new film, Cassidy (Sam Shepard) survived his 1908 standoff with the Bolivian military and has been living quietly in an isolated Bolivian village under the name of James Blackthorn. Longing to see his family again, Cassidy sets out for the United States, but his plan is derailed when he crosses paths with a ruthless young outlaw (Eduardo Noriega).
"New Year's Eve"
Dec. 9
With the box-office success of 2010’s “Valentine’s Day,” it’s no surprise that director Garry Marshall is celebrating “New Year’s Eve” with another star-studded ensemble flick, this time about several couples and singles whose love lives intersect in New York on the titular holiday. The partial guest list for this cinematic New Year’s Eve soiree features Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank, Zac Efron, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel and Michelle Pfeiffer.
“The Sitter,” the latest comedy from helmer David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”), offers a gender-switched version of the 1987 box-office hit “Adventures in Babysitting.” Jonah Hill stars as a college student who has been suspended for the semester who experiences a crazy night when he gets talked into keeping the peculiar trio of children who live next door to his mom.
Controversial writer-director Lars von Trier (“Breaking the Waves”) contemplates the end of the world with his “psychological disaster film” “Melancholia,” showing Dec. 8-11 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Kirsten Dunst earned the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance as Justine, a bride trying to cope with worsening depression just as a mysterious planet sets a collision course with Earth.
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 6, 2011: Check out the Family Day festivities at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art
"Fun on Frosting" from Franco Mondini-Ruiz's exhibit "Poodles and Pastries and Other Important Matters"
Today’s featured event:
Take in hands-on art activities, story times and tour the special exhibits during “Faded Elegance” and “Poodles and Pastries and Other Important Matters” during Family Day from noon to 4 p.m. today t the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Best Bets for Nov. 4-6, 2011: Paul Simon, “Hamlet,” The Girlie Show and more
Paul Simon (AP file)
Here are my picks for the Best Bets happening around Oklahoma City this weekend. For more events happening around the state, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. Catch Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Paul Simon in concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 297-2264 or www.okcciviccenter.com.
2. Watch Reduxion Theatre launch its “Original Sins” 2011-12 season in tragic fashion with William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 1613 N Broadway Ave. Information: 651-3191 or www.reduxiontheatre.com.
3. Take in hands-on art activities, story times and tour the special exhibits during “Faded Elegance” and “Poodles and Pastries and Other Important Matters” during Family Day from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
4. Experience art, food and music by talented women at The Girlie Show from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Public Market, 311 S Klein. Information: www.thegirlieshow.net.
-BAM
