Boston Globe daily event picks from Sidekick
PICKS FOR DECEMBER 27, 2006
Music
Still rocking around the Christmas tree
On the day after Thanksgiving, a certain seasonal head-banging act played to a full house at the
DCU Center,50 Foster St., Worcester, 617-931-2000. ticketmaster.com [Rocco B. Colella]
Bone to pick
The latest release by Fishbone is "Still Stuck in Your Throat," and its tunes -- the upbeat "Party With Saddam" and the frenetic "The Devil Made Me Do It" -- are sure to stick in your mind. The Los Angeles group's horn-laced funk-rock is going to shake things up in Allston tonight at 9 at Harpers Ferry. The Fear Nuttin Band of Boston and Western Massachusetts opens with a reggae/hard rock/hip-hop groove. Tickets: $20; 21-plus.Harpers Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 800-594-8499. harpersferryboston.com [J.W.]
Family
Owl together now
Wildlife experts with the Blue Hills Trailside Museum offer up a cure for vacation week boredom -- live owls. A crew from the Massachusetts Audubon facility will visit the Adams Street Branch Library at 4 today with three of the hooting birds. This is a unique opportunity to get a close-up look at our feathered friends -- and if only a small crowd shows up, the owls will probably be taken out of their cages. "Owls Among Us" is free.Adams Street Branch Library , 690 Adams St., Dorchester, 617-436-6900. bpl.org. [Meredith Goldstein]
A quick trip to China
If the kids are greeting you every morning with "There's nothing to do," try this: " China for Children : Stories, Music, and Crafts " at the Newton History Museum celebrates winter with music, storytelling, and activities today and tomorrow from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Members of the Newton-based Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association will teach visitors about Chinese zodiac signs, give music lessons on a Chinese instrument, and show kids how to write their name in Chinese characters. Price: $6. Reservations are required. Kids 8 and older can be dropped off.Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington St., Newton, 617-796-1450 . newtonhistorymuseum.org [June Wulff]
FASHION
Displaying resolve
School of Fashion Design alum Joe Carl was supposed to have one of his most ornate dresses (left) displayed in the school's window this week. Then, earlier this month, the window was smashed. But that hasn't stopped the school from celebrating the end of 2006. The SFD has asked local artist Bren Bataclan to put one of his smile-themed displays in the window to cover the mess. Carl's designs will be on display inside the school. The SFD should be working on the project today.School of Fashion Design, 136 Newbury St., 617-536-9343. schooloffashiondesign .org [M.G.]
Film
Mizoguchi madness
The Japan Society’s Peter Grilli has described Japanese filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi as a ‘‘restless genius driving himself like a Picasso or Beethoven.’’ The Museum of Fine Arts shows us why with screenings of seven of Mizoguchi’s films. The program starts tonight with ‘‘Ugetsu,’’ a 1953 picture about two men in 16th-century Japan who try to better their lives. It’s a drama, a gender study, and a haunting ghost story. Tonight’s show is at 5:30. Tickets: $9.Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., 617-369-3306. mfa.org
Free event
Free origami workshop
It's all about origami in 2007. Or, at least it can be for you by attending a free workshop in East Boston today introducing the Japanese art form for the detail-oriented set (pre-registration required).Orient Heights Branch Library, 18 Barnes Ave., East Boston, 617-567-2516. bpl.org
QUICK PICKS
By Meredith Goldstein
Dining
Newbury Street gourmet pizza spot Croma focuses its final Weekly Wine Down of the year on syrah, a type of red wine associated with a strong taste and a deep color. The wine experts at the restaurant will tell you more about the drink and give you a few sips from different vineyards from 6 to 7. The tasting is free, and guests will be offered free bites of fruit and cheese. Those hungry for more can order pizza at half price.
Croma, 269 Newbury St., 617-247-3200. cromaboston.com
Music
The All Asia Bar in Cambridge hosts an open mike tonight at 8, a chance for singer-songwriter types to show their stuff. Each artist is given about 10 minutes' (or two songs') worth of stage time. The host for the night will be Bryan Murphy of the Shills, a local pop-rock band that sounds something like Spacehog and the Foo Fighters. Free.
All Asia Bar, 334 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. allasiabar.com
Soulive takes a break from a run of gigs with Talib Kweli to play a solo show at Avalon tonight. The trio of groove-music makers from New England recently ran an "acronym contest" for its name on its MySpace page. The acronym the band came up with was: Sweet Outrageously Unbelievably Loud Improvisational Vibing Experience. Tonight's vibing experience starts at 8. Tickets: $18.
Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St., 617-262-2424. ticketmaster.com
Comedy
James Goff, the Comedy Studio's "comic of the month," started calling himself "The Glow" after a friend told him he glowed onstage. In the past, he has shared his glow with comedians such as Frank Santorelli, Tony V, the Walsh Brothers, and Jeff Garland. Goff, who was raised in the Bronx and moved to the Bay State to jumpstart his career, brings his show, what he calls "truth meets therapy," to the studio at 8. Tickets: $8.
Comedy Studio, 1238 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-661-6507. thecomedystudio.com
Film
The Brattle Theatre's run of the David Lynch film "Inland Empire" was supposed to end last Thursday, but the movie was so popular, the theater has extended its screening through New Year's Eve. You can see Laura Dern in Lynch's experiment with digital video at 1 p.m. through Sunday. Jeremy Irons and Justin Theroux also star. Not surprisingly, it's been called surreal. Tickets: $7.50, $9.
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-876-6837. brattlefilm.org
