The University of Virginia screens Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian, a documentary that looks at how Hollywood movies have portrayed Native Americans through the history of cinema. A discussion follows the film. Ruffner Hall, Room 283.

The University of Virginia and The Paramount Theater present Stanley Nelson’s documentary, Freedom Riders, which tells the story of the more than 400 Americans who bravely took a stand (or a seat) to desegregate the public highway transit system. Julian Bond and Larry Sabato will introduce the film. 215 E. Main St. 979-1333.

The Bridge Public Arts Initiative presents a performance by Richmond’s arty, puppet-making All Saints Theater. 209 Monticello Road. 984-5669.

Several of Charlottesville’s finest guitarists will band together to pay their respects to the original gypsy alien troubadour at Bold as Love, a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert at the Jefferson Theater. The sound of these guys channeling Jimi on one cover song after another should be something to behold, but we rounded them up and found that their personal reflections were just as interesting. Eli Cook: Before I started even playing guitar, his music moved me in a way that no one else’s had before. Not only was he a ground breaking guitarist, but an amazing lyricist and arranger as well — that gets overlooked quite often. The only monster in the set is “Machine Gun.” The idea of trying to cover it is a little audacious, as the only version most people are familliar with is a very long masterpiece of live improvisation that displays more aggression, angst, and depth of feeling than pretty much any electric guitar piece since. But a challenge is always good, and something that Jimi would never have backed down from. Performing: Machine Gun, Voodoo Chile Ian Gilliam: Jimi was the first mainstream rock guitar player to combine his influences into a unique sound that almost made it hard to tell where it all came from. If you listen to Jimi with an ear pointed toward blues, you can hear phrases straight from Freddie King, Buddy Guy, and Guitar Slim, but the way Jimi brought those influences together to create a sound that was all his own was pioneering. Performing: Remember, Nine To The Universe Jay Pun: Hendrix has been a huge influence on my guitar playing since I first started. Even if you can’t actually hear Hendrix riffs in my guitar style, he definitely shaped me into who I am today. I can remember learning the strum pattern to “Purple Haze” and now I even teach it to my students. I have a poster of the Jimi Hendrix Experience that’s up in our music studio now. It’s amazing to have my students look at that and say they want to be Jimi. Performing: 1983, Drifting Andy Waldeck of XPS: I remember when I first heard Jimi at prep school in Connecticut. I was mesmerized. I sat and listened to the entire album, missing my classes, and stopping only to flip over the record. From that day on, my musical vocabulary has been tinged with Hendrix. He was, and still is, the ultimate guitar innovator. The sounds he was producing are amazing even by today’s standards, and his ability to weave magical little parts into others is incredible. There simply is guitar playing before Jimi, and guitar playing after Jimi, and that is the rule. Performing: Fire, Waterfall Aric Van Brocklin of the Chickenhead Blues Band: Guitar players in bands performing during the 1960s and 1970s who were expected to cover tunes by the Jimi Hendrix Experience either accepted the challenge and did the best they could or accepted their limitations and covered another artist, instead. But in either case there was respect; respect for an exceptionally creative artist who defined innovation and changed the way that the guitar was played. Here we are forty years after his death celebrating his talents and creativity. What if he were still alive today? Who knows, but his musical ideas remain alive for those of us who dare to work with them. Thanks, Jimi! God rest your soul. Performing: Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary The Bold as Love Jimi Hendrix tribute show happens Saturday, January 15 at the Jefferson Theater. $10-$12, 8pm.

Kings Dominion, the Virginia amusement park that has entertained millions of people since its beginnings in the 1970s, now faces a corporate battle as its parent company stands accused of ignoring shareholders and lavishing too much salary— about $2.5 million in 2009— on its chief. The Toledo Blade has the story of the fight over Cedar Fair Entertainment.

The University of Virginia Art Museum hosts “Battle of Wonders,” featuring a literary contest, sculpture parade, performances, and exhibition inspired by the Museum’s current show, “From Classic to Romantic, British Art in the Age of Transition.” Curator Stephen Margulies and UVA art prof William Bennett have organized an imaginative and wild evening of art-filled and artful entertainment, with highlights such as a giant helium orb, a disembodied head of Frankenstein, and all manner of other fanciful shenanigans. 155 Rugby Road. For more information, contact Stephen Margulies, .

Albemarle Ballet Theatre and the Studio for the Performing Arts present The Funcracker Variety Show at Western Albemarle High School. This second annual anti-blues, mid-winter holiday season production features song, dance, and jazz with the help of many local artists. Proceeds from this family-oriented show benefit the “Dancing off the Streets” need-based scholarship fund. Headliners include The Bobby Read Quartet, Christina Fleming & Lilli Ross singing “Barcarolle,” the famous aria from The Tales of Hoffmann, jazz musician Leigh Dick, local dancer Sam Scott, and favorite scenes from The Nutcracker ballet performed by ABT dancers.  One lucky child will win a Dance Theme Party valued at $500. Purchase tickets online, at ABT in Crozet, or at the door. 823-8888.

Cellist Andrew Gabbert and flutist Elizabeth Brightbill explore their musical expression from many different places and times. They have delighted audiences with their virtuosity, diverse, and innovative programming and engaging, conversational style of presentation. The duo give a performance at the Crozet Library, in the old train station on Three Notch’d Rd. 823-4050.

2010 was a busy year for John Grisham. Not only did he come out with another legal thriller, The Confession, but he also found the time to write a novel for young adults, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer.

And now he wants to see what you can do. He has again accepted the challenge of wielding a gavel in the literary world by judging the Hook’s annual short story contest.

Prizes and such
The idea that one of the world’s top-selling authors wants to read your work should be incentive enough to enter, but wait, there’s also the $1,000 in cash prizes.

The grand-prize winner receives $550, second place $250, and third place $150.

Next comes the fame. The grand prize-winning story will be published in the Hook in late March when lots of literary types are in town for the Virginia Festival of the Book.

In addition, all three winners will be officially saluted at the opening event of this year’s Festival on Wednesday, (more)

Once upon a time, a vile and devious Queen sought power over the kingdom by murdering an innocent and kind-hearted princess.  The Old Michie Theatre is thrilled to present the amazing tale of Snow White in a special masked performance based on the original story from the Brothers Grimm.  Join us this winter to learn the truth that we all hide behind our masks and reflect on the nature of Beauty. The performance combines masking, dance, and puppetry with a few twists and additions. 221 E. Water St. 977-3690.

The idea of traveling through space has existed throughout history, but it was only in the 20th century that the idea truly came to life. Share these amazing discoveries as we explore the history and possibilities of space travel at Amazement Square. Use your imagination to design your own space shuttle. 27 Ninth St., Lynchburg. 434-845-1888.

Winter is the ideal time to view constellations, planets, and other celestial bodies in and beyond our solar system.
Wee ones and others can explore the inner workings of our own cosmic backyard and the mythology behind some constellations at Amazement Square’s “Starry, Starry Night.” Make your own star finder to help find constellations on your own throughout the year and, weather permitting, use them to sort out the stars at the museum. 27 Ninth St., Lynchburg. 434-845-1888.

How long does fruitcake last? The folks at the Science Museum of Virginia have already started that experiment with Pudgie the Fruitcake, our holiday ambassador pictured here. Pudgie was unwrapped on Friday, December 3. Since then he is only covered at times by a glass dome. The rest of the time he’s been exploring the museum uncovered. At Fruitcake Science, have your picture taken with Pudgie, then decorate a picture frame to remember your brush with celebrity. You can also test scientific theories of force and motion, magnetism and buoyancy as they relate to this favorite festive fare. Bring your own fruitcake and receive half price admission for the evening. Come earlier than 5 if you like - museum exhibits stay open until 8pm. 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond. 800-659-1727.

Rock stars and others in grades 6-12 can beat the winter break boredom and show off your star potential at Northside Library’s karaoke party. Sign up to perform or just come to cheer others on. Registration suggested. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Big kids can come unplugged and meet your neighbors at Gordon Avenue Library. We’ll have great board and card games on hand for casual play. Players of a certain age can come play the classics, learn some new ones, and make new friends, too. 1500 Gordon Ave. 296-5544.

Games go green at Crozet Library where players in grades 6-12 can take a break from the digital world and play some lively board games where the only power you need is the power of your mind. Snacks are involved. In the old train station on Three Notch’d Rd. 823-4050.

The 9th reindeer made a stop on the Downtown Mall a few days before Christmas in the form of Jeffrey Norford. The man who delivers the Hook and who’s the kingpin of the area’s most extravagant yard display, has been known to don a Rudolph costume. His Mountainview Street display makes kids of all ages (and perhaps Dominion Virginia power) very happy. MAP

It was only a poster, but it meant everything to Wendy Marsters.

The Northern California high school teacher has been listening to Dave Matthews Band since 1995, and she catches the band’s show every time they happen near her home. But for the final show on the final tour before a fan-freaking hiatus, she decided to cross the continent.

“I knew it would be epic— ” she says in a phone call from Chico, “epic in Dave Matthews Band-ness.”

And she even found an epic seat in Charlottesville. As the 20th person in line for the November 20 show at John Paul Jones Arena, the 41-year-old parlayed her 12-hour wait into primo, second-row seats.

“I had the best seat in the house,” says Marsters “And I wanted a poster as a symbol of this trip.”

Every DMB show has a different, limited edition poster, and Marsters paid $40 for one of the 650 Methane Studios posters printed just for the Saturday event.

“There’s key shows that sell out and are important and people collect the posters,” explains Marsters. And because the Charlottesville show was the last one until 2012, there’s one offered on eBay for $400.

After the three-and-a-half hour concert, Marsters went to the nearby McDonald’s restaurant while the Arena traffic cleared. She started talking to a young man from Richmond who’d also been at the show, and who asked how much she wanted for the poster and offered her $250, she says. No way, responded Marsters.

“It’s priceless to me,” she says she (more)

The Rogers & Hammerstein musical version of Cinderella, which was written for television 53 years ago (with Julie “Sound of Music” Andrews in the title role), had its 2010 debut Thursday night at Play On! theater. Playing the lead here was NBC29 reporter Kasey Hott, who was cheered on by a large entourage from the station.

Play On! Theatre presents Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a musical fairy tale for the whole family. Play On: The Theatre at IX, 983 Second St., SE. 872-0184.

Artistic Abandon, a new endeavor that combines, friends, food, and fantastic art instruction, hosts a fundraiser to help Camp Holiday Trails, a camp in Charlottesville for special needs children. Artist Emily Page walks artists ages 8 and up step-by-step through creating their own painting of the Artistic Abandon painting, Moo Cow. Snacks and beverages provided, and are welcome. 25% of the $40 fee will be donated to Camp Holiday Trails. 8350 Faber Rd., Faber. 906-6210.

Young royals of all ages (with an accompanying adult) can join their friends at Northside Library for Prince and Princess Fun. It’s 45 minutes of stories, songs, and crafts the whole family will enjoy. Registration is required. Albemarle Square.  973-7893.

The Paramount Theater may still be basking in the glow from having hosted the world’s top-selling female jazz musician. On November 18, in what was the Paramount’s big fall fundraiser, Diana Krall entertained a crowd that paid $61.50-$97.50 for the pleasure of hearing the golden haired musician.

So say the Twieeters and the bloggers. (A week ago, CenturyLink either did or did not have a problem.)

Last month, UVA held a ceremonial ground-breaking at the future site of the Ruth Caplin Theatre, a three hundred-seat, 20,500 square-foot “thrust stage” theater that will rise beside the Culbreth Theater on Culbreth Road— courtesy of Ruth Caplin, 89, and husband, Mortimer Caplin, 94, who donated $4 million for the $13.5 million addition to the Drama Building and whose lives have been as drama-filled as the plays and films they hope to nurture.

UVA alum and former law school prof Mortimer Caplin is a legend in legal circles, a still-practicing tax lawyer who served as IRS Commissioner during the Kennedy Administration and briefly into the Johnson White House, during which time he made the cover of Time magazine. As a law prof at UVA, he taught future U.S. Senators Ted and Robert Kennedy. And he’s a lover of the arts, it seems.

Indeed, back in his UVA student days in the 1930s Caplin was president of the Virginia Players, and appeared in a number of UVA productions, including the title role in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

“The theater will clearly advance artistic values cherished by UVA’s founder, Thomas Jefferson— music, dance, architecture, painting,” said Caplin in remarks prepared for the October 21 event, which he attended with his wife. “It’s our hope that it will enrich the studies of all University students, making the arts not only a part of their course work, but a part of their lives.”

So what’s a thrust theater? It has a stage that opens and extends into the audience, which allows theater-goers to watch the performance from three sides, allowing for more intimacy. In addition to theater productions, the facility will be used (more)

photo by Lucy Hamblin Cold War Kids are self-professed “soul punks,” but they might just be settling down a bit with age. After six years together, they prefer to talk books over booze, and they have no problem admitting to the occasional influence by mainstream radio. Their forthcoming album, Mine Is Yours, is a blues-infused romp coated with a higher level of production polish than their previous outings, and while Nathan Willett has toned down his signature warble, it might be the broader life changes that have had the biggest impact. The Hook: Robbers & Cowards was called “original” and Loyalty to Loyalty has been called “darker” in comparison. If you had to sum this one up in a word, what would it be? Nathan Willett: A word is hard. Intimate, I guess. The Hook: It’s not out yet — are you playing new stuff live? Willett: About half and half. The Hook: The lyrics on this album are more personal, mostly about relationships and commitments. How did you approach writing them? Willett: After the second record, I was trying to do something more poetic and abstract. I realized that I wasn’t as connected as I wanted to be. I liked it, but I didn’t feel closeness to it. This time I think I spent enough time at home to get a sense of real life, to see my friends and what they were really up to. At this stage in our lives, everyone is crossing into thirty, things are getting serious, and people are resisting it. The Hook: Your vocals have a lot of depth on this record. How’d you get there? Willett: In the past, I had this intrinsic belief that the emotion just had to come through and it didn’t have to be in key. Going back on the other records and hearing that made me really want to get it right and have the emotion there as well, nailing all of the parts this time. The Hook: What’s the greatest challenge facing four guys who have spent the past six years working and touring with each other? Willett: In a lot of ways, I’m more married to the guys in the band than my wife. Staying personable and vulnerable while being an artist, creating, and being professional is hard. It’s like a tightrope. The fact that any band cannot hate each other and survive is monumental. We do incredibly well. The Hook: You’re a married man now. Has that changed your music and touring? Willett: This time around, I was more aware of commitment. That was something to write about. In a way, bands that I’ve always admired have had principles. We grew up in Southern California with a lot of punk and hardcore bands. Whether it was about being vegan or straightedge, there was some kind of foundation. Whether it’s Fugazi or now Arcade Fire, you feel like they’re invested in something. They’re committed. I understand marriage the same way. Cold War Kids perform at the Jefferson Theater on December 2 at 8pm. Tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Dave Matthews Band returned to entertain its hometown on the first of two consecutive nights at John Paul Jones Arena on Friday, November 19, 2010. Photographer Tom Daly caught the action. The #1 touring act of the decade, the Band has announced that it is taking next year off its grueling schedule.

Charlottesville writer Kathryn Erskine now possesses one of the most prestigious literary awards in the country: the 2010 National Book Award in young people’s literature for her book, Mockingbird.

Erskine was one of 20 finalists at the awards dinner at Cipriani Wall Street last night in New York. Also in the winners’ circle was singer Patti Smith in nonfiction for her memoir, Just Kids, about her youth in New York in the ’60s with her buddy, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; Jaimy Gordon in fiction for Lord of Misrule, and Terrance Hayes in poetry for Lighthead.

Richmond native Tom Wolfe (more)

Before the Outback Lodge on Preston Avenue closed last year, it wasn’t unheard of to find it in the news when fights broke out and gunshots fired. The new owner of what’s now called Deuces Lounge is trying to turn that image around.

“We want to let people see the Outback is dead,” says Jerome Cherry. “They don’t have to be afraid.”

Cherry opened Deuces Lounge in September to handle a variety of musical genres— except hip hop. “We want hip hop,” he says, “but we don’t want the violence.”

Instead, the club has jazz night, metal, salsa, and a different take on karaoke that Cherry calls “Be Seen, Be Heard” on Wednesdays. “It can be karaoke, it can be poetry, it can be stand-up comedy,” says Cherry.

Another legacy of the Outback affects Cherry’s ABC permit. He only serves beer and wine, and the ABC stipulated that the club stop serving alcohol at midnight. Cherry, who doesn’t drink, believes the lack of hard liquor will draw a crowd more interested in music than drinking.

The interior has been spruced up, booths added, and the stage enlarged.

“This is the biggest stage outside the Jefferson and Southern,” says Cherry, who sees the upstairs of the two-level venue as a lounge, with the downstairs as a club.

And to further nourish a more family friendly atmosphere, Saturday afternoons are for teen bands to rock out in a place where parents can come see them play in an alcohol-free zone. Cherry is a bass player, and this is his first go at running a night club.

“This is my dream,” he says.

Kick off your holiday season with a Children’s Holiday Festival. The fun includes pictures with Santa, Hope Harris concert, pancake breakfast, holiday crafts, cookie decorating, and all the great exhibits at Amazement Square. Reservations are required.  Located on the corner of Jefferson and Ninth Streets along the riverfront of downtown Lynchburg. 434-845-1888.

As part of the holiday movies at The Paramount, the theater presents the holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life. Enjoy concessions during the movie. On the Downtown Mall. 979-1333.

Come see family movie classics like Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town at The Paramount Theater’s Family Christmas Movie Marathon. 979-1333.

The Paramount Theater hosts Holiday Spotlight, a festive extravaganza with performances from local music and dance groups every half-hour. On the Downtown Mall. 979-1333.

At 10am on Saturday, with a day of screenings left to go, the Virginia Film Festival broke its all-time box office record, Festival director Jody Kielbasa announced before The Last Picture Show.

Bigger and better was the unofficial theme at this year’s fest, Kielbasa’s second but the first on which he really could impose his vision. (Last year, he inherited the “Funny Business” theme, a festival tradition that had pretty much run its course, and which he immediately ditched.)

Attendance jumped 25 percent over last year to 23,750, as did ticket sales, ringing up at $90,158.

Kielbasa also unveiled a new logo that says both Virginia and Blue Ridge Mountains, although one wiseacre we know sees a bondage theme in the celluloid wrapped around the state.

And Kielbasa did make us suffer, with more movies— 132— than ever before, making it even harder to choose what films to cram into the November 4-7 fest.

Innovations we liked a lot: The emphasis on contemporary foreign films and the “Six from ‘60,” a way to screen classic movies from 50 years ago. We’re hoping next year has “Six from ‘61.”

Adding a box office at the Main Street Arena on the Downtown Mall made it really convenient for us at the Hook a block away.

And Culbreth Theatre used to be a wasteland for food options. This year, the upgraded Fine Arts Café made it possible for famished filmgoers to find the sustenance to carry on.

Attracting star power has always been one of the toughest lots of (more)

Texicana musician Dylan Sneed performed last Thursday, November 4, at the Garage.

Photos of the November 2 performance by A Fine Frenzy— the best musical act you’ve never heard of— have now been put online in a slideshow.

The director of the Charlottesville High School Orchestra, a group whose students have been launched into Taylor Swift’s and other internationally acclaimed bands, will find herself performing cello onstage with a popular singer-songwriter headlining a show at Old Cabell Hall: A Fine Frenzy.

“I’m so excited,” says Laura Mulligan Thomas. “I’ve wanted to do this all my life.”

Normally confining herself to the classical arena, Thomas leaves the world of note-by-note work tonight as she joins an act known for heartbroken love songs— and the possibility of improvisation.

Thomas says she received MP4s of the six songs which she’ll accompany, including “The Minnow and the Trout” and”Almost Lover,” the latter an indie radio hit, just four days ago.

“It sounds like we’ll be winging it,” says Thomas, while driving over to the same-day rehearsal, “so that’s half the fun.”

~
A Fine Frenzy performs Tuesday, November 2 in UVA’s Old Cabell Hall at 8pm. Tickets cost $12-$24.

Hellboy creator Guillermo del Toro, who was scheduled to present his new movie, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, as the Virginia Film Festival’s Saturday night showcase, has canceled because of a “scheduling conflict,” according to a release. The film’s producer and Festival stalwart, Mark Johnson, and critic David Edelstein will soldier on with the post screening discussion. Headline updated November 1 to correct improper use of “to bag.”

In association with the Virginia Film Festival, The Bridge and UVA art prof Kevin Everson present “The Digital Media Gallery,” featuring a diverse and interactive installation of film and video art by students and community members. Not to be missed. 101 E. Main St. For more information, visit virginiafilmfestival.org

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Indecision 2010 - Revenge of the Fallen - Tom Perriello
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Rep. Tom Perriello appeared on the Colbert Report last night, immediately following President Barack Obama’s appearance with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, during which the President put in a plug for Mr. Perriello. As everyone must know by now, President Obama will be in Charlottesville tomorrow to stump for the 5h District candidate for congress ahead of the November 2 election. Some highlights: On the subject of legalizing marijuana: “From what I remember of UVA, there were a lot of anxious kids there with terrible cases of glaucoma,” said Colbert. After Perriello explained how he was supporting the production of alternative fuels made from farm animal waste, Colbert suggested a new campaign slogan: “Perriello: Chicken Sh**”

The Grim Reaper awaits hapless trick-or-treaters in Stanardsville.

6 Day Bender has a new record coming out, and it’s got some promise. (Yeah, I still call them “records”— so sue me for going to college before the internet.) Let me be honest here: when I first heard 6 Day a couple years back, my internal pork-o-matic immediately pigeonholed them as a poor man’s Avett Brothers, complete with a banjo-toting frontman and lots of sweaty hollering— all seasoned with drunk college chicks who flood their shows and talk the whole time. But closer inspection reveals enough originality and drive to warrant further investigation. And hell, all the local rags seemed to think they were the next big thing. I met the guys and I liked ‘em— goofy, boob-grabbing college boys, mooching my weed at festivals. Things were looking up. They had a savvy approach. Instead of saturating the crappy local bar/club scene, they’re seeking out wider audiences in other towns’ crappy bar/club scenes. They even got a sponsorship from Dickies work clothes— how cool is that? And then, all went quiet. Frontman Luke Nutting started another project, Red Rattles. And just when I thought it might be over, here comes E’Ville Fuzz, a well-produced, beer-soaked, working man’s affair with a catchy aesthetic and a lot of boot-stomping fury. At its best, it’s reminiscent of the Faces with Rod Stewart circa “Stay With Me” or maybe Rolling Stones country during the Mick Taylor years. At its worst, the Black Crowes. (For a lot of listeners, and certainly for the band’s key demographic, that’s a compliment.) If you like southern-fried party rock with a little extra edge, then this one’s for you. Not to say the album lacks depth— though the tunes are mostly about “baby, don’t you wanna &*#% me?”— because there’s a lot of acreage in that genre (and the gods of rock will never tire of pseudo-romantic pap). It’s upbeat, occasionally frantic, but in a deliberate “we sure know how to rock yer ass” kind of way. These aren’t just three-chord jams; there’s some good composition here. Gotta hand it to ‘em, there will always be a market for this kind of almost-straight-ahead, teetering-towards-alternative, Telecaster/harmonica sprawl. Although country/countrified rock has never been my thing (good for xenophobes = bad for me), I can see cranking this one up every so often just to get my PBR on. E’Ville Fuzz is a solid album with enough punkish attitude and hair-of-the-dog whimsy to keep a cocaine-addled, beer-soaked gathering engaged. Far more interesting than any plastic Black Crowes crap in my book. But I won’t be trashing my copy of Exile On Main Street any time soon either. ~ 6 Day Bender celebrate the release of E’Ville Fuzz at the Southern on Friday, October 29th at 8pm with opener These United States. Tickets are $8.

The Virginia Film Festival invites young film buffs to walk the red carpet before attending free screenings of family-friendly films, including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Louder Than a Bomb” and films by local youths at The Paramount. Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle, will make an appearance after each screening. Enjoy performances by local dancers, singers and actors, healthy snack tastings, moonbounce, face painting, balloon animals, interactive 3-D exhibits, and free admission to the Virginia Discovery Museum for VFF ticket stub holders. Paramount Theater, Central Place and other areas along the Downtown Mall.  982-5277.

Her words have kept her spirit alive in the minds and hearts of readers all over the world. Relive the remarkable life of Anne Frank as she shares with you her hopes, dreams, and observations on family, love, and life in the Barter Theatre production of The Diary of Anne Frank at the Paramount. The play is based on the classic work of nonfiction Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, brings her story to life.

Barter Theatre began in 1933 with one man’s idea to have patrons pay with produce and has grown today into a year-round theatre with more than 160,000 visitors each year. To honor the history of the Barter Theatre, The Paramount will host a food drive for this production. The Paramount will be accepting food donations for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Any ticket holder who brings in a non-perishable food item will receive a coupon good for one admission to our movie series Virginia Film Festival at The Paramount Theater. 979-1333.

Some female singer-songwriters try humor (Ingrid Michaelson), some try angst (Alanis Morissette), and some just try sex (Katy Perry). But only one swirls tales of fantasy and hopeless romance quite like Alison Sudol, who makes music that seems haunted by the spell of a love she’s never truly known— while performing under a moniker borrowed from Shakespeare. “A Fine Frenzy,” says Sudol of her stage name, “is just sort of this magical state. It’s the flurry of ideas. It’s a state of inspiration where you’re both exploding with thought and yet you’re very focused and clear-headed.” At the tender age of 25, Miss Sudol may still be finding her way in the world, but the world is finding her. She’s played Letterman, the Lilith Fair, and penned a to-be-published children’s book. She and her piano also starred in a recent episode of CSI:NY; and she hints, in a telephone interview from her West Coast home, that the future could include more appearances on-screen. Already, music videos show her flying on feather wings (”Blow Away“) and tumbling into an Alice-in-Wonderland rabbit hole (”Sleepwaking“). Clearly, this woman loves fairytales. With a visual style marked by electric red hair and bee-stung lips, she presents a musical style that crystallized on “Almost Lover,” a fond farewell that offers just enough sultriness to make the listener picture the heartbroken goodbye boy crawling back, after the credits roll, over nails and glass. [youtube width="320"]lsWsasqIoyk[/youtube]When it hit the airwaves three years ago “Almost Lover” quickly landed a fine endorsement from VH1. (It also captured the attention of UVA student turned semi-professional dancer Gina Consumano, who built an 18-person performance around it. “From the first notes,” the choreographer recalls, “I was already dancing in my head.”) The same year that song began charting, A Fine Frenzy came to the Charlottesville Pavilion as the third-stringer for Rufus Wainwright. Now, she’s fielding artistic questions about her since-released sophomore album,  Bomb in a Birdcage, which is rowdier and more, well, bombastic, than her freshman effort, One Cell in the Sea, a 300,000-selling hit whose title sprang from a metaphorical plea for world harmony. “One Cell was more of a peaceful record, while Bomb in a Birdcage was more of a fight,” says Sudol. “In order to find yourself, you’ve got to rip open certain aspects of your life. And that ripping can be a lot more violent than a gentle search.” Yet the playfulness remains. Consider the opening lines of “What I Wouldn’t Do”: If we were children, I would bake you a mud pie Warm and brown beneath the sun Never learned to climb a tree, but I would try Just to show you what I’d done. As the following interview reveals, Charlottesville concertgoers may not find a redhead on stage, but they will find someone eager to carry them up, up, and away. ————— The Hook: Where’d you get that red hair? AFF: Well, I was really identified by red hair, which led me to change it back to my natural color, blonde. It’s just hair. The Hook: Do you feel upset that you didn’t go to college? AFF: When I go to a college campus and look around and see the experiences people are having, it does give me a little pang. College seems rad; college seems wonderful. The Hook: Hah. AFF: Why are you laughing? The Hook: Because you’ve done other— possibly more important— things. AFF: That doesn’t mean that every now and then I don’t wish that I had taken the normal route. I graduated from high school at 16— young, young, young. The Hook: You’re not on tour, so why play Charlottesville? AFF: I actually didn’t want to play any shows for a little while because I am writing and sort of hibernating. The offer came in, and I looked at the Hall, and it just looks like such a wonderful place. And it is lovely to connect with people. The Hook: Paul McCartney said the Beatles were all about love, but what motivates your music? AFF: Music is about love and imagination and creating a world you can escape to— a beautiful, full, extraordinary world that you can slip into when you put on your headphones or climb in bed and get carried away somewhere wonderful. ~ A Fine Frenzy performs on Tuesday, November 2 in UVA’s Old Cabell Hall at 8pm. Tickets cost $12-$24. Correction: The above story has been corrected to reflect the fact that there is A Fine Frenzy song called “Sleepwaking,” not “Sleepwalking,” as it was first incorrectly spelled above.

Comedians ready for their five minutes in the spotlight Tuesday night at 12th Street Taphouse. The near-Corner District restaurant and bar (known for its 20-ounce “pints” of beer) joins hands with the Charlottesville Comedy Roundtable to host an occasional open mic night for local mirth-makers.

Cars backed up for miles on Saturday, October 9, snaking from Route 53 onto Route 20 South and then even further— onto Interstate 64 at exit 121. It prompted the temporary closure of  Route 53. But those who assumed an accident was to blame for the traffic-stopping snarl were wrong: it was the allure of apples and the call of Carter Mountain, where the annual Apple Festival was taking place.

“It probably was one of our best attended festivals,” says Cynthia Chiles, whose family owns both Carter Mountain Orchard and Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet.

The mountain-top business doesn’t keep attendance records, says Chiles, but she believes the possibly record-breaking turnout was thanks to a confluence of events: a perfect fall day, the ripening of popular varieties Fujis and Granny Smiths, and the fact that there was no home UVA football game to distract families looking for some bonding time at a mountain that stands 1278 feet above sea level and over 400 feet above nearby Monticello. (more)

To all aspiring musicians or hopeful up-and-comers in the music biz, Omaha natives and industry veterans 311 have some advice for you: keep working hard, and your glory day will come. Or will it? 311 came of age in the early 1990s, when the band members drove themselves to out-of-town gigs, financed their own tours, and played their hometown every night. Nearly two years of hard work paid off in a record deal, and the band recorded such classics as “Down” and “Amber” (”whoa, Amber is the color of your energy”). They worked with producers as prestigious as Bob Rock (whose clients include Metallica and Bon Jovi) with a mixture of rock, reggae, ska, and punk to diverse audiences as amphitheater headliners. But they hit a rock recently when their 18-year relationship with label Volcano Entertainment came to an end, bringing the band, now based in L.A., to a “new phase,” according to guitarist Tim Mahoney. Where does a band go when cut loose into an industry landscape that operates so differently then when it first began? The Hook: Well, you’ve been around for 20 years now. Are you finally feeling fulfilled and ready to call it a day? Tim Mahoney: I’m ready to keep it going. We’re out of our record contract, and it’s exciting to see what happens here. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel fulfilled, there’s a lot of things we’ve gotten to do, and I don’t want that to end. The Hook: 311 started as a real grassroots creation, so how did you stay true to your music and your goals? TM: In Omaha, we played every Monday night for a long time until we developed a following. It’s always about playing live— it’s easy to get music out there and have people hear it, but as far as earning money, that’s harder. The Hook: With the number of musicians ever increasing thanks to platforms like MySpace, how do you continue to challenge yourself and remain relevant? TM: There are a lot of people living here in L.A., and it’s very humbling to see all these great guitar players, and it reminds you that you’ve got to work and continue to grow to get better. All five of us are still inspired to keep the band sounding better. Finding inspiration is the key. The Hook: If it’s easier to get yourself out there today, what’s the secret to success? TM: I could go on the internet and quickly hear something new as we’re on the phone. Spreading the word about your band is getting easier, but you still have to go out and play and enjoy playing a lot. ~ 311 plays the Charlottesville Pavilion Sunday, October 24. Ballyhoo! opens. Gates open at 6pm and tickets are $35.

When director Brian Wimer first conceived of the zombie-laden running race as a guerrilla marketing tool for his new film, Danger. Zombies. Run., he figured he might get a hundred people or so willing to don deathly makeup to run after willing victims through the streets of downtown Charlottesville.

Apparently, the director of the award-winning Mantra and other horror fare tapped an unrecognized demand for zombie-related athletic events, as approximately 500 runners, some who traveled from out-of-state, participated in the inaugural “Zombie 5K” on Sunday, October 17. They filled the streets with staggering— or sprinting— undead hot on the trail of human runners.

“Everybody had a good time,” says Wimer, who expressed relief that his biggest fear was not realized. “No one got hurt!” he exclaimed.

—-

While some might have believed that Wimer sponsored another zombie-related event the night before the race– the decidedly adult-themed “Sexy Zombie Jello Wrestling” at R2 nightclub– Wimer says he did not, but he did film it as a possible DVD extra for his film. He does hope to hold a family-friendly zombie bake sale at the City Market before the Saturday, October 30 premiere of the new film at the Paramount. (It will screen again on Friday, November 5 during the Virginia Film Festival.) (more)

Electronic jamband rockers The Disco Biscuits have big plans for Charlottesville on Halloween. First, they’re headlining a show at the Pavilion, which will then be followed by a late night all-instrumental set at the Jefferson under the alias “Tractorbeam.” This all strikes us as a fine way to spend the evening, so we’ve got a pair of tickets to both shows for you (that’s four in all, enough for two people). Just post a picture of your best Halloween costume of all time in the comments here (be sure to plug in your real email address), or else if you don’t have web space for hosting them, and we’ll add them in for you. We’ll hook up one lucky winner with the tickets and then print the winning photo in next week’s issue for everyone else to ogle. The Fine Print: by participating, you grant the Hook permission to use your likeness no matter how silly you look in that costume. Sexy cats are automatically disqualified unless you’re a dude. This year’s upcoming costumes are also fair game, of course, so get thee to a Target.

Documentary filmmakers dream of finding a wide audience for their work, and for the directors of The Parking Lot Movie, that dream comes true with the Tuesday, October 19 national airing of the film on PBS as the premiere of the Independent Lens series. If you can’t catch the 10pm showing— on WVPT here in Charlottesville— it’s not your last chance. PBS has a three year license, and according to Parking Lot Movie director Meghan Eckman, that could mean exposure to as many as 60 million viewers. If you’d rather see it on the big screen, The Parking Lot Movie will show at 9:30pm on Friday, November 5 at Vinegar Hill Theater as part of the Virginia Film Festival.

A new musical tradition was launched in Nelson County over the Columbus Day weekend: the Festy, which took place at Devil’s Backbone brewery. The two-day event included such rootsy notables as the Infamous Stringdusters, Old School Freight Train, Toubab Krewe, and Tony Rice, among others. –>Full gallery of shots from the weekend.

Charlottesville’s first-ever “Dinner on a Dime,” a sort of discount version of the successful Restaurant Week, wrapped up on Sunday, October 10. The details on how much money was raised for the food bank by the Hook-sponsored event will be revealed no later than next week.

The Bridge Film Series celebrates Bela Lugosi’s birthday with a two-night bash hosted by UVA adjunct film lecturer, Matt Marshall. On Tuesday, October 19, enjoy Dracula and The Raven. On Wednesday, October 20, get your thrills from White Zombie and Bride of the Monster. There will be an audience toast to Lugosi on October 20, and costumes are encouraged. 209 Monticello Road. 984-5669.

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society hosts their 16th Annual Spirit Walk. It’s a ghoulish guided evening tour of historic Charlottesville where “spirits” from the city’s past come to life. With a cast of around 50 local actors and musicians, the tour includes popular haunts such as the County Courthouse, Maplewood Cemetery, and the old County Jail. Proceeds from the Spirit Walk support the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, a non-profit organization that works to preserve and promote the rich legacy of local history. At the close of the tour, enjoy hot apple cider and donuts from Carpe Donut. Tours leave every 15 minutes from Maplewood Cemetery on the corner of Maple and 8th St. NE. Reservations are required and can be made online or by calling 296-1492.

You read what’s hot at Sundance, at Toronto, at Cannes, and wonder, when will these movies come— if ever— to Charlottesville?

Good news. This year’s Virginia Film Festival brings more festival darlings from around the globe, and kicks off with the eagerly anticipated Black Swan, the new film from the director of The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky, and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder.

On October 7, festival director Jody Kielbasa unveiled the headliners and highlights for the November 4-7 fest, which runs for the first time without the constraints of themes, like last year’s “Funny Business” or the previous year’s “Aliens!” with an exclamation point. “There seemed to be no love lost around that theme,” Kielbasa says he discovered.

He’s upped the typical 80 screenings to 100 movies in four days, while slicing (more)

Anyone who says they’ll only run if someone’s chasing them now has an opportunity to prove it.

The Zombie 5k, taking place October 17 at 8:30am, is the brainchild of filmmaker Brian Wimer and will feature two distinct groups of runners: zombies and their would-be victims, the latter of whom will get a slight head start at the race at Lee Park downtown.

“I don’t think you’d get this experience anywhere else— to look over your shoulder and see, perhaps, 100 zombies screaming and chasing you,” laughs Wimer, noting that 100 people— including serious runners from out-of-state— have already registered for the unusual experience.

“I think we’re going to have some people getting their best 5k times,” Wimer adds wryly, noting that human’s ability— and desire— to run is likely tied to our evolutionary history as hunters– or the hunted.

(more)

At the annual Crozet Music Festival October 1-3, banjos were plucked, guitars were strummed, and voices soared, as dozens of musicians and bands entertained a boisterous crowd. The skies cleared and the sun peeked out at the Misty Mountain Camp Resort, where friends and fans enjoyed local wines and brews, a crisp fall weekend, and their favorite local musicians. Click photo for slideshow.

Seven months after it premiered at the South By Southwest film festival, a Charlottesville-made film continues to reel in accolades including invitations to seven festivals in the next month from Palo Alto to Norway.

“It seems like we’re on the cusp of things happening,” says director Chris Farina, noting that in addition to the festivals, the international television broadcast rights to World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements have been picked up by a distributor, which will present the film at a trade show in France this month.

Additionally, the film is one of 13 finalists and the only U.S. film still competing for the “Japan Prize,” an educational media prize awarded by NHK Television in Japan.

The film— the subject of the Hook’s February 18, 2010 cover story— focuses on Albemarle County teacher John Hunter and his World Peace Game, which teaches students conflict resolution and critical thinking. Hunter created the three-dimensional game as a young teacher more than 30 years ago and has taught it to children from elementary to high school.

Thanks to a partnership with UVA’s Darden School, Hunter is working on developing an “executive” version of the game for adults and is considering possible business angles, but the primary goal, says Farina, remains to push for the game to be taught in schools not only across the country but around the world.

As for the film, Charlottesville audiences won’t be slighted. They can see it at the Virginia Film Festival right here in Charlottesville. (more)

Meet Sparky the Fire Dog and have fun with the moonbounce, jugglers, face-painting, and refreshments when Charlottesville Fire Corps hosts “Bring Your Fire Truck” to benefit the Central Virginia Burn Camp. There will be a raffle to win a ride to school in a fire truck (for city residents) and raffles to win lunch at the fire station. Raffle tickets are $1 each. Charlottesville Fire House, 203 Ridge St. 970-3536.

Animal lovers of all ages are invited to come celebrate fall with the critters when Rikki’s Refuge hosts a Fall Furr Fest. Meet Vincent the Fortune Teller cat. Feed and pet all his friends. Compete in corn hole tournaments, pie walks, and a scarecrow competition. Play festival games like pumpkin bowling and ring toss. And when it gets dark, face your fears in Rikki’s Refuge Haunted Forest, where creatures lurk in the haunted woods ready to frighten you. The entire event is outdoors, so please dress for the weather, walking, and critters, and be prepared to have a howling, good time. 10910 Barr Lane, Rapidan (Orange County), VA. 540-854-0870, ext. 2.

Whole Foods Market hosts a Healthy Living Fair with vendors, cooking and educational classes, movie screenings, samplings, and more. Be sure to visit the Healthy Kids tent from 1pm until 4pm, with health experts, crafts, and a free Healthy Snack Shop and Yummy Bucks. Details and a full schedule are available on the website. 300 Shopper’s World Court. 973-4900.

In case you haven’t heard, the old Outback Lodge at 917 Preston Avenue became Deuces Lounge on September 10. And according to optimistic owner Jerome Cherry, it’s going to be “the gem of Charlottesville.”

Upstairs is the “lounge” where they’ll have live music shows and serve dinner from an extensive menu that includes everything from bruschetta, burritos, wings, fajitas, and BBQ, to burgers, fish platters, and spaghetti and meatballs.

“Its a very relaxed setting, and we have a totally new look–new stage, lights, sound system, you have to see it,” say Cherry. “Our down stair’s is set up for our club functions with a dj booth, lazer lights, and strobes and fog in a black light setting.”

Cherry says they want to feature music for everyone in town to enjoy, including country, southern rock, 70’s and 80’s rock, metal, reggae, blues, r&b, hip-Hop, old Motown, and jazz. Recently, the Waynesboro-based reggae, blues, funk, and rock group The Righteous Friendz Band played Deuces and “blew it up” according to the Deuces Facebook page. For information about upcoming shows, check out Deuces website at deuceslounge.com

Ratatat’s Evan Mast and Mike Stroud have been squawking away on their guitars for years, but now that hybrid electronic dance-rock has become defined by LCD Soundsystem (that’d be this week’s marquee appearance at the Charlottesville Pavilion), it’s easier to understand the sheer oddness of Ratatat. Theirs is a very similar blend of pop appeal built from adventurous electronic sounds, but they’re all instrumental, which makes getting through to pop audiences a challenge no matter how infectious the melodies might get. That’s probably why the chance to write a hip hop backing track for Kanye West prodigy Kid Cudi paid off so big in 2009 — because at the end of the day, the only thing they’re missing that might make them more appealing to fans of Kanye or Gaga is, well, the Kanye or the Gaga. And maybe a dress made of meat. The Hook: This band has a very coherent aesthetic. Do you write a lot of material that doesn’t fit with it? Evan Mast: Well, I think we have a pretty broad spectrum on our records; we have dancey stuff and aggressive stuff. As long as it’s instrumental, we can find a way for it. The harmonized guitars, when people hear them, they say “Oh, that’s Ratatat.” To us, it’s just something that we do— when you write music, you use harmony because it’s a great tool. The Hook: I think your guitar sound is more about volume swells than harmonies. You don’t see that as an identifying characteristic? Evan Mast: Not really. A lot of our guitar sound is ripped off from Brian May. The Hook: What else do you see as your key elements? Evan Mast: We used sequenced beats a lot. That’s just something we keep coming back to because it’s really versatile, and you can do a lot with it without ever feeling like you’re repeating yourself. The Hook: But aren’t you cutting and pasting those patterns? Evan Mast: Well, music in general is repetitive, so you’re always going to take pieces and repeat them. Whether you’re playing again or cutting and pasting to me is kind of irrelevant. Sometimes you can get a little more subtlety by doing that, I guess, but when we’re making beats, we work in four or eight bar loops and figure out some fills. We never just make a four-bar loop and put it on autopilot. The Hook: There’s a fair amount of that in hip hop, which you guys have started exploring, and the response from fans has been a lot more pronounced than with your proper records. Evan Mast: There’s not a large audience for instrumental records these days, and not as many avenues for promoting as standard vocal pop music— radio stations aren’t going to give it a shot on the air. There just hasn’t been a lot of popular instrumental music in the last 20 or 30 years. A lot of it is more droning and spacey, and it’s not something that grabs you with melody the way a pop song does. That’s what we’re always trying to do. ~ Ratatat performs at the Jefferson Theater on 10/3 at 8pm. $27 FREE TIX: To win a pair of free tickets to the show, prove Evan wrong by leaving a comment here with a link to your favorite instrumental track from the past 20 years; we’ll pick a winner by Friday 10/1. (The rest of you suckas will have to pay the $27.)

The University of Virginia’s East Asia Center and Asia Institute’s Japan Foundation Film Series, “Japanese Films of the 1960s,” presents director Teshigahara Hiroshi’s 1966 sci-fi post-war film, The Face of Another (Tanin na kao). Newcomb Hall Theater. 982-0560.

With Netflix and YouTube grabbing eyeballs, and with blockbusters expanding their hold on the movie-going public, the problem stymieing indie filmmakers has only intensified. Getting an independent film distributed is tough.

Enter the Charlottesville-New York firm called ATO Pictures. In its first foray in feature film distribution, the company teams up with Samuel Goldwyn Films to bring Mao’s Last Dancer to Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill Theatre on September 24.

Dave Matthews and Coran Capshaw co-founded ATO, so it appears there are deep enough pockets to overcome some of the hurdles like distribution and financing that face the foundering indie industry.

“We saw this in Toronto and fell in love with it,” says ATO CEO and co-founder Temple Fennell. “We didn’t produce it; we acquired it.”

ATO’s strategy veers sharply from the studio formula geared to the male-12-to-29 audience, explains Fennell. “We’re really focusing on the 30-plus market,” he says. “When they look at the paper on Friday night, there’s very little there for them.”

ATO is also taking a page from the DMB/Capshaw playbook (more)

David Bazan was the brains behind Pedro the Lion, that rare breed of devotedly Christian rockers who win mainstream raves while thrilling the faithful with music far edgier than singalongs. A few years ago, however, Bazan announced that he no longer considered himself a believer and fell into a bit of an alcoholic stupor. When he crawled out agnostic, he got back to work, in 2009 releasing his first solo record: Curse Your Branches. A testimonial of sorts to the doubts this former evangelical has wrestled with for years, the album shows that while Bazan may have left the church, he still has something to say to the congregation. The Hook: Growing up in a devout Christian household, were there restrictions on what you could listen to? David Bazan: Until I was about 14 I was only allowed to listen to Christian music. For a while when I was in 8th grade, there was an exception made for the Beatles. But then— after catching me walking around singing the song “Yer Blues”— my dad kind of changed his mind. The Hook: “Yer Blues?” David Bazan: Yeah, his twelve year-old kid singing “I’m so lonely I wanna die.” That’s the age where trouble can start. The Hook: So when you started Pedro the Lion, did you see it as a vehicle for a Christian message? David Bazan: Well, at the time I was really trying to think outside of the box about how to be a Christian playing music. It was still a really heavy part of my upbringing that music didn’t necessarily have value in and of itself— its value comes from its usefulness as a tool to tell people about your faith. The Hook: You’ve moved away from Christianity even as the evangelical mega-church movement has exploded. Was there a specific breaking point? David Bazan: It evolved pretty naturally. I definitely from the beginning felt like sort of an outsider. While there were Christians who responded positively to the work, with each record there was a contingent of backlash— people sort of leaving or writing and saying, “I got the new record, and I read the lyrics and I put it back in the envelope; and I’m sending it back, and how dare you communicate this way” kind of thing. The Hook: This record has an almost more overt Christian tone, as if you’ve left the pasture but you’re still speaking to the flock. Do you think Christians should hear you now more than ever? David Bazan: I don’t really have an opinion about whether they should or shouldn’t, but in a certain sense I agree that it may be the most Christian record that I’ve made in that it’s obsessed with those themes, and it’s obsessed with the character and the so-called “person” of God, more so than most self-ascribed Christian records. For a lot of Christian people who still continue to believe, listening to Curse Your Branches is a really positive experience because it speaks thoroughly about their own faith. I’ve found that to be very interesting, because I thought that Curse Your Branches wouldn’t be anything but a threat to believing Christians. But I’ve heard tons of reports to the contrary. People are able to really dig into the record and have their faith still be intact. David Bazan performs at The Southern on September 26th. $12, 8pm.

New York’s Fashion Week can seem a world away, but for Charlottesville-based hairstylist Lucas Shaffer, it was an opportunity to show the skills he’s honed as a Redken artist— and work on the hair of supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

“It was an honor to be asked to do it,” says Shaffer, 39, who successfully auditioned for Redken a decade ago, and who plies his trade locally at be. hair loft salon on West Main Street next to Zinc restaurant.

For the Fashion Week opener—  a star-studded September 10 event dubbed Fashion’s Night Out— Shaffer worked some of the ‘dos of the 200-plus models at Lincoln Center in front of (more)

E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte comes to life in Charlotte’s Web. This 60-minute play is performed at the Paramount Theater and is recommended for audiences age 5 and up. 979-1333.

.

Think Restaurant Week was a deal? Check this out: entrée plus an app or dessert at places like The Biltmore, Brookville Restaurant, Enoteca Italian Wine and Panini Bar, La Cocina del Sol, Mono Loco, No. 3, The Nook, 2 Sides, West Main, and The Virginian for just $9.99, with a dollar of that going to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. It’s all part of the Hook’s “Dinner on a Dime” event October 4-10. For more information and updates check out www.thedinneronadime.com.

Charlottesville’s annual Vegetarian Festival invites everyone to eat more veggies with more than 100 exhibitors including restaurants, free food samples, a dog and cat Adopt-A-Thon, nonprofits, silent auction, live music, and more. Activities for children include magicians, jugglers, vegetable-print painting, a beanbag toss, face painting, and a children’s literature table with information about animals and the environment. Downtown at Lee Park on Market St. 979-1200.

Ever dreamt of being in a parade? Now’s your chance. The Crozet Library is participating in the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department’s 100th Year Celebration Parade, and we’re looking for some fun folks to join us. All ages are welcome (strollers, wagons, bikes, and feet - anything goes!) If you have the spirit, we need you. Ask library staff for details, and come on out and support your local library. Lineup at Crozet Elementary School. 823-4050.

Shenandoah Germanic Heritage Museum (SGHM) hosts GermanFest, an Oktoberfest-like festival featuring children’s activities; re-enactors from the Revolutionary, Civil, and French and Indian Wars; arts and crafts vendors with period craft demonstrations; authentic German and American food; and a beer and wine garden. Non-stop live entertainment includes the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps; Liz Ruffner, a Patsy Cline Tribute Singer; and The Original Elbe -Musikanten German Band. The Festival will be held at the Hottel-Keller Homestead, located at 11523 Back Road, Toms Brook, Virginia.703-799-3969.

Charlottesville found its way to the Monster Ball September 8, where a UVA t-shirt, giant wigs and fake blood were among the looks sported by Lady Gaga at the John Paul Jones Arena, and even from the nosebleed sections, the spectacle was spectacular.

Ever wonder what happens outside the Jefferson Theater at 10:02pm on a Friday night? Well, at that time on September 3, this is what happens— whatever the heck it is.

PVCC’s Student Art Club invites everyone to enjoy a showing of the feature film Toy Story 3 on the big screen in the comfortable and spacious Dickinson Theatre. Piedmont Virginia Community College, 501 College Dr. 961-5362. Email: .

Pack a picnic dinner, bring a blanket or chairs, and enjoy a real country Hoe Down at MountainSide Petting Farm with your children. Live music provides the party mood. Wear your fancy Western wear and enjoy a toe “kickin” good time dancing and dining with family and friends. This is a fund raiser for the animals of the farm. Rain date is September 25. 141 Blundell Hollow Rd. (Rte 633), Afton. 361-0203. Email: .

“Faster, steeper, higher, deeper! The most daring mountain sport films from the 33rd annual Banff Mountain Film Festival will thrill and inspire you when “Radical Reels” comes to the Dickinson Theater at PVCC. Presented by National Geographic Adventure and hosted by Shenandoah National Park Trust (SNP) and Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, all proceeds from the event will benefit SNP Trust. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports or online at http://www.snptrust.org. 293-2728.

In association with its exhibition, “Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens,” the University of Virginia Art Museum’s Man Ray Film Series presents “Man Ray: Filmmaker,” which will screen the following five short films by Man Ray: Retour a la raison (Return to Reason); Ballet mécanique; Emak-Bakia; L’Etoile de mer (The Starfish); and Les Mysteres du Château de Dé (The Mysteries of the Chateau of Dice). Discussant: UVA Art Museum curator Matthew Affron. Campbell Hall 160. 924-3592.

In association with its exhibition, “Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens,” the University of Virginia Art Museum’s Man Ray Film Series presents “Josephine Baker in Paris,” which will screen Joe Francys’s Excerpts from La Revue des revues (Parisian Pleasures) and Edmond Gréville’s La Princesse Tam Tam (Princess Tam Tam). Discussant: UVA Art/American Studies prof. Carmenita Higginbotham. Campbell Hall 160. 924-3592.

In association with its exhibition, “Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens,” the University of Virginia Art Museum’s Man Ray Film Series presents “Documents of French Colonial Africa,” which will screen Marcel Griaule’s Sous les masques noirs (Under the Black Masks), Jean d’Agraives and Emmanuel Bourcier’s La France est un empire (France is an Empire), and Alain Resnais and Chris Marker’s Les statues meurent aussi (Statues Also Die). Discussant: UVA French prof. Alison Levine. Campbell Hall 160. 924-3592.

In association with the University of Virginia Art Museum’s exhibition, “Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens,” The Bridge screens four short films inspired by Man Ray: Chick Strand’s Elasticity, Scott Bartlett’s Medina, Pat O’Neill’s 7362, and Mark Lapore’s The Sleepers. 209 Monticello Road. 984-5669.

In association with its exhibition, “Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens,” the University of Virginia Art Museum’s Man Ray Film Series presents “African-American Performance in Hollywood,” featuring screenings of Dudley Murphy’s 1929 short, Black and Tan, and King Vidor’s 1929 feature, Hallelujah! Discussant: UVA English prof Eric Lott.  Campbell Hall 160. 924-3592.

Attention, beer lovers! Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 11. That’s when Starr Hill Brewery and Beer Run will be hosting their Top of the Hops beer-tasting extravaganza at the Charlottesville Pavillion. There’ll be more that 150 beers to sample, plus some food, live music, and even a Brew University Education Tent with seminars on food pairings and how to brew your own beer. Check out the event’s website at topofthehopsbeerfest.com/charlottesville/ for ticket information for the 3-7pm event.

Light House presents the 9th annual Light House Youth Film Festival: “An Evening of Star Gazing,” highlighting outstanding films from area youth. 6:30pm, cocktails; 8pm, screening; and 9:30pm, after party at Al Hamraa (a benefit for Light House—see ticket price). The Ix Building. To purchase tickets: 800-594-TIXX (8499) or or visit the Light House site. For more information, 293-6992.

Does Starr Hill Brewery have a product placement deal with Bravo’s Top Chef? As some viewers have noticed, during each episode of the reality show (taped this year in Washington, D.C.), when the chefs are hanging out in some back-room-looking area, they’re frequently knocking back a Jomo Lager or an Amber Ale while surrounded by boxes of the Crozet-brewed beer. Indeed, on Starr Hill’s Facebook page it says “catch up on your Top Chef before the new episode tonight on Bravo… and look out for Starr Hill in the background while the chef-testants are sweatin’ it in the stew room!” You can check out the frequent sightings in this clip from the show. However, according Red Light Managment’s Margaret Murray (Coran Capshaw is the brewery’s primary owner), Starr Hill’s appearance on the show is the result of good luck and a fortunate former professional relationship between Red Light and the producers of the show. “They found out we had a connection with a brewery and asked us to send them some beer,” says Murray, “and they liked it.” Murray says that while Starr Hill Brewery is included in the credits of the show, and the beer can been seen on camera “behind the scenes,” there’s no formal product placement deal. She characterizes it as more of a trade deal. “We’ve had some attention about it on our social networking sites,” says Murray, “but I can’t say its actually affected sales.” Of course, Starr Hill isn’t alone on the show. Other products spotted on the show include Whole Foods’ 365, Farmland Dairies, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Dial soap, and the Inn at Little Washington among many others. Still, Dish can’t say he’s noticed too many other beer companies featured on the show.

When the Virginia Film Festival got new director Jody Kielbasa last year, it was inevitable the 22-year-old film festival would see some change.

For the 23rd film fest, which runs November 4-7, Kielbasa unveiled a new logo August 16 and announced that acclaimed director Peter Bogdanovich will be the 2010 Film Fellow.

Bogdanovich made some of the quintessential movies of the ’70s, including The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon and What’s Up, Doc? Also a film critic and historian, he’s written 12 books on film.

The new logo is “an homage to the Blue Ridge Mountains,” says Kielbasa, as well as making no doubt this film festival is in Virginia and a “destination festival.”

Other changes festival fans can expect this year: no more themes, such as last year’s “Funny Business,” and fewer classic movies.

One month after the $3 million purchase of the Charlottesville Ice Park, renovations on the space are well underway, and the changes to the facility may soon have fans of sports beyond hockey cheering.

“We’re going to have eight big screen TVs,” says new owner Mark Brown, standing one recent morning in the light-filled foyer of the Ice Park where the concession stand and skate rental area were formerly located. Now, the space adjacent to the rink is being converted into the Downtown Mall’s first sports bar.

Among the changes: Brown is refinishing the bar with a stainless steel counter and reclaimed wood from Mountain Lumber. Twenty-two harsh fluorescent lights are being removed and will be replaced by three copper chandeliers locally made by Edward Pelton of Pelton Metalworks. The floor— once covered by rubber mats to accommodate skate-wearing patrons— has been stripped down to concrete and stained black (the rubber mats will remain in place in the glass enclosed rink area, where skate rentals will also be located). In addition to beer on tap and wine, Brown says the Ice Park will soon be serving up bar fare made on site, and he’s hoping to partner with two local restaurants who will cater more upscale lunches and dinners that can be eaten inside or al fresco on what will soon be an outdoor dining patio.

(more)

Enjoy a special “vibe” in the Lewis Ginter Children’s Garden. The Garden rocks and rolls with the special energy that comes from listening, dancing, clapping, and stomping feet to the music. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond. 804-262-9887.

Orange County Chamber of Commerce hosts the Orange Street Festival. Held in the center of downtown Orange, this annual festival features food, crafts, local businesses displaying their wares, and a great atmosphere for all. Rain or shine. Main Street in Orange. 540-672-5216.