Pre-weekend Weekend Lunch Invite 49. Squareliness is next to Godliness

As is the familiar trend week-to-week, there's a lot of repeat stuff this week. Adding insult to injury, I'm well behind on my Christmas shopping. At least I got the oil changed in the car, albeit a couple thousand miles late.

I'm also well past due for more "book reports" (as Todd puts it). I've got a couple bloated sectors on a disk in the basement just bursting with pictures from a couple events as far back as a month or more.

To kick off the repeat stuff, be sure to get over to the WBER website to vote for your favorite alternative songs of the year and your favorite alternative albums of all time.

Movies

Movies this week:

• Anna and the King: The story of the romance between the King of Siam (Yun-Fat Chow) and the widowed British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens (Jodie Foster) during the 1860's.
• Bicentennial Man: In a nightmarish future, someone makes a robot that looks Robin Williams but keeps going and going and going...
• Galaxy Quest: Aliens discover an old sci-fi TV series, think it's a historical document, and kidnap the stars thinking they're actual space heroes. Sneak preview on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Tinseltown. Complimentary tickets available at Miz Moe On the Plus Side, 1239 Lyell Ave.
• Stuart Little: In a nightmarish future, a mouse with the voice of Michael J. Fox is accidentally adopted by a family. Despite several seconds of screen time inside a pussy, Stuart Little strangely maintains a PG rating.

Thursday

Buddhahood opens for 11 ft. 7 at Milestones (170 East Avenue.)

Today's "Safe Bet" is Sadona at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) Again, never heard 'em, but they generally bring in decent bands.

Today's "Danger Bet" is The Art of Brewing and Serving Tea at George Eastman House (900 East Avenue.)

Not to mention...assuming it still happens... this being the third Thursday...there should be a "Poetry Slam" at Barnes & Noble (3349 Monroe Ave.) Starts at 7:00 or so and runs for maybe-an-hour.

Karaoke at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton.)

WBER's Alternative Music night at Red (171 St. Paul.)

Friday!

Karaoke at Boston Brew Company (251 Exchange Blvd.)

Aside from that, ya can gamble with Zydeco--Chanka Chank is playing at Red (171 St. Paul.) Zydeco is always cool...unless it sucks really bad.

Remember back in November when I mentioned that the RIT Observatory is open to the public? Neither did I. Jan says the RIT Observatory (645 John St.) is having a Public Observing session from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Call 475-6824 for last minute details.

Saturday

Current news reveals that the plans to implode the Rochester Hotel at Main & Plymouth are continuing this weekend. (Note that they were going to do this on December 2 but people running the neighboring Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene had concerns that their church might be damaged. In the process of preparing the building for demolotion, it is now too weak to stand on its own so the city is forced to provide a permit. The time hasn't been set, but it will probably be 8:00 a.m. like last time.

O'Bagelo's at 165 State Street at noon.

Tonight at the Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is Garage Pop #8, featuring The Quitters, White Cotton Panties, Veins, Moviees, Priests, Vertigo-Gos, Runs, Grinders, and Eye Spy.

However, the safe money once again falls to the unknown-to-me The High Risers at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.)

Treehouse Cinema's Movie Night, 9:30 p.m., The Treehouse 693 East Ave.) This week: Ulee's Gold. As Carl from the Monroe County Baha'i Mailing List put it:

Peter Fonda won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a reclusive beekeeper who is drawn into the underbelly of urban life to preserve his family.

If you'd like to see the personification of Karaoke, Neil Diamond is at the Blue Cross Arena (Exchange Blvd and Broad St.) tonight at 8:00 p.m.

FOX's Sunday Night Animation:

• King of the Hill - Hillennium - Hank is the voice of reason during the holiday season as his friends and neighbors get caught up in millennial fever.
• Simpsons TV-PG Grift of the Magi - A toy corporation urges the children at Springfield Elementary to develop the ultimate toy for Christmastime.
• Futurama TV-PG Xmas Story - Fry discovers that Santa Claus is an 8-foot robot who menaces people on Christmas Eve in the year 3000.

Unnerving quietness.

Tuesday

Most important of all, tonight is the sneak preview of Galaxy Quest at Tinseltown. Complimentary tickets available at Miz Moe On the Plus Side, 1239 Lyell Ave.

Open mic comedy at the Colosseum Caffe (262 Park Ave.) starting around 9:00.

Open mic poetry at Java's (16 Gibb Street) starting around 9:30.

Wednesday

South Park at Rohrbach's at 315 Gregory Street at 10:00. Today: Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo - Kyle's musical pal, Mr. Hankey, appears and helps create a memorable Christmas in South Park.

If you'd like to miss South Park but keep in the same vein, Mike Dambra is appearing with Nick Siracuse tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Place, 424-LAFF.) If you weren't smart enough to see him for free at the open mic nights, perhaps you should pay to see him, chucklebutt.